Luna’s Legacy

Training?

The sun had barely crested the horizon when Serena stepped out into the cool morning air. A faint mist clung to the edges of the trees, curling around the trunks like something alive, creeping in from the woods that surrounded Calder’s pack compound. The air was crisp, biting at her exposed skin as she inhaled deeply, trying to calm the nerves that twisted in her gut.

She was never one for early mornings, especially not ones that carried this kind of weight.

Ahead of her, the training grounds stretched out like a blank canvas—wide and open, bordered by thick clusters of trees that seemed to stand like silent sentinels. The ground was flat, the grass wet with dew, and the silence was broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves as the forest slowly began to stir to life. Birds called faintly in the distance, their songs carried on the soft breeze that tugged at Serena’s loose hair.

But the serenity of the scene did nothing to ease the tightness in her chest.

Calder was already there, standing near the center of the clearing, his back to her as he surveyed the grounds. His posture was relaxed but purposeful, a calm authority that set him apart. Serena watched him for a moment, her stomach twisting with uncertainty. She didn’t trust easily, and while Calder had saved her, while he had shown her more patience than she probably deserved, there was still something about him that made her uneasy. Maybe it was the way he seemed to see through her defenses, or the fact that he kept pushing her toward something she didn’t want.

Whatever it was, it made her hesitate before stepping fully into the clearing.

She didn’t know what to expect from this training session. Calder had been vague about it, only telling her that it was time she started to learn how to control her abilities, how to defend herself against Ronan’s pack. But Serena wasn’t just nervous about her powers—she was afraid of what they might reveal. She had spent years running, hiding her true strength, never fully tapping into the potential she knew was lurking beneath the surface. What if she couldn’t control it? What if she lost herself to it?

The thought sent a chill down her spine, sharper than the morning air.

As she walked closer, her boots making soft imprints in the damp grass, Calder turned to face her. His dark eyes locked onto hers with a quiet intensity that sent her pulse racing. There was no judgment in his gaze, but there was something else—expectation. It weighed on her, pressing down like an invisible force she couldn’t escape.

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to keep her expression neutral, though her hands curled into fists at her sides, betraying her tension.

“You’re here,” Calder said simply, his voice low, as if acknowledging the significance of her decision to show up at all.

Serena nodded, though she wasn’t sure if she was here because she wanted to be or because she had no other choice. There was nowhere else to go. Running had always been her answer, but now the walls were closing in, and she didn’t know if she could outrun her own power.

"How long is this going to take?" she asked, trying to sound casual, but there was an edge to her voice. She couldn’t help it—there was something about the way Calder looked at her, as if he was waiting for her to become someone she wasn’t ready to be.

"That depends on you," Calder replied, his tone measured, calm. He stepped toward her, closing the distance between them with a fluid grace that always reminded her how in control he was. "We start slow, see where your limits are. But you need to stop holding back, Serena. You’ve been running from this for too long."

Serena’s jaw tightened. She knew he was right—part of her had always known. But knowing and accepting were two different things.

“I’m not holding back,” she lied, though the words sounded hollow even to her.

Calder raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “You’re stronger than you think. But strength without control is dangerous. That’s what we’re going to work on today.”

Serena shifted on her feet, the weight of his words pressing down on her. Control. It wasn’t just her strength she was afraid of—it was the loss of control that came with it. The part of her that felt more wolf than human sometimes, the part that wanted to unleash, to run wild, to destroy anything that stood in her way. She had spent her whole life keeping that part of herself locked away, and now Calder was asking her to let it out.

“I don’t know if I can,” she admitted quietly, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

Calder studied her for a moment, his gaze softening, though his voice remained firm. “You can. And you will. But you need to trust yourself first.”

Trust herself? Serena almost laughed. How could she trust a power she barely understood, a power that had always felt like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode?

But she didn’t argue. She just nodded, though the knot in her stomach tightened.

The quiet of the morning hung between them, heavy and expectant, as Calder led her toward the center of the clearing. The mist still clung to the edges of the training grounds, a pale, ghostly reminder that everything here felt unfamiliar, dangerous. Serena could feel her heart pounding in her chest, each beat a reminder of how far out of her depth she was.

She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready for any of it.

But running wasn’t an option anymore. Not with Ronan’s pack out there, waiting. Not with the growing sense that something inside her was waking up, and there was no turning it back.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady the rising tide of anxiety as she stepped into the circle of mist and waited for Calder’s next move.

The day had only just begun, but already, Serena felt like she was at the edge of something—something that would either break her or force her to finally confront who she really was.