The city was quiet, but Elara could feel it shifting beneath her feet. Every alley, every street corner, every shadow seemed alive, reacting to the threads pulsing within her. The awakening was no longer subtle, it radiated outward, drawing attention she could not ignore.
Kael walked beside her, silent and vigilant, the weight of authority and experience pressing down like armor. “Do you feel it?” he asked quietly.
Elara nodded. “Everywhere. The city… it’s like it knows I’m awake.”
“That’s because it does,” Kael said. “Power like yours does not go unnoticed. Threads, bonds, energy… they resonate. Others will sense you, and some will act before you even know they exist.”
Her chest tightened. “Others… like the Alphas from before?”
Kael’s eyes darkened. “Yes. And more. Every thread awake
