Chapter 6: The Path of Power

Ivy’s POV

I’m trying. That’s all I can say. I’m trying to hold the shadows back, but the more I focus, the more I feel them pushing against me.

"Focus, Ivy," Ronan says, his voice low but firm. "It’s about control. Not power. You control it, or it controls you."

"I know," I snapped, almost too harshly, and immediately regretted it. He’s trying to help me. But it’s like trying to catch smoke with my bare hands.

Ronan’s eyes, dark and steady, catch mine. "Then do it," he says, no judgment in his tone, just expectation. "Feel the power within you. You can do this. Focus on it."

I close my eyes, breathing in deep. The power inside me is hot, sharp, waiting to tear free. I try to push it down, but it pulls at me, writhing, desperate to get out. It’s a dangerous thing to be so addicted to, and yet I feel the darkness inside me calling.

“I can’t,” I mutter under my breath. “It’s too much.”

“Ivy,” Ronan says, stepping closer. “Don’t think about it. Command it.”

I can feel his gaze boring into me as I open my eyes, staring at the floor where the shadows move like liquid smoke, curling toward me. For a moment, I just breathe. I steady myself. I’ve fought this before, haven’t I? It’s the same darkness, the same power that wants to overtake me.

My heart races.

I’m about to lose it.

But then... something clicks.

It’s not power. It’s control.

“Okay,” I breathe out, the words a whisper of surrender. I hold my hands out in front of me, the shadows gathering around them like a dark halo.

Ronan is silent, watching, waiting.

I draw in a sharp breath and release it, focusing on the energy swirling around my body. The shadows curl tighter around my hands, but instead of fighting it, I draw them in closer. I concentrate, focusing on the pulse of the power inside me, and for a split second, I feel it, control.

The shadows settle, moving like a calm ocean at my command. It feels good. It feels right.

But that moment of peace shatters when something breaks inside me, a flash of anger, of raw emotion that I didn’t expect. A surge of power rushes to the surface, uncontrollable and violent. The shadows rise with it, twisting, snapping, lashing around me like something alive.

“Stop!” Ronan shouts, but the words are too late.

The shadows are already spinning out of control, pushing at me, testing me.

“Hold it together!” His voice is suddenly harsh, strained.

But I can’t. I’m fighting the storm inside me, the anger, the fear, the rage, everything I’ve ever buried deep down. It’s all spilling out now. I can hear it, feel it. The shadows want to break free.

I lash out, my arms flinging wide, and the shadows follow, wrapping around anything in their path. The trees around me shake, the ground quakes.

“Ivy!” Ronan’s voice is sharp now, commanding, cutting through the madness. “Focus!”

But I can’t hear him. Not over the roaring in my ears, not over the blood pounding in my temples. I’m losing it. I’m losing control.

Suddenly, I feel a strong hand on my wrist, pulling me back. Ronan.

I jerk away instinctively, but his grip tightens.

“Enough,” he growls, his voice full of authority. “You’re better than this.”

For a split second, the shadows pause. They’re waiting. And then they slide back, retreating into the corners of the training area, like they’ve been banished.

I’m panting, my chest heaving. “I—I didn’t mean to…”

“I know,” Ronan says, his tone surprisingly calm. But I can hear the tension beneath his words, the underlying concern. “Your power is wild, Ivy. But you’re not alone in this. You’ve got to learn control before it consumes you.”

I nod quickly, trying to steady my breath. My body is shaking, but I’m also… proud? Terrified, yes, but proud.

Ronan’s gaze softens, just a part. “I know it’s hard. But you’ve got potential, Ivy. More than anyone else I’ve trained.”

I bite my lip, still trembling. "Then why does it feel like I’m going to destroy everything?”

Ronan’s expression hardens, his jaw tensing. “Because that’s the risk with power. It can destroy everything. Including you.”

I glance at him, meeting his gaze, and for the first time, I see it, the fear in his eyes. He’s afraid of me. Afraid of what I could become.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” I whisper, my voice barely a breath.

Ronan didn’t answer. But I see it in his eyes, the doubt, the worry, the weight of what’s to come. And at that moment, I knew something.

I’m not just learning to control shadows.

I’m learning to control myself.

Ronan’s POV

I watch her. She’s still shaking, but there’s fire in her eyes. A fire I didn’t expect to see. The shadows obeyed her. They listened. She has too much power, maybe. But power nonetheless.

I see it in her, and it terrifies me.

I turn away, my back to her, needing a moment to breathe, needing space. My mind flashes to my past. The weight of it is always pressing, always there. Ivy is a reminder. She reminds me of the life I lost, the pack I failed.

“Ronan?” Her voice pulls me back, sharp and uncertain. “Are you okay?”

I turned, and she’s watching me carefully, her expression questioning. She’s afraid. Not of me, but of what’s inside her. And I understand that fear better than anyone.

I run a hand through my hair. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

It’s a lie, and she knows it.

“I get it,” she says, voice barely above a whisper. “The power, the fear, the anger. I get it.”

I nod, but I don’t speak. I can’t.

“I’ve lost a lot in my life, Ivy,” I finally say, my voice rough. “Not just battles. My kingdom. My mate. My pack.”

She stiffens. “Your mate?”

I can hear the curiosity in her voice, but I don’t want to say it. Not yet. But she needs to know. She deserves to know what’s really at stake here.

“She was taken from me,” I say, the words cold, like I’m talking about someone else. “Betrayed. My pack, my family, they all betrayed me.”

I don’t tell her how I feel her pain deep in my chest. I don’t tell her that every time I look at her, I see a reflection of my own loss.

She takes a step forward, her face softer now. “I didn’t know.”

“You don’t need to,” I mutter, turning away from her. I need to keep my distance. I need to remain focused. I can’t afford to let her in. Not when I know how dangerous this is.

But when I look back at her, I see it, the understanding in her eyes. It’s the same pain. The same hunger for something that’s been taken. And at that moment, I wondered if she could ever trust me.

Could I trust her?

Ivy’s POV

The night is cold, and the camp is quiet, too quiet. I can feel it, like something is about to snap. Ronan’s orders were clear: stay alert, stay ready. But as I stand in the shadows, I can’t help but feel the creeping unease in my gut.

“Something’s wrong,” I murmur to myself, glancing over my shoulder.

I hear footsteps, quick, sharp, too close.

And then the attack comes.

A rogue wolf. A massive creature, eyes glowing, fangs bared, charging from the darkness.

I don’t have time to think. My body reacts before my mind can catch up. The power inside me surges like it’s been waiting for this moment. The shadows twist around my hands, pulling at the ground beneath me, creating a shield of darkness in front of me.

I don’t know how I’m doing it. I don’t know how I’m controlling the shadows at all. But it feels right.

The rogue lunges, and I thrust my hands forward. The shadows lash out, slamming into the wolf with the force of a hundred storms. It crashes to the ground, howling in pain.

But I won't stop. I can’t stop. The shadows surge forward, wrapping around the rogue, pulling it down.

It struggles, wrestling, but I hold it there, the power inside me feeding off its fear, its anger. The shadows are alive now, pulsing, hungry.

The wolf’s growls become whimpers, and finally, it lies still. Dead.

I take a step back, panting, staring down at the lifeless creature.

For a moment, there’s silence. But I can still feel it, the darkness inside me, calling, craving more.

I looked down at my hands, trembling. And for the first time, I realized something.

I didn’t just fight for my life tonight. I fought for power.

And I wonder, for the first time, if I’m becoming something more than I ever wanted.