Chapter 29The Rising TideFiona's POVThe forest felt alive with danger. Every breath I took seemed to vibrate with the ominous energy crackling in the air, and I could feel it in the pit of my stomach—a storm was coming, and we were standing right in its path.The howl that had pierced the night moments ago still echoed in my ears, a haunting sound that sent chills down my spine. I tried to focus, to steady my breathing, but the fear gnawing at my insides wouldn’t relent. Quinton was right beside me, his presence grounding in a way I desperately needed right now. Yet, even with him here, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were walking into something far beyond our control.“What do we do?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. It felt like the darkness around us was listening, waiting for a sign of weakness.Quinton’s eyes scanned the tree line, his jaw tight with tension. “We need to move, now. Whatever’s out there, it’s getting closer, and we can’t be caught out in the open.”I no
Chapter 30Dark HorizonsFiona’s POVThe world faded back into focus, and the first thing I noticed was the cold. I blinked, trying to shake off the dizziness that clung to my senses, but the chill bit through my skin like icy tendrils. My surroundings were unfamiliar, a stark contrast to the thick, vibrant forest we’d just been in. Instead, I stood in a dimly lit, cavernous space. Stone walls loomed high, casting shadows that seemed to move on their own.The man—no, the monster—who had kidnapped me still had his hand wrapped tightly around my arm. His grip was firm but not painful, as though he knew I wouldn’t—or couldn’t—run. I wanted to shift, to break free and tear into him with my wolf’s teeth, but my body wasn’t responding. Something about this place sapped my strength, leaving me disoriented and vulnerable.“Where are we?” I forced the words out through clenched teeth, trying to keep the fear from showing in my voice.He didn’t answer immediately, instead releasing me with a ca
Chapter 31Shattered EchoesFiona's POVThe cavern walls pressed in on me as I made my way through the passageway. Every step echoed against the stone, the oppressive silence only amplifying the sound of my rapid heartbeat. The air was colder now, and with each breath, I could see the mist escaping my lips. My mind raced as I tried to process what had just happened, but the harder I tried to make sense of it, the more tangled it all became.Alpha bloodline? The very idea seemed absurd, but Elian’s words clung to me like a shadow I couldn’t shake. What if he was telling the truth? What if everything I knew about myself—about my family—was a lie?I needed answers. And more than that, I needed to get out of here.The further I walked, the narrower the tunnel became, and I started to feel trapped. I hated enclosed spaces; it made my wolf restless, desperate to break free. My claws itched beneath my skin, and I had to take a few deep breaths to keep myself from shifting. If there was one t
Chapter 32Lurking ShadowsQuinton's POVThe night air was thick with tension as I paced in front of the cabin, my thoughts a tangled mess of frustration and worry. I could feel the weight of the moon above, not yet full, but enough to send ripples of power through my veins. The wolf inside me was restless, prowling just beneath the surface, and the longer I waited, the more impatient it grew.Fiona should have been back by now.I clenched my fists, trying to rein in the growing unease gnawing at me. She was strong—stronger than most—but something about this whole situation didn’t sit right with me. Ever since Elian’s cryptic message, I’d had this gut feeling that we were walking into a trap, and now, with Fiona missing, that feeling had only grown worse.“Where the hell is she?” I muttered under my breath, my eyes scanning the surrounding woods. The darkness seemed to press in on all sides, and even with my heightened senses, I couldn’t pick up any trace of her scent. It was as if sh
Chapter 34The Edge of ControlQuinton’s POVThe sight of Fiona crumpling to the ground beneath that beast haunted my every step. Blood trickled from her shoulder, soaking the earth as I ran toward her. Time seemed to stretch, but I reached her in a heartbeat. My wolf growled and howled within me, urging me to destroy the creature that had dared harm her.With a savage roar, I launched myself at the creature still hovering over her, my claws raking its side. The thing barely registered the blow, turning its glowing eyes on me. It didn’t seem alive—it was like it was possessed by something darker, something that had already claimed its soul. I tore into it with everything I had, letting my rage fuel me. The creature screeched, a sound that made my ears ring, but it finally went limp beneath me.I barely noticed. My attention was only on Fiona, whose body lay motionless at my feet."Fiona!" My voice was rough, desperate.I dropped to my knees beside her, brushing her blood-soaked hair f
Chapter 35Shadows Of The PastQuinton's POV As I stood over Fiona, the weight of the bond thick in the air, I could feel something pulling—dragging us deeper into a space I didn’t recognize. My wolf stirred, agitated and restless. The connection between Fiona and me had always been powerful, but what I was facing now was different, darker. This wasn’t just about saving her. It was about something larger, something ancient that had been awoken by the darkness.I clenched my fists, trying to ground myself as the sensation of burning coursed through my veins. My father’s voice echoed in my mind, instructing me to hold the bond and pull out the poison. But it wasn’t just poison. It was a curse.The darkness inside Fiona wasn’t simply from the bite of that creature. It was tied to something else. The moment I tapped into her essence, I saw fragments of her memories—ones she didn’t know I was seeing. Dark flashes of a time long ago, of blood and pain, of a pact made in desperation. I cou
Chapter 35The ConsequencesQuinton’s POVThe moment Fiona stepped forward, my heart sank. I didn’t know what she was choosing, but whatever it was, it felt like the ground had just dropped from beneath us. The air around us grew thick, charged with something dark and ancient, like the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for the inevitable.The woman—this strange figure who’d appeared out of nowhere—nodded in approval, her lips curling into a smile that chilled me to my core.“You’ve made the right choice,” she said, her voice smooth but laced with something predatory. “Now we can begin.”“Begin what?” I growled, stepping closer to Fiona, my hand brushing her arm as if touching her could tether her to reality, to me. “What the hell did she choose?”The woman’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight as she glanced between Fiona and me. “That is not for you to know, Quinton. Not yet. This is a journey Fiona must take on her own.”Fiona flinched at the woman’s words, and I could feel th
Chapter 36Descent into DarknessFiona’s POVThe world felt distant as my vision blurred. I wasn’t fully conscious of what was happening, but the thick tension in the air was impossible to ignore. Quinton’s voice called out to me from the edge of consciousness, his touch anchoring me, but the more I tried to respond, the further I felt from reality. I was stuck in the space between waking and a nightmare, tethered to something that refused to let me go.I could feel it—the darkness inside of me. It pulsed, alive and sinister, feeding off something deeper within my blood. It was as though it had always been there, lying dormant, just waiting for the right moment to rise. The idea of a prophecy tied to my family made no sense, but the truth was undeniable now. There were secrets buried in my bloodline that I never even imagined.The pain in my chest was sharp, spreading outward as if something was clawing its way through my veins. It wasn’t just the wound from the attack—it was more, so