Chapter 18 – Training in Shadows

[Selene's POV]

The darkness wasn't a void. It was a place. It was the whisper of a thousand years of slumber, the quiet hum of a power that had been dormant for millennia. I floated in it, a small, insignificant thing in a universe of swirling shadow and ancient light. The frantic cries of my Alphas were gone, replaced by a profound, echoing silence.

Then, a voice cut through the stillness, a low, resonant baritone that belonged to the shadows themselves. "Awaken, my queen. There is much to be done."

My eyes opened, but I saw only more darkness. It wasn't a lack of light; it was a physical presence, a tangible blanket that wrapped around me. I was in a vast, cavernous space, a temple carved from pure obsidian, where the only source of light was the faint, otherworldly glow that emanated from Malachi himself.

He stood before me, his form impossibly beautiful, his stormy eyes fixed on me with an ancient, knowing light. He was no longer the god of the clearing; he was a king in his domain, a lord of shadows, and I was in his court.

"This is my sanctuary," he said, his voice a low, intimate hum. "This is where we will rebuild you. The Alphas... they taught you how to fight with your body. I will teach you how to fight with your soul. Your power is not a weapon to be wielded. It is a part of you. It is your very essence."

He gestured with his hand, and the shadows around us began to dance. They swirled and twisted, forming a thousand intricate shapes, a beautiful, terrifying tapestry of living darkness. It was a silent, effortless assertion of dominance, a single gesture that showcased the magnitude of the power he commanded.

"You have been running from it your entire life," he said, his gaze never leaving my face. "You have been fighting a war you can't win. They taught you to fear the darkness, to suppress the rage, to control the pain. I will teach you to embrace it. I will teach you to turn it into a weapon, a shield, a throne."

I felt a surge of defiance. "I don't want to be a monster."

Malachi chuckled, a low, amused sound that echoed with ancient wisdom. "A monster is a creature that has no control over its power. A god is a creature that commands it. I am not asking you to become a monster, Selene. I am asking you to become a goddess."

He took a step closer, his presence a tangible wall of energy. "Your powers are not a curse. They are a gift. The pain you have endured, the betrayal you have suffered, the rage you have suppressed... it is all fuel for your fire. It is a well of raw, untamed power, and I will teach you how to drink from it without drowning."

My mind, already a frantic whirlwind of information, was now a cacophony of his promises and my doubts. I looked at my hands, the same hands that had once been used for menial tasks, the same hands that were now capable of summoning a god.

"How?" I whispered the word, barely a breath. "How do I control it?"

Malachi's lips curved into a small, cold smile. "You do not control it. You become it. The shadows are a part of you, Selene. They are the darkness that has always resided in your soul. To control them is to control yourself. To become them is to become a god."

He reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder, the same shoulder where the mark of my Alphas burned with a new, terrifying heat. A jolt of power, a thousand times stronger than before, coursed through my veins. It wasn't a gentle caress; it was a command, a silent, absolute assertion of dominance.

"First, we will start with the simplest of lessons," he said, his voice a whisper that felt as though it was inside my head. "You will learn to summon a shadow, a simple, formless thing, and you will learn to hold it in your hand. It will be the first step on your journey to becoming a queen."

He released me, and I felt a sense of cold detachment from his power. I was a vessel for it, and it was a part of me, and I felt a sense of both triumph and terror. I closed my eyes, and I focused on the mark on my shoulder, the mark of my Alphas, the mark that had been a source of shame, and now, a source of power.

I reached for the darkness within me, the same darkness that had been a part of me since birth, the same darkness that had been a source of fear and pain. I reached for the rage, the betrayal, the humiliation, and I pulled it forth, a torrent of raw, untamed power.

It was a physical manifestation of my pain, a swirling, formless vortex of shadow and light. It wasn't a beautiful thing; it was a terrifying, chaotic, and beautiful thing all at once. It was a reflection of me, a reflection of my journey, a reflection of my past.

I held it in my hand, a small, fragile thing, and I felt a sense of both triumph and terror. I had done it. I had summoned a shadow. I had commanded a power that was ancient and terrifying, a power that I had been running from my entire life.

"Good," Malachi said, his voice a low, intimate hum. "But that is only the beginning. The shadows are not just a weapon. They are a tool. They are a shield. They are a throne. We will build an empire, my queen, and it will be made of shadow and power."

I looked at my hand again, the small, fragile shadow in my palm, and I felt a sense of both triumph and terror. I had done it. I had summoned a shadow again. I had commanded a power that was ancient and terrifying, a power that I had been running from my entire life. But I was not a monster. I was a god.

He began to train me, pushing my limits far beyond what the Alphas ever did. His training was brutal, unforgiving, and deeply personal. He would force me to confront my deepest fears, to relive my most painful memories, to embrace the very darkness I had been trying to suppress.

The Alphas watched, conflicted, as Selene grew stronger but also more distant. They watched as she became more like Malachi, her eyes, once a stormy sky, now a swirling vortex of shadow and light. They watched as she wielded the shadows as a weapon, as a shield, as a throne.

The training was endless. It was a blur of shadows and light, of pain and pleasure, of terror and triumph. I was no longer a girl. I was a goddess. I was a queen. I was a part of the darkness.

"Your rage is a tool, Selene," Malachi said, his voice a low, intimate hum. "Your pain is a weapon. Your fear is a shield. Do not fight it. Embrace it. Become it. Become the god you were always meant to be."

I closed my eyes, and I focused on the pain, the rage, the fear. I focused on the mark on my shoulder, the mark of my Alphas, the mark that had been a source of shame, and now, a source of power. I reached for the darkness within me, and I pulled it forth, a torrent of raw, untamed power.

But this time, it was different. This time, there was a feeling, a surge of chaotic energy that was not of Malachi, not of my Alphas, not of me. It was a power that was ancient and terrifying, a power that was a part of something bigger, something more powerful. It was a power that even Malachi didn't anticipate.

The shadows around us twisted and writhed, not in a controlled dance, but in a violent, chaotic storm. The cavernous temple shook, the obsidian walls groaning under the pressure of a power that was untamed and uncontrollable. The light that emanated from Malachi himself flickered, a small, fragile thing in the face of a tsunami.

I felt a surge of terror, a primal fear that I had not felt since the day I had first discovered my powers. I had lost control. I had tapped into something, something ancient, something that was beyond my comprehension, and Malachi's.

My body was a vessel for a power that was ancient and terrifying, a power that I had awakened, and a power that was now claiming me. My vision blurred, and the world went dark. But this time, it was not the darkness of a sanctuary. It was the darkness of a storm.