Chapter 162 Surges
ADRIANA
Having Elijah's mother in the pack was amazing. She was really helpful with the kids, including Leo. He'd formed a special bond with her, which I appreciated. I had been a little worried at first that she might treat him differently from the twins, or he’ll feel like she is not really his grandma.
But their bond was so good that sometimes I felt like I was the third wheel.
Settling into being the Luna, managing my powers and dealing with twin babies was not easy, I'll be honest. But I had the best support system anyone could ask for, so I guess that made it much easier to manage.
I was in the nursery changing Liam’s diaper on one of the rare off days I got from Luna duties. I had felt a little off in the morning but I just attributed it to the lack of sleep and stress.
I’d reached for the diaper scream when a surge of energy so strong it knocked the breath out of my lungs, passed through me. The lights in the room flickered and then exploded, sending glass raining down around us.
My protective instinct immediately activated and I threw myself over Liam’s crib, shielding him with my body as the windows shattered next. The sound of breaking glass filled the room and I could hear Elijah Junior screaming from his crib across the room.
“Adriana!” Elijah burst through the door, Leo right behind him. “What happened?”
I looked up at him, still covering Liam with my body. “I don’t know. I was just changing his diaper and then—”
Another surge stole the rest of my words. This time the entire room shook like an earthquake had hit. Picture frames fell off the walls and the rocking chair in the corner tipped over.
“Get the boys out of here!” I screamed at Elijah. “Now!”
He didn’t argue. He grabbed both babies and ran, Leo following close behind. As soon as they were gone, I let it out whatever this thing was that had been building inside me since I gave birth.
The power exploded from my body in waves, destroying everything in the nursery. Furniture splintered, walls cracked, the ceiling began to cave in. I couldn’t control it. I couldn’t stop it.
“Yara!” I screamed in my mind. “What’s happening to me?”
But Yara was silent. And that terrified me more than anything else.
Hazel appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock. “Adriana, you need to calm down. The entire house is shaking!”
“I can’t!” I sobbed, my voice breaking. “I can’t control it!”
I fell to the floor and curled into myself. My body was visibly shaking, even as the quaking continued.
The sisters materialized beside Hazel. They formed a circle around me and began chanting, their voices rising together in a language I didn’t understand.
Slowly, painfully, I felt the power being pulled back inside me. It lifted my body off the ground and I was suspended midair for a while. When it was finally done, I collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong with me?” I whispered, my body still shaking.
One of the sisters knelt beside me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Your power is evolving. It happens sometimes after childbirth, especially with special wolves. Your body is adjusting to being a mother while also being a vessel for this much power. It’s overwhelming your system.”
“How do I stop it? I could have killed my babies. I could have killed them!” The reality of what had almost happened hit me and I started hyperventilating.
She looked at me with sympathy in her ancient eyes. “There is no way to stop it. You learn to manage it. And we’re going to help you. Adriana, you need to understand something. This is going to get worse before it gets better.”
I looked up at her through my tears. Terrified of what she meant by that. More of this? Whatever… this was. “What do you mean?”
“Your power is tied to your emotions. And right now, you’re dealing with postpartum hormones, lack of sleep, the stress of being a new mother to twins, your duties as Luna, and the lingering trauma from the cult. All of that is feeding into your power and making it unstable.”
Hazel crouched down beside me. “We’ll figure this out, Adriana. We always do.”
But I could see the fear in her eyes. She was scared of me. And I didn’t blame her.
Elijah came back into the room, carefully stepping over the debris. “The boys are with my mother. They’re fine.” He knelt down and pulled me into his arms. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I said honestly. “I’m not okay. I’m scared, Elijah. What if I hurt them? What if I hurt Leo? What if I hurt you?”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that! You saw what just happened! I couldn’t control it!”
He held me tighter. “Then we’ll figure out how to help you control it.”
From the hallway, I could hear pack members whispering. They had seen what happened. They had felt the house shake. And now they were scared of their own Luna.
And I didn’t know how to fix that.
One of the guards poked his head in cautiously. “Alpha, the council is requesting an emergency meeting.”
Elijah’s jaw tightened. “Tell them I’ll be there in an hour.”
“They said it’s urgent, Alpha.”
“I said an hour!” Elijah snapped, and the guard quickly retreated.
I pulled away from him. “You should go. They’re going to want to talk about me. About what happened.”
“I’m not leaving you like this.”
“Elijah, I just destroyed our children’s nursery. The pack has a right to be concerned. Go. Deal with them. I’ll be fine.”
He looked at me for a long moment, then kissed my forehead. I heard him curse under his breath. He didn’t want to leave.
I tried to pretend I was okay for his benefit. But I was worried. Because I knew what the pack was thinking. I knew what they were saying. That their Luna was dangerous. That I was a threat to everyone around me.
And the worst part? They were right.
After Elijah left, the sisters helped me to my feet. “Come,” one of them said. “We need to start your training immediately. The longer we wait, the more unstable you’ll become.”
“What about my babies? I need to check on them.”
“Your babies are safe with Elijah’s mother. Right now, you need to focus on making sure you don’t accidentally hurt them the next time you hold them.”
That hit me like a physical blow. The next time I hold them. Would I even be able to hold my own children without putting them in danger?
We walked out of the destroyed nursery and down the hallway. Pack members saw us and quickly moved out of the way, their eyes filled with fear. I heard the whispers.
“Did you see what she did?”
“The whole house was shaking. I thought we were under attack.”
“How can we trust her around our children if she can’t even control herself around her own?”
Each word was like a knife to my heart. These were my people. I was supposed to protect them, lead them. And instead, they were starting to fear me.
We reached the training grounds behind the pack house. It was empty, which I was grateful for. I didn’t think I could handle more stares, more whispers.
“Before we begin,” one of the sisters said, “you need to understand what’s happening to you. Your power didn’t just evolve because you gave birth. It evolved because you became a mother. Do you understand the difference?”
I shook my head.
“Giving birth is a physical act. Becoming a mother is a transformation of your very essence. Your priorities changed the moment those babies were born. Your fears changed. Your capacity for love expanded in ways you didn’t know were possible. And your power is responding to all of that.”
“So what does that mean?”
“It means your power is now tied to your maternal instincts. When you feel your children are threatened, your power will respond. When you’re stressed about being a good mother, your power will respond. When you’re exhausted from sleepless nights and constant feeding, your power will respond. Everything you feel as a mother, your power feels too.”
“That’s terrifying.” I chewed the inside of my mouth nervously.
“Yes,” she agreed. “But it’s also an opportunity. If you can learn to channel those maternal instincts, to use them to control your power rather than letting them control you, you’ll be more powerful than you ever imagined.”
“And if I can’t?”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. We both knew what would happen if I couldn’t get this under control.
I would lose everything.