CHAPTER 11
1202 Words
It smelled like ozone and burned earth. With its broken trees and uneven ground, the area looked like a battlefield. I could feel the faint glow of silver energy crackling all around me. The shadow wouldn't go away, even though my legs were shaking and my chest hurt. It looked at me with red eyes that didn't blink. In its anger, it almost seemed smart.
Kael's huge gray wolf charged at it again, teeth bared, but the shadow moved too fast and easily avoided and turned. Thorne's golden body cut through the air. When its claws touched shadow fur, sparks flew, but it didn't stop.
I woke up from my dream when Kael barked, "Selene!" "Use your strength!" Take care of it!"
The silver energy was buzzing, alive, responding, and eager, but it wasn't trained. If I pushed too hard, it could break me, and if I didn't act quickly, the shadow would attack again, and it might kill me.
I looked up at the Guardian Moon. The light wasn't just lighting up the clearing; it was also cooking me. As I took a deep breath and stretched out my hands, my veins throbbed and got brighter. Silver energy shot out like rivers of molten rock, hitting the shadow with a flash of light and heat.
Kael and Thorne were pushed back a few feet by the hit. My knees were about to give out, but I kept standing, even though my eyes were burning from the sweat. The shadow backed up a bit, growling and digging its claws into the ground. Its red eyes showed a dangerous intelligence.
"You're stronger than I thought!" Darius yelled from the edge of the forest. His gold eyes sparkled with approval, but his voice also had a hint of danger. "But do you really think you can handle what's coming?""
I clenched my teeth. "I don't care what's coming. I won't give up!"
The shadow stooped down and moved again. That's when I realized it wasn't just attacking; it was reading me, trying me, and finding out what I was good and bad at. As I carefully moved forward, silver energy wrapped around my arms like living threads.
Kael growled next to me, and his wolf form was tense. "Don't be reckless, Selene! Pay attention!"
I yelled, "I'm focusing!"
I couldn't see the shadow's next move because it happened so quickly. With no thought, my hands shot out and sent a flood of silver energy out into the world. In the middle of the air, it hit the shade. Sparks flew, and the ground below us cracked and broke.
Things were different this time, though. It wasn't enough for the shadow to avoid or swallow me; it also "matched" me. I first felt their power when red energy and silver light hit each other. I felt like I had a heart, and I couldn't help but move to the beat.
As I stumbled and held my head up, images of woods, wolves, silver rivers, and a faraway mountain shining in the full moon flashed before my eyes. Then there was a word that was so soft you could hardly hear it:
* "You are going to the moon, but do you have the strength to get through what comes next?"
I opened my eyes. It wasn't the Moon Guardian speaking. It was the shadow itself. *That thing talked to me*
I pushed through my fear and moved forward. My power grew stronger and wider than ever. The shadow roared and jumped back for the first time. Lightning flashed, the ground shook, and sparks flew.
The growl from Kael changed from anger to worry. "Selene... be careful! Don't let it take over your life!"
I shook my head to help me pay attention. I yelled, "I have control over it!" even though my whole body was shaking from the power I felt.
The shadow got low and then jumped up so high and fast that I couldn't keep up with it. My arms were sparking with silver energy, and my chest was getting tighter. I was sure that the next fight would be very hard for me.
Thorne and Kael moved together to try to catch me, but the shadow turned around in the air and came straight at me. It was aiming right for my chest with its sharp claws.
I screamed with all the strength I had, "Not!"
It was a storm of fire and magic between my hands and the shadow. Silver light flew everywhere. The ground shook, trees broke, and Kael, Thorne, and even Darius were pushed back a few feet by the explosion.
For a moment, there was silence. The clearing was empty, with burned-out trees and ground and a whirling of red and silver energy in the air.
The shadow then stumbled and turned its big head toward me. Its red eyes were angry, but they also showed something else: respect, recognition, or maybe just interest.
When it growled, "You are stronger than I thought," I felt my bones shake. "But being strong won't save you."
"Then what will? "The words hit me like a punch in the chest.""I whispered, still feeling the energy wrap around my arms.
Before the shadow could say anything, Darius came out of the woods and stepped closer. His golden eyes flashed in a dangerous way. She was very beautiful, and he said, "You're impressive, Selene." "But don't let your pride get the best of you. Power comes with a price."
I glared at him and told him, "I'm not scared of what you said."
The shadow roared again, but this time it was louder, and the trees shook. It lunged at Kael instead of me.
"Not!"I screamed because it was in my nature to do so. My energy exploded, and silver strands wrapped around the shadow's claws and pushed them back.
The shadow was too strong for Kael to. He growled and snapped his teeth at it.
That's when I realized this fight was about more than just staying alive. It was about keeping them safe—my Alphas, my group, and my place.
It gave me a strong will to keep going. The silver light and energy curled around the shadow like a living thing, stopping it and making it move back.
There was a lot of shaking in the clearing, but the shadow finally came back, hoarse but whole, with its eyes still on me.
"You've woken up," it growled in a low, scary voice. "But that's just the beginning." You have to do well on the next test or you will die.
My chest hurt, my knees shook, and the sweat in my eyes hurt. I had made it through the first big battle, but I knew it was only the start.
Then, a huge, dark figure came through the woods from the edge of the clearing. It was bigger than a person or a cat. It looked at me with glowing eyes.
I froze as my heart beat fast. The silver energy around me moved and pulsed on its own because it was there.
Thorne grew angry, Kael growled, and Draven's face turned darker.
I was sure this wasn't over.
- Writer
