Chapter 68 Whispers of Fate Quinton's POV The moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale silver light across the forest. It was quiet—too quiet. The stillness gnawed at me, and for once, it wasn’t the usual tension that came with the night. Something felt off. My instincts had been in overdrive since that encounter with Fiona’s hidden power, but tonight, it was different. It felt like the entire forest was holding its breath. I glanced over at Fiona, her face half-lit by the moonlight, and for a second, everything in me stilled. The way the light kissed her skin, how her hair shimmered in that faint glow—it stirred something deep in my chest. More than just the instinct to protect. I wanted her, needed her by my side more than ever before."Quinton," she murmured, breaking the silence. "What’s wrong? You’re too quiet."I gave her a reassuring smile, but my gut told me otherwise. "Just keeping an ear out. Something feels… off." I didn't want to burden her with my concerns, not w
Chapter 69The Darkness WithinFiona’s POVThe smell of burnt ash lingered in the air, a stark reminder of what we’d just faced. My heart was still pounding, but the adrenaline was starting to wear off, leaving me feeling drained. I glanced at Quinton, his chest rising and falling heavily as he struggled to catch his breath. His wolf had taken the brunt of the fight, but I knew this was far from over.We stood in the eerie silence of the forest, our only company the faint rustling of the trees. The crack in the earth where the creature had emerged was still smoldering, a blackened scar in the ground. I exhaled slowly, my hand trembling as I tried to gather my thoughts. “What was that thing?”Quinton wiped the blood from his mouth, his jaw tense as he surveyed the surroundings. “Something far worse than what we’ve faced so far. I’ve never seen anything like it.”There was an edge to his voice, a mix of anger and fear that unsettled me. If Quinton was this shaken, then whatever we were
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