# Chapter 3: The Training Ground
The days at Lyra's cottage blurred into weeks. Every morning before dawn, she pushed me to my limits--and beyond.
"Again," Lyra commanded.
I stood in the clearing, sweat streaming down my face. A ring of silver fire surrounded me. "I can't."
"You can. The Luna Chosen does not give up."
I closed my eyes and reached deep inside myself. The silver fire rose higher, forming a protective dome. I pushed it outward, sending a shockwave through the forest. Trees bent. Birds scattered.
"Not bad for a beginner."
That night, Lyra gave me a leather-bound book. "This belonged to your mother."
I froze. "My mother died when I was young."
"Exactly what the pack wanted you to believe. Your mother was the last Luna Chosen. When the Council discovered her secret, they eliminated her."
Inside the book was a letter: "My dearest Elara, trust no one in the Council. But there is one you can trust--the one who rejected you. His fate is tied to yours."
Far away, Alpha Damian sat in the dark. "I can feel her," he whispered. "Every night, I feel her growing stronger."
The severed bond pulsed like a distant heartbeat.
She was alive. And she was changing.
"What have I done?"
---