Chapter 536

Olivia

My heart pounded in my chest as I faced Nathan, the man I loved more than life itself, now tasked with using my newfound powers against him. His gaze was steady, betraying no hint of emotion as he sized me up, his body coiled like a spring, ready to strike at any moment.

“Olivia,” Freya said, “as your final test, you must fight Nathan using your powers.”

“Nathan?” I choked out. “But I don’t want to hurt him.”

“You won’t hurt me,” Nathan replied calmly. “You just need to win.”

“But—”

“Don’t hold back," he interrupted, his voice low and gravelly. “Show me what you’ve learned.”

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. Could I really bring myself to attack my husband, even in a controlled setting like this? But deep down I knew this was a necessary test, a final challenge to prove my mastery over the Ancient Wolf’s powers.

“Okay,” I finally said, my voice barely more than a whisper. “Let’s do this.”

Freya nodded and looked pleased by my response. “Very well. Begin in your wolf forms, so I can see your fighting abilities.”

Taking a deep breath, I shifted into my wolf form, the transformation fluid and effortless after all of my practice. My senses sharpened, the scents and sounds of the forest enveloping me like a warm embrace.

Soon, bright golden fur covered my body and my eyes had shifted from a soft hazel to a stunning bright blue. I felt powerful like this.

But when Nathan mirrored my shift, his body rippling and contorting until the massive form of his alpha wolf towered in front of me, I felt small. His fur was a rich, inky black, his eyes burning with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.

He was so much bigger than me. Even with the blood of the Ancient Wolf coursing through my veins, my wolf form had never been as large and imposing as this. It was clear that my strength alone, even in my wolf form, wouldn’t help me win this fight.

Of course I would need to use my abilities if I was going to win.

For a moment we just stood there, sizing each other up, the air crackling with tension. Then, without warning, Nathan struck, his powerful jaws snapping shut mere inches from my face.

I leapt back, my heart hammering against my ribcage. Remembering Freya’s teachings, I focused my energy, channeling it into a concentrated shockwave. With a sharp exhalation, I released the invisible force, the air rippling and distorting as it slammed into Nathan’s flank.

He staggered, but quickly regained his footing, his lips curling back in a snarl. I could feel the energy beginning to drain from my body with the first use of my power, but I couldn’t falter now, not when the fight had only just begun.

Nathan charged again, his massive bulk hurtling toward me like a freight train. I braced myself, preparing to meet his attack head-on, but at the last second, I dropped low and used my power of suggestion.

“Fall,” I murmured, using my inner voice to command him.

He crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact, but before I could press my advantage, he was back on his feet, his eyes burning with a newfound intensity.

We traded blows for what felt like an immeasurable amount of time, each of us giving our all. Nathan didn’t hold back, and neither did I.

His sheer strength and size may have been formidable, but I countered with swift maneuvers and the use of my powers. Still, I could feel my reserves waning, my movements growing sluggish as fatigue set in. I was running out of energy.

In a desperate bid to gain the upper hand, I unleashed a powerful shockwave, putting every ounce of my remaining energy into the blast.

Nathan braced himself, but the force of the impact still sent him skidding backwards, his claws gouging furrows in the earth.

Seizing the opportunity, I rushed forward, using my telekinesis to hurl a barrage of rocks and debris at him. He batted them aside with his massive paws, but I was already closing the distance, my jaws snapping mere inches from his throat.

With a deft move, Nathan twisted and caught me in a powerful hold, his massive forepaws pinning me to the ground, my wrists trapped beneath his weight. I growled and thrashed, but his grip was like iron, his hot breath washing over my face as he leaned in close.

Together, we shifted back into our human forms. With Nathan’s hands wrapped firmly around my wrists, I was pinned to the ground, gasping beneath his weight.

“Do you yield?” he rumbled.

Instinctively, I felt my upper lip curl back in a sneer. In that moment, it felt as if not only all of my training kicked in, but as if the Ancient Wolf was taking over me, controlling me. We were no longer separate entities, but were one powerful creature, a being older than the universe itself.

“No.”

Summoning what was left of my energy, I focused my telekinetic abilities, reaching out with my mind to grasp a nearby knife that had been lying on the ground. I had spotted it during our tussle, peeking out from beneath some leaves on the ground; it was clear that Freya had hidden it there, hoping that I would use it.

The blade trembled, then lifted, hovering in the air as I poured every ounce of my concentration into controlling it. With a mental shove, I sent it hurtling toward Nathan, the razor-sharp edge grazing his ear as it embedded itself in the tree trunk behind him.

The forest clearing fell silent after that. Nathan’s chest heaved as he hunched over me, his form spinning above me in my current state. I felt my vision ebbing, the edges growing dark and fuzzy as the last of my energy slipped out of my body.

But I held on. Soon, my vision returned and I found that Nathan had released me, and was now standing over me. I rolled over onto my hands and knees, inhaling deeply and digging my fingers into the soil to ground myself.

That was when I heard Freya’s voice echo in my mind. “You have passed the final test,” she said, pride filling her voice. “You have successfully harnessed the powers of the Ancient Wolf.”

I let out a choked gasp, more an exhalation of a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding than anything else. Looking up, I saw a hand extended toward me—Nathan’s. I took it, and felt as light as a feather as he hauled me to my feet.

“Well done, my love,” he murmured, pulling me into a fierce embrace.

I sagged against him, utterly spent, but filled with a sense of accomplishment that was almost overwhelming. I had proven myself, not just to Freya and Nathan, but to myself as well.

Nathan cupped my face in his hands, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that set my heart racing for new reasons other than a good fight. Then, without warning, he crushed his lips against mine in a searing kiss that seemed to ignite every nerve ending in my body.