CHAPTER 8 — THE FIRST WARNING
1452 Words
Ember’s POV
Magnus holds me tighter than he ever has—strong arms wrapped around me like he can shield me from news I don’t even understand yet.
I don’t try to pull away.
I can feel his heartbeat.
Fast. Controlled. But furious beneath the surface.
He’s scared.
Not for himself.
For me.
When he finally pulls back, his hands stay on my shoulders, grounding me.
“We leave the room,” he says quietly, “but not this conversation.”
My throat tightens. “Magnus… what does Lyra mean? Who are these people? Why—why are they looking for me?”
“You’re not ready for the full truth,” he answers, jaw tight, “but you will be. Soon.”
“I deserve to know—”
“And you will,” he cuts in gently, “but not while you’re shaking.”
I glance down.
He’s right.
My hands tremble so hard I can barely curl my fingers into fists.
He sees it. Catches both my hands in his, steadying them.
“Walk with me.”
I nod.
But before we can move, another knock echoes at the chamber door.
Magnus stiffens. “If it’s Lyra again—”
“It’s me!” a voice calls.
Nora.
Magnus exhales, relieved but tense, and lets her in.
She steps inside, hair slightly disheveled, hands glowing faintly with that healer’s aura she always carries.
Her eyes land on me instantly.
“Ember,” she breathes, “did you feel it?”
“Feel what?”
Her expression darkens.
“The flare.”
Magnus’s head whips toward her. “How strong?”
“Strong enough that every healer on the north side felt it.”
Magnus curses under his breath.
I look between them, lost.
“What flare?”
Nora takes my hand.
“When a dormant wolf bloodline begins to wake,” she explains softly, “it sends out a burst—like a signal.”
“A signal to who?” I whisper.
Magnus answers grimly.
“To everyone with the senses to detect it.”
Nora nods.
“Think of it like… a beacon,” she says gently. “Your power is calling out. And anyone searching for you just got your location.”
My stomach drops.
The walls tilt.
Magnus steps behind me instantly, hands steadying my waist.
“Breathe,” he murmurs.
“I didn’t do anything,” I whisper.
“You didn’t have to,” Nora says softly. “Your wolf did. Instinctively.”
Magnus lowers his voice.
“It means your wolf is closer to waking than we thought.”
I swallow hard.
“Is that dangerous?”
Nora hesitates. Magnus doesn’t.
“Yes,” he says. “If we’re not careful.”
Nora elbows him sharply. “She needs clarity, not fear.”
“She needs reality,” he counters.
I squeeze Nora’s hand.
“What happens now?”
Nora gives me a reassuring smile.
“I’ll help you stabilize the awakening. Magnus will handle the external threats.”
Magnus nods once, the Alpha in him rising fully.
“Nora—begin the protection protocols. Strengthen the healer wards. Alert the patrol divisions.”
He turns to me.
“And Ember?”
“Yes?”
“You stay near me.”
He says it like a promise.
Like a vow.
Like he’ll tear down kingdoms if anything touches me.
My chest tightens painfully.
For a second, I can’t breathe—not from fear, but from the overwhelming safety I feel when he looks at me like that.
Nora touches my shoulder.
“We’ll talk again soon. Rest for now—your body will feel the strain.”
She slips out quickly.
Magnus waits until the door closes.
Then he steps closer—close enough I feel the heat radiating from his skin.
“You’re not alone,” he says softly.
And something inside me…
Something ancient…
Something powerful…
Shifts.
Just slightly.
But enough to feel like the first crack of lightning.
---
Kieran’s POV
The corridors buzz with tension.
Guards run toward the northern wing. Wolves shift and race through the snow outside. The air feels charged—like the build-up before a storm.
I grab the nearest patrol captain.
“What happened?”
He startles at the sharpness in my voice.
“A flare, Prince Kieran. A strong one.”
My blood goes cold.
“From who?”
“The girl,” he says.
No.
Not girl.
My mate.
I shove past him and storm toward the Alpha Wing, my wolf clawing beneath my skin.
A flare means awakening.
A flare means danger.
A flare means every enemy within the region can feel her.
I slam my palm against the stair rail.
“Dammit, Ember.”
Not in anger.
In fear.
Gods, I can’t lose her.
Not like this.
Not to people who see her as a weapon or a threat.
I reach Magnus's corridor.
Two guards block my way.
“You can’t go in there,” one says. “Alpha’s orders.”
“I’m his son.”
“And he still said no.”
I growl, stepping forward.
“Move.”
“No.”
My wolf snaps inside me.
“I need to see her,” I hiss. “She could be hurt.”
“She’s not hurt,” Magnus’s voice booms behind me.
I freeze.
Slowly, I turn.
He stands at the end of the hall—tall, composed, but radiating a rage so cold it chills the air.
“Father,” I say stiffly.
“Looking for Ember?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“You won’t disturb her.”
“Disturb?” I laugh bitterly. “I’m trying to help!”
“You’ve done enough.”
My chest tightens painfully.
“Magnus—”
“Your emotions are unstable. Your wolf is spiraling. And right now, she doesn’t need chaos.”
I glare. “I would never hurt her.”
“No,” he says coldly. “But you’d upset her. And that is enough.”
The words hit harder than I want to admit.
But something else twists inside me.
Fear.
“Is she awakening?” I ask quietly.
Magnus’s silence is answer enough.
Gods.
It’s happening.
“Let me see her,” I whisper.
“No,” Magnus replies. “When she wants to see you, she will.”
He turns and walks away.
Not another word.
Not another glance.
Leaving me standing in the cold corridor, heart splintering with a truth I can’t escape:
She’s drifting further away.
And I’m the reason she ever needed saving in the first place.
I sink against the wall, burying my face in my hands.
“Ember…” I whisper.
“I’m losing you.”
But the bond doesn’t lie.
She isn't gone.
She’s changing.
Becoming something bigger than any of us.
And I’m terrified it’s already too late.
---
Lyra’s POV
I watch Kieran crumble from the shadows of the stairwell.
Pathetic.
He had everything—her heart, her trust, her loyalty—and he shattered it like it meant nothing.
Now?
Now he’s begging fate for scraps.
I almost pity him.
Almost.
But my gaze shifts past him… toward the Alpha Wing.
Where Magnus has her.
Where Ember has begun something that will shake this kingdom to its core.
I touch the letter hidden inside my cloak.
The Southern Court isn’t wrong.
Ember’s bloodline shouldn’t exist.
She’s a threat.
A prophecy.
A weapon.
Or a warning.
And Magnus…
Magnus is going to burn the world for her.
I smile slowly.
“Oh, Ember,” I whisper.
“You have no idea how valuable you are.”
Or how dangerous you’re about to become.
---
Magnus’s POV
I walk Ember back toward her room, but she stops in the corridor suddenly.
Her hand clutches the wall.
Her knees buckle.
“Ember!”
I catch her instantly, lifting her into my arms before she can fall.
Her breath is shaky, uneven—like she’s breathing smoke instead of air.
“It’s happening,” she whispers.
I stiffen. “What is?”
She lifts trembling fingers to her chest.
“My wolf is… pushing.”
A pulse shoots through the air.
A second flare.
Stronger than the first.
Magnus holds her tighter, eyes widening.
“Ember—”
She gasps sharply.
Pain shoots across her expression.
“Something’s coming,” she whispers.
“What?”
She looks up at me—
And for a split second…
Her eyes are no longer their usual color.
They glow.
Fierce.
Ancient.
Lunar white.
My breath stops.
Her voice comes out in a whisper that isn’t wholly hers:
“They’ve found me.”
---
- Writer
