Darkness wasn't supposed to have weight.
But this one did.
Heavy.Thick.Alive.
The candles extinguished so violently that smoke spun in the air like startled spirits. The healers scrambled for the door—only for it to slam shut with a force that rattled the entire infirmary.
Ronan snarled, pulling Evelyn behind him as shadows swirled up the walls like ink in water.
"Show yourself," he growled, voice deepening with his Alpha power."I'm not playing games."
The shadows only deepened.
Evelyn clutched his arm."Ronan—don't provoke him."
Her voice shook.
Not from fear.But recognition.
"Evie," Ronan whispered, "what does he want with me?"
The air immediately shifted.
A cold whisper curled through the room, brushing the back of his neck like claws made of smoke.
"The Alpha asks the wrong question."
Ronan's heart slammed hard.Not from fear—he refused that.But the voice… the voice wasn't heard.
It was felt.
Inside bone.Inside blood.
Evelyn's knees buckled. Ronan caught her quickly, holding her against him as the shadows pooled into a single shape near the center of the room.
A silhouette.Tall.Crowned.Eyes burning faintly like dying stars.
Not fully formed—Not physical—But present.
Ronan pushed Evelyn slightly behind him again.
"You stay away from her."
The silhouette tilted its head.
"But she called me."
"I did not," Evelyn rasped.
The figure stepped forward—no sound, no footsteps, just darkness sliding like mist.
"Your power reached for me when you were dying."
Ronan's grip tightened around her hand.
"No," he growled."She was reaching for me."
The Shadow Father paused.
And smiled.
It was a terrifying thing—slow, wide, utterly cold.
"Alpha…"Darkness pulsed outward."You are the reason she almost died."
Ronan's rage snapped up instantly."What did you—"
But the figure ignored him, focusing fully on Evelyn.
"Your bond to him holds you back."
Evelyn's breath hitched.
Ronan felt her flinch and turned instantly.
"Evie, don't listen—he's trying to manipulate—"
But the Shadow Father's voice rolled over them like winter wind.
"You were born from darkness and moonlight. Not pack. Not territory. Not wolves."
The room shook. The healers sobbed into the floor.
Evelyn trembled, clutching her chest.
Ronan held her face gently."Evie, look at me."
But she couldn't. Her eyes were locked on that shadowed figure.
Her voice was small.
"…What am I?"
The Shadow Father answered without hesitation.
"Mine."
Ronan's entire body shifted halfway into his wolf, a deep, vibrating snarl shaking the walls.
"She… will never belong to you."
The silhouette leaned closer, eyes narrowing.
"Then why does she carry my mark?"
Silence slammed into the room.
Ronan froze.
Evelyn froze.
The healers whimpered.
"What mark?" Ronan whispered.
The shadows behind Evelyn flared—then wrapped around her left shoulder, pulling the fabric aside.
A symbol glowed beneath her skin.
A crest made of swirling black lines and pale violet light—Like a constellation twisted into a sigil.
Ronan staggered back a step.
"No…"His voice cracked."No, no—Evie—"
Evelyn looked horrified, tears welling in her eyes.
"I didn't know—Ronan, I didn't—"
The Shadow Father straightened, darkness curling like a cloak.
"Your little Alpha has been trying to protect you from a power older than his entire lineage."
Ronan lunged—
"ENOUGH!"
—but the shadow struck first.
A tendril of darkness shot forward, piercing Ronan's chest—not physically, but spiritually.
Ronan gasped, dropping to one knee.
Evelyn screamed.
"RONAN!"
He clutched his chest, breath ripped from his lungs as his power flickered.
The Shadow Father's whisper curled around Ronan's ear.
Cold.Ancient.Final.
"I mark what is mine."
Ronan forced himself to stand—shaking, trembling—but his eyes were blazing.
"And I protect who is mine."
The shadows recoiled in irritation.
Evelyn threw herself between them.
"STOP! Enough! Don't hurt him!"
The room went silent.
The Shadow Father tilted his head, studying her—studying the girl who dared put herself between an Alpha and an ancient darkness.
And for the first time, his voice softened.
"Then choose, child."
Ronan's heart stopped.
Evelyn's breath froze.
"Light… or shadow?"
The shadows closed in.
The moonlight outside flickered.
And Evelyn realized—
Whatever she chose…
Would change the world.