Chapter 17 – The Cost of Power
POV: Seren Thorne
My body felt like it was on fire. The aftereffects of the power I had unleashed still hummed beneath my skin, a constant, erratic pulse that threatened to overwhelm me. I could feel it—the raw, untamed energy that had surged out of me moments before, and it was still there, waiting, gnawing at the edges of my control.
Kael's arms were around me, his presence a comforting weight against the chaos in my mind. But even his touch couldn't calm the storm inside me. My heart raced, my breath coming in shallow gasps, and I could feel the crackling energy still clinging to the air around us.
"Seren…" Kael's voice was low, urgent. "Breathe. You need to focus. You're safe. You're okay."
But was I?
The power inside me felt like it was pushing against the walls I had tried to build, threatening to break free again. I had felt it before—this darkness that I had tried so desperately to keep buried. I had thought I could control it. I had hoped that it would just fade, that it was a fleeting thing. But now I knew the truth.
It was a part of me. And it wasn't going away.
"Kael…" My voice cracked, and I hated how weak it sounded. "I can't… I can't stop it. What if I can't control it? What if I lose myself to it?"
Kael's grip on me tightened, pulling me closer, and I buried my face in his chest, trying to block out the pounding of my pulse in my ears. His steady heartbeat was a grounding force, but even it couldn't calm the frantic racing of my thoughts.
"You're not alone in this," Kael said, his words firm, unwavering. "I'm here. We're all here. You have the strength to control it, Seren. I know you do."
I wanted to believe him. I really did. But doubt clung to me like a second skin, and I couldn't shake the image of the destruction I had caused. The Fallen Ones had been scattered, but it hadn't been enough to stop them. Not yet. And worse, I had no idea how to wield this power without putting everyone I loved at risk.
"Then why does it feel like it's slipping through my fingers?" I whispered, my breath shaky.
Kael pulled back just enough to meet my gaze. His eyes were intense, filled with something fierce and protective, but there was also a softness to them—a vulnerability that I hadn't seen before.
"You're stronger than you think, Seren. We'll figure this out together. But you have to trust yourself. And you have to trust me."
I nodded, even though doubt still gnawed at the edges of my mind. I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe that we could find a way to control this darkness inside me, but I was terrified of what might happen if we couldn't.
Before I could respond, the sound of footsteps broke the moment. I turned my head, and there they were—the rest of the pack. Their faces were marked with exhaustion, blood, and bruises from the battle, but there was a shared sense of relief in their eyes. We had survived, for now.
"We're not out of danger yet," Kael said, his voice dropping to a low growl as he stood and helped me to my feet. "The Fallen Ones aren't done with us. This was only the beginning."
I glanced at the pack, seeing the weariness in their expressions, the lingering tension in their postures. But they were alive. We were alive.
"We need to move," I said, my voice quieter but resolute. "We can't stay here."
Kael nodded, his hand on my back as we started to move through the stronghold. The eerie silence was broken only by the sound of our footsteps echoing off the stone walls.
As we walked, my thoughts kept returning to the power inside me. The feeling of it had been intoxicating, exhilarating in a way I hadn't expected. But that was the danger, wasn't it? The more I gave in to it, the harder it would be to keep control.
And what if, one day, I couldn't control it at all?
"Seren…" Kael's voice interrupted my thoughts, and I turned to face him. There was a strange look in his eyes—concern mixed with something deeper, something I couldn't quite place. "You don't have to do this alone. I know it's hard to accept, but I'm here. We're all here. You don't have to carry this burden by yourself."
I swallowed hard, fighting the knot in my throat. For so long, I had kept everyone at arm's length, afraid of what might happen if they got too close. Afraid of the damage my power might cause. But now, more than ever, I realized how wrong I had been. I wasn't the only one who would bear the consequences of my actions. This was our fight. We were in this together.
"I'm sorry," I said softly, my voice thick. "I didn't mean to push you away. I'm just… afraid."
Kael stepped closer, his hand brushing against mine. "There's nothing to apologize for. We all have our fears, Seren. But we face them together. And I'm not going anywhere."
His words were a balm to my frayed nerves, but the unease still lingered. We had won a battle, but the war was far from over. The Fallen Ones were only the beginning. And with each passing moment, I could feel the power within me growing, expanding—pulling me deeper into something I didn't fully understand.
We continued through the stronghold, our footsteps echoing in the hollow corridors, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being led into the heart of something much darker than we could imagine.