Chapter 3 The awakening

"Focus," Kade's voice called out, gently but firmly. Lois, you must manage it.

"I'm trying," she said, seeing the unusual energy inside her whirling like a storm about to break loose. Though her muscles were tight with restraint, the force within her appeared to throb, fighting against her attempts to control it.

Kade remarked, moving closer, "I know it's difficult." His eyes fixed on hers, his look piercing. "You have to manage it; otherwise, it will run your life."

Lois tightened her grip and tried to concentrate. A wave of electricity running through her veins made her breath catch. The ground under her feet trembling with the force made her heart race as the world around her appeared to change.

Lois! Kade's words sliced through her spiralling ideas. Let it not devour you.

But the words came too late. Lois's grip broke with a quick breath.

Her body shook with the might of the energy rushing through her and the air around her crackled with an unanticipated ferocity. A wild, instinctive movement, she swept her arms out and that was when it happened.

Her assault's ferocity was so great that it knocked Kade flying backward. He hit a tree, the force disturbing the upper branches. Lois stared in disbelief at the destruction she had created and gasped. Her strength, the power, had consumed her.

Covered in dirt and leaves, Kade forced himself up from the ground. Hard but sympathetic, his eyes met hers. "You have to learn to reign it in," he added, his voice steady in spite of the great intensity of what had just happened.

The entire gravity of what she had done struck Lois's gut. "I didn't mean to, " she began, but her voice broke. "I didn't know..."

Kade's gaze softened as he wiped the blood from his lip. You will find out. You will learn. Unchecked, this power will annihilate all surrounding you.

Lois stood quietly, her silence reflecting the depth of Kade's remarks. Though she had always understood the Shadow Mark was hazardous, witnessing its actual devastation left her terrified. She didn't know how to utilise it without losing herself in the process, much less control it.

Kade moved closer, his look softening as he noticed the struggle in her eyes. "You're not a monster, Lois," he whispered softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. Your inner strength is not only harmful. It can mend. It can bring back.

Lois shook her head and withdrew from his grasp. Heal? How can something like this heal? she queried angrily, her voice tinged with scepticism. Examine what I just accomplished.

Kade stepped aside to provide her room and his gaze softened. Your strength is not only a curse. Though it's a gift, using it calls for control. Many have battled it before you.

Lois ran a hand through her hair, sensing the pressure of his remarks bearing down on her. How can I tell it won't kill me? I can feel it inside of me, pulling at me, demanding to be set free. The admission made her voice break.

Kade continued, his voice strong, "You have to learn to focus it." Indeed, it's risky. Lois, if you can manage it, you will be able to accomplish what others cannot.

Lois stared at him, her throat constricting. "I don't want to turn like Tyler. I don't want to turn into a monster.

Kade's countenance unreadable, he looked at her for a long time. You are not him, he replied softly. You will never be him. Lois, you must believe in yourself. "Believe you can master the gloom within you."

A dense, oppressive quiet hung between them. Lois could sense the reality in his statements, yet the dread still gnawed at her, ready to burst.

Her hands trembled, her gaze darting to the floor. Kade, I'm terrified. Afraid of what I might turn into.

Kade moved forward, his hand hanging close to hers but not touching. Many people experience that. You have to manage it nevertheless if you want to live, if you want to safeguard yourself and the others you value. Your fear is what makes you not your adversary.

Kade's comments echoed in Lois's head, making her thinking race. Dread. It was everything that kept her back. But what about fear? Losing command? Losing her way? Or perhaps something even more terrible: turning into the person she dreaded the most?

Her words hardly a whisper as she gazed up at him. Why should I? Why was I selected for this route? What sets me apart?

Kade stepped closer slowly and purposefully, his gaze fixed on hers. Lois, your bloodline. The Shadow Mark; its strength is linked to your lineage. Passed down over many generations. Your fate is to use it.

Lois gulped hard as the gravity of his remarks sank into her chest like a stone. She had always known her family had secrets, but this one? She had never thought on this.

"You mean to tell me... I was born for this?" her voice heavy with scepticism, she enquired

Kade's stare was unrelenting; he nodded slowly. Indeed. Your lineage is linked to the Alpha Kings, to their destiny. The Shadow Mark was supposed to be used by someone able to guide them, someone able to bring together the packs.

The weight of what he was saying was about to crush Lois, her heart racing in her chest. Am I meant to guide them? The Alpha Kings?" she said again, her voice strained with disbelief. "How?" I don't even know how to govern myself.

Kade's voice stayed firm even if his visage softened. You certainly will. Lois, you have to show yourself first, then. You have to prove to them and yourself that you deserve the power flowing through you. You will be the key to guiding them, but only if you can manage it.

Lois stared in shocked stillness, her head racing to grasp the gravity of Kade's disclosure. Alpha Kings The pack's destiny. It all appeared so... improbable. Just a woman fleeing her history, barely clinging to her own sanity, she was meant to command the greatest wolves in the world now.

