Chapter 176: STRENGTH OF THE ABUSED

STRENGTH OF THE ABUSED

Marcella POV

I never expected their power to feel like this. Not fully. The twins had always seemed small, delicate, like fragile pieces of glass waiting to shatter under the weight of the world, but in reality, they were uncontainable forces, wild and untamed. The first time I managed to siphon even a tiny fraction of their energy, it hit me like a storm. Not subtle, not polite. It surged through my veins, filling every fiber of my being with warmth and fire, with an intoxicating, addictive sense of control. I could not stop myself from drawing more, needing more. Their power was a river, and I was drowning in it, reveling in every current, every pull that threatened to sweep me away entirely.

The old witch watched silently as I absorbed their essence, a faint glimmer of awe—or maybe fear—reflected in her eyes. She had been tasked with controlling what I could not yet fully contain, the dangerous tendrils of stolen energy that threatened to overwhelm even me. I could hear Mildred screaming from somewhere beyond the chamber, a wail so full of panic, anger, and helpless love that I felt it prick at the edges of my enjoyment.

She was not ready to face me yet. Not in her current state. Not with the chains, with the weakness forced upon her by her own fears and by the magic I now commanded. I wanted her to be strong enough to fight, to resist—but not so strong that she could take the children back from me. That would ruin everything. I would not risk it. I wanted the victory to be complete, undeniable, a testament to the work I had done, to the patience I had cultivated over years of careful plotting.

As I drew more energy into myself, I could feel the power twisting inside me, reshaping me. My muscles tightened, my senses sharpened, my mind flared with clarity I had never known before. Even the old witch stepped back slightly, sensing that the vessel she helped create now held something dangerous. I laughed aloud, a sound that bounced off the walls of the darkened chamber.

“This is it,” I said softly to no one but myself. “This… is what I have always wanted.”

Even in my Omega state, I had been formidable. But this… this was different. I was unstoppable now, radiant and alive in a way that made the air itself seem thinner around me. Even if Aiden glimpsed what I held, even if he could sense what I had stolen from our own children, he would not know whether to be terrified or in awe. He would understand only one truth: I had become more than anyone expected. More than anyone dared to imagine.

I turned toward the old witch and smiled, a predator’s grin, sharp and chilling. “Do you see now? Do you understand? This is why I had to do it this way. This is why we had to take them, why I had to become what I am now. The twins… they were never meant to be contained. And yet, here we are. Their power flows into me like water into a reservoir, and it is mine.”

She nodded faintly, careful, almost reverent.

“They are… strong,” she said. “Stronger than anyone could have expected.”

I laughed again, louder this time, and twirled the stolen energy in my hands. “Strong? They are the real deal, yes. But you should thank me. If not for my patience, my planning, the way I orchestrated every move to perfection, none of this would have been possible. You know it. The twins would have been safe in Mildred’s hands, hidden, restrained. And yet… here we are. Power is mine.”

I felt it, the hum, the almost tangible pulse of energy from their small forms somewhere beyond the chamber walls. My hands tingled as I imagined bending it, twisting it, using it against anyone who dared approach me. Hayden, Mildred… even Aiden if he came. No one could stop me now. I was a tempest made flesh, unstoppable, radiant, lethal.

I stood slowly, letting the sensation of raw power soak through every fiber of me. The chamber walls themselves seemed to hum in response, the air alive with an unseen energy that bent around me. My skin glowed faintly with the stolen power, my eyes sharper, darker, more focused. My mind was a knife cutting through fog, precise, cold, calculating.

It was time.

I strode toward the chamber where I had trapped Mildred. Her cries echoed faintly through the hallways, a desperate, futile sound that made my lips curl with satisfaction. I could hear the fury in her voice, the mixture of rage and despair, and it was… intoxicating.

When I reached her door, I paused, letting the hum of power build inside me. The old witch had done her job well. Mildred was trapped, chained, restrained by magic and iron alike. But she had spirit. That much I could feel. She was angry, burning with the desire to protect her children. That fire was useless now, though. I would take it and twist it, turn it against her, make her see that her power alone could not compare to the might I now wielded.

The door creaked open, and I stepped inside. My presence filled the room, the stolen energy radiating outward like the beating wings of some dark bird. Mildred sat there, chains biting into her wrists, her body tense, her eyes wide and furious. She had been preparing to fight, I could see it in every line of her posture, every clench of her jaw.

“Wow,” I said softly, letting my gaze sweep over her. “Really enjoying your little prison, aren’t you? Acting strong, acting defiant… but you’re not. Not at all. You see, Mildred, this is what happens when you underestimate power. You kept your children hidden, you restricted Hayden, you pushed away anyone who could have protected you. And now… now you watch them in my hands.”

