Chapter 70The Mark of ShadowsQuinton’s POVThe sun was starting to dip below the horizon, casting the sky in deep shades of amber and crimson. The tension in the air hung heavy like a storm waiting to break. Fiona and I hadn’t spoken much since our encounter with the woman in the woods, both of us lost in our own thoughts. But something was coming. I could feel it.My senses were on high alert, the primal instincts of my wolf stirring beneath the surface. I glanced at Fiona, who was pacing nearby, clearly unsettled. The woman’s warning had hit her hard, but we didn’t have time to dwell on it. We needed to stay ahead of whatever was coming for us.Just as I was about to say something, a sharp crack echoed through the trees, cutting through the silence like a knife. Instantly, my wolf reacted, muscles tensing as I turned toward the sound.“Quinton, did you hear that?” Fiona’s voice was low, wary.I nodded, my eyes scanning the treeline. “We’re not alone.”Suddenly, a figure stepped ou
Chapter 71The Shadow of BetrayalQuinton’s POVThe silence between Fiona and me lingered as we moved through the dense forest, the weight of Kade’s words pressing heavily on my mind. The deeper we ventured, the more the trees seemed to close in, casting long shadows that danced in the dimming light. Each step felt heavy, like the world was closing around us, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was lurking just beyond the trees, waiting to strike.“Quinton,” Fiona’s voice was barely above a whisper, her hand gripping mine tightly. “Do you think he’ll come back?”I glanced over at her, catching the flicker of fear in her eyes. “He will,” I said, my voice low and grim. “But we’ll be ready next time.”She nodded, though her expression didn’t match the confidence I was trying to instill. The encounter with Kade had rattled us both, but for Fiona, it was deeper. His cryptic words about the darkness inside her, about powers she didn’t fully understand, were taking their toll. An
Chapter 72The Price of SecretsFiona’s POVThe silence after Lukas’s sudden departure was suffocating. My heart was still pounding, my hands trembling as I knelt beside Quinton, who was still rubbing his throat where Lukas had nearly choked him. His eyes met mine, and I could see the same mix of confusion and anger swirling in their depths that I felt inside."What was that?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, afraid that speaking too loudly would somehow summon Lukas back from the shadows.Quinton shook his head, his voice hoarse. "I don’t know. But that wasn’t a normal wolf—or human. He’s something else."I swallowed hard, my mind racing. Lukas’s words echoed in my head: *You’ve taken something from me*. But what could he possibly mean? And why did it feel like he wasn’t talking just to Quinton but to me as well?Quinton stood, still a little unsteady, and reached for my hand. "We need to move. We can’t stay here any longer, not with him out there."I nodded, though a part o
Chapter 73Unseen ThreatQuinton’s POVThe tension in the air was thick as Fiona and I stood there in the aftermath of Lucian’s sudden retreat. I could still feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, my body on high alert, every instinct screaming to protect her. But what had happened back there? Fiona’s power—it was like nothing I’d ever seen. The raw energy that had erupted from her was dangerous, wild, and unpredictable.I glanced at her, her hands still trembling, her eyes wide as she stared at them like they didn’t belong to her. She was terrified—of herself, of what she was capable of.“Are you okay?” I asked, stepping closer, my voice soft.She shook her head slightly, her breath uneven. “I… I didn’t mean to. I don’t even know what I did.”I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to steady her. “You saved us, Fiona. You did what you had to.”Her eyes met mine, filled with doubt. “But what if I lose control again? What if… what if next time, I hurt you?”The fear in her voic
Chapter 74The Edge of DarknessFiona’s POVGabriel's words hung heavy in the air, lingering like a dark cloud over Quinton and me as we stood in the clearing. The forest was quiet now, unnaturally so, as if it was holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen next. I felt my chest tighten with the weight of everything. Who was this Gabriel? Could we trust him? Every part of me screamed no, but what choice did we have?Quinton's body was tense beside me, his wolf instincts on full alert. I could feel his need to protect me radiating off him, but I also knew that something about Gabriel intrigued him. Maybe it was the chance to gain an advantage over Lukas and Lucian, or maybe it was the desperation we both felt as we realized we were being hunted."Why now?" I asked, my voice cutting through the thick silence. "Why reveal yourself to us now, Gabriel?"Gabriel's eyes flickered toward me, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw something—pain, or maybe regret. But it vanished as
Chapter 75Shadow of BetrayalQuinton’s POVThe moment Gabriel led us deeper into the woods, I felt the tension in my chest rise. Something wasn’t right. Everything about this situation screamed danger, but Fiona and I had no other choice. Lukas had the upper hand, and this was our best chance of stopping him. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Gabriel was leading us into a trap.“Stay close,” I whispered to Fiona, my hand resting protectively on her lower back. She nodded, her eyes sharp and focused, but I could feel the nervous energy radiating off her.Gabriel walked ahead of us, moving with a fluid grace that unnerved me. He was too calm, too collected. The forest was still eerily quiet, and it felt like the trees themselves were watching us, waiting to see what would unfold.I didn’t trust him. Not for a second.“Are you sure about this?” Fiona whispered, her voice barely audible.I hesitated before answering. “No. But we don’t have much of a choice, do we?”Her eyes flicke
Chapter 76Echoes of DeceptionFiona’s POVThe clearing was silent, save for the rapid beating of my heart. My breath came in shallow gasps as I watched Gabriel vanish into the shadows, leaving Quinton and me standing over Victor’s barely conscious form. Quinton looked at me, concern etched into his face, but there was something deeper, something unspoken between us. He wanted to protect me, to shield me from all this danger, but he knew just as I did—there was no turning back now. We were in this together, for better or for worse.“Are you okay?” His voice was strained, as if speaking the words took effort.I nodded, still catching my breath. “I’m fine. Are you?”He grunted in response, clearly hurting from the brawl, but he wouldn’t let it show. Quinton’s strength was both his greatest weapon and his biggest weakness. He carried the weight of every battle, every danger we faced as if it was his sole responsibility. And now, standing in the aftermath of another close call, I could s
Chapter 77Tangled FatesFiona's POVThe air crackled with lingering energy as I collapsed into Quinton’s embrace, the force of the power I’d just unleashed still thrumming through my veins. My head swirled, a strange combination of exhaustion and exhilaration. The stones in the clearing had responded to me in a way I hadn’t expected—like they had been waiting for me, for this moment. “What just happened?” I whispered, trying to make sense of the chaos that had unfolded. Quinton held me tightly, his heartbeat slowing as we stood in the eerie silence that followed the blast. The forest around us was still, as if the earth itself was holding its breath, waiting for what would come next.“I don’t know,” he admitted, his breath warm against my ear. “But whatever you did… it worked.”I looked up at him, my eyes searching his for any reassurance. “This power—I didn’t even know I had it. It’s like… it’s like it’s growing, and I don’t understand it.”Quinton’s gaze softened, his hand cuppin