Jade's POV
The training yard was empty except for Riven and a few older wolves standing at a distance.
Jade had been avoiding this moment since she arrived. She'd seen the other pack members shifting in and out of wolf form like it was nothing. Like it didn't matter. But for her, shifting meant opening herself up. It meant letting her wolf out after six years of keeping it locked away. It meant being vulnerable in a way she couldn't afford.
"Shift," Riven commanded.
"No," she said flatly.
"Shift," he repeated, his tone making it clear this wasn't a request anymore.
"I said no." Jade crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not doing it."
Riven circled her slowly. His movements were lazy, relaxed, like he had all the time in the world to deal with her defiance. Like he was enjoying this.
"Why?" he asked. "Afraid you'll lose control?"
"I'm not afraid of anything."
"Then prove it," he said. He was in front of her now, close enough that she had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes. "Shift."
"Stop asking."
"Stop being a coward," he said simply.
The words landed like a punch. Jade's hands clenched into fists.
"Your mother ran because she was weak," Riven continued, his voice dropping lower. "She couldn't handle what she was. She couldn't face her own strength. So she hid. And she died hiding."
"Don't talk about my mother," Jade said through gritted teeth.
"Why not? She's exactly why you're like this." He stepped closer. "She taught you that being wolf was dangerous. That hiding was survival. But you're not your mother. And staying locked up inside yourself won't keep you safe. It'll just make you weak."
Jade swung at him without thinking.
He dodged easily, laughing. Laughing like her anger was entertainment.
"There," he said, taunting her. "Come on. Hit me again. Actually try."
She did. She swung harder, her full body behind the punch. He sidestepped and she nearly fell off balance. He laughed again and something inside her shattered.
Years of control. Years of keeping her wolf locked down. Years of denying what she was. It all cracked open at once.
The shift came fast and violent.
Her bones broke and reformed. Her muscles tore and rebuilt themselves. Fur erupted across her skin in waves of silver that caught the sunlight. Her face elongated into a snout. Her hands became paws with claws that dug into the dirt. Everything hurt and everything felt right at the same time.
When it was done, she stood on four legs in her wolf form for the first time in six years.
The training yard went absolutely silent.
She could feel every eye on her. Could smell the shock rolling off the watching wolves. Could sense their awe and their fear and their absolute certainty that they were looking at something legendary.
Her wolf form was massive. Larger than any normal she-wolf. Her fur was pure silver, almost glowing in the afternoon light. When she moved, her muscles rippled under her coat with power she'd never known she had.
Riven shifted.
His wolf form was even more massive than hers. Pure black with silver streaks along his ribs. Amber eyes that glowed with intensity. He was larger and heavier and carried the weight of an Alpha in every line of his body.
They circled each other.
Jade's wolf was wild and hungry and desperate to test itself. To see what this body could do. Riven moved like he was testing her, like he wanted to see how strong she really was beneath all that control.
When he lunged, she was ready.
She dodged and spun, her reflexes sharper than any wolf here. When he snapped at her, she dodged and struck back with claws that scored across his shoulder. Blood dripped but he was already healing, the wound closing almost as fast as it opened.
They fought across the training yard. Real combat. Not holding back. He was stronger but she was faster. She could feel her hybrid nature working in her, making her something that shouldn't exist. Something powerful beyond normal wolf genetics.
When Riven slammed into her and sent her flying backward, she landed on her feet without falling. When she twisted away from his jaws, her muscles sang with strength. When a cut opened across her side, she felt it close within seconds, new skin and fur knitting together.
She was unstoppable.
They broke apart finally. Both breathing hard. Both covered in shallow wounds that were already healing. Riven's wolf form towered over hers but there was something in his eyes. Respect maybe. Or something deeper.
They shifted back to human.
Jade collapsed to her knees, her entire body shaking. The shift back to human form was almost as intense as the shift to wolf. Everything was raw and exposed and overwhelming.
Riven was on his knees too, breathing hard. When he looked at her, his eyes burned with something dark and possessive.
"Do you understand now?" he asked quietly. His voice was rough from the transformation.
She couldn't catch her breath enough to answer.
"You're not weak," he continued. He reached out and pulled her against his chest. She was human again and completely naked and he didn't even seem to notice. "You're not a freak. You're powerful, Jade. Hybrid strength. Hybrid speed. Hybrid healing. Everyone just saw exactly what you are."
She looked around and realized the entire training yard was full of wolves now. Not just the few that had been watching. All fifty of them. They'd come to see. They'd watched her transform. They'd watched her fight Riven and survive.
They all knew what she was now.
"They're going to be afraid of me," she whispered.
"No," Riven said. He cupped her face and forced her to meet his eyes. "They're going to respect you. There's a difference."
But as she looked at the faces surrounding them, she could see both things. Fear and respect mixed together. Wonder and caution. They were looking at her like she was something legendary. Something dangerous. Something that changed everything about how they understood their world.
She was no longer invisible.
And somehow, with Riven's arms around her, that didn't feel like the worst thing that could happen.