(Chapter 30:Mira's POV)
The revelation of Selene's betrayal had left a hollow ache inside me, but I couldn't afford to let it consume me. My uncle's words echoed in my mind—I was not alone anymore.
But then why did I still feel like I was?
The walls of the ancient Lycan stronghold loomed around me, the stone halls filled with the whispers of a past I had yet to fully grasp. My brothers—strangers bound to me by blood—were somewhere within these walls. A family I had been robbed of.
I wasn't ready to meet them. Not yet.
I stepped outside, needing air. The wind carried the scent of pine and damp earth, crisp and untouched by the world I had come from. I closed my eyes, letting the silence settle around me, trying to find a moment of peace.
But it didn't last.
A ripple of energy surged through me—foreign yet familiar. It wasn't my own power. It was his.
Lorenzo.
The mind-link training had made me more attuned to him, even without conscious effort. And right now, his presence wasn't just near—it was watching.
"You've been quiet." His voice was smooth, steady, but laced with an edge of concern.
I turned to find him leaning against one of the towering stone pillars, his dark eyes unreadable in the moonlight.
"I needed a moment," I admitted.
He studied me, arms crossed, as if debating whether to push or let me be. "You're taking this better than I expected."
I let out a humorless laugh. "I don't think I've even begun to process it."
Silence stretched between us. He was giving me space, but I could feel the weight of something unspoken lingering in the air.
"You already knew about Selene, didn't you?" I finally asked.
Lorenzo's jaw tightened. "I had my suspicions."
I scoffed. "And you didn't think to tell me?"
He exhaled sharply. "Would you have believed me if I had? You trusted her, Mira. If I had told you before, you would have seen me as the enemy."
I hated that he was right.
I turned away, my fists clenched at my sides. "Everything has been a lie. My whole life. And now, I'm supposed to just... what? Accept it and move on?"
Lorenzo moved closer, his presence unnervingly steady. "No. But you are supposed to do something about it."
His words settled in my chest like a slow-burning fire.
I had spent too long mourning what had been taken from me. It was time to take something back.
I met his gaze, steel hardening in my voice. "Then help me. Train me. Not just to control my powers—but to fight."
Lorenzo studied me for a long moment. Then, with a slow nod, he said, "Tomorrow at dawn. No more holding back."
And for the first time in a long time, I wasn't afraid.
Tomorrow, everything would change.