The moon had waned slightly since the night of the storm, but its light still cast silver shadows across the trees as evening settled over the Blackwood estate.

Lexi stood at the edge of the training clearing, her boots planted in the grass, hands clenched at her sides. She could feel something simmering just beneath her skin—heat, energy, pressure. Like a drumbeat that matched her pulse. Faster. Louder. Every hour it grew harder to ignore.

Julian stood across from her, a solemn expression on his face, his arms crossed over his chest.

“You’re close,” he said. “I can smell it on you. Your change is coming.”

“I don’t want to lose control,” Lexi said, her voice low. “What if I become like… him?”

Julian stepped forward. “You won’t. You’re not like the rogue. You have a choice. He didn’t.”

Lexi looked up at him, her eyes shadowed by doubt. “How do you know?”

“Because you still care what you become,” he said. “That’s more than most do by this stage.”

She exhaled shakily. “Is it going to hurt?”

Julian hesitated. “Yes. The first time always does. Your bones will break and rebuild. Your senses will overwhelm you. And the beast inside you—” he touched her chest gently, “—will try to take over.”

She swallowed hard. “But you’ll be there.”

His voice was quiet. “Every second.”

The sound of rustling leaves made them both turn. Julian’s head lifted, nostrils flaring.

“What is it?” Lexi asked.

His eyes darkened. “Blood. South of the estate.”

Without a word, they ran.

---

They reached the edge of the forest in minutes. Lexi could smell it now—iron and copper and death. A deer lay in the clearing, throat torn out, ribs exposed. But it wasn’t the kill itself that turned Lexi’s stomach.

It was the marking.

Three long claw marks carved into the bark of a nearby tree. Fresh. Deliberate.

Julian’s jaw tightened. “He’s sending a message.”

Lexi’s skin prickled. “What kind of message?”

“That you’re next.”

She stared at the mutilated animal, bile rising in her throat. “Why doesn’t he just attack me already?”

“Because he’s not just hunting you,” Julian said darkly. “He’s challenging me.”

Lexi turned to him, eyes wide. “Why?”

Julian looked away. “Because you carry Blackwood blood now. And that makes you mine. He wants to take that from me—to prove he’s the alpha.”

Lexi blinked. “Yours?”

Julian met her eyes, unapologetic. “In the old ways, a bond between two wolves is sacred. If your blood has awakened… then the rogue can sense our connection.”

Her heartbeat thundered. “So… he’s coming.”

“Soon.”

Lexi looked back at the claw marks on the tree. “Then I need to be ready.”

Julian stepped forward, voice low. “You won’t be alone. But there’s one more thing you need to see.”

---

They returned to the estate just as dusk deepened into twilight. Julian led her through a hidden passage in the west wing—down a spiral staircase lit with flickering lanterns. The air was colder here, the walls older.

At the bottom was a circular chamber lined with silver weapons. Blades, arrows, even shackles.

Lexi stared. “What is this place?”

Julian’s voice was hard. “A sanctuary. And a prison. For wolves who lose control.”

She turned toward him slowly. “Have you ever been in here?”

He nodded once. “Twice. The first time was my first shift. The second… after my brother died.”

Lexi froze. “You never told me you had a brother.”

Julian’s jaw tightened. “He was the last heir before me. Strong. Brave. He was tracking a rogue on the northern border. It overpowered him. Ripped him apart.”

Lexi touched his arm gently. “I’m sorry.”

Julian looked at her then, and for a moment, the walls between them dropped. “I won’t lose you too.”

Before Lexi could respond, pain shot through her body like fire. She gasped, doubling over.

“Lexi?” Julian rushed to her, catching her as her legs gave out.

“I—I don’t know what’s happening,” she gasped.

But he did.

“It’s starting,” he said grimly. “You’re shifting.”

He carried her to the center of the room, laying her on the padded stone circle used for first transformations.

Lexi screamed as her spine arched unnaturally, muscles pulling, bones stretching. Her skin burned as if something inside was trying to claw its way out. Her eyes shifted, pupils dilating, vision sharpening until she could see every grain in the stone.

Julian knelt beside her, hands on her shoulders. “Breathe through it. Don’t fight the pain—ride it.”

She cried out again as her fingers curled into claws, her jaw tightening with the start of a snarl.

“I can’t—Julian—I’m losing—”

“No,” he said firmly. “You’re not. I’m right here.”

Through the haze of agony, Lexi clung to his voice, his scent, his warmth.

Her body trembled, convulsed—and then, the pain ebbed.

She lay still.

Breathing.

When she opened her eyes again, they glowed gold.

Julian smiled softly. “You did it.”

Lexi looked down at herself—still human, but different. Stronger. Wilder.

“I didn’t shift all the way,” she murmured.

“No,” Julian said. “But you touched the edge. You’ll control it next time.”

Lexi sat up slowly, sweat slicked across her skin. “Next time?”

He helped her to her feet. “He’ll come on the next full moon. You felt him tonight. That was just a warning. When he returns, it’ll be for blood.”

Lexi nodded, voice steady now. “Then we’ll give him a fight.”

Julian looked at her with pride—and something deeper.

“I don’t want you to be a weapon,” he said quietly.

Lexi met his gaze. “I’m not. I’m your weapon.”

A howl echoed in the distance—close, hungry, and unmistakably inhuman.

The rogue had crossed the threshold.

And time was running out.