Her eyes blazed, and I could hear her teeth grit as she tried to speak. But the chains held her fast, and every movement only dug her deeper into her helplessness.

“They are too strong,” I said with a smirk. “So strong that you should have thought twice before bringing me back into your life. Bringing me close. Making me an Omega. You gave me the opportunity to hurt you, and I took it. Entirely.”

I let the words hang, letting her hear the weight of each one, letting it sink into her bones. Her lips moved, forming words, but no sound emerged. She was silent, despite the fire in her eyes. That silence fueled my anger and delight in equal measure.

I stepped closer, letting my stolen energy pulse outward like a tide. “Make a move,” I challenged. “Try to attack me. Try to take back what you think is yours. You will fail. You cannot fight me now.”

Her silence was deliberate, almost arrogant. And it broke something inside me. My control over the energy surged, flames of stolen power flickering over my skin. I raised my hands, prepared to strike, to obliterate, to finally show her what she could never comprehend.

“You can’t do anything,” she said finally, her voice low but clear.

And that was all it took. My temper, the raw fury, the violent pulse of energy within me—it erupted. The chamber walls shook as a blast of force surged outward, tossing shadows and loose debris across the floor. I did not even care to aim. My rage was indiscriminate.

Even in that moment, I knew I could destroy her completely. Her chains, her resistance, her fire… all meaningless compared to what I had now. I could see the fear flicker across her eyes, barely perceptible but unmistakable. That flicker was delicious. It was confirmation.

“You brought me this power,” I said, voice harsh and cold. “You made it possible by restricting everyone, by keeping the children hidden, by making choices only you thought mattered. And now I am unstoppable. You should have thought about that.”

I let the energy pulse through me, waves of it rolling outward, caressing the air with destructive potential. Every breath I drew was sharper, every step heavier with authority. My mind raced through possibilities, ways I could bend the twins’ energy to my will, ways I could use it to crush the defenses of anyone foolish enough to stand in my path.

Even Hayden. Even Aiden. All of them would falter. All of them would fall.

And Mildred… she was no exception.

I stepped closer, letting the stolen power hum around her, feel it pressing into her like invisible hands trying to pull her down. “You made all of this possible,” I whispered, letting my words curl around her despair. “Every choice you made, every secret you kept, every restriction you forced… it all comes back to you. You made me. You shaped me. And now you pay the price.”

She did not reply. She only glared, silent, furious, burning. That fire in her was strong, admirable, perhaps even dangerous—but irrelevant. I had her right where I wanted her. Every beat of my heart thrilled with the knowledge that I held the upper hand.

I drew a seat from the side of the chamber, placing it between her and the shadows where I stood. Slowly, deliberately, I sat, letting the stolen energy shimmer over my skin, lighting the room in a faint, crimson glow.

“You should have thought about this before you made me an Omega,” I said, voice dripping with venomous satisfaction. “Do you understand now, Mildred? You caused all of this for yourself. You brought me back. You kept me close. You made me powerful. And now, all that you have loved, all that you have cared for, lies within my hands. And there is nothing you can do about it.”

Her silence was maddening, infuriating. She refused to beg. She refused to cry. She refused to acknowledge the truth of what she had lost. That only made my power pulse brighter, wilder, a storm I could barely contain.

I rose to my feet, towering over her in every way, a predator ready to strike. My eyes glowed, my aura shimmered, and the stolen energy thrummed around me like a living creature. “Do you understand?” I demanded. “Do you see what happens when you underestimate me? You see what happens when you restrict everyone, when you try to control the impossible, when you refuse to trust? All of this comes back to you. And now I am unstoppable.”

The room was silent except for the hum of stolen power, the quiet crackle of energy bouncing off the walls. I could see her chest rise and fall, her body coiled like a spring, ready to strike—but restrained, powerless, trapped.

“Try me,” I said finally, my voice soft now, almost intimate. “Try to take them back. Try to save what you think belongs to you. You cannot. You will not. And if anyone tries to stop me… I will destroy them all. One by one, without hesitation. Hayden, Aiden, the pack… everyone. They cannot stand against me.”

Her lips parted slightly. I could feel the words unsaid, the defiance restrained. But it did not matter. She had nothing. Her spirit, her strength, her will—all meaningless in the presence of the force I now commanded.

And in that moment, I realized the truth I had known all along: power was intoxicating, addictive, and corrupting. And now it coursed through me fully, completely, irreversibly. I had b

ecome something beyond the twin’s mother’s reach. I had become the storm itself.