Chapter 6 :THE WOLF THAT WOKE

LUNA’S POV

There is a moment after darkness where you don’t know if you’re dead…

or if your body just hasn’t caught up to being alive again.

That’s where I am.

Floating.

Cold.

Then—

Pain.

Sharp. Everywhere. Like my bones were rearranged by a cruel god with a bad sense of humor.

I groan.

My eyes flutter open.

The cavern is… different.

The water is gone.

Not drained—gone, like it never existed. The crystal walls glow softly now, calm instead of violent. Broken stone lies scattered around us, but somehow… nothing touched me.

Or Kaelen.

I’m lying on the ground.

In his arms.

My cheek is pressed against his chest, and his heartbeat is fast—too fast for someone who pretends he doesn’t feel things.

“K… Kaelen?” My voice sounds wrecked.

His arms tighten instantly.

“You’re awake.”

Relief crashes into his voice so hard it almost hurts to hear.

I try to move.

Bad idea.

Pain screams through my body and I hiss, gripping his shirt.

“Don’t,” he murmurs. “Your muscles were rebuilt. They need time.”

“Rebuilt?” I croak. “Did I explode or something?”

“…Yes.”

I blink. “What?”

His mouth twitches. “You unleashed a shockwave that shattered half the cavern and vaporized the floodwater.”

“…Oh.”

That feels like information I should be more concerned about.

My skin feels wrong.

Not injured—just… different. Too sensitive. Too aware.

I look down at my hands.

They’re trembling.

But faint silver lines glow beneath my skin, pulsing like veins of moonlight.

“Oh my God,” I whisper. “I’m radioactive.”

Kaelen lets out a quiet breath that might be a laugh.

“They’ll fade. For now.”

“For now?!” I squeak. “That’s not comforting!”

I push myself up slightly—and immediately feel something heavy move behind me.

Something warm.

Something breathing.

I freeze.

“…Kaelen.”

“Yes?”

“There is a very large thing touching my back.”

His eyes flick to something behind me.

His expression goes… complicated.

“Luna.”

“Nope,” I say quickly. “No. I don’t like that tone.”

“You might want to turn around slowly.”

I do.

Very.

Slowly.

Behind me, curled like a massive silver shadow, is a wolf.

Not a normal one.

Her fur glows faintly like moonlit snow. Her size is… terrifying. Taller than Kaelen when she stands. Her eyes—my eyes—burn with ancient intelligence.

She lifts her head.

And looks directly at me.

My heart stops.

“That’s… not real,” I whisper.

The wolf blinks.

Then gently presses her forehead to mine.

A wave of emotion floods me—

Warmth. Recognition. Home.

I gasp.

“That’s… me.”

Kaelen nods quietly. “Your wolf.”

I stare at her—at myself—terrified and mesmerized.

“She’s beautiful,” I whisper.

“And deadly,” Kaelen adds softly. “And she chose you.”

My throat tightens. “I didn’t mean to… to blow everything up.”

“You saved us,” he says. “The cavern would have drowned.”

The wolf settles back down, resting her massive head beside me, like she’s guarding me.

I reach out without thinking.

My hand sinks into warm, impossibly soft fur.

She rumbles low in her chest.

A purr.

I laugh weakly. “Okay, that’s… kind of adorable.”

Kaelen watches me like I’m something fragile and dangerous all at once.

“Luna,” he says quietly. “The King felt that.”

My smile fades.

“Felt what?”

“Your awakening.”

The crystals pulse faintly, like a heartbeat echoing far away.

“He knows you’re alive now,” Kaelen continues. “And he will not stop.”

I swallow.

“But now,” he says, eyes burning, “you’re no longer helpless.”

I look at my glowing hands.

At my wolf.

At the man who dragged me into this impossible world.

“…So,” I mutter, “when do I get a manual for all this?”

Kaelen almost smiles.

To be continued.