EPISODE 8: STRENGTH IN SHADOWS
825 Words
Nyra POV
The morning sun cut through the forest like a blade, sharp and intrusive. My muscles ached in ways that reminded me I was alive—alive and unbroken. Sweat clung to my skin, blood still drying in streaks along my arms and legs, a testament to last night’s battle.
Rowan moved silently beside me, checking the perimeter, ears attuned to every sound. Mara and the others were already patrolling the outer borders, their eyes sharp, wolves restless. The Collectors had been defeated, but threats didn’t vanish—they merely bided their time.
I exhaled slowly, letting my wolf calm inside me. She was satisfied, for now, but restless as ever. Power hummed through me, a living thing, and I knew I had barely begun to tap it.
Rowan glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “You pushed yourself hard,” he said quietly. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, brushing a hand along my sweat-damp hair. “I’ll be fine. We won.”
His eyes softened just a fraction. “You fought well. Better than I expected.”
I hesitated, feeling a twinge of something unfamiliar—pride, maybe, but also tension. I didn’t like relying on anyone. But I hadn’t fought alone last night, and Rowan had been beside me, guiding, correcting, protecting. And that had made all the difference.
“I… didn’t know I had that in me,” I admitted softly.
Rowan studied me for a moment, gaze steady and piercing. “You do,” he said simply. “And you’ll need it. Grayridge won’t wait long. They’ll come for you, for your power, for what they think they own.”
I clenched my fists. My wolf growled low in agreement. I wasn’t afraid. Not anymore. But I understand fully now that power comes with a price, and trust… trust was earned, not given.
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We walked in silence to the clearing where the pack had gathered. Mara’s wolf watched me carefully, alert but restrained. Her voice was clipped. “You survived. Good. But surviving isn’t enough. You need control.”
“I know,” I said. “And I will.”
Mara nodded once, and for the first time, her eyes carried something like respect. It wasn’t acceptance, not yet, but it was acknowledgment. And that mattered.
Rowan lingered near me as the pack dispersed to their routines. “We’ll train again at dusk,” he said. “I want you ready. Not just to fight, but to command, to survive, to lead if necessary.”
I swallowed. Command? Lead? My wolf hummed inside me, powerful and eager. Yes. I could do that. I would do that.
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Hours passed. I spent the morning running through the forest, testing my reflexes, shifting partially to feel the surge of strength and speed. Every leap, every claw strike, every growl of my wolf pushed me further.
And then, for a brief moment, I felt it—a presence. Faint. Watching. Calculated. I froze mid-shift, ears twitching. Nothing moved in the treeline. Just the wind. Just the rustle of leaves.
My wolf growled softly. Protective. Curious.
I shook it off. Paranoia. I had been fighting too long. Too hard.
But a part of me knew better.
Someone had been watching me during the Collector fight. I had felt it then, a shadow in the corner of my instincts, a power almost familiar. I couldn’t place it, couldn’t name it.
And yet… I didn’t fear it. Not entirely.
When Rowan returned to check on me, his wolf brushing mine in a silent acknowledgment, I felt the tension between us shift. The bond was fragile, unspoken, alive.
“You’re stronger than last night,” he said quietly, his voice low, almost a whisper. “But you’re still learning the limits of what you can do. That will be tested soon.”
I looked up at him, eyes sharp, challenging. “And if I fail?”
“You won’t,” he said. “Not with me.”
The words should have felt comforting. Instead, they sparked something inside me. Trust. Power. Dependence. Something I wasn’t ready to name.
I shifted fully for a moment, the wolf rising, bones cracking, fur bristling. Rowan’s wolf responded, brushing mine, matching strength with strength. And I understood that whatever came next, I wouldn’t face it alone.
But still… something lingered in the shadows.
And I knew, deep down, that whoever had been watching me during the Collector fight hadn’t left.
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Even as the sun climbed higher, the forest alive with sounds of life, I trained. Harder. Faster. Sharper. Every move was precise. Every thought was controlled. Every instinct turned.
Power hummed through my veins, not just mine, but my wolf’s, a living, breathing entity demanding respect, loyalty, and mastery. And I would give it that.
Because Grayridge would come.
And next time, I wouldn’t just survive.
I would take everything they thought they owned… and break it.
- Writer
