Chapter 15: Explosion

SERA

The nightmare happened every night now.

I was running through a dark forest, branches tearing at my skin, my breath in ragged gasps. Behind me, I heard them, wolves, their howls echoing through the trees, Clearwater's voice calling my name, cold and merciless.

"You can't run forever, granddaughter."

I pushed harder, my legs hurting, but the forest never ended. Just endless trees, darkness and the sound of pursuit getting closer.

Then I'd see her. A woman with silver hair and kind eyes, standing in a clearing, my grandmother Elara. She'd reach for me, mouth moving, trying to warn me about something.

But before I could hear her words, Clearwater would appear behind her, his hands would wrap around her throat. Her eyes would meet mine, full of betrayal and pain.

And I'd wake up screaming.

Tonight wasn't different. I jolted awake, my heart pounding, my injured shoulder throbbing. The room was dark except for a faint silver glow.

My hands.

They were glowing silver, my power responding to my fear. I forced myself to breathe slowly, pushing the power back down. It took several minutes before the glow faded completely.

I sat in the darkness, trembling, knowing I wouldn't sleep again tonight.

The sun rose eventually. I got dressed, moving carefully around my injured shoulder. In the mirror, I looked exhausted, dark circles under my eyes, my face too pale.

I looked weak.

The thought made me angry, which was better than scared. I headed to the dining hall for breakfast, determined to maintain my routine.

Elena was there, along with a few early rising rogues. I grabbed food and sat alone, eating mechanically.

"You look terrible," Elena said, sitting across me uninvited.

"Good morning to you too," I muttered.

"Nightmares?"

I didn't answer, which was answer enough.

"You should talk to someone," Elena said gently. "Keeping everything locked inside isn't healthy, child."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine, you're exhausted, hurting, and pretending none of it matters." She leaned forward. "Sera, whatever Cassandra said to you…"

"I don't want to talk about it," I interrupted, standing. "I need to train."

I left before she could argue, heading to the training grounds. My shoulder ached, but I ignored it, pain was better than thinking.

Kade was already there, running through combat forms. He stopped when he saw me, his expression unreadable.

"Morning," he said.

"Good morning." I kept my voice neutral.

We trained in silence. He'd corrected my stance, showed me a new defensive move. I followed his instructions without comment, without argument. The old me would have questioned why the move worked, would have challenged him to demonstrate it multiple times.

This version of me just nodded and obeyed.

I saw the frustration in his eyes, the way his jaw clenched when I responded with nothing but polite compliance. His control seemed thinner today, his eyes flashed gold more than once, his movements sharper than necessary.

But I couldn't give him what he wanted, couldn't let myself care again.

After an hour, he called for a break. We moved to the water station, maintaining careful distance.

"You're not sleeping," he said. Not a question.

"I'm sleeping enough."

"Sera.."

"I should practice those forms you showed me," I interrupted, setting down my water. "Make sure I get them right."

I walked away before he could respond, before the concern in his voice could break through my defenses.

The morning passed slowly. After training, I helped Elena in the clinic, organizing supplies with my good hand, mindless work that kept me busy.

That's when Cassandra appeared in the doorway.

"Elena," she said, her voice strained. "I think I need more binding for my ribs, the pain is worse."

Elena sighed but stood. "Sit, I'll check."

I focused on the bandages I was rolling, trying to pretend Cassandra wasn't there.

"How's the shoulder, Sera?" Cassandra asked while Elena examined her.

"Fine," I said without looking up.

"Healing well? No permanent damage?"

"No."

"Good. I really am sorry about that, you know." Her voice was smooth, concerned. "I never meant to hurt you so badly."

My hands tightened on the bandage.

"Though I suppose some pain is inevitable in training," Cassandra continued. "Especially when you're still learning, still so... inexperienced."

Elena shot her a warning look, but Cassandra's attention was on me.

"How long have you been training now? A few weeks?" Cassandra shook her head. "It took me years to reach the level Kade needed but I'm sure you'll catch up eventually, with enough time and patience."

The implication was clear. She was better, more skilled, more valuable.

"Cassandra," Elena warned.

"What? I'm just making a conversation." Cassandra stood, wincing. "Thank you, Elena, the binding helps."

She walked toward the door, then paused beside me. Her hand landed on my good shoulder, the touch light but possessive.

"Don't feel bad about being behind," she said quietly. "Some wolves are just naturally more…."

My power exploded.

Silver light burst from my body like a shockwave. Cassandra was thrown backward, slamming into the wall with enough force to crack the wood, she fell to the floor, gasping.

I stared at my hands, horrified. They blazed with silver light, my power writhing around me like a living thing.

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no…"

Elena was already moving to Cassandra, checking her injuries. Other rogues appeared in the doorway, drawn by the crash.

"What happened?" someone asked.

I couldn't answer, couldn't breathe. My power was still flaring, responding to my panic, feeding off it.

Cassandra coughed, struggling to sit up. Blood dropped from her nose. "She…she attacked me…"

"You touched her," Elena said sharply. "After what you did to her, you touched her, and her power reacted defensively."

"Defensively?" Cassandra laughed bitterly. "She threw me across the room."

I was shaking, my power still around me. I'd hurt her, I'd lost control and hurt someone.

Exactly like Cassandra had warned, exactly like I'd feared.

"Sera," Elena said gently. "Breathe, you need to calm down."

But I couldn't. The silver light was getting brighter, stronger. I could feel it wanting to lash out again, to protect me from threats real and imagined.

"Get Kade," Elena told one of the rogues. "Now."

I barely heard her. All I could see was Cassandra on the floor, blood on her face, fear in her eyes.

All I could feel was my power, wild and furious and completely beyond my control.

I was dangerous, cassandra had been right all along.

I was going to hurt everyone.