Echoes of Power
Cleopatra's POV
The apparition of my mother grew clearer, and behind her, more figures began to emerge from the glowing mist—white wolves, their fur shimmering under the cave’s light. They moved silently, their eyes locked onto me, waiting.
Their presence felt otherworldly, like ancient spirits that had been guarding these sacred grounds long before I was born.
My mother's soft green eyes bore into mine, and my breath caught. I remembered so little about her after the so-called awakening. Flashes of her laughter, the warmth of her embrace, the scent of her clothes—these were the only memories I had. I never got the chance to grow up with her around, and now, standing here, I felt the weight of all those lost moments. Guilt and longing twisted together in my chest.
Lucien's hand tightened on my arm, pulling me back to the present. “Shadow, you have to decide,” he said, his voice low but insistent. “If you're willing to accept the power fully, you must go forward and kneel. But if you don't want it…then we can leave right now.”
My heart raced. The power? The weight of it hovered in the air around me, suffocating in its intensity. I glanced at Lucien, searching his eyes for reassurance, but his face was shadowed with worry. “What's the price?” I asked again, my voice barely above a whisper.
Lucien's gaze hardened. “The same price your mother paid. She spent her life in constant battle, with enemies closing in from all sides. The power makes you strong, but it also makes you a target. You'll face wars and endless challenges. If you accept it, there's no turning back.”
I hesitated, my body frozen between two fates. The wolves’ eyes glowed in the shadows, watching my every move. And my mother…she just stood there, waiting, offering no answers. Just a choice.
But what other choice do I really have? My enemies were already multiplying. Alpha Kane, the night wolves, Alex's kidnapper and possibly Alpha Williams. There is chaos surrounding my life right now—power or no power, they were coming for me. If I could gain the strength to defend myself and protect my family, how could I turn that down?
My mind raced with thoughts of vengeance. I'm not done with the night wolf Alpha, neither have I started with Alpha Kane. This power would give me a means to avenge my parents and make Alpha Kane pay for using me.
The whispers returned, growing louder, swirling around me in a frenzy as I took a slow step towards the altar. Lucien remained silent, but I could feel the tension in him, the way his breath hitched as I moved forward.
I paused, glancing back at him one last time. His expression was unreadable, but I saw it in his eyes—he feared for me. “You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Shadow,” he said, his voice softer now. “Think about the constant danger and war.”
But I had already made my choice. My mother had walked this path before me, and now, it was my turn.
I moved to the altar, my knees buckling as I knelt before her apparition. The wolves behind her let out soft, inaudible sounds, their voices like wind brushing against my skin as they formed a circle around me.
My mother stepped closer, her face softening, her hand reaching out to touch my cheek. “My child,” she whispered. The warmth of her presence enveloped me, and for a brief moment, it felt like the past, like I was the child she once held in her arms.
A pulse of energy surged through the cave, and the altar beneath me began to glow brighter. The symbols on the walls flared to life, their light burning through the darkness. I could feel it now–the power. It wasn't just within the cave; it was inside me, coursing through my veins.
The transfer had begun.
The air around me crackled with energy as my mother's apparition raised her hand higher, and the wolves around me began to howl, their voices merging into one powerful sound. I could feel the power spreading from the tips of my fingers to the very core of my being.
I gasped as the force of it grew stronger, pushing against every fiber of my body, threatening to tear me apart.
But I held on. I had to.
The ground beneath me shook, and the light from the altar flared so brightly I had to close my eyes. The voices of the wolves grew louder, their howls filling my ears as the power continued to surge, filling me to the brim.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped.
Silence fell over the cave. I opened my eyes, gasping for breath, the weight of the power settling into my bones. My mother's figure stood before me, her eyes no longer the soft green I had come to recognize but somewhat empty.
She smiled, and as her image began to fade, she whispered a single word that sent a chill down my spine.
“Beware.”
Before I could ask what she meant, the ground trembled beneath me, harder this time, as if the earth itself was about to split open.
And then the world around me collapsed into darkness. My body felt as if it had shattered into a thousand pieces, each fragment spinning out into the void. I wanted to scream, but no sound escaped my lips.
The air was choking, and the very force I had just claimed roared and shook like a storm without end. I could make out Lucien's figure rushing towards me, before I let the darkness envelope me.
Then out of the darkness, a memory began to emerge. Familiar. Haunting.
I was no longer in the cave but in the training room at the Silverfang Pack. My heart lurched in my chest as I recognized the scene instantly—the night I killed Alpha Kane's father. Is this part of the price that comes with the power? Making me face my demons?
But as I looked around, I could feel it pressing down in my chest. Something was wrong.
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