Night came quietly in Blackridge.
No mocking laughter. No tense whispers curling through thin walls. Just the steady rhythm of guards changing shifts and the distant thud of training finally winding down. The pack settled like a living thing preparing to rest—alert, but unafraid.
I lay awake anyway.
The bed was comfortable, the fire low and warm, yet sleep refused to come. Every time I closed my eyes, memories pressed in—Kael's voice ringing through the pack hall, the way the bond had torn instead of snapped, Lina's helpless stare.
My chest tightened.
I turned onto my side, clutching the blanket like it could anchor me to the present. Blackridge. Safe. Chosen.
The word felt unfamiliar.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
I stiffened.
"Come in," I said after a moment, my voice steadier than I felt.
Lucien stepped inside, a single lantern in hand. He didn't cross the room immediately, as if giving me space to decide whether I wanted him there.
"I didn't mean to wake you," he said. "But the council meeting ran late, and I wanted to check on you."
"I wasn't asleep."
His gaze flicked to my face, sharp and perceptive. "No," he agreed quietly.
He set the lantern down on the small table, its glow softening the room. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
"Blackridge can feel… overwhelming," Lucien said finally. "Especially the first night."
"It's not the pack," I admitted. "It's the quiet."
He nodded once, like he understood more than I'd said.
"Nightclaw never let me forget what I was," I continued, the words spilling out before I could stop them. "Here, no one has looked at me like that. Like I don't belong."
"Because you do," he said simply.
I let out a shaky breath. "You don't even know me."
Lucien's expression softened, just a fraction. "I know what you're not."
That landed harder than comfort ever could have.
I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The movement made the bond ache again—dull, persistent. Lucien noticed immediately.
"It still hurts," he said.
"Yes."
"It will," he admitted. "Rejection bonds don't vanish overnight. Especially when one side refuses to let go."
My jaw tightened. "He made his choice."
"And now you're making yours," Lucien replied. "That matters."
Silence stretched between us—not awkward, not tense. Just… present.
"I won't touch you," he said suddenly. "Not unless you ask. Not unless your wolf asks."
Heat flared unexpectedly in my chest—not pain this time, but awareness.
"I appreciate that," I said quietly.
Lucien inclined his head. "Rest. Tomorrow, things begin."
"Training?" I guessed.
"Answers," he corrected. "About your wolf. About why Kael felt threatened enough to reject you publicly."
My pulse quickened. "You think he was afraid."
"I think," Lucien said carefully, "that power often frightens those who rely on status instead of strength."
When he turned to leave, I surprised myself by speaking again. "Lucien?"
He paused.
"Thank you," I said. Not as an omega. Not as someone desperate for approval. Just… honest.
His eyes met mine, silver catching the firelight. "You don't owe me gratitude," he said. "Only honesty—with yourself."
The door closed softly behind him.
I lay back down, staring into the dim glow of the dying fire. My wolf shifted, curling closer to the surface, not afraid of what waited beyond sleep.
For the first time in my life, I wasn't bracing for tomorrow.
I was curious.
And somewhere beyond Blackridge's walls, I knew—without doubt—
Kael felt the distance growing between us.
And this time, I wasn't the one reaching back.
Sleep finally came in fragments.
I dreamed of running—not away, but toward something I couldn't yet see. The forest stretched endlessly, moonlight breaking through the canopy in silver shards. My wolf moved with confidence, her paws sure, powerful. She wasn't silent anymore.
She was learning.
I woke with a sharp inhale, heart racing.
The fire had burned low, shadows crawling along the walls. For a moment, I didn't know where I was—then Blackridge rushed back in. Safety. Choice.
A different scent lingered in the room.
Clean. Sharp. Faintly like rain and iron.
Lucien.
I pushed myself upright, suddenly alert. He hadn't touched anything, but his presence clung to the air like a promise he hadn't made out loud.
A knock came again, firmer this time.
"Get dressed," Lucien's voice said through the door. "Something's wrong."
The word sliced through the haze of sleep.
I was on my feet instantly, pulling on the clothes laid out for me—simple, dark, fitted for movement. When I opened the door, Lucien stood rigid, his usual calm sharpened into focus.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Your former pack tested my borders," he said. "Not openly. Scouts. Watching."
My stomach dropped. "Kael?"
Lucien didn't answer immediately. "He didn't cross. But he's close enough to feel the bond."
The ache in my chest pulsed, sharp and unwelcome.
"He won't stop, will he?" I whispered.
"No," Lucien said. "Not once he realizes what you are."
We moved quickly through the corridors, the pack already awake now, warriors alert but controlled. No panic. No chaos.
On the eastern ridge, I felt it before I saw it.
Pressure.
The land itself seemed to respond to my presence, humming faintly beneath my feet. My wolf surged forward, not snarling—but standing tall.
Lucien watched me closely. "Do you feel that?"
"Yes," I said, breath shallow. "It's… answering me."
A murmur rippled through the gathered wolves.
"She's not unstable," one whispered. "She's aligned."
Aligned.
Lucien stepped closer, lowering his voice. "This is why you needed to leave Nightclaw. Your power isn't reactive—it's responsive. You don't explode. You command."
The realization hit me hard.
All my life, I'd been quiet because I'd been contained.
Not weak.
Contained.
A presence flared across the border—sharp, familiar, infuriatingly intimate.
Kael.
The bond tugged once, hard, like a hand grasping for something already slipping away.
I straightened, lifting my chin. "He's there."
Lucien's gaze never left the treeline. "Yes."
"Let him feel it," I said suddenly.
Lucien turned, surprise flickering across his face. "You're sure?"
I nodded, heart pounding. "I won't hide anymore."
Lucien stepped back, giving me space—not shielding me, not directing me. Trusting me.
I closed my eyes and reached inward.
My wolf rose fully for the first time.
The land answered.
A wave of pressure rolled outward—not violent, not cruel. Just undeniable.
Across the border, something snapped.
The bond didn't break.
It recoiled.
I gasped, stumbling slightly. Lucien caught my arm instantly, steady but careful.
Kael's presence vanished like smoke.
Silence fell.
Lucien searched my face. "How do you feel?"
I exhaled, shaky but exhilarated. "Like I just chose myself."
A slow, genuine smile curved his lips—rare, unguarded.
"That," he said quietly, "is how this begins."
And standing there beneath the pale morning sky, with Blackridge at my back and my power finally awake—
I knew the quiet nights were over.
So was being underestimated.