Morning came too fast.
Evelyn barely slept—every time she closed her eyes, she felt the echo of Ronan's breath against her lips, the warmth of his hands on her hips, the silent shaking in his chest when he pulled away.
The bond wouldn't shut up.
It throbbed like a wound, raw and angry, demanding answers she didn't have.
She hated how much she felt him even when he wasn't near.
Especially because he was near.
She could sense him somewhere in the house—awake, restless, pacing. She felt the drag of his thoughts, the tension in his breathing, the storm inside him.
He felt her too.She knew it.
She felt his pulse stutter every time her own heartbeat changed.
It was torture.
For both of them.
The packhouse was buzzing by the time she stepped into the hallway. Warriors moved with urgency. Voices were low and clipped. Doors slammed. Boots thundered over wooden floors.
Something was wrong.
Ronan's Beta, Kade, nearly collided with her at the staircase, eyes sharp and alert.
"There you are." He grabbed her arm without hesitation. "You're coming with me."
"Excuse you—don't touch—"
"No time." His voice was tight. "Ronan wants you downstairs. Now."
The shadows under Evelyn's skin stirred at the rush of fear. "What happened?"
"Trouble," Kade muttered. "Big trouble."
They descended the staircase fast, practically jogging, and the moment they reached the main hall, she froze.
Warriors stood in a tight circle around something on the floor.
Something covered in a cloth soaked with dark, almost black blood.
Her stomach twisted. "What is that?"
"A message," Kade said grimly. "For you."
Her blood ran cold.
"For me?"
He didn't answer.He didn't have to.
The pack members parted automatically when Ronan stepped forward.
He hadn't slept. She could see it. His hair was messy, his jaw dark with stubble, his shirt thrown on like he hadn't cared. But it was his eyes—feral, metallic silver—that stopped her breath.
He saw her.
And the bond slammed between them.
His shoulders tensed.Her pulse jumped.The shadows around her flickered.
He felt everything.
Without thinking, Ronan closed the distance between them. Not touching her—never touching—but standing close enough that she could feel the heat of his body. Close enough that the others stepped back instinctively.
"Evelyn," he said, voice low. "Don't panic."
"Why would I pan—"
He pulled the cloth back.
Her words died.
Dead in the center of the hall lay—
A wolf.But not a Blackthorn wolf.
A rogue.Or what remained of one.
Its throat was torn out completely. The eyes were missing. Its fur was scorched as though burned with magic.
And carved across its chest, deep and sloppy, as if from a trembling hand—
BRING US THE SHADOW GIRLOR MORE WILL DIE
Evelyn's breath caught.
All noise vanished.The walls seemed to tilt.Her shadows writhed violently under her skin.
Ronan stepped closer, voice barely above a whisper."Don't look at it."
She couldn't stop staring.
"Who did this?" she whispered.
"We're not sure," Kade said. "But they want you. And they're not hiding it."
Evelyn's stomach twisted. Her hands trembled uncontrollably. The shadows poured out of her fingers in thin tendrils, reacting to her fear.
Pack members stepped back quickly.
All except Ronan.
He stepped in front of her, blocking the body from her view, blocking the room, blocking the world—his shoulders forming a wall of muscle and heat.
"Evelyn," he said softly. "Look at me."
She did.
His jaw clenched as he felt the storm in her chest, her panic, her confusion. The bond made it impossible for him not to feel it.
He reached toward her—stopped halfway—fist tightening.
He wanted to touch her.She felt it like a punch in her ribs.He wanted to pull her close and calm her down.
But he didn't.
His voice was gravel."You're safe. No one is getting near you."
"I didn't ask to be protected," she whispered.
"I don't care," Ronan snapped. "You're being protected anyway."
She opened her mouth to argue—
But something else hit her.
Hard.
A wave.
A pulse.
A cold ripple across her skin—like icy hands brushing her spine.
Everyone felt it.
Warriors jerked their heads up. Wolves growled. Kade swore. Ronan grabbed Evelyn's arm gently but firmly, pushing her behind him.
"What was that?" she asked, voice shaking.
Ronan's eyes glowed silver—full wolf.
"Magic," he said."Powerful.""And coming from outside the borders."
A horn blasted from the watchtower.The ground shook.Shadows outside the windows writhed as wolves sprinted across the yard.
Kade cursed. "They're already inside the forest!"
Evelyn felt her heartbeat spike—felt Ronan's spike with it.
"What do they want?" she whispered.
Ronan turned to her slowly.
Not Alpha-cold.Not warrior-hard.But something deeper.
Something afraid.
"They want you," he said. "Because you're not just a Shadowcaster."
Her blood iced.
"What do you mean?"
He swallowed hard.Too hard.Like he was hiding something.
"Ronan," she said, stepping closer. "Tell me."
He hesitated.
Then—
"They call you the Eclipse," he whispered.
Evelyn froze.
His eyes locked on hers.
"There's a prophecy," he continued. "Old. Ancient. Most packs don't even believe it's real. But some do. The ones who will kill to fulfill it. They say when a Shadowcaster is born under a split moon—the night of the Eclipse—her power can either destroy the world…"
He stepped closer—so close she felt his breath.
"…or save it."
Her stomach dropped. "I don't—I'm not—"
"You were born on the eclipse," Ronan said quietly.
She staggered back.
He moved fast—hands catching her elbows without thinking.
The touch was lightning.
Heat blasted between them.Her shadows surged.His wolf pushed forward with a snarl.
They both froze—
But neither pulled away.
Ronan's voice was rough, trembling with the effort not to hold her tighter.
"For the last time, Evelyn—listen carefully—"He leaned in, eyes burning."—they will kill you if they catch you."
Her shadows curled protectively around her ankles.
The room waited.
Finally she whispered,"What do we do now?"
Ronan straightened.
Alpha-mode.Warrior-mode.Deadly calm.
"We fight," he said. "And we keep you hidden."
Then, softer—
His voice cracking—
"And gods help them if they come near you."
Thunder rumbled outside.A second horn blasted.Wolves howled in unison.
The war for Evelyn had begun.