Silence.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
No one spoke.
Because no one understood.
Nyra stood in the center of it all, her glowing eyes fixed on the stranger.
"You're lying," Kael said coldly.
The man didn't even look at him.
"Am I?" he replied calmly.
Ronan stepped forward slightly.
"Start talking," he said. "Now."
The stranger finally sighed.
Like this was all… beneath him.
"She is not bound by Alpha law," he said. "Not by pack rules. Not by mating bonds."
Nyra's heart pounded.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
The man's gaze softened—just slightly.
"It means," he said, "you were never meant to follow."
Silence.
Then—
"You were meant to lead."
The words hit like thunder.
Kael's fists clenched.
Ronan's expression darkened.
Nyra's breath caught.
"No…" she whispered. "That doesn't make sense."
"It does," the man replied. "You're just not ready to accept it."
Nyra shook her head.
"I don't even know what I am."
The man stepped closer.
"You are something this world tried to erase," he said.
Her chest tightened.
"Why?"
This time—
He hesitated.
Then—
"Because your kind," he said quietly, "doesn't bow to Alphas."
A chill ran through everyone present.
Kael's voice dropped dangerously.
"What kind?"
The man's eyes returned to Nyra.
And this time—
There was no hesitation.
"An Origin."
Silence exploded.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Nyra's heart slammed violently against her chest.
"An… Origin?" she repeated.
The man nodded slowly.
"The first bloodline," he said. "The one all wolves came from."
Everything shifted.
In one moment—
Nyra's entire existence changed.