THE WOLFLESS LUNA

CHAPTER 7: I DID NOT BELONG TO THEM

The moment Kael touched me again, the power inside me reacted violently.

It surged outward without warning, forcing him to step back as the air between us tightened with sharp pressure. I staggered slightly, my breath uneven as I tried to hold myself together.

This is getting worse, Kael said. “No,” I replied. It is getting stronger. The difference settled between us with quiet weight, and for a moment, neither of us spoke, but the meaning behind my words did not fade.

It stayed there, pressing into the space between us, forcing him to face something he could not dismiss.

Kael studied me closely. You are changing too fast, he said. I let out a slow breath, my chest rising steadily as I considered his words, but they did not unsettle me the way they should have. “Maybe I was always like this,” I replied.

The idea did not feel strange; it felt possible. The voice inside me stirred again, “You are remembering.” Remembering what? The question formed in my mind, but before I could push it further, a strange awareness moved through me, subtle at first, but impossible to ignore.

It was not just power. It was everything around me. The wind shifted, and I felt it before it touched my skin. The ground beneath my feet felt uneven in a way I had never noticed before.

Even Kael’s presence felt clearer, not just physically, but something deeper, something that allowed me to sense the tension in his body before he spoke.

You can feel it, I said. Kael did not answer right away, but the way his posture adjusted told me everything I needed to know. “Yes,” he said finally.

The single word changed the moment, because now it was not just happening to me. He could sense it too.

It felt like the moment before something irreversible. The voice inside me did not speak again, but it did not need to. Because now, I can feel it on my own. Whatever this was, it had already begun.

You are not like them. I swallowed slowly. I know, I whispered. The elders grew restless behind him. This cannot continue, one of them said.

They will destroy you, the voice warned. My eyes lifted. No, I said. They will try. The tension in the air tightened again. Kael’s voice lowered.

Aria, listen to me. I shook my head. You did not listen to me, I said. The words hit harder than I expected, something passed through his expression, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

I watched him closely, searching for a reaction, something that showed he understood what had changed, but his expression remained controlled, even as tension built around us.

You think this is still the same, I said, It is not. Kael’s gaze did not shift, but I saw it, the slight change in his focus, the way he was adjusting to something he could not fully explain.

You are still you, he replied. I let out a quiet breath. No, I said. “Not anymore.” The truth felt firm as it settled in my chest, but solid in a way I had not felt before.

The space between us no longer felt balanced. Something had shifted, and it was not in his favor. For the first time, I realized I was no longer waiting for his approval or his decision. That part of me had already disappeared.

What remained was something else. Something that no longer needed permission. But before he could respond, a sharp pain tore through my chest. This time, it did not feel like power. It felt like something inside me was trying to break out.