"Focus on your breathing, not on the power."
Varek's calm voice cut through the morning air as Elarose sat cross-legged on the stone platform, sweat beading on her forehead despite the cool mountain breeze.
Three days had passed since she'd woken up in Moonshade Pack, and every single one had been filled with training sessions that left her feeling more frustrated than empowered.
"I am focusing on my breathing," she said through gritted teeth, her hands clenched in her lap. "But nothing's happening."
"Nothing?" Varek raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the small pile of pebbles in front of her that were glowing with a faint silver light. "You've maintained that glow for almost ten minutes. Two days ago, you couldn't do it for ten seconds."
Elarose opened her eyes and stared at the softly glowing stones. He was right - it was progress. But compared to the explosive power she'd unleashed in the forest, it felt pathetic. Like comparing a candle flame to a wildfire.
"This isn't enough," she said, frustration bleeding into her voice. "In the forest, I created a wave of light that knocked out fifteen rogues. Now I can barely make some rocks glow. How is that supposed to help anyone?"
Varek settled down beside her on the platform, his face patient. He was older than most of the pack members, with lines around his eyes that spoke of centuries of experience. Since beginning her training, he'd become something like a godfather figure - steady, encouraging, never losing his temper even when she wanted to scream.
"Tell me something," he said. "When you channeled that power in the forest, how did it feel afterward?"
"Like I was dying." The memory still made her shudder. "Like every cell in my body was being torn apart and rebuilt."
"And now? How do you feel after these small exercises?"
Elarose considered. She was tired, yes, and mentally drained. But she wasn't unconscious. She wasn't fighting for her life. "Tired. But... okay, I guess."
"Exactly." Varek picked up one of the glowing pebbles, turning it over in his palm. "Power without control is destruction, Elarose. What you did in the forest was incredible, but it nearly killed you. These small exercises are teaching your body to handle energy without burning itself out."
She knew he was right, but the logical part of her brain was constantly at war with the part that felt the weight of everyone's expectations. Every time she passed a pack member in the halls, she could feel their eyes on her. Hopeful, skeptical, curious. All waiting to see if she was really what they needed.
"Sometimes I think they're all waiting for me to fail," she said quietly.
"Some are," Varek admitted, his honesty surprising her. "Not because they want you to fail, but because they've been disappointed before. Hope is a dangerous thing when you've been living without it for so long."
"Have there been others? Other people who might have been able to help?"
Varek's expression grew distant. "A few, over the centuries. None with power like yours, but... there have been possibilities that didn't work out."
The weight of that settled on her shoulders. She wasn't the first hope they'd had. She might not be the last if she failed.
"What happened to them?"
"Various things. Some left when they realized the magnitude of what was being asked. Others..." He trailed off, but she could read the sadness in his eyes. "Others tried and paid a price they weren't prepared for."
A chill ran down Elarose's spine. "What kind of price?"
Before Varek could answer, the sound of footsteps on stone made them both turn. Draven was approaching the training platform, his expression unreadable as always. Over the past three days, he'd maintained a careful distance from her training sessions. He would check in with Varek, ask about her progress, but he rarely spoke directly to her.
It was driving her crazy.
"How is she progressing?" Draven asked Varek, as if she wasn't sitting right there.
"Well," Varek replied. "She's learning control at a remarkable pace. Her power is stabilizing."
"Good." Draven's silver eyes flicked to her briefly, then away. "Continue with the breathing exercises. We can't afford any... incidents."
The dismissive tone in his voice made something hot and angry flare in Elarose's chest. She'd been working herself to exhaustion for three days, pushing through frustration and fear, trying to prove she was worth their hope. And he was talking about her like she was a dangerous animal that needed to be contained.
"Maybe you should try these exercises yourself," she said, her voice sharper than she intended. "See how easy it is to control something you don't understand while everyone watches and judges every move you make."
Draven's jaw tightened, but his voice remained level. "Control is essential. Without it, power becomes a liability."
"Right. Because God forbid I actually use this power to help anyone instead of just making pretty light shows with rocks."
"Elarose," Varek said warningly, but she was past caring about diplomacy.
"No, I want to understand something." She stood up, facing Draven fully. "In the forest, my uncontrolled power saved both our lives. But now you act like I'm too dangerous to be around, too unstable to trust. Which is it? Am I your salvation or your liability?"
For a moment, something flickered in Draven's eyes - something that looked almost like pain. But it was gone so quickly she might have imagined it.
"You're someone who needs to learn control before she gets herself or others killed," he said coldly. "The forest was luck. Next time, you might not be so fortunate."
The words hit her like a physical blow. She'd been hoping - despite all her efforts not to hope - that he might show some sign of the man who had held her so gently that first night. The one who had promised to protect her, who had looked at her like she was precious.
Instead, he was looking at her like she was a problem to be managed.
"Understood, Alpha," she said, putting as much ice into the title as possible. "I'll try to keep my dangerous instability to a minimum."
Draven's eyes flashed, but before he could respond, a new voice cut through the tension.
"Well, this looks intense."
They all turned to see a woman approaching the platform. She was tall and elegant, with long black hair that caught the morning light and striking blue eyes. There was something regal about the way she moved, like she was used to commanding attention and respect.
But what struck Elarose most was her smile. It was warm and genuine, reaching her eyes in a way that made her whole face light up. After days of feeling like an outsider being barely tolerated, that welcoming expression was like finding water in a desert.
"Ravena," Draven said, and there was something complicated in his voice. Surprise, wariness, and something that might have been old affection.
"What are you doing here?"