Lyra
I would have lowered my eyes before.
I would have stepped back. Stayed quiet. Made myself smaller.
But this time, something inside me snapped.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't sudden.
It was quiet.
Cold.
Certain.
They think you're still a scaredy human cat…
The voice echoed in my head, unfamiliar yet somehow mine.
Prove them wrong.
My fingers curled slowly against the ground as I lifted my head.
The she-wolves were still standing around me, their expressions twisted with disgust and anger.
I met their eyes, Fully. Without lowering mine.
"I didn't walk to your Alpha," I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. "He walked to me."
The words hung in the air.
Their reactions were immediate.
Shock flickered across their faces, quickly replaced by outrage.
"How dare you..." one of them snapped.
Another let out a harsh laugh. "Listen to her. The human thinks she's special now."
"You should have rejected him first," one sneered. "Saved him the embarrassment."
Their scents thickened around me.
Aggressive.
Dominant.
Testing.
Like wolves circling prey.
Instinctively, I tried to stand.
My legs nearly gave out beneath me, my body still weak from everything that had happened.
A hand suddenly shoved my shoulder.
I stumbled back, barely catching myself.
"Stay down," one of them warned, her voice low with threat.
Something inside my chest reacted instantly.
Not fear.
Not pain.
Something darker.
Older.
A strange pressure began to build in the air around me.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
The she-wolves hesitated. Just for a second. Like their instincts were unsure.
Like something about me no longer made sense.
I didn't understand it either.
All I knew was that my heart was beating differently now.
Stronger.
Slower.
Steady.
Like something powerful was listening through me.
Watching.
Waiting.
I lifted my head again.
And this time…
When I looked at them, I wasn't just looking.
I was seeing them.
Their movements.
Their tension.
Their fear.
A faint gold glow flickered in my vision.
They noticed.
Their expressions shifted instantly.
One of them took a small step back.
"Wait…" she whispered. "Her eyes…"
"The human is a witch," another said sharply, her voice rising with unease.
That word.
Witch.
Something inside me stirred.
One of them stepped forward again, her lips curling in anger.
"Whatever you think you are," she said coldly, lifting her boot, "you're still beneath us."
She moved to shove me down.
And that did it.
Something inside me broke loose.
My body moved before my mind could catch up.
Fast.
Too fast.
I caught her ankle mid-motion, my grip tightening instantly.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"What..."
Before she could finish, I slammed her backward.
Her body flew across the distance and hit a nearby tree with a sickening force.
The impact echoed through the clearing.
She collapsed to the ground, weak and stunned.
Silence followed.
The remaining she-wolves froze.
Their confidence shattered in an instant.
My breathing grew heavier as I slowly straightened.
Something felt different. My senses were sharper.
The air colder.
My body lighter and heavier at the same time.
My hair shifted slightly with the wind, strands lifting as if touched by something unseen.
My posture changed.
No longer small.
No longer fragile.
There was something in the way I stood now.
Something dominant.
Unfamiliar.
Unnatural.
The she-wolves stared at me in growing panic.
"What is she?" one whispered.
"She has a wolf…" another said shakily, "but… not like any I've ever seen."
"We need to tell the Elders," a third said quickly.
Fear had replaced their arrogance.
They didn't wait.
They turned and ran.
Just like that.
Leaving me standing alone.
The silence that followed felt heavy.
The pressure in the air slowly faded.
My body suddenly felt it.
The weakness.
The exhaustion.
Whatever had taken over me… began to retreat.
My breathing became uneven again.
My legs trembled.
The strange strength drained away.
And I was just…
Me.
Small.
Human.
Or at least… that was what I had always been.
My gaze shifted to the she-wolf I had thrown.
She was trying to move, her body still trembling from the impact.
Slowly, I walked toward her.
Each step careful.
Uncertain.
When she saw me approaching, her fear spiked instantly.
She tried to crawl back, her breathing panicked.
My eyes were still faintly glowing.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I said.
But my voice didn't sound like mine.
It came out lower.
Colder. Almost commanding.
I crouched down to her level.
Her fear only grew.
And then, She lashed out.
Her claws sliced across my arm.
Pain flared sharply.
I froze.
My gaze dropped to the cut.
Blood slowly surfaced.
A familiar anger rose inside me.
Hot.
Immediate.
My eyes lifted back to hers.
For a brief second…
Something dangerous flickered in my expression.
Something not entirely human.
She saw it.
And she froze.
Then...
Voices.
Distant at first.
Then closer.
Wolves.
Coming this way.
My head snapped toward the sound.
Reality rushed back in.
I stood up immediately.
"Use crushed silverleaf and blackroot," I said quickly, my voice returning to normal. "It will reduce the internal damage."
She stared at me, confused and shaken.
Like the same person who had tried to kill her, is now offering her medication.
I didn't wait.
I turned and ran.
My body moved on instinct alone.
Away from the clearing.
Away from the questions.
Away from whatever I was becoming.
But one thought refused to leave my mind.
What… am I?
I ran.
Branches brushed against my arms as I pushed through the narrow forest path, my breath coming out in uneven bursts.
My legs felt weak.
Too weak.
There was no way I could outrun them like this.
Not as a human.
Not like this.
Behind me, I could already hear movement.
Fast.
Controlled.
Wolves.
They were coming.
Panic tightened in my chest, but I forced myself to keep moving.
Think, Lyra. Think.
My heart pounded violently as I stumbled forward, barely keeping my balance.
"Whatever you are…" I whispered under my breath, my voice shaking as I ran. "I need you now."
Silence.
Nothing answered.
No voice.
No power.
No sudden strength.
Nothing.
I was still me.
Still weak.
Still human.
A bitter breath escaped my lips.
"How the hell does this even work?" I muttered, frustration rising alongside fear.
My foot suddenly caught on something.
A thick crawling vine stretched across the ground, twisting around my ankle.
I stumbled.
Then fell hard.
The impact knocked the air out of my lungs as I hit the ground.
Pain shot through my body.
For a second, everything spun.
"No… no…" I breathed, panic rising as I tried to push myself up.
My arms trembled beneath me.
My strength wasn't coming back.
Not fast enough.
Behind me...
Closer now.
Too close.
"Oh no…" I whispered, my voice barely holding together.
"They're getting close."