{IRIS}

Val regarded me for a long moment, as if assessing the weight of my disbelief. Then, his gaze darkened slightly.

"That’s not all," he murmured.

I shivered.

"W-what?" I asked hesitantly, feeling something shift in the air between us.

His silver eyes locked onto mine, gleaming like molten mercury.

"You have a wolf."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

My lips parted, but no sound came out.

My thoughts short-circuited.

"I . . . I have a . . .wolf?"

"That’s right."

"Ihavea wolf?"

"Yes."

"Ihavea wolf?"

A muscle in Val’s jaw twitched. "If you say it one more time, I will drink your blood and drain you dry."

My mouth snapped shut so fast I nearly bit my tongue. My hands flew to my head as I tried to process what I had just heard.

This wasn’t real. Itcouldn’tbe real.

"B-but . . . I don’t feel her," I whispered. "She doesn’t appear. I don’t shift, even under a full moon. I don’t . . . I don’t have a heat."

Val let out a slow breath, his fingers tracing the rim of his glass.

"That’s because your wolf is sealed," he explained. "I don’t know who or what sealed it, but the barrier inside you sometimes weakens—enough for your wolf to break through during moments of extreme distress or heightened emotions."

I stared at him, my pulse hammering.

"When I drank your blood," Val continued, "I saw your wolf tear through the monsters of the night in a short time. Then, it was sealed again."

I clutched my chest, feeling lightheaded.

"When you drank my blood, yousawit?" I whispered. I wanted to see her too.

"C-can’t you see who sealed it? Or why?"

"Unfortunately," he said, setting his napkin on the table, "I can only see glimpses—a day of the past at most. I can’t look further than that . . . not with my currentstate."

I swallowed. "What do you mean?"

He rose from his chair, signaling that he was finished with his meal.

"Anyway," he said, dismissing the topic as though he hadn’t just shattered my entire reality, "congratulations. You have a wolf."

"Wait!" I shot up from my seat, nearly knocking my plate over. "H-how . . . how do I break the seal?" I want to see her! I want to see my wolf!

Val glanced at me over his shoulder, his silver eyes holding something unreadable.

"Even I don’t know how to. But, I believe that by attending the school, you will learn how to harness your powers . . . and perhaps, find a way to unseal your wolf yourself."

With that, he turned and left, his silhouette disappearing into the darkened halls.

I stood frozen, my hands trembling.

For years, I had believed I was different—less. That I had no wolf. That I was destined to remain an unshifted, weak omega. A servant to my pack until the day I died.

But now . . .

Now, a stranger—a vampire—had told me that Ididhave a wolf. That I wasspecial.That I could use the Arcane.

Overnight, my life had changed.

Overnight, for the first time in a very, very long time, I didn’t feel alone.

A choked sob escaped me as I wrapped my arms around myself, trembling.

I have my wolf.

She had been there all along—hidden, sealed away—but stillthere.A part of me. A part of my soul.

Tears slipped down my cheeks, warm against my skin.

I’m not alone.

I pressed a hand to my chest, as if I could feel her beneath my ribs, curled within me, waiting, waiting for me to release her.

She had never left me.

She was always there.

====

{IRIS}

My days in the Nightborne mansion were . . .productive.

Not in the way I was used to—not spent scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets, and washing endless piles of laundry like I had in the packhouse.

No, this was different.

For the first time in my life, I was beingtaught.And not just by anyone—by LordValhimself.

At first, the idea of a vampire lord teaching a werewolf how to read and write sounded like something out of a twisted fairytale. And if I was being honest, it had beenterrifyingat first.

Not because he punished me when I got things wrong—no, Lord Val wasn’t cruel like that.

It was thewayhe looked at me.

Like I was a tiny, insignificantidiot antstruggling to grasp even the simplest concepts.

I would stumble over words, and his silver eyes would narrow ever so slightly, his lips pressing into a thin line of silentdisappointment.

"Again," he’d say, his voice devoid of any sympathy.

And I’d tryagain.

Andagain.

But despite his terrifying glares and the suffocating pressure of having him so close, I had to admit—he waspatient.

A surprisingly good teacher.

And within a month, I had learned to read, write, and even do basic math. I was no genius, but I could at leastfunctionnow like a normal werewolf.

More importantly, I could finally start reading about theArcane—the mysterious power that supposedly ran through my veins. The power that, if I could tap into it, might help me unseal my wolf.

But it wasn’t easy.

I feltnothing.No shift, no spark of power. Just . . . silence.

Val had warned me.

"Controlling the Arcane isn’t easy," he had said, watching me struggle with indifference. "You cannot tap into something you do notunderstand.You must learn tosenseit first."

Great.

I couldn’tsensea damn thing.

Still, my time in the mansion was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

For the first time in a long time, I felt whathomecould be like.

It was dark, cold, and eerie—sure—but I was treated with kindness . . . well, as much kindness as a vampire could offer a werewolf.

And with each passing day, my confidence grew.

I could read.

I could write.

And after another month, I would be attendingCovens of Midnight—an elite school for Arcane users.

I was excited—this would be my first chance to attend school, something I had never experienced during my time in the packhouse.

Everything was going well.

And then—

The unexpected happened.

The Incident.