The forest felt wrong.
Too quiet. Too still.As if every branch, every stone, every shadow was waiting… watching.
Evelyn's breath fogged in the air, even though the night was warm. A strange shiver crawled up her spine, settling cold fingers at the back of her neck.
Ronan instantly sensed the shift in her scent — fear, confusion, something ancient pressing through her blood.He stepped in front of her without thinking, body tense, muscles coiled like he was ready to fight the entire world.
"Evelyn," he said, voice rough, "talk to me. What do you feel?"
She swallowed. Hard."I—I don't know. Something is pulling at me."
A heartbeat passed.
Then another.
And then—
The shadows moved.
Not with the wind.
Not because of light.
They moved because of her.
Dark tendrils crawled across the forest floor, curling over her boots, sliding up her legs in delicate, hungry spirals. Not harming — claiming. As if they recognized her.
Ronan snarled under his breath. "Not again…"
But Evelyn couldn't hear him anymore.
A pulse tore through her chest — violent, cold, electric.Her bones felt like they were splitting.Her blood felt like it was boiling.
She clutched her head and gasped, falling to her knees—
Ronan caught her before she hit the ground.
"Evelyn!"He shook her gently. "Stay with me. Look at me."
Her eyes unfocused, pupils shrinking to silver slits.
"I can see something," she whispered. "Flashes. Memories. But… they're not mine."
The shadows kept rising behind her — forming the shape of a tall woman made of moonlight and darkness. Her outline shimmered between human and wolf, as if she belonged to both worlds.
Ronan's breath hitched.
"Goddess…"
But Evelyn didn't see Ronan.
She saw her.
Silver flames filled her vision — a memory not hers:
Forests burning. Wolves kneeling. A woman bathed in moonlight, reaching desperately for something—For her.
Evelyn jerked, choking on a breath. "She called my name."
Ronan froze.
"How?" he whispered. "The Goddess doesn't speak to mortals."
But Evelyn wasn't mortal anymore.Not fully.
The shadow-woman floated closer, her face unreadable. The edges of her form flickered like a candle in a storm.
Evelyn rose shakily to her feet, even as Ronan tried to hold her back."It's okay," she whispered. "I don't think she wants to hurt me."
The Goddess-shaped shadow raised a hand and brushed its ghostly fingers along Evelyn's cheek. The air turned so cold Ronan saw frost form on Evelyn's skin.
A soft voice echoed in Evelyn's mind, ancient and cracked like shattered stone:
"Daughter of Night…your time approaches."
Ronan stiffened, stepping forward. "Daughter of— What the hell does that mean?"
The shadow ignored him.
"Wait," Evelyn said, voice trembling. "I'm not your—"
The shadow pressed a finger to her lips.
And the forest held its breath.
"He rejected you to live.""You survived to rise.""But power always demands a price."
Ronan growled. "Enough."He stepped between them. "Get away from her."
The shadow's head tilted — almost amused.Almost sad.
Then her voice sank deeper, darker:
"You cannot protect her from what she is."
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
A howl tore through the night — raw, harsh, desperate.
Ronan looked up sharply. "That's not my pack."
Another howl answered.Then another.Then dozens more.
Evelyn felt the vibration in the ground.
"The packs…" she whispered. "They're close."
The shadow turned back to her, lifting her hand as if placing something unseen into Evelyn's palm.
"They hunt what they fear.""They fear what they cannot control."
Ronan's eyes flashed gold. "If they come near her, they die."
But the Goddess's shadow wasn't finished.
Her entire form leaned close to Evelyn, darkness wrapping around Evelyn's throat like a chilling whisper.
Her voice thundered in Evelyn's skull:
"Your bond is not broken."
Evelyn's breath hitched.Ronan went stone still.
"He is yours…"The shadow's face flickered — motherly, mourning.
"…and you…"
The moon above them suddenly flared white.
"…are death to him."
Lightning cracked across the sky.
The shadow-woman shattered into a burst of black and silver dust.
The forest returned — loud, alive, hostile.
Evelyn collapsed with a cry.Ronan caught her instantly, pulling her into his chest, pressing his forehead against hers, his breath ragged.
"Evelyn. Look at me. Breathe."
Her eyes fluttered open.
Silver light glowed inside them.
"Ronan," she whispered, voice raw. "She said… they're coming for me. All of them."
Ronan slowly lifted his head toward the forest surrounding them — and saw glowing eyes staring back from every direction.Wolves in battle formation.Dozens of packs.All converging.
His lips lifted into a savage, deadly snarl.
"Then let them."
He stood up with Evelyn in his arms, every line of him promising violence.
"They want you?" he growled."They'll have to rip you from my corpse."
The wolves stepped closer, circling.
Evelyn felt her power inhale sharply — shadows rising, wrapping around her shoulders like a dark cloak.
Her heart whispered:
He is yours to save.
Her shadows whispered back:
He is yours to end.
The first wolf stepped into the light.
Ronan shifted slightly, his voice low, vibrating through her bones:
"Stay behind me."
But Evelyn's voice was cold and steady as the night.
"No, Ronan."
She stepped forward.
"I think they should stay behind us."