*POV: Nyla*
By the next morning, the forest clearing had transformed into a training ground. Damon stood at the center, shirt off, muscles taut and glistening beneath the rising sun. But my focus wasn't on his body—it was on the others forming a circle around me.
"You need to learn how to defend yourself," Rhea said, cracking her knuckles. "Because one day, instincts won't be enough."
I nodded, my jaw tight. I wasn't going to be a damsel in distress—not in this world.
We started slow. Kade taught me how to read movement, Zara showed me how to break holds, and Micah—well, he tripped me. A lot.
"You've got quick reflexes," he grinned. "We'll turn that into something lethal."
But something strange happened halfway through training. During a mock fight, Rhea lunged, and I raised my arm to block—and a pulse of heat exploded from my palm, knocking her back several feet.
Everyone froze.
"What the hell was that?" I gasped, staring at my trembling hand.
Damon rushed over, crouching beside Rhea who sat up, eyes wide. "That was power," he murmured. "Your power."
"It's awakening," Lani said softly. "Your wolf side… it's starting to rise."
The weight of it hit me—I wasn't just different. I was dangerous.
That night, I couldn't sleep. I stepped outside, moonlight casting a silver glow on the woods.
On the steps of the cottage, I found something strange—a torn piece of parchment with a claw mark and six words:
*"She was never meant to survive."*
My blood ran cold.
*Who left it? What did it mean?*
I didn't know yet—but tomorrow, I'd need answers. And I knew exactly whose bed I'd end up in for comfort… and distraction.
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