#7 Alpha Rising

Daeira POV

When I wake up, for a second, I don’t remember where I am. Then I open my eyes and remember everything. The soft sheets. The rich scent of lavender and something fresh baked. The absolute absence of fear.

So this is what not waking up in a dungeon feels like, I think. "About damn time," Lunaryn hums in my mind.

I stretch luxuriously, every inch of my new body moving with ease and strength. I pad over to the mirror and blink at my reflection. My eyes are brighter, my skin looks healthier, and my curves are fuller and stronger.

I brush my teeth. Light makeup. Just enough to feel human again. I pull my dark chestnut hair back and twist it up with silver pins, practical, but elegant. The sweater dress I choose is soft as clouds, pale gray, and cinched at the waist with a leather belt. Black leggings and heeled boots complete the look.

"You clean up well," Lunaryn says.

"Bitch, I look like a queen."

"Because you are, babe."

A knock at the door. Tarin peeks in with a smile. “Good morning, Alpha. Breakfast is ready.” We walk through the halls, sunlight streaming through the high windows like the Moon herself left a kiss behind, and reach the grand dining room. I smell the pancakes before I see them.

My stomach growls. “I made extra,” Velwyn chirps, sliding a plate in front of me stacked high. “Thought you might eat like a starved wolf.”

“I am a starved wolf,” I say around a mouthful. “Bless you.”

Velwyn chuckles, then reaches out and takes my hand. “Come, lovey,” she says gently. “There’s someone waiting to meet you.” We walk past the keep and out to the stables. My boots crunch across the frost tinged grass, and my breath catches in my throat. The field stretches wide in front of me, and it’s filled with people.

Thousands. Roughly ten thousand wolves, men, women and children, all in rags. All skinny. All standing like they’re holding their breath. They look up as I approach. Eyes wide. Faces uncertain. My heart splits clean down the center. I nod to Velwyn, who squeezes my arm and guides me to the center, where a woman in flowing silver robes stands, the Moon Priestess. Her long white braids sway in the wind as she bows low.

“Kneel, child. It is time.”

I do. The priestess places a glowing silver stone at my feet and speaks words in a language older than time. The air crackles. Magic thrums in my chest. I repeat the sacred vow, my voice steady.

“I accept the bond of this pack. I will lead, protect, and serve. I rise as Alpha of Seralyn reborn.” And suddenly, I feel them. The link slams into me like a floodgate bursting.

I feel every single soul. Their fear. Their hope. Their aching relief.

They finally have an Alpha. I rise with tears in my eyes, and shift into my white wolf. They gasp. Then they cheer. Fists slam to hearts. Feet stomp. Voices rise together

“Seralyn! Seralyn! Seralyn!”

"That’s us," Lunaryn whispers. "We are Seralyn reborn."

Through the bond, I speak. *Tomorrow night at seven, there will be a massive dinner here. Bring everyone. Eat. Celebrate. You are not alone anymore.*

Back inside the keep, I turn to Velwyn, voice tight with purpose. “How much of the gold can I spend on my people?” She covers her mouth and sobs.

“I knew you were the one we needed, deary.” She wipes her tears. “I’ll get the account ledgers. And I’ll start preparing for the feast.”

She bustles off. Tarin’s waiting nearby, her eyebrows arched. “Can you give me a tour of the grounds? The full layout?”

“Of course, Alpha,” she says. “Though there’s not much. The town’s destroyed. Most of our people live scattered in the woods to avoid detection.”

My heart shatters. “I’m going to fix that,” I say.

Her eyes sparkle. “I might know some witches who can help with magical construction.”

“Expensive?”

“Oh, very.”

I nod, turn on my heel, and head straight to the vault. I grab three gleaming gold bars and drop them into a sack. “Will this do?”

Tarin grins. “I’ll make a call.” By the time I return to the master suite, I’m buzzing with purpose. I walk into the attached office, once my father’s, and feel pulled toward a drawer. "I smell magic," Lunaryn murmurs.

I open it slowly with shaking hands. A single envelope lies inside, sealed with a silver wax moon. My hands tremble as I open it. Sparkles burst into the air like starlight. The parchment glows, and the words appear in beautiful, slanted script.

Dearest Daeira,

If you’re reading this, then things didn’t go as planned, my love. Your father and I… we love you dearly. We’re so sorry for what you must have endured. We are sorry we failed in protecting you dear one.

You must find the prophecy. Look in the library. Look for the book marked Seralyn Prophecies. You’ll know it when you see it.

We didn't mean for it to be this way. The fate of our world rests in your hands, daughter. You must rise. You must lead. You must save us all. Remember your training and trust in your fated.

All my heart, Mother

I drop to my knees, clutching the letter, sobbing. A prophecy. Of course there’s a fucking prophecy. "Told you we were important," Lunaryn hums softly. "Now get your ass up, Alpha. We have shit to do."

