POV: Miranda Prospero
The injured wolf appeared at the edge of our property just after dawn.
I was in the garden, harvesting chamomile for Papa's tea, when I felt the disturbance in the forest. The birds went silent. The rabbits froze mid-hop. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Something was wrong.
I set down my basket and moved toward the tree line, my bare feet silent on the dew-wet grass. Papa always said I shouldn't investigate disturbances alone, but he was still sleeping after working late in his study, and whatever was out there was hurting.
I could feel its pain like an echo in my chest.
The wolf lay collapsed beneath a Douglas fir, blood matting its gray fur. Silver poisoning. I could smell the metallic tang from ten feet away, see the unnatural sheen of the wounds.
"Oh my stars," I breathed, dropping to my knees beside the creature.
The wolf's eyes opened, amber and filled with pain. It tried to growl, to warn me away, but the sound came out as a whimper.
"Shh, it's okay." I placed my hands on its side, feeling for the silver fragments. "I'm going to help you."
My power rose naturally, instinctively. White light poured from my palms, warm and soothing. The wolf's breathing eased. Its eyes widened with something that looked like recognition.
I worked carefully, drawing the silver poison out through the wounds, letting my healing magic knit torn flesh back together. Papa had taught me this through books and careful practice on smaller creatures. I'd never healed anything this large before.
But the magic knew what to do. It always did.
After several minutes, the wolf's breathing normalized. The wounds closed. It struggled to its feet, shaking itself experimentally.
Then it did something extraordinary.
It shifted.
I scrambled backward as bones cracked and reformed, fur receding into human skin. Within seconds, a man crouched where the wolf had been. He looked about twenty, dark-haired, with those same amber eyes.
"You're Prospero's daughter." His voice was rough from the shift. "The hidden one."
My heart hammered. "How do you know my father?"
"Everyone knows the Exile." He studied me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. "You're supposed to be a myth. The Kingmaker's secret weapon."
"I don't know what you're talking about." But my hands were shaking. Papa had always told me we were in hiding because he'd chosen family over power. A simple story. A comfortable lie.
"Miranda!" Papa's voice boomed across the garden. "Get away from him!"
I turned to see my father running toward us, power crackling around him in a way I'd never witnessed. The air itself seemed to bend around him, responding to his fury.
The shifter raised his hands in surrender. "Prospero. I mean no harm. I was tracking rogues near your border and ran into a silver trap."
"Who sent you?" Papa's voice could have frozen fire.
"No one. I swear on my pack." The shifter pulled on the pants I politely averted my eyes from him grabbing from nearby bushes. "I didn't know this was your territory. Please, I just want to leave."
Papa's power pressed heavier. The shifter dropped to one knee, unable to withstand the Alpha dominance.
I'd never seen my father like this. Dangerous. Terrifying. Nothing like the gentle man who taught me about plants and read me poetry.
"Papa, stop." I stepped between them. "He's telling the truth. I can feel it."
My father's eyes met mine. In them, I saw fear and fury and something that looked like resignation.
"Go home, wolf," Papa said quietly, his power receding. "Tell no one what you saw here. If word spreads about my daughter's location, I'll know who broke silence."
The shifter nodded rapidly. "You have my word, Kingmaker. Your secret is safe."
He shifted back to wolf form and disappeared into the forest.
I turned to face my father, anger bubbling up to replace my shock.
"Kingmaker?" I demanded. "The Exile? Papa, what was he talking about?"
Papa's shoulders sagged. He suddenly looked much older than his forty-something years.
"Come inside, little star. It's time you learned the truth."
Papa's study was lined with books I'd read cover to cover over the years. Supernatural history. Pack politics. Ancient magical theory. I'd thought they were just educational materials.
Now I wondered what else they'd been teaching me.
Papa poured himself whiskey with shaking hands. I'd never seen him drink before noon.
"Your mother and I were the most powerful supernatural couple in North America," he began without preamble. "I was the Alpha who could command any pack. She was the witch who could see the future. Together, we shaped supernatural politics for two decades."
I sank into the reading chair, my mind reeling.
"They called me the Kingmaker because I decided which Alphas rose to power and which fell. Your mother's visions guided us. We tried to create a better world. More equality. Less violence. Peace between species."
"What happened?" My voice came out small.
"We made enemies." His laugh was bitter. "Powerful people who benefited from the old ways. They smiled to our faces and plotted behind our backs. When your mother became pregnant with you, she saw her own death in a vision."
My chest tightened.
"She tried to prevent it. We both did. But fate is tricky. The harder we fought, the more inevitable it became." His hands gripped the whiskey glass. "They murdered her when you were two years old. Made it look like an accident. By the time I realized the truth, they'd turned half the supernatural world against me."
"So you ran."
"I chose you over revenge." He finally looked at me, his eyes haunted. "They wanted you, Miranda. Your mother's dying prophecy said you'd inherit both our powers. That you'd reshape the supernatural world. They wanted to control that power or destroy it."
The weight of his words pressed down on me. Seventeen years of isolation suddenly made horrible sense.
"I've been hiding from people who want to use me as a weapon," I said quietly.
"Or kill you to prevent anyone else from using you." Papa set down his glass. "I'm sorry, little star. You deserved a normal childhood. Friends. School. A life beyond these woods."
