The first lesson with the Witches' Council began at sunrise.
Adriana stood barefoot in the sacred grove, surrounded by standing stones etched with glowing runes. The air vibrated with magic, ancient and wild, humming through her veins like a song she didn't remember learning but somehow knew by heart.
Elva raised her staff, her voice calm but firm.
"Focus on the pull. Let the energy move through you, not against you. Feel it. Don't fight it."
Adriana closed her eyes. She felt the ground pulse beneath her feet, like the earth itself had a heartbeat. Her fingers tingled. Power stirred deep within her chest, slowly rising like heat on the horizon.
But the moment she reached for it—crack.
A gust of wind exploded from her body, sending Elva's staff flying and toppling two of the ancient stones. The grass beneath her feet smoked.
Elva didn't flinch. "Again."
By the fifth attempt, Adriana was soaked in sweat, trembling, and furious.
"How do you expect me to control something I don't understand?" she snapped.
Elva merely raised a brow. "That is the question, isn't it?"
In the shadows, Adrian watched with clenched fists. He had insisted on coming, even if he couldn't interfere. Tobias stood nearby, arms crossed, watching both Adriana and the witches with distrust.
Later, after the grueling session, Adriana collapsed into Adrian's arms.
"Are you sure I'm not just broken?" she whispered against his chest.
He cupped her face. "You're becoming something powerful. Growth always feels like breaking."
She looked up at him, tired and frustrated. "I miss being normal."
"You were never normal, baby. You were extraordinary from the moment I smelled you."
Despite herself, she laughed and pressed her forehead to his. "You always know what to say."
He kissed her slowly, carefully, until the tension melted off her shoulders. She felt safe in his arms, even as the world around her spun faster.
That night, a dream came.
Not a memory, not a vision—but a warning.
She stood in a burning forest. The sky was crimson, trees crumbling to ash. And in the center, the Queen stood barefoot in the flames, her hair flowing like black fire.
"My daughter," she said, voice like velvet. "You're running from your truth."
Adriana shook her head. "You're the one who lied. You gave me up."
"I saved you," the Queen replied. "But now they've poisoned your mind. You can't trust the wolves. They will use you. Fear you."
"I trust Adrian."
The Queen smiled, tragic and cold. "Then prepare for heartbreak."
Suddenly, she reached out—and Adriana was yanked forward, the fire wrapping around her like chains.
She woke up screaming.
Adrian was at her side instantly. "What happened?"
She clutched his shirt, breathing hard. "She was there. In my dream. She's trying to get in my head."
Adrian's expression darkened. "We need to shield your mind. Tobias can bring in the elder seer."
But when they brought the seer, an ancient woman named Mirelle, her expression only deepened the unease.
"There's a bond forming between you and your mother," she said. "Blood magic. She's drawing on your power, trying to pull you toward her. You must resist."
Adriana's voice was barely above a whisper. "And if I can't?"
"Then you won't be yourself anymore."
Training intensified. The Council began unlocking Adriana's hidden talents—telekinesis, elemental control, even the beginnings of mind-speaking. But with each new ability came a cost. Noses bled. Bones ached. Dreams worsened.
And with every sleepless night, Adrian became more protective, more possessive. He rarely left her side, and when he did, she felt hollow.
It was during one late night in the estate garden that they finally broke the wall between pain and intimacy.
Adriana was sitting by the moonlit fountain, silent, the wind tugging at her hair. Adrian came up behind her, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.
"You haven't eaten today," he said gently.
"I didn't feel like it."
He crouched in front of her, forcing her to meet his eyes. "You're slipping away from me."
"I'm slipping away from myself."
"I won't let that happen."
She hesitated. "What if I'm not strong enough to choose the right path?"
"Then I'll walk through the fire with you until you are."
A tear fell down her cheek. "I'm scared, Adrian."
"So am I," he said. "But I love you more than I fear anything in this world."
She kissed him, hard and deep, pouring every ache, every shred of doubt into the space between them. His arms wrapped around her, and they sank to the grass under the moon, wrapped in each other like it was the only truth they had left.
But peace was fleeting.
Two days later, the rogues returned. This time, they weren't alone.
A witch in red, one of the Queen's inner circle, led the charge. Her name was Lysira, and her eyes gleamed with cruel delight.
"We come for the girl," she shouted at the gates.
Adrian stepped forward, his warriors at his back. "You'll leave in pieces."
Lysira smiled. "So be it."
The battle exploded in a chaos of fire and fang. Adriana, still unsteady in her powers, was pulled into the fray. She hurled fireballs, shielded fallen wolves, screamed incantations through blood and smoke.
She saw Tobias take a blade to the chest and screamed. She saw Liana lose control and shift mid-air, tearing through a rogue's throat.
Then she saw Lysira.
And something inside her snapped.
Adriana surged forward, power erupting from her like a volcano. The earth cracked. The sky howled. And in one blinding burst of light, the battle ended.
Everyone fell silent.
Lysira was gone. Ashes where she had stood.
Adriana collapsed.
Adrian caught her just in time.
Her eyes fluttered open, glowing gold. Not wolf. Not witch. Something else entirely.
Everyone stared.
And they knew.
Adriana was no longer just a girl.
She was a storm.
And the world would never be the same.