POV: Nyra
The quiet in her room felt stronger than normal,
Nyra walked in, closing the door after her, the sound echoing like a warning deep inside her, The instant she walked in, something changed — not in the room, but inside her,
It was the way her hands stopped shaking, how her breaths were steady even with the chaos outside,
The look in the pack's eyes when they saw her… the fear… she'd never forget seeing it,
They didn't whisper about her when she wasn't around anymore, They just stared,
She wasn't the quiet sister hiding in Kade's shadow anymore, No longer the obedient daughter who listened to Jake's rules, No longer the girl Rae once held carefully, afraid she might break,
They were afraid of her now,
And even though a small part of her didn't like it… she understood why,
Power didn't ask for permission, It demanded respect — and if respect wasn't given, fear was good enough,
She stood in the middle of her room, surrounded by the same things she had owned since she was a child — soft books, old wolf figures, delicate blankets made by hand,
Everything around her seemed so breakable, She didn't belong here anymore, Not after what she had turned into,
Or maybe… what she had always been inside,
With a sigh, Nyra walked to her small shelf and started moving things around, She needed to make space — inside her room and inside her mind too, Maybe if she got rid of what was left of the girl she used to be, she could understand the woman she had become,
As she reached for a stack of old journals, her hand bumped into something hard hidden underneath them, Confused, she pulled it out — an old book covered in leather, its corners worn and nameplate faded,
Her chest felt tight,
She knew this book well,
It belonged to her,
A diary… one she hadn't seen for years,
The cover had a light mark burned into the leather: a moon shape wrapped in vines — the mark her mother used to draw without thinking,
Underneath it, hard to see, were the words: Night Whisper,
She sat down on the edge of her bed, the diary resting on her knees like something from another time, Slowly, she opened it up, The first page was messy — words scribbled by a child, innocent and not sure, But as she flipped through it, the writing became darker, more confusing, more questioning,
"What am I?" one page asked,
"Why do I see things that no one else can?"
"Why does the moon talk to me like a mother calling for her lost child?"
She took a breath,
Page after page told of dreams of wolves with shining eyes… of voices in her sleep whispering about old family lines and impossible fates, Her younger self had begged for answers in ink, writing down feelings she'd never dared to say out loud,
Then came the writing that made her stop breathing,
The Moon Goddess created two of them, Not only one Alpha, but she made two, They were born to even out the power, One would be like the sun, and the other like a shadow, I believe… I think I might be the other one,"
Nyra looked closely at the words, and her fingers tightened around the paper's edge, She suddenly remembered when her mother told her privately that her arrival had been predicted, It meant her quietness wasn't being weak, but keeping safe,
The Night Whisper wasn't just some made-up story, It was something that was going to happen, It was a match to something else,
Two alphas, Having two leaders would stop the ongoing violence, controlling behavior, and worry, They weren't supposed to control each other, but instead change what it meant to be a leader,
She wasn't a bad thing that happened, She was the other part that was needed,
Her heart beat fast in her chest, but it wasn't from being scared, but from understanding, The young girl who had once written these questions had been puzzled and really wanted to know who she was, But what about the woman reading them now?