"Why tell me now?"
He pulled an envelope from his desk drawer. Cream-colored paper with an elaborate wax seal I didn't recognize.
"This arrived last night. Via magical courier. First contact from the outside world in fifteen years."
I took the envelope with trembling fingers. The seal bore the image of a wolf beneath a full moon.
Moonrise Academy.
"It's an invitation," Papa said. "Or maybe a summons. I'm not sure anymore."
I broke the seal and read:
Dear Miss Prospero,
Moonrise Academy is pleased to extend an invitation for enrollment in our senior class. Your unique educational background and abilities would be a valuable addition to our diverse student body.
We understand your father's concerns regarding your safety. Please be assured that our campus is protected by ancient wards and modern security. All students are guaranteed sanctuary within our walls.
We hope you'll join us for the upcoming academic year.
Sincerely,Principal Lear
"They know about me," I whispered. "After all these years, they know."
"Someone leaked your location." Papa's jaw tightened. "Or worse, someone has been watching us this entire time."
"What do we do?"
He was quiet for a long moment, staring at the books that lined his study. Finally, he sighed.
"You go."
"What?"
"I can't protect you from your destiny forever, Miranda. The supernatural world is changing. The old powers are dying. New conflicts are emerging." He met my eyes. "You need to learn to navigate that world. Make allies. Understand the forces that will try to control or destroy you."
"You want me to go to boarding school with people who might want me dead?"
"I want you to stop being a myth and start being a person." His voice cracked slightly. "You're seventeen years old and you've never had a friend your own age. Never went to a dance or a party. Never had a first kiss or a broken heart. I stole that from you to keep you safe."
"You were protecting me."
"I was hiding you." He stood and pulled me into a fierce hug. "Your mother wanted you to be brave. To use your gifts to heal the supernatural world. I've been so terrified of losing you that I forgot she might have been right."
I breathed in his familiar scent of old books and pipe tobacco, feeling my world shift on its axis.
"What if I'm not ready?"
"No one's ever ready for their destiny." He pulled back, cupping my face in his hands. "But knowledge is your protection, little star. I've taught you everything I know about supernatural politics. Now you need to learn how people actually behave versus how books say they should."
"What about the people who killed Mama? What if they come after me?"
"Then I'll be ready." His expression turned hard. "I've spent seventeen years preparing. Building alliances. Gathering evidence. When the time comes, they'll answer for what they did. But you can't be a prisoner of my revenge."
Three days. That's how long I had to prepare for a world I'd only read about in books.
Papa helped me pack, choosing clothes from catalogs because I'd never been shopping. Teaching me about social media and cell phones. Explaining pack hierarchies and supernatural social rules.
"Remember," he said as we sorted through online orders, "trust your instincts. Your empathy for living things is a gift. Use it to read people's intentions."
"What if I can't control my power around other students?"
"You've been controlling it your entire life." He folded a sweater into my new suitcase. "But if you feel overwhelmed, find somewhere quiet. Ground yourself. The earth always responds to you."
I picked up a sundress covered in tiny flowers. "Will I look normal in this?"
"You'll look beautiful." His smile was sad. "Just like your mother."
The acceptance letter sat on my desk, next to the laptop Papa had ordered for schoolwork. Moonrise Academy. A place where supernatural students learned to become leaders.
Where I'd finally meet other people like me.
Well, not exactly like me. According to Papa, my combination of wolf shifting and magical abilities was nearly unique. Most supernatural beings had one gift or the other, not both.
Which meant I'd be different even among people who were already different.
Story of my life.
"Miranda." Papa appeared in my doorway. "There's something else you should know."
My stomach dropped at his tone.
"The supernatural world is fractured right now. Ancient feuds. Political alliances. Territorial disputes. Moonrise Academy is supposed to be neutral ground, but students bring their families' conflicts with them."
"You're saying I should be careful who I trust."
"I'm saying people will try to use you." He sat on my bed, looking suddenly exhausted. "Your power makes you valuable. Some will want to protect you. Others will want to control you. A few will want to destroy you before you can threaten their interests."
"How do I tell the difference?"
"Watch how people treat those who can't benefit them. Real character shows in how we treat the powerless, not the powerful." He squeezed my hand. "And remember, you're not alone. I'll be working from here to expose the conspiracy that killed your mother. Stay alert. Trust slowly. And call me anytime."
"I'm scared," I admitted.
"Good. Fear keeps you careful." He pulled me close. "But don't let it keep you from living, little star. Your mother wanted you to change the world. I think you're ready to start."
The morning I left, the forest came to say goodbye.
Deer gathered at the edge of the clearing. Birds sang from every branch. Even a bear I'd healed as a cub appeared to watch me go.
"They'll miss you," Papa said softly.
"I'll miss them too." Tears blurred my vision. "They're the only friends I've ever had."
"Then go make human friends. Or wolf friends. Whatever teenagers do these days." He loaded my suitcase into the old truck. "Ready?"
No. Absolutely not.
"Yes," I lied.
As we drove down the mountain toward the academy, I watched the forest disappear behind us. Somewhere ahead, other students were arriving. Pack heirs and political dynasties. People who'd grown up in the supernatural world I'd only read about.