The witch and the warrior

I didn’t know how I got back to my room.

My feet moved on instinct, but my mind was miles away, burning in a past I didn’t remember, haunted by a future I couldn’t control.

The mark on my back throbbed, a constant reminder that I was more than I seemed. More dangerous than anyone around me could understand.

A slow knock shattered my thoughts.

I opened the door, expecting Kael.

It wasn’t him. It was Dax. His face was tight, unreadable. “Come. Now.”

“Why?” I asked, heart pounding.

“Training,” he said sharply. “Alpha’s orders. You’re… volatile. Dangerous. And the Council will sense it soon.”

I froze. “The Council? They’re coming?”

Dax’s eyes flicked to mine. “Sooner than you think. Focus. Or you’ll die before the next phase even begins.”

I followed him silently, the weight of the words pressing against my chest.

The training ground was alive with movement. Warriors sparred in pairs, eyes flicking toward me. Whispers trailed behind me like shadows.

“That’s her.”

“The witch girl.”

“She doesn’t even shift.”

I gritted my teeth, ignoring them.

Dax tossed a wooden staff at my feet. “Pick it up. Show me what’s hiding in there.”

I lunged, swung, blocked, missed, swung again. Each strike met resistance, each block a reminder that I was inexperienced but driven.

“You’re holding back,” Dax said, circling me like a predator. “You’re thinking like an omega. Not a reincarnated witch. Not someone who survives centuries of death and betrayal. Trust it.”

“I… I can’t control it!” I yelled.

“Yes, you can. Or the Council gets what they want.”

The words struck like lightning.

I focused. The heat in my chest, the mark on my back, the fire in my veins, they all converged.

The staff in my hands glowed orange. Sparks flew. When I swung, it hit Dax’s staff, snapping it in half with a crack like thunder.

Silence.

Everyone froze.

Kael appeared, moving faster than my eyes could track. His gaze was sharp, calculating. “That’s it. Don’t stop.”

I swallowed, trembling. “What… what happens now?”

“Now,” Kael said, stepping closer, silver eyes flashing, “you survive. You control it. Or you die.”

I could barely breathe. “Die…? What do you mean?”

“They’ll come for you,” he said, voice low. “Hunters. The Council. They won’t wait for you to be ready. You have one chance to master this, Lyra.”

A chill ran down my spine. The flames on my back surged, reacting to his words. Pain, power, and fear tangled together.

Dax stepped closer. “The Alpha’s right. One mistake, and you’re a corpse. Don’t think this is a game.”

I clenched the glowing staff, anger and fear coiling into a single pulse. “I won’t die. Not like her. Not ever.”

Kael’s lips twitched into a sharp, almost cruel smile. “Good. You should feel that. Because if you don’t, they’ll kill you. And I won’t be able to stop them.”

The words were cold. Terrifying. And strangely… motivating.

The wind picked up. The forest seemed to hold its breath. I could feel the magic thrumming through me, growing stronger, louder, almost alive.

And then the distant howl of wolves echoed across the field. Not ordinary wolves. Predatory, urgent, warning.

Kael’s eyes narrowed. “They’re close. Too close.”

My hands shook, the staff pulsing violently. Heat surged through me like a live wire. Sparks jumped off the dirt, sizzling as they hit the ground.

Dax backed away, eyes wide. “They’re here.”

I froze. The mark on my back burned brighter, a searing reminder of what was coming.

Kael’s gaze met mine, dark, sharp, unwavering. “Lyra… this is just the beginning. Control it. Or you’ll die before you even know what’s happening.”

And then, before I could respond, a shadow flickered across the treeline, fast, deliberate, deadly.

Hunters.

The Council had found me.