When the Monster Wakes
1034 Words
“No one has ever survived it.”
The Elder’s words echoed in my head like a curse.
My body trembled violently in Kael’s arms, the pain spreading deeper—like something inside me was tearing itself apart just to be free.
“I can’t—” I gasped, clutching his shirt. “Kael, it hurts—”
“I’ve got you,” he said instantly, his voice low and steady despite the chaos around us. “Stay with me, Aria. Look at me.”
But I couldn’t.
Because something else was rising.
Something stronger than the pain.
Stronger than fear.
My wolf howled—but it wasn’t alone anymore.
A second presence stirred within me.
Darker.
Colder.
Hungry.
“Get back!” one of the Elders shouted.
Too late.
A sudden force exploded out of me, throwing everyone backward like they weighed nothing. The guards slammed into the walls. The Elders stumbled, barely holding their ground.
Selene alone stayed standing—though even she took a step back.
My breath came in sharp, uneven bursts.
“What… is happening to me?” I whispered.
But my voice—
It wasn’t just mine.
It echoed.
Layered.
Wrong.
Kael tightened his hold on me, even as the energy around my body began to crackle—dark streaks of shadow flickering across my skin like living flames.
“You need to fight it,” he said urgently.
“I’m trying!” I cried.
But the truth was—
I didn’t know how.
The power surged again, stronger this time. The windows shattered instantly, glass raining down as wind howled violently through the chamber.
The shadows responded.
They didn’t just move—
They obeyed.
My eyes widened as darkness curled around my fingers, responding to my thoughts… my emotions.
My fear.
My anger.
“Impossible…” one of the Elders breathed.
Selene’s expression shifted—not to fear, but fascination.
“Look at her,” she said softly. “She’s losing control already.”
“I said get out!” Kael roared, his Alpha voice shaking the entire building.
But no one moved.
Because they were watching me.
Waiting.
To see if I would break.
And I was.
“Kael…” I whispered, panic rising. “I can’t stop it—”
“Yes, you can.”
His hands cupped my face, forcing me to look at him.
Those golden eyes—
Strong. Steady. Unyielding.
“Listen to me,” he said firmly. “You are not a monster.”
But the shadows tightened around me.
“You don’t know that,” Selene cut in coldly.
Kael’s gaze snapped to her.
“Leave.”
“Or what?” she challenged. “You’ll protect her when she kills everyone in this room?”
Silence.
Dangerous.
Tense.
My chest heaved as the power built again—too much, too fast. I could feel it slipping beyond my control, like a storm I couldn’t hold back.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I cried.
But the shadows didn’t care.
They lashed out suddenly—slamming into the pillars, cracking stone, shaking the very foundation of the room.
A scream rang out as one of the guards was thrown across the hall.
“Aria, stop!” Kael shouted.
“I’m trying!” I sobbed.
Everything was spinning.
Breaking.
Losing control.
And then—
Something inside me snapped.
The shadows surged wildly, rising like a tidal wave of darkness.
My vision blurred.
My body lifted slightly off the ground as power exploded outward—
“ARIA!”
Kael’s voice cut through everything.
Sharp.
Commanding.
Alpha.
“LOOK AT ME!”
And somehow…
I did.
Through the chaos.
Through the darkness.
Through the storm inside me—
I saw him.
Only him.
“Breathe,” he ordered.
My chest hitched.
“Again.”
I tried.
Failed.
Then tried again.
The power faltered slightly.
“Good,” he murmured, stepping closer despite the danger, despite the shadows snapping dangerously near him. “You feel that? That’s you controlling it.”
“I can’t—”
“Yes, you can.”
His voice softened, but the strength in it never wavered.
“Come back to me.”
The bond pulsed.
Warm.
Bright.
Stronger than the darkness.
I clung to it.
Focused on it.
On him.
Slowly—
Painfully—
The shadows began to recede.
The storm weakened.
My body trembled as the energy drained out of me, leaving behind exhaustion so deep it felt like I might collapse.
And then—
Everything went still.
Silent.
Gone.
My knees gave out instantly.
But Kael caught me before I hit the ground.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered again, pulling me tightly against him.
This time…
I believed him.
The room was destroyed.
Cracked walls.
Shattered glass.
Fear lingering in every corner.
The Elders stared at me like I was something they couldn’t control anymore.
Something dangerous.
Selene’s eyes burned with a new kind of intensity.
Not just hatred.
Not just rivalry.
But recognition.
“You see it now,” she said quietly. “She’ll never belong here.”
Kael’s arms tightened around me.
“She belongs with me,” he said coldly.
“That’s exactly the problem.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
The first Elder stepped forward again, his expression grim.
“This can’t continue,” he said. “She’s too unstable. Too powerful.”
My chest tightened.
“What are you saying?” Kael demanded.
The Elder didn’t hesitate.
“She must be contained.”
The word hit like a blow.
Contained.
Like I was a threat.
Like I wasn’t even a person anymore.
“No,” Kael said immediately.
“This is bigger than you, Alpha,” the Elder replied. “If she loses control again, we won’t be able to stop her.”
Selene smiled faintly.
“Then perhaps we shouldn’t wait for that moment,” she added.
My blood ran cold.
Kael’s eyes darkened dangerously.
“No one touches her,” he said.
But this time…
The room didn’t feel like it was on his side anymore.
And for the first time—
I realized something terrifying.
It wasn’t just Selene I had to fear.
It was the entire pack.
- Writer
