Forbidden Pack Doctor

The Cost of Power

The Shadow Gift grew stronger inside me with every passing day. I felt bursts of power that made simple tasks feel effortless lifting heavy equipment with one hand, healing wounds in seconds, sensing danger before it arrived. But the dangerous side effects were starting to show too. Moments of emotional numbness would hit me suddenly, without warning. I would feel nothing at all even when I knew I should feel something. My son would laugh, and I would stare blankly. Asher would kiss me, and I would feel like I was watching from outside my own body. Painful visions came at night ancient battles, screams of the dying, faces of wolves I had never met but somehow recognized. I would wake up exhausted and afraid, my nightgown soaked with sweat. I began losing control in small ways that scared me. A glass would shatter in my hand. A door would slam shut without being touched. Shadows would flicker at the edges of my vision.

I hid the severity from Asher at first. I did not want to worry him more than he already was. He carried so much already the weight of leading the pack, the fear for Liam's safety, the constant pressure of threats from every direction. I smiled through the numbness and pretended everything was fine.

"Are you feeling okay?" Asher asked one morning as we sat together in our quarters. His hand rested on mine, warm and reassuring. But I barely felt it. "You seem distant lately. Like you are a thousand miles away even when you are right here."

"I am fine," I lied, forcing a smile that felt hollow on my face. "Just tired from everything that has been happening. The meetings, the patients, the training. It is a lot to manage."

He studied my face with those intense eyes that missed nothing. I could see the worry creasing his brow, the tension in his jaw. But he did not push. He never pushed, even when he knew I was hiding something.

"I am here if you need to talk," he said softly. "You know that right? Whatever it is, we can face it together."

"I know," I whispered, squeezing his hand. "Thank you."

Lucas found me later that day near the training grounds. I had been watching the young wolves practice, trying to distract myself from the chaos inside my head. He had been watching me closely for days, I realized. His eyes tracked my movements, noted every flinch and hesitation.

"Soren, I can see what is happening," he said quietly, falling into step beside me. "The Gift is showing its cost. The numbness. The visions. The moments of uncontrolled power. I have seen it in our family before in my grandfather, in my great-uncle. They both suffered the same way."

I looked away, my jaw tightening. "I do not want to talk about it. I have everything under control."

He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a gentle murmur. "You do not have to pretend with me. I know this bloodline better than anyone. I know what it does to us. The Gift does not just give power it takes something in return. A piece of your soul, every single day. I can teach you how to manage the side effects before they get worse."

His offer led to an emotional conversation under the old oak trees at the edge of the compound. The leaves rustled above us, casting dappled shadows on the ground. I had avoided being alone with Lucas for months, but something about the vulnerability of the moment made me stay.

"I think about what could have been," Lucas said, his voice thick with regret. "If I had not made those terrible choices on our anniversary. If I had been the mate you needed, the father Liam deserved. We could have raised him together from the beginning. We could have been a real family."

The words hurt more than I expected. They reopened wounds I thought had healed. "You left me broken, Lucas. Completely shattered. I had to rebuild my entire life without you without anyone. I had to learn to be strong on my own because you abandoned me when I needed you most."

"I know," he whispered, his eyes glistening. "And I will carry that regret forever. Every single day, I wake up remembering what I threw away. But I am here now. Let me help you with the Gift, at least. Let me do something right for once."

Asher sensed something was wrong later that evening. His instincts were sharp, and he had noticed the time I had spent with Lucas. His jealousy flared when he saw me coming from the direction of the old oak trees, my eyes red from tears I had tried to hide.

"What were you two discussing?" he asked, his voice tight with barely contained emotion. "You have been spending more time with him lately. I have seen you together three times this week."

"It is about the Gift," I explained, my voice weary. "He knows the bloodline better than anyone. He has information that could help me control the side effects. It is not what you think, Asher."

Asher's eyes darkened, his wolf rising close to the surface. "I do not like it, Soren. He is trying to pull you back into his world. He wants to be the one you turn to, the one you depend on. I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at you."

"It is not like that," I said firmly. "He is trying to help me survive. That is all."

The chapter reached its climax during a peaceful moment in the garden. The sun was warm on my face, and the flowers were in full bloom. Liam played nearby, chasing butterflies with joyful abandon. For a few precious minutes, everything felt almost normal. Then the dangerous power surge hit me without warning.

My emotions went completely numb for a second, no love, no joy, no fear. Just emptiness. Then the power exploded outward uncontrollably from my body, a blast of raw energy that I could not contain. A nearby pack member a young woman named Rina who had been tending the flowers, cried out in pain as the burst of energy struck her. She crumpled to the ground, clutching her arm.

I rushed to help her, horrified at what I had done. My hands were shaking as I assessed her injury, a deep burn that should not have been there, caused by my own uncontrollable power. "Rina, I am so sorry. I did not mean to I could not control it"

Asher ran over, his face pale with fear. "Soren, what happened?"

I looked at my hands in shock. They were trembling, the fingers tingling with residual energy. "I lost control. The Gift is getting worse. It is taking over, Asher. I cannot stop it."

He pulled me into his arms, but I felt the numbness creeping back. I wanted to feel his comfort, his love. But there was nothing there just cold emptiness.

The cost of power was becoming very real, and I did not know how much more I could take.