Luna. Chapter 209

(Kael's POV)

The nightmare came back the next night, worse than before.

This time, I was looking in a mirror. My reflection showed the same black, waxy skin transformation, but now I could feel it happening. The substance wasn't just changing how I looked. It was changing how I thought.

"You're fighting it too hard," the voice said. "Resistance only makes the transition more painful."

"I don't want to transition into anything."

"You don't have a choice. This runs in your bloodline. Every Alpha in your family has gone through this."

"My father never looked like this."

"Your father learned to control the appearance. But the power is still there, just beneath the surface."

In the mirror, my reflection smiled with teeth that were too sharp.

"What kind of power?"

"The power to protect your pack from any threat. The power to eliminate your enemies before they can strike. The power to ensure your family's safety forever."

"And the cost?"

"There is no cost. Only benefits."

But I could feel the lie in those words. There was always a cost.

"Show me what this really means," I demanded.

"Very well."

The mirror changed, showing me images that made my stomach turn. Myself, but not myself, hunting down pack enemies with ruthless efficiency. Killing without hesitation or remorse. Making decisions based on power rather than justice.

"This is what you want me to become?"

"This is what you will become. The only question is whether you embrace it willingly or let it consume you slowly."

"And if I refuse?"

The mirror showed me different images. Lyra in danger. Nova crying over my grave. Asher running from threats I couldn't protect him from.

"Your weakness will destroy everyone you love."

"That's not weakness, that's humanity."

"Humanity is a luxury Alphas can't afford."

The black substance in the mirror began creeping down my neck, spreading across my chest. But this time, I could feel it in real life, not just in the dream.

I looked down at my actual hands and saw the darkness beginning.

"It's starting," the voice said with satisfaction. "Soon you won't be able to tell where the dream ends and reality begins."

I tried to scream, but my voice was gone. Tried to wake up, but the dream held me fast.

"Accept your destiny, Kael. Stop fighting what you're becoming."

The transformation accelerated, consuming my arms, my torso, reaching toward my face. When it touched my jaw, I felt my teeth changing, becoming sharper.

"Your pack needs this version of you. Your family needs this protection."

"My family needs me to stay human."

"Humanity won't save them from what's coming."

"What's coming?"

But the voice was already fading as the dream dissolved.

I woke up gasping, immediately checking my hands and arms for signs of the transformation.

They looked normal.

But they felt different. Stronger. Like there was power just beneath the surface waiting to be released.

Lyra was still asleep beside me, peaceful and beautiful. Nova was quiet in her crib. Everything looked exactly as it should.

So why did I feel like something fundamental had changed?

I got up and went to the bathroom, turning on the light to examine myself in the mirror.

My reflection looked normal at first glance. Same face, same eyes, same skin tone.

But when I looked closer, I could see subtle differences. My eyes seemed brighter somehow. My jaw looked sharper. My overall presence felt more intense.

"You're imagining things," I told my reflection.

But my reflection smiled back with what looked like too many teeth.

I blinked hard and looked again. Normal reflection. Normal teeth. Normal everything.

"Just stress," I whispered. "Just nerves about the Alpha transition."

But I didn't believe it.

Something was happening to me. Something the dreams were trying to prepare me for or warn me about.

The question was whether I was going insane or becoming something else entirely.

And which possibility scared me more.

I splashed cold water on my face and returned to bed, but sleep was impossible. I lay awake until dawn, hyper-aware of every sensation in my body, every thought in my head, every change in my perception.

When morning finally came, I felt exhausted but strangely alert. Like I'd been running all night but was somehow stronger for it.

"Good morning," Lyra said, stretching beside me. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," I lied.

"You look tired."

"Just excited about today. Showing you around the pack, introducing you to everyone properly."

"That sounds nice."

"It will be nice."

But as I got dressed, I caught myself checking the mirror repeatedly, looking for signs of the transformation from my dreams.

Each time, my reflection looked normal.

Each time, I felt less human.