The Wolf in the Shadows
The forest pressed around me like a living wall, every shadow alive, every whisper of wind an accusation. My paws pounded the earth, but no matter how fast I ran, I could still hear them voices of my pack, the ones who had been my home, now hunting me like prey.
"Find her!" someone shouted in the distance.
Branches whipped at my fur, snapping against my sides, but I didn't stop. My lungs burned with every breath, yet I couldn't let them catch me. My father's face haunted me the disgust in his eyes, the way he couldn't even meet my gaze when the shadows curled around me.
I stumbled at the edge of a steep incline, my paws sliding on damp leaves. Stones tumbled into the ravine below, splashing into the river. For a heartbeat, I thought of letting myself fall, letting the water swallow me. Maybe it would be easier.
But then I remembered Lyra's smirk, and my father's cruel whisper: Stay hidden. Stay out of sight.
No. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
With a growl, I gathered the shadows still clinging to me like armor and leapt across the gap, landing hard on the other side. My legs trembled, but I pushed forward, deeper into the unknown.
The forest grew darker as the moon rose higher. My crimson eyes caught every flicker of light, every rustle of leaves. I was acutely aware of how different I had become. My body still felt foreign my wolf was larger, heavier, and wilder than anything I had trained for. Shadows coiled at my paws as if they belonged to me, answering my fear and anger.
When I finally collapsed near a moss-covered boulder, the silence was deafening. My chest heaved, sides aching. For a moment, I thought I was safe.
Then a twig snapped.
My ears twitched, hackles rising. A low growl rumbled from my throat, deep and unnatural. The shadows responded, curling up around me, wrapping like serpents ready to strike.
"Easy," a voice said. Calm, steady, dangerous.
I whipped my head toward the sound.
From the darkness, a figure emerged tall, broad-shouldered, moving with the confidence of someone who feared nothing. The moonlight brushed his face, sharp angles and cold beauty carved in shadow. His eyes glowed faint silver, but not like the others of my pack. These were colder, older, holding secrets I couldn't name.
A stranger. Yet not entirely. Something in me stirred at the sight of him, a pull in my chest I didn't understand.
"Stay back!" I growled, shadows whipping outward.
He didn't flinch. His gaze lingered on me, studying, weighing. Then, with slow precision, he crouched—bringing himself closer to my level. "You're not like them," he murmured. "Are you?"
His voice slid under my skin, unsettling and compelling all at once.
I snarled, but the sound wavered. My body trembled from exhaustion. My legs buckled, and I crashed onto my side, panting hard.
He moved closer, but not recklessly. Like a predator circling another predator. "If they're hunting you," he said, voice low, "then you're mine now."
His words struck something raw inside me. My wolf shivered, torn between defiance and the strange safety his presence carried.
"Who are you?" I rasped, my voice breaking through the shift, hoarse and human-like even in wolf form.
The faintest smirk touched his lips. "Kael."
The name carried weight, like thunder rolled into a single word. I had heard whispers of him the Shadow Alpha, the fortress beyond the mountains, the one mothers warned their pups about. A ghost story. A monster.
And here he was, standing before me, very real.
Fear prickled my skin, but beneath it burned something else curiosity, recognition, maybe even… belonging.
"You don't have to fear me," he said, though his presence was anything but gentle. His eyes glinted with danger, like a blade hidden in silk. "But you should know I don't give back what I take."
My wolf bristled. I tried to push myself up, but pain rippled through my body, my powers flaring wildly. Shadows lashed outward, cracking against a tree. Bark split, leaves shivered.
Kael's expression didn't change. If anything, his eyes brightened. "Interesting."
I wanted to tell him to leave me alone. I wanted to scream that I didn't need saving, that I wasn't some prize to be claimed. But the truth clawed at me I was too weak to fight, too hunted to survive on my own.
And Kael knew it.
He stepped closer, so close his scent reached me smoke, steel, and something dark, something ancient. My wolf inhaled sharply, unsettled yet drawn.
"You'll die out here," he said simply. "Or worse they'll catch you. Kill you." His gaze lingered on my crimson eyes. "But if you come with me, you'll live."
My heart pounded. His words were not a promise of kindness. They were a command, an invitation wrapped in threat.
"I don't even know you," I whispered.
"You will."
For a moment, silence stretched between us. Only the forest breathed. The shadows coiled tighter around me, torn between lashing at him and reaching toward him.
I forced myself to shift back, my body trembling as bones cracked, fur retreating, skin exposed to the night air. I gasped, naked and shivering, but I met his gaze with what little strength I had left.
"You don't own me," I said, voice hoarse but defiant.
The corner of his mouth curved not into amusement, but into something sharper. "Not yet."
Before I could respond, he moved. In one fluid motion, he shrugged off his cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders. The fabric was heavy, smelling of him, swallowing me whole. My breath hitched not from modesty, but from the overwhelming weight of his presence.
"Rest," he ordered, his tone like steel. "I'll deal with anyone who comes."
My body betrayed me. Exhaustion won. My eyes fluttered shut, even as my mind screamed not to trust him.
The last thing I felt was his arms lifting me, strong and unyielding, carrying me deeper into the forest.
---
When I woke, it was to the sound of crackling fire and the distant howl of wolves.
I jolted upright, clutching the cloak tighter around me. My skin prickled with unease, shadows still lingering faintly at my fingertips.
"Easy," Kael's voice said again, calm but commanding.
He sat across the fire, his posture relaxed, though everything about him radiated power. His silver eyes flickered in the firelight, sharp and assessing.
"Where are we?" I whispered.
"Far enough they won't find you," he said. "For now."
I glanced at him, suspicion twisting in my chest. "Why are you helping me?"
His smirk was slow, dangerous. "Because you're mine."
The fire popped, sparks leaping into the night. My heart thundered. "I never agreed to that."
"You don't have to." He leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering. "The shadows chose you. And I…" His eyes locked onto mine, unblinking. "…I've been waiting for you."