Chapter 186 Training the Younger Students
POV: Luna \[Two weeks after Selene's stabilization\]
We'd managed to save Selene.
Barely.
It took three days of constant filtering. Purifying the otherworld contamination. Stabilizing her hybrid form.
But we did it. She survived. And her new abilities remained. Controlled now. Manageable.
Life at Silverwood slowly returned to normal. As normal as it ever got.
The Headmaster implemented new policies. New training. New preparation.
And he asked me to help.
"The younger students need combat training," he said. "Emergency protocols. Survival skills. Things that aren't in the standard curriculum."
"You want me to teach them?"
"You've survived more attacks than anyone. You know what works. What doesn't. You're the perfect instructor."
"I'm eighteen. I'm barely qualified to survive myself."
"You're qualified by experience. That's worth more than any credential."
He had a point.
So I agreed.
First-year students. Fifteen of them. All looking terrified.
"Hi," I said, standing before them. "I'm Luna Eclipse. And I'm going to teach you how to survive."
They stared. Wide-eyed. Nervous.
"I'm not a professional teacher," I continued. "I'm just a student who's been through hell. Multiple times. And lived. These are the things I learned. The things that kept me alive."
I started with basics. How to identify rogue magic.
"Rogues give off a signature," I explained. "Dark. Corrupted. Wrong. You'll feel it before you see them. Trust that feeling. Run if you can. Fight only if you can't."
"How do we know when to run versus fight?" a first-year asked.
"Good question. Run if you're outnumbered. If you're alone. If you're not trained. Fight only if running means someone else dies. Then you fight with everything you have."
I demonstrated emergency shift protocols. Partial shifting. Maintaining human enough to use tools while having wolf strength.
"It's exhausting," I warned. "Painful. But sometimes necessary. Practice in safe environments. So when you need it in real situations, muscle memory takes over."
We drilled for hours. Basic combat. Defensive positions. Pack coordination.
The students struggled. Made mistakes. But they learned.
One girl in particular caught my attention. Small. Scared. But determined.
She reminded me of myself. First year. Barely able to shift. Terrified but trying to be brave.
"You okay?" I asked during a break.
"Just overwhelmed," she admitted. "All this talk about rogue attacks and survival. It's scary."
"It is scary. But knowledge is power. The more you know, the better your chances."
"Were you scared? Your first year?"
"Terrified. Constantly. I barely knew I was a wolf. Couldn't control my shifts. Had no idea what I was doing."
"But you survived."
"I did. Because I had help. Friends. Mentors. People who believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself."
"Do you still get scared?"
"All the time. Fear doesn't go away. You just learn to function despite it."
She smiled. Slightly. "That's helpful. Thank you."
"Anytime."
We resumed training. By the end, the students looked less terrified. More confident.
"Remember," I said. "Survival isn't about being fearless. It's about being smart. Aware. Prepared. And never giving up."
They nodded. Filed out. Heading to their next classes.
"You're good at this," Liam said, appearing in the doorway.
"I'm adequate."
"You're inspiring. Those kids look up to you. Trust you. That's rare."
"It's terrifying. What if I teach them wrong? What if they die because of advice I gave?"
"What if they live because of it? Stop assuming the worst."
"Realistic, remember?"
"Pessimistic. There's a difference."
Despite everything, I smiled.
"These kids' survival might depend on what I teach them," I said quietly. "That's a lot of weight."
"Welcome to leadership. It's all weight. All responsibility. All consequences."
"How do you handle it?"
"By trusting that doing something is better than doing nothing. That trying is better than quitting. That even if I'm wrong, at least I cared enough to try."
"That's mature."
"Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation."
I laughed. Real. Genuine.
We headed to lunch. Discussing training strategies. Ways to improve.
Then alarms started blaring.
"Not again," I groaned.
"Defensive positions!" the Headmaster's voice echoed through campus.
Students scattered. Running to assigned locations.
Through the pack bonds, I assessed. Status report!
Rogues! Nova responded. Multiple breaches! Western perimeter!
Training grounds compromised! Aria added. First-years are trapped!
My blood ran cold. "The students I just trained. They're in danger!"
"Let's go!" Liam said.
We ran. Toward the training grounds. Toward the breach.
Found rogues everywhere. And in the center, surrounded, were my first-year students.
They'd formed a defensive circle. Like I'd taught them. Working together.
But they were overwhelmed. Outmatched. Barely holding on.
"We're coming!" I shouted.
I shifted mid-run. Liam beside me. Both of us charging into battle.
We tore through rogues. Clearing a path to the students.
"Everyone okay?" I asked.
"Scared!" the small girl said. "But alive!"
"Good! Stay in formation! Protect each other! We'll handle the rogues!"
My pack arrived. Nova. Aria. Sienna. Lyric. Aiden. All engaging.
We fought desperately. Protecting the students. Eliminating threats.
The first-years watched. Learned. Saw theory become practice.
Saw what survival really looked like.
One rogue broke through our defenses. Went straight for the students.
The small girl didn't hesitate. She shifted. Partially. Like I'd taught her.
And she fought.
Awkwardly. Desperately. But effectively.
She held the rogue off long enough for Aiden to arrive. He eliminated it.
"Good job," I told her afterward. "You didn't freeze. You adapted. Survived."
"I was terrified."
"But you did it anyway. That's bravery."
The battle ended. Rogues defeated. Students safe.
But shaken. Traumatized. Understanding now what war really meant.
"This is what I was trying to prepare you for," I told them. "Reality. Danger. The weight of survival."
"It's different than training," the small girl said.
"It always is. But you survived. All of you. Because you worked together. Trusted your training. Didn't give up."
"Will there be more attacks?" another student asked.
"Probably. But next time, you'll be more ready. More experienced. More capable."
"How many attacks until we're safe?"
I wanted to lie. Say it would end soon. Say safety was coming.
But they deserved truth.
"I don't know. Maybe never. But that's life. Constant vigilance. Constant preparation. Constant survival."
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is. But it's also life. And life is worth fighting for."
They nodded. Understanding. Accepting.
These kids had just grown up. Forced into adulthood by necessity.
Just like I had been.
Just like everyone at Silverwood had been.
And I hated it. Hated that they couldn't just be kids. Couldn't just worry about homework and crushes.
But I also respected it. Respected their strength. Their resilience. Their refusal to give up.
They'd be okay. Eventually.
And I'd do everything in my power to make sure they survived long enough to find out.