The air changed before anything else did.
One second, the forest outside the packhouse was still.The next—it exhaled.
A heavy, unnatural wind tore through the trees, bending branches until they bowed like frightened animals. The sky dimmed even though the sun was rising, as if something enormous and ancient had stepped out of the shadows and blocked the light.
Evelyn's heart thudded.Her shadows tightened around her ankles.
Ronan stepped in front of her instantly—muscles locked, jaw clenched, posture sharp as a blade.
"Stay behind me," he growled.
"I'm literally already standing behind you—"
"Closer," he snapped.
She moved closer.
Not because he said to, but because the instinct in her bones — that strange, primal tug she didn't understand — wanted to be near him.
Every time she stepped within arm's reach, the bond pulsed.
Hard.
Painful.Sweet.Magnetic.
Ronan inhaled sharply through his nose like he was fighting a losing battle.His pupils blew wide.His wolf surged under his skin.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. "Not now."
"What? What's happening?"
He didn't answer.
Because the front door slammed open.
A warrior stumbled in—covered in dirt and blood, panting so hard he nearly collapsed.
"Alpha— the borders— they're—"
He didn't finish.
Another sound swallowed his voice.
A howl.
Long.Low.Twisting.Not wolf.Not human.
Something between.
Evelyn's blood iced.
Ronan didn't look at her, but she felt his body tighten.
"It's them," he said. "They're here."
Chaos erupted instantly.
More warriors rushed inside, shifting mid-stride — bones breaking into fur, claws slicing through skin, mouths stretching into snarls.
Kade jogged into the hall with two swords strapped to his back and dark tattoos glowing faintly under his skin.
"East border compromised," he reported. "Whatever's out there is fast. And pissed."
Ronan's eyes narrowed."Hunters don't come with just speed."
"Right," Kade agreed. "That's the problem."
"Hm?"
"They're using magic," Kade said. "Dark magic. The old kind."
Evelyn's heart lurched. "What does that mean?"
Kade didn't sugarcoat it.
"It means they're not here for territory, or revenge." His gaze flicked to her. "They're here for you."
Ronan growled—a deep, dangerous sound that rattled the windows.
The warrior holding the bloody message earlier stepped forward.
"They left something at the north border too," he said.
"What?" Ronan snapped.
"A symbol. Drawn in blood."
Evelyn swallowed. "What symbol?"
The warrior hesitated, then traced it in the air with a shaking hand:
A crescent moon, bisected by a slashwith a dark circle in the center—
The Eclipse.
Her throat tightened.Her shadows shivered.Something old and cold twisted in her spine.
Behind her, Ronan went still.
"Kade," he said in a voice that could kill. "Lock down the packhouse. No one enters. No one leaves."
"And Evelyn?" Kade asked.
Ronan didn't even hesitate.He turned, staring at her with eyes burning silver.
"She stays with me."
Ronan led her deeper into the packhouse.
Every step he took was controlled violence.Every time she breathed, he tensed like her heartbeat was synced to his own.
They reached a wide hall overlooking the training grounds — where dozens of wolves were preparing for war.
Shifting.Sharpening weapons.Marking their bodies with ancient symbols.
The energy was electric.Terrifying.Heavy.
Evelyn felt out of place, fragile, painfully human — except she wasn't.Not fully.Not anymore.
Her shadows flickered across her arms without permission.
Ronan saw.His brows furrowed.
"How long have they done that?"
"I… don't know."
Another pulse of dark power rippled down her elbow, curling like smoke. She panicked and pulled her sleeve down.
Ronan caught her wrist — gently.
"Don't hide from me."
Her breath caught.The bond snapped tight.Her shadows coiled protectively around his wrist.
He hissed and let go — not because it hurt, but because it affected him too much.
He stared at her like she was a miracle and a threat wrapped in one.
"You don't understand what they want from you," he said. "You don't understand what you are."
"Then tell me," she whispered.
He looked away.Jaw clenched.Eyes full of a fear she had never seen in him before.
"I can't," he said. "Not yet."
"Ronan—"
A scream cut her off.
A real scream.From outside.From the forest.
Both of them froze.
Ronan reacted first.
"Stay here."
"No."
"Evelyn—"
"No," she said again, stepping forward. "I'm not staying in here like some helpless child."
"You're not helpless," he growled. "You're something worse."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You're unpredictable."
Her shadows surged up her spine at the insult.
He stepped closer — very close — lowering his voice to a barely-there whisper.
"And if you get hurt, I will lose control. Not just as your Alpha."
He paused.
His eyes darkened.
"But as your mate."
She froze.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
He heard it — felt it — reacted to it.
His hand hovered near her cheek—but didn't touch.
"I can't protect the pack if I'm thinking about you," he whispered."I can't think about you and survive this fight."
She whispered back, "Then why are you still here?"
His breath hitched.
Because he couldn't leave her.Because the bond wouldn't let him.Because he didn't want to.
His voice came out raw.
"Because my wolf is losing his mind."
He stepped back abruptly, ripping the connection with a snarl.
"Lock the door behind me," he ordered.
"I don't take orders—"
"You do now."
He didn't wait for her answer.
He shifted in mid-air — a massive black wolf exploding from his body — and launched forward like a shadow with teeth.
Windows shattered as wolves outside howled.
Another scream shook the trees.
And the forest answered with a voice full of hunger:
"Bring us the Eclipse! Bring us the girl!"
The floor trembled under Evelyn's feet.
Her shadows rose in a violent halo around her.
The war had truly begun.
And for the first time—
She felt something inside her awaken.
Something dark.Ancient.Powerful.
A voice whispered through her blood:
They will never take you.You are the darkness they fear.
Evelyn lifted her head.
And she whispered back:
"Let them come."