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Acacia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. I placed my hands on her shoulders, using our connection to help guide her awareness.

"The forest is more than just what you can see or touch," I murmured. "It's a web of energy, of life and death, growth and decay. Everything is connected, everything has its place in the cycle."

I felt her consciousness brush against mine, tentative at first, then with growing confidence. Through our shared awareness, I could sense her amazement as the forest's true nature revealed itself to her.

"I can feel it," she whispered. "It's like music, but made of light and life instead of sound."

"Good," I encouraged. "Now, reach out with your mind. Find a single thread in that web and follow it."

She frowned in concentration, and I felt her awareness narrow to focus on a nearby sapling. The young tree responded to her attention, its leaves trembling slightly.

"That's it," I said softly. "Now, imagine that thread of energy flowing into you, becoming part of you."

Acacia gasped as the connection formed. The sapling's branches swayed, despite the still air. "It's incredible," she breathed. "I can feel everything. The water moving through its roots, the sunlight on its leaves, even the tiny insects living in its bark."

Pride swelled in my chest, but I kept my voice steady. "Now, try to direct that energy. Start small. Maybe make a single leaf move."

She bit her lip in concentration, and I watched as one sapling's leaves slowly curled upward. The effort clearly strained her. I could feel her muscles tensing under my hand, but she maintained control.

"Enough," I said gently, helping her break the connection. She sagged against me, breathing heavily.

"That was harder than I expected," she admitted.

I turned her to face me, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You did well. Better than most would on their first try."

"But not good enough to face Blackthorn," she said, reading the concern in my eyes.

"No," I agreed honestly. "But it's a start. We'll practice every day, building your strength and control."

She nodded, determination replacing her exhaustion. "What else can you teach me?"

For the next several hours, I guided her through basic exercises in forest magic. She learned to sense corruption, to channel healing energy, to communicate with the simpler forms of plant life. Each success built her confidence, but also drained her energy.

Finally, as the sun set, I called a halt to the training. "Enough for today," I said firmly when she tried to protest. "You need rest."

"We don't have time for rest," she argued, though she was swaying slightly on her feet. "If Blackthorn is coming-"

"If Blackthorn is coming, we need you at full strength," I interrupted. "Pushing yourself to exhaustion won't help anyone."

She glared at me for a moment before sighing in defeat. "Fine. But we start again at dawn."

I pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You're the most stubborn human I've ever met," I murmured fondly.

"Lucky for you," she replied, snuggling into my embrace. "Otherwise, I might have run screaming from all this magic business weeks ago."

I held her tighter, trying to push away the fear that threatened to overwhelm me. The thought of Blackthorn targeting her, of losing her the way I'd lost Willow, it was almost unbearable.

That night, as Acacia slept deeply, exhausted from her training, I stood guard outside our tree-home. The forest whispered warnings of growing darkness, of corruption spreading at the edges of my territory. Blackthorn was coming, and he would bring all the power of the Shadowvale tribe with him.

But this time was different. This time, I wasn't fighting just to protect my territory. I was fighting for something far more precious - the fierce, stubborn human who had somehow become my everything.

I pressed my hand against our tree-home's trunk, feeling Acacia's steady heartbeat through the living wood. I would not lose her. No matter what it took, no matter what price I had to pay, I would keep her safe.

The forest rustled in agreement, and I felt its power surge through me, stronger than ever before. Because now I wasn't justprotecting my domain. I was protecting our home, our future, our love.

Blackthorn and his tribe would learn what it meant to threaten what was mine. And if they thought a human mate made me weak, they would soon discover just how wrong they were.

Ten