The flames at Aria's fingertips flickered out as quickly as they had come, leaving a faint scorch mark on the stone floor. She stared at her hands in shock.
"That… wasn't normal werewolf stuff," she said quietly.
Lucien gave a low chuckle. "No. Not even close."
He motioned for her to follow as he walked toward a sealed door at the far end of the chamber. With a wave of his hand, ancient runes glowed and unlocked it. Inside was a small chamber filled with scrolls, tomes, and relics pulsing with old power.
Lucien reached for a worn, leather-bound book. "I wasn't sure until I saw you fight. But now? There's no doubt."
He placed the book on a stone table and opened it to a faded page. It showed a symbol — a flaming crescent moon surrounded by fangs.
"The mark of the Lunaris Bloodline," he said. "A hybrid lineage long believed extinct. Werewolves with fire in their veins. Wolves that could burn vampires to ash… or stand beside them as queens."
Aria's throat went dry. "You think… I'm part of that bloodline?"
"I don't think," Lucien said. "I know."
He flipped another page — a sketch of a woman who looked eerily like Aria. "Your great-grandmother. Vanished decades ago. Rumor said she fled the packs and bore a child in secret. That child would have passed the gift on… to you."
Aria backed away, heart pounding. Her life had been a lie.
"All this time… my pack never knew?"
"Or they did," Lucien said, his tone darkening. "And kept it hidden. The Alpha wouldn't want a she-wolf with more power than him. One who could rise above every tradition and law."
Her jaw clenched. Rage flared.
Lucien stepped closer, voice low. "The world will come for you, Aria. Wolves, vampires, hunters. But with me… you'll be ready."
He held out the ancient book.
"Learn your legacy. Become what you were born to be. Or stay broken and forgotten."
Aria took the book with trembling hands.
"I'm
done being forgotten," she whispered.