The Alpha’s Rejected Mate

Chapter Seven: The First Lesson

Kael led me deeper into the forest, far from the pack’s borders. The trees thickened until the world was shadow and silence, broken only by the rustle of leaves underfoot.

Finally, we stopped at a clearing where the moonlight poured down like silver fire. Kael turned to face me, his expression serious.

“If you’re truly a descendant of the goddess, then your power is both a gift and a curse,” he said. “You need to learn to control it before it destroys you.”

I frowned. “It didn’t feel dangerous. It felt… natural.”

“Because you’re still standing,” he replied. “But uncontrolled power always takes a price. It could burn through your body until nothing is left.”

My stomach twisted. “So what do I do?”

He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “You focus. You call the power when you want, not when it wants. That’s the difference between survival and death.”

Selene’s voice stirred in my mind. “Listen, Aria. He speaks the truth. We must learn.”

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I tried to recall the silver fire, the surge that had saved me from the rogues. At first, nothing happened. Just silence.

“Again,” Kael said firmly.

I gritted my teeth and pushed harder. Heat spread through my chest, then down my arms. My hands began to glow faintly, silver sparks dancing across my skin.

My wolf howled inside me, fierce and wild. The power built too quickly, flooding me like a storm. I gasped as the glow flared out of control, silver flames erupting around me.

Kael lunged forward, grabbing my shoulders. “Control it, Aria! Don’t let it control you!”

But the fire roared, surging higher, cracking the ground beneath us. My vision blurred, my whole body shaking.

Then—

A scream tore from my throat as the power exploded outward, shattering trees at the edge of the clearing.

When the light faded, I collapsed, trembling, the earth around me scorched and broken.

Kael knelt beside me, his jaw tight. “You see? You’re strong — too strong. But until you master it, you’re a danger to yourself… and to everyone else.”

I panted, sweat dripping down my skin, my heart pounding with fear and awe.

For the first time, I realized just how terrifying my gift truly was.