Chapter 5 Embracing the Darkness

Lois's breath came out in a slow exhale as she locked eyes with Kade. "We can do this," she murmured, her voice strong and the words nearly strange coming from her mouth. She was no longer the terrified lady who had run from the pack. She was a power in her own right.

Kade's look softened, yet under his face there remained unmistakable steel. His voice was quiet as he said, "We will." Though he never lost his attention on her, he stepped back a little to provide her room to maneuver.

Emerging from the shadows, the wolves loomed large and menacing. Lois raised her hands and stepped forward, Shadow Mark beating inside her like a living being, not waiting for them to come close.

Breathing, she called the power and felt it ignite and radiate all over her body. Her muscles cried out as she pushed the energy to her hands; when it eventually reacted, it was controlled, quiet rather than chaotic.

Raising her arms, she sent the first wave of energy rushing towards the fighters with a quick motion. The ground split, the air vibrated with unadulterated strength, and the fighters were pushed back. They fell, surprised at the might.

Lois, however, kept going. Her body was alive with the power now, a continuous current, and she exploited it. She felt the darkness inside her tug, but she kept it at back, using it as a tool, not a weapon to be feared.

Kade's voice sliced past the tension. Lois, concentrate. Stay in charge, Lois.

Nodding, her jaw clenched as she pushed the fighters back with yet another surge of power. She was battling the darkness within her as well as them. She was learning to control it.

But suddenly, just as she felt a flash of triumph, one of Tyler's soldiers sprang forward, drawing an ancient-looking weapon that glimmered with an unsettling radiance. The weapon's energy cancelled her abilities, causing Lois to feel a quick, intense tug at her center.

Everything came to a standstill.

Her eyes wide, she gazed at Kade. Her heart sank. "What is that?" she exclaimed.

Lois's abilities flickered and died, prompting the warrior in front of her to smile. Sapped of her strength, she was powerless before the foe. Lois remained motionless, the awareness of her vulnerability dawning on her, while Kade was already moving with his sword up to protect.

What is going on? whispering, her voice laced with terror. I had power... I was in charge.

Kade clinched his teeth, his gaze darting to the sword in the warrior's grasp. He replied, his voice low and strained, "That weapon." It reduces the Shadow Mark's strength. It's a trap, not only a tool.

Lois gasped. "A trap?"

"Yes," Kade said, moving closer to her and looking over the foe. Tyler's guys don't only wish you dead. They wish to dominate you. This tool, then, is part of his strategy.

Stepping back, Lois's hands reflexively reached out to call her strength once more; her pulse pounded in her ears. There was nothing. The force within her seemed far away, out of reach. The anxiety that had tormented her for so long now seemed to completely overwhelm her.

What if I lose control once more? What if I disappoint them?

The idea was crippling. To be someone who could stand on her own, she had battled so much to get control. But now she was helpless.

Kade's words cut through her spinning ideas, "You have to fight, Lois." Fear cannot be allowed to control you.

Turning to face him, she found his expression unrelenting. For the first time, she noticed in his eyes something raw, deep, and vulnerable. His words struck her harder than any punch could.

Lois gulped and collected all her last strength. This dread cannot run my life.

Feeling the force inside her, she moved forward. Though Lois knew now that she had to accept the evil inside her as something to be mastered rather than scared, it was still there, pushing and clawing.

Though the warriors drew closer, their eyes black with purpose, Lois sensed something inside her awaken. She had no idea how to retaliate. But one thing was evident.

She could not allow them take charge of her. Not at this time. Never.

Stepping back into the clearing, Lois felt her heart race with the pulse of terror and power dancing inside her. The impact of the weapon had exhausted her, but something deeper was stirring within of her, a force she could not ignore. She had to battle and she had to do it right now.

Lois shut her eyes with a steadying breath. The turmoil of the fight, Kade's side presence, all of it faded into a background hum. It was only her and the strength within her.

Feeling the flare of energy under her skin, she concentrated and deepened her link to the Shadow Mark. Not out of desperation but rather with intention, she reached for it. The power was always there. She had simply been too terrified to apply it.

She opened her eyes and lifted her hands with a quick exhale. This time, the energy surged but not out of control. It was deliberate, concentrated. The ground under her feet shook as the air surrounding her swelled with strength.

Kade's voice, full of wonder, rang forth. Lois

She ignored him. She didn't have to. Though the warriors had regrouped, they were unready for this.

