Chapter 46: The Dominant Gift

Gwyneth woke up feeling profoundly refreshed.

She was back in her room with no recollection of what had happened, but something was different. Her whole body felt as though it had been submerged in warm water, gently yet thoroughly massaged all over. She couldn’t pinpoint the source of the change, only that her entire being felt new.

Then came a tingling sensation radiating from her back and the tops of both her ears. She also noticed her crescent mark pulsing like it never had before.

She slowly sat up, sensing a gentle, subtle force both around and within her, far clearer than the vague feeling she’d had before. Suddenly, she had an inkling of how to wield it. Curious, she was about to try when she felt eyes watching her. She looked toward the gaze and saw two people: her father, Lev, and the woman from before—Duchess Catherine.

“Dad,” Gwyneth managed, staring intently at Lev. Her hands gripped the soft blanket. She knew something bad had happened to her again and felt deeply guilty. She always seemed to be sick, always making them worry. Yet, all she could do was call out to him, unable to find any other words.

Lev approached her with a gentle smile, no trace of the anxiety or panic from the day before. He sat at the side of Gwyn’s bed and reached out, gently caressing her cheek.

“Gwyn, baby. How are you feeling?”

“Itchy,” she replied, tilting her head.

She wanted to ask what had happened, but before she could speak, she saw it again. The black mist surrounding her father was thicker than before.

A sudden surge of irritation rose within her.

The gentle force flowing freely inside her responded to her intention, guiding her. She instinctively reached out, trying to shoo the gloomy mist away from her father. Somehow, she was able to touch it, and the sensation was incredibly disgusting and sticky.

She expected it to disappear, or at least scatter, but it didn’t.

It was thick and viscous, completely contradicting its misty appearance, and it clung tightly to her father.

She pulled harder, ignoring the repulsive sensation, determined to keep it away from him. But the mist slipped and squirmed through her fingers, like trying to grip a mixture of slimy clay and water.

Then she felt it.

A strange green energy emerged from her hand, wrapping around a large section of the mist. She felt her grip solidify, as though she were clutching a net cast into water. The trapped mist no longer slipped away. It stayed perfectly still, contained by the green energy.

She pulled with both hands, but the black mist only shifted a few inches before snapping back into place.

Gwyneth’s expression shifted from confusion to anxiety.

Why can’t I pull it away? Am I doing it wrong?

She tried again, her neck straining with the effort, but nothing changed. Just as she was about to focus harder, she noticed small particles dissolving bit by bit. The portion of black mist caught within the green energy was slowly shrinking.

She watched in bewilderment as the green energy worked. But before it could dissolve the mist completely, the energy flickered and vanished, as though it had run out of strength.

Her eyes widened.

The remaining black mist disappeared as well, along with the pulsing beat in her crescent mark.

What just happened? Is the black mist gone?

Gwyneth shifted uneasily and quickly touched her father’s arm. Nothing appeared. Neither the black mist nor the green energy returned. The gentle force within her body went completely still.

----

Meanwhile, Lev watched Gwyn flail as though she were seeing something no one else could. He saw the vein in her neck bulge as she strained, her hands grasping at empty air.

Worried, he was about to reach out and stop her when a sudden hand on his shoulder halted him.

Lev looked up to see Duchess Catherine. She silently shook her head before turning her attention back to the cub, who looked desperately focused on pulling something away from him.

Lev bit the inside of his cheek, restraining himself from rushing forward. He didn’t know what his daughter was seeing, but he knew interfering now could put her in danger again.

They waited, frozen, afraid to move. Sweat beaded on Gwyn’s forehead, her already pale face growing paler by the second.

Just when Lev could no longer endure it, Gwyn stopped moving. Her eyes widened in shock, unshed tears gathering before she rushed toward him and grabbed his arms.

Lev’s expression darkened instantly. He hated the distressed look on his daughter’s face. He had never seen Gwyn on the verge of tears—not when she suffered through the pain of her Gift manifesting, or enduring the strain of the mate bond forming, or even when he found her curled up in the garden, wounded and bleeding.

His daughter never cried.

That sudden fear, those unshed tears in her innocent eyes, triggered something primal in him. Fury, worry, and protectiveness surged through his veins as he reached for her despite Duchess Catherine’s warning glance.

“Baby! What’s wrong?” Lev scanned her frantically, searching for injuries he couldn’t see. “Did something hurt you? What was that just now?”

Gwyn didn’t answer. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she didn’t know how to explain what she’d seen.

“It’s related to her Gift,” a firm voice cut through the silence.

Lev and Gwyn turned to Duchess Catherine. Her gaze was fixed on the cub, searching her expression as if confirming her suspicions, before shifting back to Lev.

“I believe your cub has manifested a gift not found in our archives,” she said after a pause. “She won’t be able to explain it yet. She needs time to understand it. We all do. Don’t force her for now.”

Her tone left no room for argument.

Lev pressed his lips together, displeased by the uncertainty, but finally pulled Gwyn into his arms, holding her tightly.

“Dad, I’m hungry,” Gwyneth suddenly said.

She had wanted to tell her father what she saw, but an overwhelming wave of hunger crashed over her, the words leaving her mouth before she could stop them.

Lev froze for a heartbeat, then straightened.

“Oh—right. You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday,” he said quickly.

He lifted Gwyn carefully into his arms, all other worries instantly replaced by the urgent need to feed his cub. He strode out of the room at lightning speed, completely forgetting Duchess Catherine behind him.