Kade stepped back, his gaze locking into hers with a breath-taking intensity. Lois, the upcoming challenges will push you. Should you fail...

Her heart leapt. Should I fail, what then?

Kade's voice was heavy with sadness even if his look was unreadable. The packs then fall. Then the packs fall. All we have struggled for is gone.

Lois felt unable to dismiss the notion that anything was amiss. Having been with Kade for days traversing the forest, she felt an oppressive weight in the air the closer they got to the concealed training grounds. It wasn't only the weariness, the persistent bone pain, or the searing dread that had turned into her constant friend. It was different. Something more sinister.

Her eyes darted to Kade, walking slightly ahead, stiff posture and heightened awareness.

"You sense it, don't you?" Lois enquired softly.

Kade did not respond right away. His eyes roamed the area, and his jaw grew tight. He turned to look at her and halted in his tracks. Lois, it's not only in your head, he added quietly. Tyler's troops are closing in. They know our whereabouts.

Lois's stomach knotted. She had anticipated it; her heart had understood the reality long before her head could catch up. The wolves who had pursued her were not finished. Tyler was not finished.

"I thought we had more time," Lois remarked, hardly unable to suppress the edge of panic in her voice.

Kade's face relaxed for a second, but only briefly. His eyes were so intense that they made her breathless. Lois, time is something we lack. Tyler will do all in his power to locate you. To make use of you.

Lois tightened her hands. "He won't have me under his control." Though they were a promise, the words seemed empty. She had no clue how she would stop Tyler, much less survive him.

Kade replied darkly with warning, "You are not ready for him." Lowering his voice, he moved closer to her. You are not safe. Not with the Shadow Mark in you. Not with Tyler's troops after you.

Lois felt the gravity of his words, of the load she now bore, and she swallowed hard. She was unprepared and had no option but to confront it.

Kade's muscles coiled like a predator waiting for the attack as he turned his head to the trees. He stated, "We have to go." Now.

Lois's heart raced in her chest as they neared the clearing's edge. The woods surrounding them had become strangely silent. Too silent. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to hide, but Kade was alongside her, a steadying presence, even if his own strain was obvious.

"They're close," Kade said, palm resting on the dagger's hilt at his side. Every fibre in him awake, muscles tight, eyes scanning the trees.

Lois wished to question him how he knew, but the response was in his movement, always ten steps ahead. She had witnessed the quiet resolve in his eyes previously, and it disturbed her more than any conflict could.

"Lois," Kade murmured, his voice softer now, "you have to concentrate. Don't let the strength control you. Not at this time.

Nodding, she tightened her grip on the stone she had gathered from the earth. It was meant to be a tool, a distraction, something to anchor her. The Shadow Mark was growing inside of her, pushing her to let it go and to let it loose in full power. Beneath her skin, the energy throbbed like a storm about to break. It was something she could sense in her bones.

Lois said, her voice hoarse and unsure, "I'm trying." Her gaze darted to Kade's face. Though he concealed it well, she could see the worry; she understood him now. She saw past the mask.

Though hardly audible, the first roar made her feel panicked. Lois's breath caught and a group of wild wolves burst from the trees, their eyes shining in the low light, before she could respond.

Drawing his weapon in one quick motion, Kade moved with trained accuracy. The wolves charged forward, snapping their teeth and lunging at Lois, leaving her little time to respond.

Raising her hands to summon the Shadow Mark, she found the internal energy too much. The power reacted to her dread, increasing with each heartbeat, each frantic thought. It was beyond her control.

Kade! Lois yelled as a stray wolf sprang at her. Her eyesight became hazy and the woodland surrounding her appeared to move; the energy within her spun like a tornado.

Kade, please assist! She could sense the wolf's claws approaching for her, its jaws snapping with lethal purpose. It was already too late, though.

Lois's palms started to burn; the force within her now thumping so violently it seemed like an electrical current. Desperately, she lifted them; before she realised it, the energy burst from her as a furious shockwave propelling the rogue wolves hurtling backward.

Lois stood, breathless, under the weight of the force she had just released, Kade was pushed to the ground and his body slammed into a tree. It had devoured her, and she was horrified.

Kade! Running to him, she shouted. Though his countenance was worried, he was already pulling himself up and groaning.

Lois, don't let it control you, he added in a raspy but forceful tone. His eyes flared with a combination of rage and terror.

Trembling hands, Lois knelt next to him. I didn't mean to,

"I know," he interrupted her, his voice growing more forceful. You cannot, however, keep doing this. Not if survival is your goal.

Lois gazed at the rogue wolves' scattered corpses, now quiet in the clearing. The force still humming under her skin as her breath came in fast bursts. She had done it once more. Though still somewhat wild and untamed, the energy was hers.

Rising to his feet, Kade's gaze roamed the surroundings. "We have to go," he said fast. Tyler's troops will keep going. This power won't either, should you fail to control it.