Third Person POV


    "Sophia?" Ava''s voice from the doorway made her jump.


    Sophia whipped around, cheeks flushing at being caught red-handed.


    "Ava!" she gasped, eyes wide. "Where''d youe from? I didn''t hear you walk in."


    Ava closed the door behind her, warrior senses clearly picking up on the weird vibe.


    "Just got here and saw you pacing a hole in the floor. Everything okay?" she asked, trying to smooth things over.


    "Totally fine, Sophia lied, pasting on a smile that felt stic even to her. ''Just nning dinner stuff."


    Ava looked unconvinced as she moved around the kitchen ind. "It''s just that you''ve been dodging metely, Ava said, worry creasing her forehead. Since that Hayes ceremony, we''ve barely said two words to each other. Did I step on your toes somehow?"


    "What? No way," Sophia lied again; how easily the untruths rolled off her tongue surprised even her. "We''re golden."


    "You sure about that?" Ava raised an eyebrow, that fighter''s instinct clearly telling her something was off.


    She walked to the cab, pulling out a small vial-Lucas''s training catalyst, specially formted for young werewolves learning to control their shifting.


    ''I''m teaching Lucas some next-level shift control today,” Ava exined, checking thebel.


    Sophia nodded thoughtfully, watching Ava gather supplies.


    While Ava''s back was turned as she grabbed a water ss, Sophia made her move. She pulled out the nearly identical vial from her pocket. With a quick flick of her wrist, she swapped the vials.


    "So," Ava turned back with the water ss, ''we''re cool then?"


    Sophia forced her lips into a smile, secretly tucking the original kid catalyst into her pocket.


    "Never better," Sophia lied, stomach churning with nervous anticipation.


    Ava''s shoulders rxed as she picked up the switched catalyst and water.


    "d we cleared the air," Ava said as she headed for the door. "Lucas and I will probably train till dinnertime, he''s pumped about the new moves."


    "Good luck with that," Sophia said, her expression hardening as Ava disappeared from view.


    She reassured herself the n was bulletproof...


    ''One more time, Lucas! Connect with your core power, feel it flowing!" Ava called out, watching the boy attempt partial shifting-an advanced technique where only specific body parts transform.


    Lucas nodded, determination zing in his eyes. He''d already managed to shift his arms into wolf paws three times running, showing control that kids twice


    would kill for.


    his


    age


    ''Drink some catalyst and catch your breath," Ava handed him the switched form, “then we''ll tackle legs-that''s where it gets tricky."


    Lucas gulped down the catalyst in one shot, eager for the energy kick. At first, everything looked normal-his eyes shed gold, the usual signal that the power was kicking in.


    But minutester, things went sideways fast.


    "Ava... his voice shook, face suddenly twisting in pain, ''something''s wrong..." His body started jerking uncontrobly, silver-blue light rippling violently across his skin-typical for pureblooded shifts, but at an intensity that set rm bells ringing.


    ''Lucas?" Ava snapped to attention, rushing to his side.


    The boy crashed to his knees, arms already morphing, but all wrong-fur and human skin flickering back and forth, bones making sickening crack sounds,


    "Can''t make it stop!" he screamed, bloody tears streaming down his face. ''It hurts so bad!"


    Ava instantly knew this was no normal reaction. She''d seen shift mishaps before, but nothing this severe, especially not in a trained pureblood kid.


    "Just breathe, Lucas!" She dropped beside him, steadying hands on his shoulders. "I''m right here, focus on my voice!"


    But things spiraled downhill fast. Lucas''s face began contorting horrifically, human features on one side, wolf on the other, instead of the smooth transformation of a normal shift. His bones twisted visibly beneath his skin, body caught in a nightmarish in-between state.


    ''Help... me... he gasped out, voice morphing into a half-human, half-wolf howl.


    Ava had never seen anything like it, panic wing up her throat.


    "I need help!" she shouted, instantly linking minds with ke through their mark. "ke! Lucas is in trouble! His shift''s gonepletely off the rails-it''s life- threatening!"


    Meanwhile, Sophia heard the screams and wolf howls echoing from the training grounds, her blood freezing as she realized something had gone terribly wrong. She bolted toward the sounds, heart in her throat.


    When she burst onto the field, the sight knocked the wind from her lungs.


    Lucasy thrashing on the ground, body horrifically suspended between forms. Each iplete shift left him in a grotesque hybrid state-part human child, part wolf cub. Bones broke and reformed under his skin with sounds that would haunt her dreams.


    Blood poured from his eyes, ears, and nose-the unmistakable signs of bloodline rejection—which would cause permanent damage immediately.


    "What happened?!" Sophia screamed, terror washing over her in icy waves. topped


    Ava knelt beside Lucas, desperately trying to help but clearly out of her depth. "I don''t know! He was practicing partial shifting, then just... this!" Her voice cracked with panic, "This isn''t normal!"


    Sophia''s stomach twisted into knots of fear and crushing guilt. She''d only wanted to make Ava look bad, maybe get her a p on the wrist-but the reality unfolding before her was a waking nightmare.


    The door flew open with a bang as ke and Tyler charged into the training field, eyes burning molten gold with the sensed agony of Lucas. The air instantly thickened with Alpha power, pressing down on everyone present.


    "What the hell happened?" ke roared, his voice vibrating with Alphamand as he rushed to his son.


    "I don''t know!" Ava cried out, "He drank the training catalyst and just started losing


    it!"


    Without wasting a breath, ke dropped to his knees beside Lucas, cing his hands on his son''s chest and forehead. His eyes closed, body beginning to glow with deep golden light-the raw bloodline power of the Alpha King awakening.


    "Circle us!" he barked at Tyler, who immediately moved to create protective barriers around them."


    ke began chanting in ancient wolf-tongue, one of the rare rituals that could stabilize a chaotic bloodline shift. His power wrapped like golden thread - around Lucas''s twisted body, fighting to guide the runaway shift back to formal pathways.


    After what felt like an eternity, Lucas''s violent convulsions began to ease, his body slowly returning to human form, though his skin still pulsed with in unnatural silver-blue glow.


    ke finally opened his eyes, exhausted but burning with fury. "This wasn''t normal catalyst, his voice dropped to a dangerous growl, "this is adult Alpha- grade stuff, practically poison for a cub his age."


    His gaze cut between Ava and Sophia, demanding answers.


    *If I''d been five minutester, he said, voice raw with fear and rage, Lucas might never have shifted properly again. His wolf nature would have been permanently damaged.*


    Sophia stood frozen in ce, trembling from head to toe, the full weight of what she''d done crashing down on her.


    She had nearly destroyed her own brother''s life...


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