Chapter 3 The Alpha's Shadow

Elara's POV

The market square always carried the same scent of earth, smoke, and roasting chestnuts, but today something darker lingered beneath it, coiled in the air like a storm waiting to break. I carried a basket close to my chest, weaving past neighbors who offered their polite smiles and sharp whispers in equal measure. It had always been this way-my life spent under the weight of eyes that saw me as different, cursed even, though no one dared speak it aloud.

I had grown skilled at silence.

Yet silence did not prepare me for the sudden hush that rippled through the square. It spread like frost over a windowpane, stilling laughter and pinning everyone in place. One by one, villagers lowered their voices, gazes fixed on the road that cut through the heart of Bloodmoon Hollow.

Hooves struck the packed dirt in measured rhythm. Shadows shifted. And then I saw him.

The Alpha.

Kalen Blackthorn rode into the square astride a midnight stallion, his frame towering, his presence undeniable. His cloak swept the air like a wing of darkness, and his gaze, sharp as glass, scanned the people who bowed their heads without hesitation. Not a soul dared meet his eyes, except me.

I had heard whispers of him all my life-ruthless, cursed, untouchable. He was said to be more beast than man, a wolf who carried the ruin of his bloodline on his shoulders. Children were warned to keep out of his woods. Women spoke of him in half-breaths, as though uttering his name might summon his shadow.

But none of those whispers prepared me for the sight of him in flesh.

His eyes were not the cold black I expected, nor the golden gleam of a wolf's hunger. They were silver, gleaming like the edge of a blade beneath moonlight. They caught me where I stood, nailed me in place, and for a heartbeat I forgot to breathe.

He did not look away.

The villagers bent their spines deeper. My hands tightened around the wicker handle until it creaked. A tremor worked its way down my arms, but I forced myself to stay still, to lift my chin though my pulse hammered in my throat.

I told myself I should not care. He was an Alpha, a shadow draped in curse and blood, a man who ruled through fear. And yet, something pulled at me, as though the silver in his gaze recognized something buried inside me.

Kalen's stallion slowed as he passed. For a breath, for a heartbeat, the world narrowed to him and me. His eyes dragged across my face with the weight of recognition, a flicker of surprise flashing before it was buried beneath that unbreakable mask.

Then his gaze cut away, and I could breathe again.

The villagers murmured as he disappeared beyond the square, his guards trailing like shades of iron and steel. I heard snippets of their hushed tones-warnings, curses, speculation-but none of it mattered. My blood sang with an ache I did not understand.

What had he seen in me?

I gathered my courage, clutching the basket to my chest as I left the square. The shadows of the woods stretched at the edge of the road, and something deep within them called me. I thought of the claw marks carved into the trees, the whispers of hunters who never returned, the way the night seemed to breathe when I dared to linger too close.

But tonight, my thoughts were not of the forest's hunger. They were of silver eyes that had looked straight through me.

Night fell quickly in Bloodmoon Hollow. Candles glowed in windows like watchful eyes, and the forest pressed closer with every breath of wind. I sat by the fire, pretending to read from a weathered book, though my gaze did not follow the words.

Visions flickered at the edges of my mind. Flames that consumed the sky. A wolf's howl that cracked the heavens. My hands were drenched in blood that was not my own. They came as they always did, sudden and merciless, leaving me trembling with questions I could not ask.

Why me?

The door creaked under a sudden knock. My breath hitched. We rarely had visitors. Slowly, I rose, my feet carrying me to the threshold. When I opened the door, cold air swept inside, carrying the scent of pine and smoke.

No one stood there. Only the whispering dark.

And then, from the tree line beyond the path, two silver eyes glowed.

My heart stills.

He was there. Watching.

The Alpha had followed me.

I did not know if I should slam the door or step into the night. Every instinct screamed that I should run, that his world was fire and fangs, and mine was fragile silence. But those eyes held me again, and I could not move.

For the second time that day, I felt seen in a way that frightened me more than the shadows in the woods ever had.

He took one step forward, and the darkness seemed to bend around him.

"Elara," he said, his voice low, carrying my name as though he had always known it.

The sound of it cut through me like lightning.

How did he know my name?

The question froze on my lips as his eyes narrowed, sharp and searching. For a heartbeat, I thought he might speak again, but instead he turned away, vanishing into the woods as if he had never been there.

I stood trembling in the doorway, my blood burning with questions I could not silence.

And then the visions came again-sharper this time. Silver eyes against fire. A wolf's snarl tearing the night. My name screamed by a voice I could not see.

When I collapsed against the doorframe, gasping, I knew my quiet life was ending.

The Alpha had found me.

And he was not letting go.

Elara's life is no longer her own. Kalen has spoken her name, and the bond neither of them fully understands is beginning to awaken. The shadows around Bloodmoon Hollow are watching, and the first sign of the curse will strike before dawn.