She was aware of who she was,
And now she knew why the others were afraid of her,
It wasn't because she was a threat… but because it was meant to be,
Still holding onto the diary, Nyra got up and walked over to the window, She could see brief movements outside — warriors walking around, older people talking quietly in the corners, and Rae somewhere beyond the trees,
They were getting ready for a fight,
But Nyra didn't want a fight, She didn't want anyone to get hurt, She didn't want to ruin Kade,
She only wanted to get back what had always belonged to her — her ability to speak up, her real self, and her chance to be in charge,
Whether they liked it or not,
A loud bang interrupted Nyra's train of thought,
She gently shut the notebook, her fingers pausing on the old cover, A diary from when she was young that she had forgotten about now contained answers that were too important to ignore, The Moon Goddess hadn't been wrong—she had made a prediction, And Nyra… was the most important part of it,
"Come in," she said quietly, putting the book under some old coats by her bed,
The door opened a bit, and Jonathan walked in without waiting,
"Nyra," he said with a practiced smile, "you've been hiding how amazing you are with false modesty for years,"
She tensed up, "Jonathan,"
He shut the door behind him and walked further into the room like he belonged there, He looked her up and down, not with admiration—but to figure her out,
"You impressed the council," he continued, putting his hands behind him, "That bright red light… your strength, Even Kade looked scared,"
Nyra didn't say anything, She knew better than to trust nice words from someone like him,
Jonathan had always been somewhere between a friend and someone looking for a chance to take advantage, He was related to a council member, so he had never had real power—but he had always wanted it like a vulture, Now, he wanted her,
"You've made them nervous," he went on, walking around the room with that cocky smile, "Rae's loyalty, the council's attention, the warriors' respect, It's all changing—to you,"
Nyra crossed her arms, "What do you want, Jonathan?"
"To help," he answered smoothly, "And to make sure you don't waste your gifts,"
She raised an eyebrow, "My gifts?"
"Let's be real," he said, speaking more quietly, "You're too good to just be Kade's sister, You're stronger, Smarter, You don't just deserve to be the Alpha—you were meant to be,"
Nyra stayed quiet,
"You could rebuild the Shadow Pack," he said, his voice gentle but firm, "Not with the old rules and ways that held us back, but with something better, And I could help you do it,"
She moved her head a little, "You mean… lead with me?"
His smile got bigger, "Kind of, You lead, I give advice, Together, we'd change everything,"
Nyra walked slowly to the window, watching the moonlight move across the floor like shiny water, She was calm and hard to read, But inside, she was thinking clearly,
Jonathan wanted power, He'd seen her become important and now wanted to use her for his own benefit, like a leech pretending to be nice,
"You think I need your help to lead?" she asked, still looking out the window,
"I think it would be… helpful," he answered, "To have someone who knows the council, The politics, Kade won't give up being the leader easily,"
She turned around, looking him in the eye, "And you would help me… because of what? Loyalty?"
He laughed quietly, "Let's not pretend this is about loyalty, This is about wanting to succeed—for both of us,"
There it was, The real reason, said out loud, He didn't even act like he cared about the group, about fairness, or what she went through, He just looked at her like she was a way to get ahead,
"Your words sound smart," Nyra stated, her voice quiet and steady, "But you're not the only one who can understand what's really going on,"
Jonathan looked surprised, unsure of himself,
She moved nearer, seeming much bigger even though she sounded calm, "You believe nice words will change my mind, That I'll depend on you like I used to depend on feeling safe, But I'm not the same anymore, Jonathan,"
He paused, feeling unsure, "I'm only repeating what other people are already thinking,"
"No," she replied, "you're saying what helps you, You think I'm too helpless and need you to help me stand up,"
Jonathan started to talk, but Nyra didn't let him,
"You see the Night Whisper," she stated, her voice now more icy and powerful, "But you still talk to the young woman who hid near Kade, That young woman doesn't exist anymore,"
Jonathan's face showed doubt, and he stood up straighter,
Nyra walked by him, slowly grabbing the journal again, "I know who I really am now, I don't want your kind of strength, and I definitely don't need your okay,"
"Nyra—"
"You can go," she replied, still not turning to face him,
He moved a bit closer, "You're wrong about this—"
"No," she stated, speaking louder this time, her eyes briefly shining, "You are,"
Her voice sounded sure, full of something he didn't think she had—confidence, Not mad, not furious… just the calm strength of a person who is completely in charge,
Jonathan stayed there for a few seconds, his face hard to read, then nodded quickly, like he didn't want to,
Without another word, he turned around and left, and the door clicked when it closed,
Nyra breathed out, and the quiet came back like a comforting presence,
She didn't need to be tricked, She didn't need plans,
She had the truth,
And that would be all she needed