Tarin returns, five women trailing behind her, their cloaks billowing. Their eyes glow with magical mischief. “Alpha,” one says. “You have a project?”

I hold out the sack of gold bars. “Payment enough if I help and you can magically build a town in twenty four hours?”

They grin. “We live for this shit.” I nod once. “I’ll have the plans to you in an hour. In the meantime, clear the ruins. I want a clean slate.”

They rush off like wildfire. I head back to the office, Tarin by my side. “I need paper,” I mutter. “We’re drawing a town.”

“Stationery’s in the second drawer, deary,” she says with a grin. “And might I suggest, more than homes?”

“Go on,” I say.

“A school for the children. A clinic. Maybe a training arena. Shops. A place for gatherings. Community.”

I nod slowly, writing everything down. A real home. A new Seralyn. Not just reborn… but unstoppable. The witches return an hour later, sweeping into the grand hall like a wave of midnight and stardust. Their hands are already crackling with spell heat and purpose.

They spread my carefully drawn plans across the banquet table, murmuring over the lines, tracing buildings and paths with glowing fingers. After a long moment, the eldest witch, a tall woman with pale gray eyes and crescent moon tattoos down her throat, looks up and nods. “This can be done in twelve hours. Maybe ten, if the wizards don’t get cocky.”

I blink. “Twelve?” Another witch, shorter and younger, with freckles and sharp teeth, grins. “You overpaid, Alpha. So we’re throwing in some extras.”

“Extras?” The tall one ticks them off like a goddess reading a gift list. “A fountain in the central plaza. A tavern. An orphanage. Additional shops and buildings for future expansion. A full open air market area. A park. A proper playground for the school.”

My eyes burn. My throat clenches. I swallow hard and whisper, “That sounds... perfect.”

"Of course it does," Lunaryn murmurs, warm and proud. "You’re building a legacy."

“And,” I add, voice thick, “I want a big, beautiful archway at the entrance. Something unforgettable. Make it say, ‘The Seralyn Pack.’ I want the world to know.”

They nod in unison. “Consider it done.”

“And roads,” I say quickly. “Walkways. Gardens. Space. This isn’t a temporary camp...it’s a home.”

The witches give respectful bows and turn as one, heading out to corral their wizards. Already, I can feel the ground humming, pulsing with dormant magic waking up.

Tarin clasps her hands together beside me, practically bouncing. “We have twenty witches and wizards who live with us now,” she says. “All rogue aligned. We’ve got five humans, all mated to wolves, bless their brave little hearts, but the rest? Pure wolf.”

I nod, heart full, gaze drifting to the windows where I can already see flashes of magical light through the trees.

"They’re going to lose their minds when they see this," I say to Lunaryn.

"They’re going to weep," she replies. "And they’re going to believe."

"In me?"

"No, Dee. In us."

Tarin links her arm through mine. “Now, Alpha. Shall we begin your full tour?”

I nod, still sniffling a little like a soft idiot, and wipe my eyes. “Lead the way.”

The keep is... massive. Older than I remembered. More alive, too. With the magic fully awakened, it’s as if the very stone breathes.

We walk the halls, our boots echoing gently against polished stone floors. Every corridor is lit. The tapestries flutter as if greeting me. The windows gleam. Even the damn air smells like cinnamon and sacred history.

“This,” Tarin says, opening a thick wooden door, “is the war room.”

A circular space with a huge round table, a massive map etched into its surface, and enchanted windows that can project troop movements or threats across the realm.

"Hot," Lunaryn comments. "You’re officially a badass now."

I snort.

Next is the library.

My jaw drops.

Rows upon rows of books. Ancient texts. Scrolls. Journals. Shelves three stories high with ladders on enchanted tracks. My fingers itch to touch everything.

“The Seralyn Prophecies,” I murmur.

"It’s in here somewhere," Lunaryn says. "Waiting."

Tarin notes my interest and smiles. “We’ll return here after lunch. But there’s more to see.”

The kitchens are warm and bustling now, cooks prepping the feast. The training courtyard is empty for now, but I can already imagine my wolves out there getting stronger, faster, alive.

We walk past old sleeping quarters, empty ballrooms, enchanted bathing rooms, servants' quarters, meditation chambers, healing rooms, and a balcony that overlooks the entire valley below.

The land is broken and scorched. But it won’t be for long.

"They tried to bury us, I think, but we are seeds."

*We are wildfire," Lunaryn corrects. "And we’re about to come back brighter."

By the time we return to the master suite, my chest is full to bursting.

Tarin pauses at the door, looking at me with quiet joy. “Alpha... I know this is a lot. But we’ve waited for you our entire lives. You are exactly who we hoped for.”

I don’t know what to say.

So I nod.

“Then let’s give them a home.”