The morning after the attack, a strange hush settled over the estate. Not peace—something tighter, quieter. Like the stillness before a storm.
Adriana sat at the window, wrapped in a blanket, sipping tea she couldn't taste. Her mind replayed the silver-haired stranger's words over and over again. "More than wolf. More than witch." They echoed with a terrifying clarity.
Adrian entered quietly. His eyes scanned her like they always did now—looking for signs of change, danger, instability. But this time, she was the first to speak.
"I need to learn to fight."
He blinked. "You already did, Adriana. You took out a whole coven."
"That wasn't me. That was... something inside me, out of control. I need to learn how to command it. Not just use it by accident."
Adrian's mouth set in a hard line. "I was hoping to delay that. Give you time."
"We don't have time."
He stared at her a long moment. "Then I'll train you myself."
The pack gathered in the training grounds by midday. Adriana stood in the center, her hair tied up, wearing black fitted gear. She felt vulnerable without her usual oversized clothes, but she held her chin high.
Adrian circled her slowly. "Strength is not only power. It's precision. Control. Discipline."
"Like love," she said, testing him.
He smirked faintly. "Exactly."
He lunged.
She dodged, barely, rolling to the side.
Again.
This time, he caught her wrist and flipped her effortlessly.
"You're going easy on me."
"I don't want to hurt you."
"I need you to."
Adrian looked at her for a long second, then nodded grimly.
The next hour was a whirlwind of strikes, dodges, and counter-attacks. Her body ached, but with each fall, she rose faster. With each push, her power sparked more naturally.
At one point, her magic lashed out mid-punch—an arc of blue flame shooting past Adrian's cheek.
He didn't flinch. He smiled.
"There you are."
That night, they bathed together in the hot springs behind the estate. Steam curled around them like silk. Adrian sat behind her, his fingers gently massaging her shoulders.
"You're learning fast," he murmured.
"I have to. That vampire—he knew my name. He knew what I was."
Adrian leaned in, lips brushing her ear. "He doesn't matter. No one touches you while I live."
She turned to face him fully, her eyes shining. "I'm not afraid of them. I'm afraid of what I'll become."
"You'll become a queen."
"And what if I don't want to rule?"
He studied her. "Then I'll follow you anywhere else."
Her heart swelled with something fierce and soft all at once. She kissed him, slow and deep, letting herself feel every ounce of love she'd been afraid to show.
Later, as they lay under the stars, Adriana whispered, "Do you ever wish we were normal?"
Adrian chuckled. "You mean, human?"
She nodded.
He shook his head. "No. Because then I wouldn't have found you. I would've walked past your soul without recognizing it."
She smiled softly. "You always say things like that."
"Because they're true."
For a few blissful hours, the world was just them.
But the world didn't wait long.
By the next evening, a messenger arrived—bloodied and barely breathing.
Adrian caught him before he collapsed. "What happened?"
The messenger gasped, "They're coming. Two nights from now. Hundreds. Vampires. Witches. Warlocks."
Adriana stepped forward. "Where?"
"The Crescent Border. Near the Hollow River."
Adrian's eyes turned to steel. "Then we meet them there."
The estate shifted into a frenzy. Weapons were forged. Spells were cast. Alliances were summoned from every corner of the realm.
Adriana walked through it all with a fire in her steps. No longer the outsider. No longer the unsure girl caught in a storm. Now, she was the storm.
She found herself standing on the terrace later, gazing at the moon. Elias appeared beside her, arms crossed.
"You've changed," he said.
She looked at him. "So everyone keeps saying."
"I meant it as a compliment. You're not afraid anymore."
She gave a small smile. "I am. But I'm moving anyway."
"That's what makes you dangerous."
Adriana looked back at the stars. "They'll try to use me. Turn me into some weapon. But they'll never control me."
Elias's eyes glinted. "Then let's make sure they remember that."
When she returned to her room, Adrian was waiting.
He opened his arms without a word, and she melted into them.
"Two nights," she whispered against his chest.
"We've faced worse."
"Have we?"
He paused. "No. But we will win. Because if we don't..."
He didn't finish.
Because they both knew.
If they lost, the world wouldn't just fall. It would burn.