Lois moved forward, sending a wave of energy slamming over the air. This time it was not careless. It was a deliberate force she wielded with all her might. The warriors stumbled, their expressions a combination of terror and bewilderment as they struggled to resist the suddenly radiating strength from her.

Lois pushed the Shadow Mark forward with will, channeling more of it and the ground under their feet split. The warriors were cast back; their weapons ineffective against her great strength.

The fight was going in their favor.

Kade observed in shocked quiet, his face crossing with pride and something more profound. "You did it," he said softly.

Lois stood upright, the force still humming under her skin. She was not the same lady who had fled from her history. She was not the same lady who had dreaded what she may turn into.

Lois, though, understood as the fighters fell back that this triumph was only the start. The true tests were only starting; they would determine her power and future.

"Only just begun," Kade murmured softly, his voice heavy with implicit significance. Still to come are the genuine fights.

Lois stood at the edge of the clearing, the wind stinging at her skin as she gazed out into the horizon. Running from her fate for so long, she was terrified of the Shadow Mark's potential to change her and of the power she could not control. But something in her had changed. At last, the continual dread had given way to a new awareness.

Kade's words cut through the quiet, anchoring her. "Lois."

Facing him, she turned to see his tall figure framed by the twilight fading light. Though his face was impenetrable, his eyes conveyed a great deal. They now contained respect. Lois for the first time felt as though she wasn't only a liability. She was purposeful.

"Are you set?" Kade inquired quietly but confidently. "Are you prepared to follow this path?"

Lois swallowed, the gravity of his inquiry sinking in. She could sense the strength within her, no longer a wild, untamable force. It had calmed and became her. Still, the darkness remained under the surface, ready to emerge once more.

"I have no option, right?" Lois said, her voice calm in spite of the anxiety still gnawing at her chest. Her heart pounding, she moved closer to Kade. Isn't this my fate?

Kade nodded, a glimmer of something, maybe pride, crossing his eyes. The Alpha Kings require you as their leader. Lois, the Shadow Mark is not a curse. It's a present. A force that enables you to shape the planet. But only if you accept it completely.

Lois shut her eyes, the burden of his remarks resting on her. The battle was no longer only about survival. It was about leading. And that was a duty she could not escape.

But as her will hardened, something in the air changed, an uncomfortable sensation as though the planet itself was holding its breath.

Kade's eyes grew darker. His body tensed as he turned his head a little. "Lois... we are not alone."

She felt it then, the growing awareness of peril, a familiar, horrifying presence.

Tylor.

Stepping closer to Kade, she gulped. He's here, right?

Kade's voice was a hoarse growl, "Closer than we thought."

Eyes roving the treetops, Lois and Kade stood still and quiet, their surroundings seemed to shut in. The air was heavy, packed with the feeling of something about to occur. Lois's pulse raced and her senses became acute, but she didn't feel prepared. Tyler would eventually come back, but now more than ever Lois had to be the one to stop him.

Kade's voice pierced the tension. Lois, you have decided. But now you must support it. You must guide the Alpha Kings.

The burden of her power and the duty bearing down on her made Lois take a deep breath. Though there was no turning back now, she wasn't ready to be the leader Kade believed she could be. The decision was taken. She could sense the darkness inside her move, but she was no longer terrified of it. It was not a monster; she would be the one to choose what it turned into.

Lois declared, her voice more robust than she had ever known, "I won't run any more." Locking eyes with Kade, she felt a fire start in her chest. I shall shape my fate. But Tyler... he won't stop, right?

Turning to face her, Kade's expression tightened; the need in his eyes pierced the stillness. Not at all. He will not. He will keep coming. We have to be prepared. You have to be ready.

Lois stepped forward and nodded. Let's complete this then.

But just as she was about to go, a shadow flashed in the distance, a man standing tall on a faraway hill, watching them from afar. Lois froze, her blood running cold as she identified the figure.

Tyler was the one.

His eyes shone with a strange serenity, his mouth twisting into a sinister grin as though he had already triumphed.

Lois stood motionless, her heart racing, the dread she believed she had overcome flooding back, but this time it was different. This time, she would not let it to dictate her. She would not allow him to dominate her.

Tyler's hand shot up in a terrifying display of authority, and Lois's stomach dropped in understanding of its significance. He was not only looking. He was on hold. This time, he had a fresh strategy.

"Kade whispered, his hand on her shoulder steadying her, "We're not done yet." The actual battle is just starting.