Chapter 15
The darkness outside was so thick it felt like it was pressing against the windows,
suffocating the weak glow of the moon. I slid into the car that had come for me, my breath sharp as I settled into the leather seat. It was 3 a.m., the hour when secrets and fears hid best in shadows, and the pack grounds lay silent–still, almost like they knew. Like they were holding their breath.
As the driver, a silent, shadowy figure in a crisp, dark suit, closed the door and took his place at the wheel, my heart surged, each beat echoing against my ribs. It wasn‘ t just fear; no, excitement twisted there too, deep and undeniable. My gaze flickered back to the packhouse as it vanished into the fog, its tall,
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silent frame slowly swallowed by the mist and shadows.
This is really happening. I took a shaky breath, my fingers knotting together, pressing my palms hard against each other, a weak attempt to ground myself. The weight of everything I was leaving behind hung heavy in the air–the familiar faces, the daily routines, the memories of laughter and arguments, all fading away in the car’s rearview mirror.
A new life. A fresh start. Words I had repeated to myself like a chant, but they felt heavier now, real and inescapable. Soon, I would stand beside my mate–the Alpha King. Soon, I would be his. I’d imagined this moment a thousand times, but now that it was here, my thoughts turned to him, wondering what he
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would be like. Would he be ruthless, as they said, with eyes that could pierce through stone? Or would he surprise me, soften in a way I couldn’t predict? Did it matter?
No, I reminded myself. This wasn’t about what he was like or how he would treat me. It was about survival, about finally finding relief from the pain that had haunted me for so long. My lycan blood had always burned within me, wild and untamed, each transformation a relentless agony that left me weakened, raw. But now…now there was hope. His bite would stabilize me, tether me to something powerful enough to calm the chaos in my veins. No more sleepless nights of wrenching pain, no more feeling like I was a stranger in my own body.
The car hit a bump, jolting me from my
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thoughts, and I clenched my hands tighter. I didn’t care what he looked like, whether his gaze was cold as winter or if he was every bit the warrior the stories painted him to be. This was my path, and I had no choice but to walk it. My fate was bound to him now, a choice that had been made long before tonight.
This was my destiny, and even though my heart was racing, a strange calmness settled over me as the car moved on through the shadows.
THIRD PERSON’S POV
As dawn broke over the Shadow Pack grounds, Kayden sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes against the faint light spilling through the window. His sleep had been fitful, his
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the window. His sleep had been fitful, his mind troubled by strange dreams of Malinda slipping through his fingers, disappearing into the shadows. He’d brushed it off as nonsense, but the knot of unease refused to leave him.
He padded out of his room, his footsteps light as he made his way to the kitchen where Francis was already leaning against the counter, a mug of coffee in hand.
“Rough night?” Kayden asked, noting the
tired look in his brother’s eyes.
Francis nodded, his gaze distant. “Couldn‘ t
sleep,” he murmured.
Kayden poured himself a cup, frowning.
“Why?”
Francis ran a hand through his hair,
Chapter 15
frustration lacing his features. “It‘ s Malinda,” he admitted quietly. “I had a dream, she was running away from us.”
Kayden laughed, though the sound was strained. “She’s probably just sleeping in,” he said, forcing lightness into his tone. “She was acting pretty secretive yesterday, but it’s not like she’s just going to up and leave.”
But even as he said it, Kayden couldn’t shake the strange tightness in his chest. The way Malinda had spoken yesterday, cold and dismissive–it had been so unlike her. And that mountain of gifts… something had changed. She was holding something back, something important.
“Should we check on her?” Francis asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied Kayden‘ s
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expression.
Kayden hesitated, then set his coffee down, his mind made up. “Yeah.”
They slipped outside and crossed the grounds to Malinda’s quarters. The silence around them seemed heavier, as though the whole pack held its breath. When they reached her door, Kayden rapped his knuckles against it, listening to any sign of movement inside. But there was nothing.
“Malinda?” he called, knocking again.
Still no answer.
With a glance at each other, Francis twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. The sight that met their eyes made Kayden’s stomach drop. The room was empty. Completely empty. Not a trace of her
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emained–no clothes, no bags, not even her scent lingered in the air.
Francis‘ s voice was hoarse, filled with a mix
of anger and hurt. “She’s gone.”
