What lurks within
1031 Words
The silence stretched too long.
Islyn’s heart pounded violently against her ribs as she stared at Drakaris, her breathing uneven, her thoughts colliding in chaos.
Eight years.
He had been watching her… for eight years?
“No,” she said suddenly, shaking her head as she took another step back. “No, that’s not possible.”
But even as she said it—
The shadows at her feet tightened.
Betraying her.
Drakaris didn’t move.
Didn’t chase.
Didn’t reach for her.
He simply watched.
“You can deny it,” he said calmly, his voice low, steady.
“But your power doesn’t.”
“I don’t have power,” she snapped.
Too quickly.
Too defensively.
A mistake.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“Then what was that?” he asked, gesturing subtly to the ground beneath her.
Islyn’s breath hitched.
She didn’t answer.
Because she didn’t know how to.
The memory of it—of the shadows wrapping around her, responding to her pain—sent a chill down her spine.
“I don’t know what you want from me,” she said, her voice quieter now, more uncertain.
Drakaris took a step forward.
She froze.
“I want the truth,” he said simply.
Her brows furrowed.
“I don’t have anything to give you.”
Another step.
Closer.
“You have everything,” he corrected.
The air thickened.
Her instincts screamed again—run, hide, escape—
This time, she listened.
Islyn turned sharply and ran.
Her feet pounded against the dirt road as adrenaline surged through her veins, pushing her forward, away from him, away from everything she didn’t understand.
The wind rushed past her.
Her breath burned in her lungs.
But she didn’t stop.
She couldn’t.
Behind her—
Silence.
No footsteps.
No pursuit.
That terrified her more.
Because something told her—
He didn’t need to chase.
A sharp, violent pulse ripped through her body.
Islyn stumbled, her steps faltering as she grabbed her head.
“No—no, not again—”
The air around her warped.
The shadows surged.
This time—
They didn’t stay contained.
They spread.
Stretching unnaturally across the ground, climbing over nearby objects, swallowing light in unnatural waves.
A streetlamp flickered violently—
Then shattered.
Glass exploded outward.
Islyn screamed, dropping to her knees as the power inside her spiraled out of control.
“I can’t—stop—!”
The shadows lashed outward like living things.
Wild.
Unstable.
A passing car screeched to a halt nearby, the driver shouting in confusion and fear.
“What the hell is happening?!”
Islyn’s breathing turned frantic.
No.
No, this wasn’t supposed to happen.
She wasn’t supposed to be this.
The shadows climbed higher, twisting into jagged shapes, pulsing with something dark and ancient.
And then—
“Enough.”
The word cut through everything.
Sharp.
Commanding.
Absolute.
The shadows froze.
Every movement.
Every flicker.
Stopped.
Islyn’s head snapped up.
Drakaris stood a few feet away.
Unmoved.
Untouched.
His eyes burned brighter now—gold molten with something far more dangerous beneath the surface.
“You’re going to destroy everything around you if you keep denying it,” he said calmly.
Her chest heaved.
“I didn’t ask for this!” she cried.
His expression didn’t soften.
“No,” he said.
“But it chose you anyway.”
The shadows trembled.
Not from her.
From him.
Slowly—
Deliberately—
He stepped closer.
This time, she didn’t run.
She couldn’t.
Not because she was trapped.
Because something inside her knew—
Running wouldn’t save her.
“Look at me,” he said.
She hesitated.
Then—
Slowly—
Her eyes lifted to meet his.
Big mistake.
Because the moment they locked—
Something shifted.
The world seemed to still.
The chaos inside her…
Paused.
“What do you feel?” he asked quietly.
Her breathing slowed slightly.
“I…” she faltered.
“I don’t know…”
“Liar,” he said softly.
Not accusing.
Certain.
Her chest tightened.
“…It feels like I’m losing control,” she admitted.
He shook his head slightly.
“No,” he corrected.
“You’re gaining it.”
Her brows furrowed.
“That’s not control,” she said, gesturing weakly at the destruction around her.
“That,” he said, stepping even closer,
“is what happens when power is suppressed for too long.”
His gaze darkened.
“Someone taught you to hide it.”
Her heart skipped.
Her mother.
Vespera.
The thought hit her like a blow.
Drakaris saw it.
Of course he did.
“Ah,” he murmured.
“There it is.”
“Don’t,” she snapped, stepping back.
The shadows reacted instantly.
But this time—
They didn’t lash out.
They hovered.
Waiting.
For her.
Drakaris’ expression shifted slightly.
Approval.
“You’re beginning to understand,” he said.
“I don’t want this,” she whispered.
A lie.
And they both knew it.
His voice dropped, quieter now—but more intense.
“You don’t fear the power,” he said.
“You fear what it makes you.”
Silence.
Because he was right.
“I’m not…” she started.
But the words died in her throat.
Because she didn’t know what she was anymore.
Not just a wolf.
Not just a daughter.
Not just a rejected mate.
Something else.
Something… more.
Drakaris stopped directly in front of her now.
Close enough that she could feel the heat of him.
Close enough that the shadows seemed to lean toward him—
Then back to her.
Torn.
“You have two choices,” he said.
Her breath caught.
“Run,” he continued calmly,
“and let that power consume you…”
A pause.
“Or learn what you truly are.”
Her pulse raced.
“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?” she asked.
A slow, deliberate smile curved his lips.
“With me.”
The offer hung in the air.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Not a request.
A turning point.
Islyn stared at him, her mind spinning, her heart torn between fear and something far more dangerous—
Curiosity.
Behind her—
The shadows stilled.
Waiting.
For her choice.
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