On the second training day, the dummy exploded.
Not just broke. Exploded.
Into a thousand splinters that shot across the courtyard like wooden bullets.
I stared at my hands. They were glowing silver-white, Moonbane runes pulsing under my skin like a second heartbeat.
"Whoa." Marcus ducked behind a stone pillar. "That was supposed to be a defensive shield!"
"I know what it was supposed to be." My voice came out sharper than I meant.
The runes on my arms flared brighter, responding to my frustration.
Careful, my wolf warned. You're losing control.
I took a breath. Focused on pulling the power back in. The glow faded slowly, like water draining from a sink.
Kael emerged from the training hall, his silver-blue eyes immediately finding the destroyed dummy. Then me. "How many is that t
