Awakened

ANNA

Morning came too soon. The events of the night before lingered in my mind like fragments of a dream I couldn’t fully wake from.

I had seen them again-three wolves, black, silver, and golden, standing under the moon as if waiting for me. My mark still burned faintly where it touched the air.

By the time I reached the dining hall, I had convinced myself it had all been imagination.

Silverstone Academy was old, eerie, and strange. Maybe my mind was playing tricks.

Students filled the room, their conversations buzzing like static.

Lila waved me over to the far corner where she sat with two other girls.

One had short dark hair and round glasses that made her look curious about everything; the other had golden-brown curls and a soft smile.

“Anna, this is June and Elara,” Lila said cheerfully. “They’re safe to talk to.”

“Safe?” I echoed.

“Trust me,” June said, stirring her tea.

“Not everyone here is what they seem. Some people are just waiting for gossip to use as weapons.”

“Or to test your strength,” Elara added quietly.

“Power draws power.”

I frowned. “You mean like the biker alphas?”

Lila nodded. “Especially them.”

As if summoned by their names, the dining hall fell silent. The heavy doors opened, and they walked in-Rylan first, his dark eyes scanning the room with quiet command; Damon behind him, smirking as he brushed a hand through his silver-streaked hair; and Kael, his golden eyes sharp and unreadable.

Every conversation stopped when they passed. Even the air seemed to change. They carried danger like a scent;wild, magnetic, impossible to ignore.

Rylan’s gaze flicked toward me, lingering just long enough for my pulse to quicken.

Damon noticed and smirked at him, whispering something under his breath.

Kael remained expressionless, but when his eyes met mine, something deep inside me stirred again, an echo of heat that wasn’t entirely human.

They sat at their usual table across the hall, and the noise gradually returned.

June leaned closer.

“Rylan’s pack controls the southern borders. Damon’s family rules the mountain territories. Kael… no one really knows what pack he leads now. Some say his was destroyed.”

My stomach twisted. “Destroyed?”

Lila nodded.

“Years ago. During the same fire that killed your mother.”

I froze. “What did you say?”

She blinked, realizing her words.

“I mean… it was just something I read in the archives. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

But I wasn’t upset. I was terrified.

The fire again. Always the fire.

That afternoon, during history class, the teacher assigned us to tour the Moonstone Archive-a massive underground library said to hold records of every Alpha, pack, and bloodline connected to Silverstone.

Lila and June partnered together, leaving me paired with Kael.

The moment his name was called beside mine, I forgot how to breathe.

We walked in silence down the marble staircase into the cool, dimly lit hall. The air smelled of parchment and moon lilies. Rows of ancient books lined the shelves, each bound in silver-threaded leather.

Kael stopped at a section labeled

“Legacy Flames.” His voice was low when he finally spoke.

“You shouldn’t be here, Anna.”

I turned to him, startled.

“Excuse me?”

“This school isn’t safe for you.”

I crossed my arms, trying to hide my shaking hands.

“You’ve said that before, but you never tell me why.”

His golden eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw something vulnerable beneath the sharpness.

“Because your mother didn’t die in an accident. She was killed.”

The room tilted.

“What?”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“I was there that night. The fire was meant to erase someone powerful-someone who carried what you now carry.”

My voice barely came out.

“My mark.”

He nodded slowly.

“It’s a sigil. A sign of the Moonblood Line. The ones destined to either unite the packs or destroy them.”

The mark on my back began to burn. I took a step back, my breath uneven.

“You’re lying.”

Before he could answer, the lights flickered. The air grew colder, and the scent of smoke filled the room. A book flew off the shelf and landed open on the floor.

Kael bent to pick it up, but before his hand touched the page, symbols on it began to glow. The mark on my back pulsed in rhythm.

The next second, a bright blue flame erupted between us. It wasn’t hot, but it felt alive, humming with energy.

The sound of whispers filled the air, a language older than words.

Kael moved toward me. “Anna, listen to me. You need to…”

The flame surged, cutting him off. A blinding light filled the room. I gasped and reached out, but before my fingers touched him, the light vanished.

The library was silent again. The book lay closed at my feet. Kael stood a few steps away, his breathing heavy, eyes wide with something close to awe.

“What just happened?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer at first. Then, in a low voice, he said,

“You awakened it.”

“Awakened what?”

“Your power.”

We stared at each other, the weight of his words sinking in. Somewhere above us, the academy bell rang again, but neither of us moved.

When I finally returned to my dorm, Lila was waiting. She took one look at my pale face and frowned.

“What happened?”

I hesitated, unsure if I could even explain it.

“I think I did something… impossible.”

Her expression softened.

“Silverstone has a way of showing people who they really are.”

I sank onto the bed.

“Kael said my mother was killed. That she was part of something called the Moonblood Line.”

Lila’s eyes widened.

“That can’t be right. The Moonbloods are legends. They say they were blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. Their power could heal or destroy entire packs. But they vanished centuries ago.”

I shook my head.

“He said I awakened it.”

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Then Lila reached out and squeezed my hand.

“Whatever this is, you won’t face it alone.”

That night, as the moon rose high, I couldn’t sleep. The mark on my back glowed faintly again, and when I looked out the window, I saw them in the courtyard below;Rylan, Damon, and Kael.

They weren’t fighting, but the tension between them was thick, alive.

Rylan was speaking in low, harsh tones, Damon pacing like a caged animal. Kael stood apart, silent as always, his gaze tilted up toward my window.

For a heartbeat, our eyes met.

Something passed between us-an invisible pull, deep and dangerous.

My pulse quickened, and I stepped back from the glass, breath unsteady.

The mark flared with heat. I pressed my hand against it, whispering to the empty room,

“What are you trying to tell me?”

The answer came not in words, but in a vision that flickered through my mind like lightning.

A burning forest. Three wolves circling a figure made of light. My mother’s voice crying my name.

Then darkness.

I gasped and fell to my knees. The vision faded, but the echo of her voice lingered.

I knew then that Silverstone was far more than a school, and my being here was no coincidence. My mother’s past, my power, and the three alphas were all connected.

And whatever was coming for me had already begun.

TBC