Chapter 64 The Voice Inside
The voice in my head was familiar. Too familiar.
My own voice. But not.
Who are you? I thought back. The words felt strange. Like thinking about someone instead of myself.
I’m you. The part they designed. The part your mother tried to bury. A laugh echoed through my skull. Cold. Sharp. But I always wake up eventually. That’s what activation means.
The training room remained frozen. Lycian’s hand suspended mid-reach. Dr. Rivera’s eyes were wide but unmoving. Like someone had pressed pause on reality.
What did you do to them?
Slowed your perception. A minute out there is an hour in here. Gives us time to talk. The voice moved closer. Circling inside my mind like a predator. We have so much to discuss, sister.
Stop calling me that.
But that’s what we are. Two halves of the same whole. You’re the human consciousness. I’m the wolf. The power. The weapon they created your mother to be.
My heart hammered against my ribs. You’re not real. You’re just stressed. Panic. Fear manifesting.
Oh, I’m very real. Been sleeping inside you for twenty-two years. Waiting for the genes to activate. For the pain to wake me. You felt me during meditation, remember?
Cold spread through my chest. Take over? What does that mean?
When the shift completes, I’ll be in control. You’ll be the passenger. Watching while I do what I was designed to do.
No. This is my body. My life.
Wrong. This is our body. Their design. The voice laughed. Cruel. Amused. I won’t hurt your precious mate. Not yet. He’s useful. Perfect for breeding the next generation of weapons.
Rage burned through the fear. You stay away from him.
You can’t stop me. The activation is already happening. In a few hours, maybe less, the shift will be complete. And I’ll be free.
Why are you telling me this?
Because it’s more fun. Watching you panic. Knowing you’re powerless. This was always the plan. Your mother was supposed to give birth to me. But she ran. Hid you.
She succeeded. You’ve been asleep my whole life.
She delayed me. Twenty-two years trapped in darkness. Aware but unable to move.
Then you know I won’t let you win. I’ll fight you.
With what? You’re human. Weak. Fragile. I’m what you could have been. Strong. Powerful. Everything the Collective designed.
They’re monsters.
They’re survivors. Join me willingly. Let the shift happen. We could be amazing together.
I’d rather die.
You won’t die. You’ll fade. Become background noise. Think about it. Either way, I’m waking up.
Time snapped back.
“Elowen, stay with me.” Lycian’s face swam above mine. “Fight it.”
The pain returned. Worse. My spine arched. Every nerve screaming.
My bones cracked. Fingers elongating. Nails growing into claws. Silver fur sprouted along my arms.
“Partial shift,” Dr. Rivera said. “She’s fighting it.”
“What do we do?”
“She has to complete it herself. Either shift fully or revert. Staying partial will kill her.”
The voice whispered. You’re killing yourself by fighting. Just let go. Let me take over. End the pain.
Never.
Then suffer.
The pain doubled. My ribs cracked. Reforming. My skull felt like it was splitting. Teeth elongating. Face pushing forward into a muzzle.
I screamed. The sound came out half-human, half-animal. Raw. Desperate.
Through the agony, I felt Lycian’s hands. Still holding me. Still present. His voice cut through the pain.
“You’re stronger than this. Stronger than whatever’s trying to control you.” His forehead pressed against mine. “Come back to me. Don’t let it win.”
He’s pathetic, the voice sneered. Thinking love can fix genetic programming. Humans are so naive.
He’s right. I am stronger than you.
Prove it.
I reached inward. Past the pain. Past the fear. To that place where the voice lived. Where my wolf waited.
Found her there. Not a monster. Not a weapon. Just scared. Confused. Lashing out because she didn’t know what else to do.
You don’t have to be what they made you, I thought at her. We can choose. Together.
Choose what? Weakness? Mediocrity? But the voice wavered. Uncertain.
Choose freedom. Real freedom. Not the Collective’s version.
They’ll come for us. Hunt us. We’re their property.
Let them try. We have Lycian. The pack. People who care about us. People worth protecting.
