Chapter Thirty-one

The Beast Within

The cavern trembled as the beast lunged, its roar echoing like thunder against the stone walls. It was unlike anything I had ever faced—half silver, half shadow, its body rippling with both light and darkness. My wolf snarled inside me, but the shadows whispered hungrily at the same time, both demanding control.

My chest tightened. If I let one lead, I lose the other.

The beast’s claws struck the ground where I had stood a heartbeat earlier, the stone shattering. I rolled aside, shadow-blades forming in my hands, silver fire burning across the edges. For the first time, the weapons didn’t flicker—they burned steady, both forces working together.

I slashed upward, catching the beast’s chest. Sparks exploded, half silver, half black, but instead of wounding it, the beast only roared louder, its wounds knitting back together instantly.

Lucien’s voice carried across the cavern, sharp and merciless. “You fight it as if it is separate from you. But it is you. And if you cannot master yourself, you cannot master it.”

The beast lunged again, faster this time. Its claws grazed my arm, fire and ice searing through my veins. My body convulsed, shadows thrashing wildly as my wolf howled in rage.

Kill it, the shadows urged. Destroy it before it destroys you.

No! my wolf snarled. It is us. If we strike blindly, we’ll tear ourselves apart.

I staggered, clutching my head, both voices battling for dominance inside me. The beast loomed, jaws opening wide, ready to swallow me whole.

“Kimberly!” Lucien’s voice cracked like a whip. “Command it!”

My heart thundered, blood dripping down my arm. Command it? How? It was stronger, faster, both wolf and shadow in one.

Unless…

Unless I stopped fighting it.

I closed my eyes as the beast charged, spreading my arms wide. Instead of lashing out, I let the shadows and my wolf surge together, pulling the storm inward. The beast collided with me, and instead of crushing me, it burst into light and darkness, flooding into my body.

I screamed as it poured through me, every nerve igniting. My chest burned, my veins seared, my soul shook—but I didn’t break.

When the light faded, I was on my knees, gasping. My shadow-blades shimmered faintly with silver fire, stronger, steadier than ever before. The storm inside me was no longer pulling apart. It pulsed as one.

Lucien stepped forward slowly, his coal-dark eyes fixed on me. “Well,” he murmured, his lips curving faintly. “Perhaps you won’t die after all.”

I forced myself to my feet, blood dripping down my chin, shadows still curling at my fingertips. “I didn’t kill it,” I whispered hoarsely. “I claimed it.”

Lucien’s gaze sharpened, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. “And it claimed you.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He tilted his head, shadows stirring faintly around him. “Every time you bind the darkness, every time you pull the wolf closer, you lose something of the girl you were. What remains may be stronger. But it will not be Kimberly Moonstone.”

My chest ached. My father’s letter burned in my pocket, his words echoing: Whatever you become, I will stand with you.

I clenched my fists. “Then let her die. I don’t need the girl I was. I need to be the woman who can end Derrick.”

Lucien studied me for a long moment. Then he smiled, sharp and dangerous. “Good. You’re beginning to understand.”

But as he turned away, I caught something in his eyes—satisfaction, yes, but also hunger.

And I realized with a chill that Lucien wasn’t just forging me into a weapon against Derrick. He was binding me closer to him with every step.

My wolf stirred uneasily. Be careful, Kimberly. A leash can look like power if you’re not watching closely.

I ignored the shiver down my spine, lifting my blades once more. “What’s next?”

Lucien’s grin widened. “Next? You fight not what I summon… but what hunts you in truth. Because Derrick is moving.”

The words struck like thunder, and my heart clenched. Derrick. Mona. The pack.

And I knew—training was ending. War was coming.

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