The sky was still black when Hailey woke.
The air felt strange—charged—like the forest itself was holding its breath. She dressed quickly and stepped outside, her heart pounding. The entire Great Pack slept, but one figure stood in the center of the clearing:
Aria.
The seer didn't move as Hailey approached. Her cloak flowed around her like shifting shadows.
"You're late," Aria said calmly, though Hailey knew she wasn't. Aria enjoyed testing her.
Hailey swallowed. "I'm ready."
Aria turned, her violet eyes glimmering.
"No. You are hopeful. You are frightened. You are wounded. But ready? Let us see."
She lifted her hand.
The forest stirred.
Wind whipped through the clearing, swirling leaves into a silver spiral around them. Hailey's wolf rose inside her instantly, responding to the raw magic in the air.
Aria circled her slowly.
"First lesson," she said. "Power obeys emotion. But you… your power reacts to everything. Even the faintest thought."
She leaned close.
"That is why you lost control."
Hailey's stomach tightened. "How do I stop that?"
"You don't." Aria stepped back. "You learn to command it."
She snapped her fingers.
The ground cracked.
A ring of shimmering symbols erupted in a circle around Hailey, glowing silver—ancient runes Hailey didn't recognize.
Hailey jumped. "What is this?"
"A boundary," Aria said. "To keep the forest safe if you… explode again."
Hailey swallowed hard.
Aria's voice softened, but only slightly.
"Shift."
Hailey closed her eyes and let her wolf rise. Her bones cracked, her senses heightened, and the world sharpened into crystal clarity. When she opened her eyes, Aria was watching her with unreadable intensity.
"Good. Now hold still."
Aria lifted both hands.
Silver energy streamed from her fingertips toward Hailey like glowing threads—wrapping around her wolf's body like vines. Hailey stiffened, her fur bristling, her instincts screaming Danger!
Her wolf growled, but Aria didn't stop.
"Fight back," she said. "Push my energy out of your body."
Hailey tried.
She pushed her power outward—but it burst too strong, too wild. The runes flared, struggling to contain the shockwave.
Aria frowned.
"Too much. Again."
She sent another wave of energy into Hailey, this one colder, sharper. Hailey trembled, claws digging into the earth.
Her wolf snarled angrily.
"Use your core," Aria instructed. "Not your fear. Not your panic. Your center."
Hailey closed her glowing silver eyes.
She focused.
On her heartbeat.
On her mother's voice.
On her father's strength.
On Jason's stubborn support.
On Claire's fierce loyalty.
A warmth blossomed in her chest—steady, controlled.
And Hailey pushed.
The silver vines shattered off her body like glass.
Aria raised an eyebrow.
"Better. Again."
She launched a stronger wave—a tidal force of raw magic that slammed into Hailey like a storm. Hailey staggered, claws scraping furrows into the dirt. Her wolf howled.
Pain shot through her.
Her vision blurred.
She tried pushing back, but her control slipped. Power surged, wild and chaotic, ripping through the clearing—
"NO!" she cried out.
Suddenly, Aria was in front of her, palm pressed to Hailey's forehead. Her aura wrapped around Hailey like a vice, containing the explosion.
Hailey fell to her knees, fur flickering with unstable light.
Aria crouched beside her.
"Do not fear your power," she whispered. "Fear is what makes it dangerous."
Hailey's wolf whimpered.
Aria placed a hand over Hailey's heart.
"Again."
Hailey lifted her head, exhausted but determined. Her eyes burned brighter.
She stood.
Shifted back into a wolf with a single breath.
And braced herself.
Aria sent the energy once more—harder than before.
This time…
Hailey didn't crumble.
She pushed back, controlled, steady—her power meeting Aria's in a clash of silver light that lit the forest like dawn.
Aria smiled—proud and dangerous.
"There it is," the seer murmured. "Your true strength."
Hailey panted, but her wolf lifted its head proudly.
"What you unleashed days ago was nothing," Aria said. "Only the beginning. And if you master it… you will become something this world has not seen in centuries."
Hailey swallowed, breath trembling.
"What will I become?" she whispered.
Aria's eyes gleamed.
"Legend."