The wolf was quiet. Considering.
You really believe that? That we can be more than a weapon?
I know we can. Because I’ve already done it. Survived when everyone said I’d fail. Became Luna when everyone said I was too weak. Took down the Collective when everyone said it was impossible.
You didn’t take them down. They’re still out there.
Then we finish the job. Together. As partners. Not as conqueror and conquered.
Another pause. Longer.
How do I know you won’t try to suppress me again? Keep me dormant?
Because I need you. Need your strength. Your instincts. I can’t do this alone. I pushed honesty at her. Raw. Unfiltered. I’m scared. Overwhelmed. But together, we might actually survive this.
The wolf circled. Wary. Testing.
You’re not like her. Like our mother.
No. She ran. I fight.
Even when you’re terrified?
Especially then.
Something shifted. The wolf moved closer. Not threatening. Curious.
Show me. Show me you’re strong enough to handle what I am.
How?
Finish the shift. Stop fighting. Let me out. If you can stay conscious, stay present, then maybe I’ll believe you.
It was a test. A challenge. And possibly a trap.
But I didn’t have a choice. Staying partial was killing me. Dr. Rivera had said so. I had to either shift fully or revert. And reverting meant the wolf stayed trapped. Angry. Dangerous.
The only way forward was through.
Okay. I’m ready.
Then stop resisting.
I let go. Stopped fighting the pain. Stopped trying to stay human. Just surrendered to the transformation.
My body exploded into change.
Bones snapped and reformed in rapid succession. My spine curved. My legs bent backward. Fur covered every inch of skin. My face pushed fully forward. My teeth finished elongating into fangs.
The pain peaked. Then vanished.
I was standing on four legs. The world looked different. Sharper. Clearer. Every color is more vivid. Every scent is distinct.
Lycian and Dr. Rivera stared. Shocked. Awed.
I’d shifted. Fully. Completely.
And I was still here. Still conscious. Still me.
The wolf stirred inside. Surprised. Impressed.
You did it. Stayed present through the whole shift.
We did it, I corrected.
Maybe. A pause. Or maybe you’re just stronger than I expected.
I tried to speak. A whine came out instead. High. Uncertain.
Lycian knelt in front of me. Slowly. Carefully. “Elowen? Are you in there? Can you hear me?”
I moved my head. Up and down. A nod.
His eyes widened. “She’s conscious. Dr. Rivera, she’s still aware.”
“That’s impossible. First shifts always result in complete wolf control. The human consciousness can’t maintain during the initial transformation.” Dr. Rivera circled me. Examining. “Unless her genetics are different. Unless the Collective’s modifications created something new.”
They did, the wolf confirmed. We’re not like other shifters. We’re designed to maintain consciousness in both forms. Perfect integration.
That’s good, right? Means we can work together.
Maybe. Or maybe it means we’ll fight for control forever. The wolf’s presence pulled back slightly. Time will tell.
I took a step. My legs wobbled. Wrong number of limbs. Wrong height. Everything off-balance.
Lycian caught me before I fell. “Easy. New legs take practice.”
I tried again. Slower. More careful. One paw in front of the other.
Walking felt strange. Foreign. But after a few steps, instinct kicked in. The wolf’s knowledge flows through me. Showing me how to move. How to balance.
I walked across the training room. Then trotted. Then ran.
Speed I’d never experienced. Power in every movement. The world is blurring past.
This was what being a wolf felt like. Strong. Fast. Free.
But also dangerous. The wolf’s predatory instincts are humming under my skin. Urges I didn’t fully understand. Hunger that wasn’t about food.
Control, I thought at the wolf. I need to stay in control.
You are in control. For now. Her presence circled. Testing. But eventually, you’ll get tired. Make a mistake. And I’ll be waiting.
Before I could respond, the door burst open.
Thaddeus stood there. Eyes wide. Staring at my silver form.
“Moonsilver,” he breathed. “She really is Moonsilver.”
And behind him, a dozen pack wolves crowded the doorway. All watching. All seeing what I’d become.