The howls tore through the still air like screams.

Favour froze where she stood, her breath coming out in ragged clouds. The road behind her was empty, and Ibrahim had vanished into the trees. All she could hear was the forest shifting dry leaves rustling, low growls weaving through the mist.

“Ibrahim!” she shouted again, voice cracking.

No reply. Only silence.

Then, from the darkness movement. Shadows darting between the trees. The air grew heavier, the scent of wet earth and something metallic filling her nose. Her instincts screamed run, but her legs refused to move.

And then a figure burst out of the woods.

Ibrahim.

But not the Ibrahim she knew. His shirt was torn, his hands slick with blood not his, she hoped. His eyes glowed brighter now, fully golden under the moonlight. His veins pulsed with light, like something inside him was trying to break free.

“Get back in the car!” he shouted, his voice rough, echoing.

Favour stumbled backward. “What’s happening?!”

“They’re here for you,” he said through gritted teeth. “Don’t ask questions, just”

A massive shadow lunged from the darkness, knocking him to the ground. The sound of claws on asphalt scraped the night. Favour screamed as Ibrahim rolled, striking the creature a wolf, twice the size of any normal one its eyes glowing silver.

Another one appeared behind her. Favour spun, heart hammering, and tripped on the curb. The wolf pounced but before it could reach her, Ibrahim roared, leaping between them.

For a moment, the world froze.

His form shifted, bones cracking, muscles expanding his clothes tore apart as fur rippled across his skin. Favour stared in shock, unable to breathe.

“Ibrahim…” she whispered.

But he wasn’t listening. He was fighting.

He slammed into the wolf, claws flashing, teeth snapping. The sound was primal, raw, unreal. Blood splattered across the road as the beasts clashed under the moonlight.

Favour crawled backward, trembling, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to help, to scream, to run but her body locked in place.

Then, out of nowhere, a dart whistled through the air. It hit Ibrahim in the shoulder. He staggered, growling, and another dart hit his chest.

“Run!” he roared, his voice half-human, half-beast.

Favour turned and something heavy struck her from behind.

Everything went black.

She woke to the hum of an engine. Her head throbbed, her wrists were bound. The smell of metal and disinfectant filled her lungs. She blinked, trying to focus. She was in a van cold, dimly lit, and moving fast. Two figures sat in front, their faces hidden under dark hoods.

“Where… where are you taking me?” she managed to whisper.

Neither answered. One of them glanced at her through the rearview mirror, his eyes pale gray not human.

Her heart dropped. “Please,” she begged. “I didn’t do anything. I just want to go home.”

The blast threw Favour against the wall. The air filled with smoke, dust, and a high-pitched ringing that drowned everything else. She coughed, her lungs burning, as she tried to open her eyes through the haze.

The ceiling light flickered, then shattered. Red alarm lights pulsed across the room like bleeding veins.

She could barely see, but she could feel it that energy, thick and heavy, like the air itself had teeth.

A shadow moved through the smoke tall, broad shoulders, eyes glowing gold.

“Ibrahim?” she whispered.

He stepped forward, his voice low and rough. “We have to move. Now.”

Before she could even stand, he was beside her, pulling her to her feet. His touch sent a jolt through her not fear, not pain, but something deeper. Familiar.

“How did you find me?” she gasped as he led her toward the shattered wall.

“I followed your scent,” he said. “They thought they could hide you from me.”

Outside the wall, the scene was chaos. Dark figures men in tactical suits were sprawled on the ground, groaning. The forest beyond the compound was alive with movement. Wolves not like before, but glowing faintly under the moonlight surrounded the perimeter.

“What is this place?” she whispered.

“A lab,” Ibrahim said bitterly. “They’ve been experimenting on wolves and on people like you.”

“People like me?”

He turned to her, eyes still blazing. “You’re not human, Favour. Not completely. You’re what they call a ‘Seer.’ You can sense what others can’t. You’re born with the blood of both worlds.”

She shook her head violently. “No. That’s impossible. I grew up normal. I”

“You didn’t,” he said quietly. “You just didn’t know.”

Her hands trembled as flashes came to her dreams she’d always had since she was little. The strange whispers. The way the moon sometimes felt alive. The way she could feel things before they happened.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered.

“Because your father made me promise,” Ibrahim said. His voice cracked for the first time. “He knew what would happen if anyone found out what you were. He wanted you safe.”

Tears blurred her vision. “Then why now? Why tonight?”

“Because your scent changed,” he said grimly. “It means your powers are waking up. And when that happens, every Alpha, every rogue, every hunter in the city will know you exist.”

Another explosion shook the compound, snapping her out of the moment. The wolves outside began to howl a warning.

“They’re coming,” Ibrahim said. “We need to get to the forest.”

They ran. Smoke filled her lungs, but adrenaline carried her. They burst out into the cold night air. The forest stretched before them like a black ocean. Favour stumbled, falling to her knees, but Ibrahim pulled her up again.

“I can’t” she gasped.

“Yes, you can.” His voice softened, almost breaking. “I’ve got you.”

A gunshot rang out. Dirt exploded near her feet. Then another.

Ibrahim turned, shielding her with his body as bullets whizzed past. His skin shimmered, the bullets slowing midair and falling, crushed by an unseen force.

“What how did you”

“Focus on breathing,” he said. “Don’t look back.”

They reached a clearing. The moon hung directly above them, huge and white, bathing them in silver light. Favour stopped suddenly, something pulling her toward it. Her body trembled, and for a moment, she could hear whispers again voices from nowhere, from everywhere.

“Favour,” Ibrahim said, stepping closer. “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer. Her eyes had gone glassy. The whispers grew louder hundreds of them whispering her name, calling her by another name she didn’t recognize.

Luna.

“Ibrahim,” she breathed, “something’s happening.”

Then the ground beneath her glowed faintly the same blue light she saw back on the road. It rippled through the earth, swirling around her feet like living mist.

“Favour!” Ibrahim shouted, grabbing her shoulders. “You have to stop”

“I’m not doing anything!” she cried, tears streaking down her face.

The light shot upward, wrapping around her in a column of energy. Her scream echoed through the forest, and then silence.

When the light faded, she was on her knees, trembling. Her eyes glowed faintly, silver like the woman’s from the lab. Ibrahim knelt in front of her, awe and fear in his gaze.

“Favour…” he whispered. “You’ve awakened.”

She looked at her hands the faint light fading from her skin.

“I didn’t want this,” she said softly.

“I know.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “But it’s who you are.”

A rustle came from the trees. Ibrahim’s body went tense. He turned too late. A tranquilizer dart hit his back. He growled, staggering, his eyes dimming.

“No!” Favour screamed, catching him as he fell to his knees.

“I told you…” he whispered weakly. “…they’ll never stop coming.”

And then he collapsed in her arms.

Favour turned, fury and grief boiling inside her. The figures stepped out from the shadows hunters, wearing black armor marked with silver crescents.

One of them raised his gun. “The Seer is ours.”

Favour’s eyes burned silver again. The ground quaked beneath her feet, the air crackled, and a pulse of light exploded from her throwing the men backward like rag dolls.

She stood over Ibrahim, shaking, tears streaming down her face.

“You’re not taking him,” she whispered, her voice layered with something ancient.

The forest fell silent again.

And far away, deep in the city, under another moon, someone smiled watching through glowing silver eyes.

“She’s ready,” the voice murmured. “Just like her mother.”