Chapter 239

Words : 880 Updated : Jun 26th, 2025

The wind danced around me, soft but persistent, stirring the tall grass that brushed against my legs. It was cool, yet beads of sweat trailed down my spine, clinging to my shirt as if they were trying to remind me just how much effort I was putting into this. My heart pounded, not from exertion, but from the tension that came with trying- and failing-over and over again. "Breathe, Sadie," Nyx's voice echoed softly in my mind, calm and steady. "You're trying too hard again. You need to let it come." I exhaled through my nose, tightening my jaw. "I am letting it come." "No, you're pushing it," she replied gently. "You're too tense. You can't force it. You have to flow into it." I closed my eyes again, trying to listen. I felt the power deep inside the new form that hummed just under my skin, waiting to be released. I reached, called to it, pleaded for it to answer me. Nothing. No white wings. No shimmering dress. Just silence and frustration. I've been at this for hours and still nothing. Nyx wasn't joking around when she said we would be restraining right away; the only problem is, so far, I have yielded nothing. "I can't do it," I muttered, opening my eyes. "Sadie," "I can't, Nyx." Nyx sighed. "Let's take a break." I sank to the grass, pulling my knees up and folding my arms over them. "Why can't I do it?" I asked, more to myself than her. "We're running out of time. Xena's out there, probably planning to break Kaden free. Everyone's counting on being something I can't even reach." I felt like crying. I wanted to cry. It was right there at the edge of my soul, yet I couldn't reach it no matter what I tried. Tears filled my eyes before falling down my cheeks. I furiously wiped them away. I felt pathetic for crying simply because I couldn't shift. I know I was being hard on myself, but I just couldn't stop myself. So much depended on mastering these powers, yet I was having a difficult time calling this other form. "You're stressed," Nyx said, her voice quieter now, laced with warmth. "You're trying to carry too much. Your focus is shattered, and your heart is tangled in knots. You're not failing... you're just overwhelmed." I didn't respond. I couldn't. Because the truth was, I did feel like a failure. My powers were supposed to be a part of me. They were supposed to answer when I called. And yet Kere I was, still human in every way that mattered when it cto the one thing that could turn the tide in this war. I felt like I was about to burst. I wanted to throw a tantrum like a child, but I didn't. I couldn't. The footsteps behind pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned, already guessing who it was. Alec. He turned toward me, the wind ruffling his hair, his presence cutting through the haze of my failure like sunlight breaking through a storm. His eyes locked onto mine, and the bond pulsed between us. Alive. Unreal. "You okay?" he asked, his voice low and quiet. "No," I admitted. He didn't hesitate-just closer and sat down beside me, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body, but not close enough to touch. "What's wrong?" "I can't shift," I said simply, eyes still trained on the field ahead. "I've tried everything. Nyx is trying to help me, but it's not working." He should be the last person I should be admitting my failures to, but for weird reason I felt kind of peace telling him my worries. Was this because of the bond? Or was it because I was finally starting to let go of my bitterness? There was a pause before he spoke again. "You know... I used to struggle too. Controlling Knox, I mean." I turned to him, brows raised. "You? Struggle?" To say I was shocked would be an understatement. This is Alec we are talking about. Everything seemed to always effortlessly him. Don't remember ever seeing him struggle with anything. He made everything seem easy, so I guess eventually I started putting him on a pedestal, assuming he never struggled like the rest of us. He chuckled, nodding. "Hard to believe, I know. Everyone thinks being an Alpha means you just get it. Like, power and your wolf answer to you on command." He looked ahead thoughtfully. "But the first tI shifted... it nearly broke me. Knox is strong. Stubborn and angry. For a while, every tI shifted, he'd take control. I couldn't hold him back. I couldn't control him or the shift, so eventually I stopped shifting." "I didn't know," I whispered. I never would have guessed that it was that hard for him. I thought I knew him from the inside out. I guess I didn't, because how could I never know this about him? How didn't I know he had struggled with Knox?

Chapter 239

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