Chapter 8 The Wolves In The Dark

Celeste's pulse thundered.

The forest had gone silent again.

Not the normal kind of silence-the waiting kind.

The kind that came before a kill.

Ronan stood in front of her, calm, unshaken, his red eyes fixed on the shadows beyond the trees.

Celeste felt them before she saw them.

Not just wolves. Something else.

The scent hit her first-wrong. Rotten. Too sweet, too bitter, like something that had been alive for too long.

Then, they stepped forward.

Not many. Three.

But Celeste's wolf shrank back.

She had fought wolves before. She had even faced hunters.

But these?

These weren't normal.

Their fur was dark, too dark-black like a void, like they were swallowing the light. Their eyes weren't gold or brown like most wolves.

They were empty.

Void-like. Hollow.

A chill ran down Celeste's spine.

"What are they?" she whispered.

Ronan didn't answer.

Because he already knew.

The biggest wolf-the leader-shifted.

A tall man stood in his place, his dark cloak falling over his broad frame, his skin unnaturally pale.

His mouth curled into a slow, sharp grin.

"Hello, Duskbane," he murmured. "It's been a long time."

Ronan's shoulders tensed. "Not long enough."

Celeste's breath hitched. He knows them.

The man's hollow eyes flicked to her.

And he smiled wider.

"Well, well," he mused. "What do we have here?"

Celeste forced herself to stand her ground.

She refused to flinch.

But the longer he stared, the more she felt something wrong curling at the edges of her mind.

Like shadows slithering under her skin.

Her stomach twisted.

Magic.

Dark magic.

This wasn't a normal wolf. This was something else entirely.

The man inhaled slowly.

And then-his grin sharpened.

"Oh," he murmured. "Oh, now this is interesting."

Celeste's body locked.

He knew.

He knew what she was.

What she still didn't understand.

Before she could move, before she could react-Ronan was in front of her.

His body blocked hers entirely, shielding her from view.

His voice was low, dangerous.

"Say her name," he murmured. "And I'll rip your throat out."

A slow chuckle.

"Oh, Alpha," the man crooned. "But you already know, don't you? You've known since you touched her."

Celeste's breath hitched.

Ronan's entire body stilled.

And in that moment, she knew it was true.

He knew what she was.

And he hadn't told her.

Her hands fisted at her sides.

"Ronan," she said slowly. "What is he talking about?"

He didn't look at her.

Didn't move.

The leader smiled. "Oh dear," he sighed. "He hasn't told you?"

Celeste's nails bit into her palms.

She opened her mouth to demand the truth-but the man moved.

Too fast.

Too wrong.

His hand lifted, a wave of dark energy curling from his fingertips-

Ronan lunged.

He hit the man hard, knocking him back before the magic could reach them.

The forest erupted into chaos.

The other two wolves shifted instantly.

Celeste barely had time to react before the first one charged her.

Instinct took over.

She ducked, rolling away just in time to avoid razor-sharp teeth snapping at her throat.

She hit the ground hard, skidding through the leaves. Her pulse roared.

She scrambled to her feet, dagger in hand.

The wolf turned toward her, lips pulled back over gleaming teeth.

Too fast. Too strong. Too unnatural.

Celeste's wolf shivered.

Move. Move now.

She braced herself. She had one chance-one.

The wolf lunged.

Celeste threw herself forward-

But before she could reach it the world exploded in heat.

Not fire. Not light.

Something from within her.

Something buried deep.

The moment the wolf touched her-it stopped.

No, not stopped.

It froze.

Mid-lunge, mid-movement, suspended in the air.

Celeste stared.

What... what the hell-

Then, a snarl.

The moment shattered. The wolf hit the ground, whimpering, curling away like it had been burned.

Celeste couldn't breathe.

She looked down at her hands.

They were glowing.

Not brightly. Not enough to see.

But enough to feel.

Heat crackled beneath her skin, alive, thrumming.

Like a pulse.

Like a heartbeat.

Her stomach lurched.

Ronan had told her not to shift.

Had told her not to run.

Had told her she wasn't normal.

Celeste's breath shook.

Because now?

Now she knew it was true.

And so did they.

The lead wolf pushed to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. He looked at her not with anger.

With satisfaction.

And he smiled.

"Oh," he breathed. "There you are."

Celeste staggered back.

No. No, no, no.

He knew her.

He had been looking for her.

And Ronan-

Ronan had known the entire time.

Before she could speak, Ronan moved.

Fast. Too fast.

His body slammed into the man's, his claws digging into flesh, bone, muscle.

No hesitation.

No mercy.

And this time?

He didn't let him get back up.

The forest fell silent again.

Celeste's chest heaved.

The other wolves were dead.

The leader's body lay motionless in the dirt.

And Ronan?

Ronan turned back to her, his red eyes burning.

Celeste took a step back.

His jaw tightened.

"Don't," he growled.

She froze.

The silence stretched.

Then he exhaled sharply.

He lifted a hand.

And then, so quietly it broke something inside her

"Come here, Celeste."

And this time, she didn't run.