Chapter 7 Awakening Darkness

The morning came too soon. Serena woke to Mira shaking her shoulder gently.

"Alpha wants you in the training grounds," Mira said, her eyes wide. "Everyone's waiting."

Serena clutched the small wolf carving hidden under her pillow. She had slept with it in her palm all night, Ronan's words echoing in her mind: A warning. And a promise.

"What time is it?" Serena asked, shaking sleep from her head.

"Just past dawn. Hurry-Lucian doesn't like to wait."

The training grounds sat in a flat clearing behind the mountain caves. As Serena approached, she saw a circle of wolves gathered, their faces a mix of curiosity and distrust. Lucian stood in the center, bare-chested despite the morning chill, his muscled body covered in scars that told stories of countless battles.

"Finally," he said when he spotted her. "Your training begins now."

The pack parted to let her through. Serena felt their stares burning into her back. Lyra stood at Lucian's right, her red hair blazing in the morning light, her green eyes filled with hatred.

"What exactly am I learning?" Serena asked, trying to sound braver than she felt.

"Control," Lucian replied. "The Onyx wolf is powerful, but wild. If you can't master it, it will master you."

He nodded to Dorian, who tossed something at Serena's feet. A rabbit-freshly killed, its blood still warm.

"Shift," Lucian commanded.

Serena stared at him. "Here? Now? In front of everyone?"

"Your enemies won't give you privacy. Shift."

Her cheeks burned as she stripped off her borrowed clothes. The pack watched silently as she folded each item and placed it on a nearby rock. Drawing a deep breath, she called to her wolf.

The pain was less this time, but still intense. Bones cracked, muscles stretched, skin darkened to midnight black. When it was done, Serena stood on four legs, her glossy black fur shimmering with flecks of blue in the morning light.

Whispers rippled through the crowd. Even Lyra's hate-filled expression faltered at the sight of the Onyx wolf.

"Beautiful," someone murmured.

Lucian circled her slowly. "Now, I want you to eat."

Serena looked at the dead rabbit, her wolf's hunger stirring.

"Not with your jaws," Lucian added. "With your power. Consume its essence."

Confusion rippled through her. What did he mean?

"Your wolf knows how," Lucian said. "Let it guide you, but remain in control."

Serena focused on the rabbit. Something inside her-the darkness that had always frightened her-surged forward eagerly. Blackness seeped from her paws, snaking toward the rabbit like living shadows.

The shadows wrapped around the small body, lifting it slightly. Then, to Serena's horror, the rabbit began to shrivel, its form collapsing as something flowed from it into her. Energy. Life force. Power.

It felt incredible-a rush unlike anything she'd experienced. The darkness inside her howled with delight, growing stronger, demanding more.

"Good," Lucian said. "Now stop."

But she couldn't. The darkness was feasting, spreading beyond the rabbit to the grass beneath it, withering everything it touched.

"Serena," Lucian's voice hardened. "Stop. Now."

The darkness ignored him. It was hungry-so hungry-after being caged for so long. It wanted everything. The entire clearing. The pack. The world.

"Alpha, she's losing control!" Dorian shouted.

Pack members backed away as the shadow tendrils stretched toward them. One caught a young wolf who hadn't moved quickly enough. He cried out as his strength drained into Serena.

"Get back!" Lucian roared to the pack.

Through a haze of power-drunk pleasure, Serena saw the young wolf collapse. Horror broke through her trance. What was she doing?

But the darkness wouldn't listen. It was in control now.

Suddenly, Lucian was there. He shifted in a heartbeat, his massive brown wolf tackling her black form. Pain shot through her as his teeth clamped around her neck-not breaking skin, but establishing dominance.

ENOUGH! His voice filled her mind.

Their wolves connected in that moment-Alpha to Onyx-and something unexpected happened. Instead of fighting her darkness, Lucian's power seemed to wrap around it, containing it without crushing it.

Slowly, the shadow tendrils retreated, slithering back into Serena's body. The hunger faded. Control returned.

When it was over, both shifted back to human form. Serena lay trembling on the ground, tears streaming down her face. Lucian knelt beside her, his expression unreadable as he draped his cloak over her naked body.

"Take her to my quarters," he ordered Mira, who rushed forward. "Everyone else, clear the area. Training's done for today."

As Mira helped her back to the caves, Serena caught sight of the young wolf she'd attacked. Others were helping him stand, his face pale but alive. Relief washed through her, followed by shame.

"I could have killed him," she whispered.

"But you didn't," Mira said gently.

Back in Lucian's quarters, Serena huddled under furs, still shaking. When Lucian entered an hour later, she couldn't meet his eyes.

"I'm a monster," she said.

"No," Lucian sat beside her. "You're untrained. There's a difference."

"I hurt one of your wolves."

"Tomas will recover." Lucian's voice softened. "What you did-consuming life energy-it's a unique ability of the Onyx wolf. One I suspected but needed to confirm."

Serena looked up, angry now. "You knew this would happen? You used me to test your theory?"

"I knew you needed to face your power to learn control." His amber eyes held hers. "What surprised me was how I stopped you."

"What do you mean?"

Lucian's hand moved to her cheek, his touch surprisingly gentle. "Our wolves connected. That shouldn't be possible with an Onyx wolf. They're solitary creatures. Untamable."

His fingers traced her jawline, sending unexpected shivers through her body.

"Yet somehow," he continued, his voice dropping lower, "mine calmed yours."

The air between them crackled with tension. Serena became acutely aware of how close he sat, of the warmth radiating from his body. Confusion swirled inside her. This was Lucian Draven-her enemy, her captor, the man who wanted to destroy her former pack.

So why did his touch feel so right?

A growl from the doorway broke the moment. Lyra stood there, fury etched on her beautiful face.

"The council messenger has arrived," she said, her voice brittle with rage. "They know about the Onyx wolf."

Lucian's expression darkened. He rose to his feet, his gentle demeanor vanishing like smoke.

"Keep her here," he ordered Lyra. "Don't let anyone near her."

After he left, Lyra's cold eyes fixed on Serena.

"You may have him fooled with your helpless act," she hissed, "but I know better. The last female who caught his interest died screaming. Yours will be slower."

She slammed the door, leaving Serena alone with her threat hanging in the air.

From beneath her pillow, Serena retrieved Ronan's carved wolf. Its eyes seemed to glow in the dim light as a realization hit her-the stone was warm. Too warm. It pulsed like a heartbeat against her palm.

And somewhere in the forest beyond the mountain, Elias Storm's silver wolf howled, calling to something deep inside her that even the darkness couldn't touch.