Chapter 0310

Athena

"OW!"

My back slammed against the floor.

The impact knocked the air from my lungs.

I lay there, stunned.

Pain radiated through my entire body.

My energy was completely drained.

Practice was over for today.

There's only so much bone-breaking one can handle in a single afternoon.

'Better.' Nyx murmured. 'Almost there.'

I'd been secretly training for weeks.

Shifting into my Lycan form without Nyx's assistance.

It was far from easy.

I gained newfound respect for those who could shift unaided.

Weeks ago, I finally gave in.

I spoke to Nyx directly.

I demanded to know why she kept forcing her way forward.

Her answer remained unchanged. 'I'm protecting us.'

My mind and body had fought so hard to keep her out.

But it was becoming impossible.

She was a constant presence.

A part of me I couldn't suppress.

No matter how much I didn't want her in my head.

I resisted her.

Every waking moment, I tried to block her out.

I wished she'd stop sharing her opinions.

I hoped she'd just give up.

But she never stopped.

The more I pushed, the harder she pushed back.

"I want the darkness gone." I muttered one day. "I want you gone."

I never wanted to become a monster.

I never wanted to become something that fed on blood and flesh.

I still don't.

'Know what makes us superior?' She asked during one heated argument. 'Our blood.'

'I don't understand.'

'We're better than the others. Stronger. More powerful. A Lycan leader. You know it!'

I laughed at her words that day.

Then I noticed Alexander watching from a distance.

A dark expression on his face made me retreat into the training hall.

I didn't want his opinion.

Not while he silently tortured his mate, Hannah.

'Does it frighten you?' Nyx asked one night after putting the twins to bed.

I didn't need to ask what she meant.

I knew exactly what she referred to.

'Of course it does. I'm none of those things you claim I am.'

'Because you still doubt your capabilities, Athena. You still don't trust me. That's what holds you back. We are one. Neither can survive without the other. This is who we're meant to be. You treat me as separate instead of accepting me as part of you. Look at Julian, he's dying without his Wolf.'

Her words made me question everything.

Was she right?

Was I responsible for my own struggles?

'You need to practice shifting.' She declared when I said I'd listen.

'I can't... I'll become..'

'No you won't, Athena. Trust me. Trust yourself.'

Now, almost three weeks later, I'm lying on the bedroom floor.

Alexander and Zachary stare down at me.

The secret is officially out.

I inwardly groan.

I wanted to keep it quiet until I was certain.

Certain I could shift without asking Nyx to do it for me.

“Athena?” Alexander's single word drips with doubt and annoyance.

He stands over me.

He hates when I keep secrets.

It wasn't meant to be a secret.

Just a surprise.

Like tada, I figured something out without his help.

I raise my claws to acknowledge the men.

My heart hammers in my chest.

Shifting is getting easier and faster.

But I always crash to the ground.

Unable to maintain balance.

When Nyx pushed forward, she made it feel effortless.

'Because you keep moving. Practice while still.' she mutters, amused.

Slowly, I shift back.

My neck cracks loudly.

My back arches off the floor as bones realign.

Nyx promised it would get easier.

That the pain would lessen.

But right now, my body feels on fire.

Everything slots back into place.

I'm almost grateful I'm naked.