Fated to the shadow Alpha

Adele Kenneth's POV

Moonlight painted silver streaks across the dense forest, the whispering wind sending chills down my spine. My heart pounded in my chest, louder than the rustling leaves beneath my bare feet. They would find me soon- I had no doubt. The moment I shifted, everything changed.

The pack never expected me to survive my first transformation. For years, they mocked my weak bloodline, an omega with no rank, no power, nothing to offer. But tonight, my wolf emerged with a strength that sent fear rippling through them.

Torn branches lashed at my skin as I sprinted through the trees, lungs burning with each frantic breath. The scent of damp earth mixed with my own fear, a potent combination that would only make it easier for them to track me. I needed to keep running, to put as much distance as possible between me and the hell I was leaving behind. A deep snarl echoed behind me. My pulse leapt. They were closing in.

Panic clawed at my throat, but I pushed forward, legs trembling from the shift still fresh in my body. My wolf whined in protest, urging me to stop, to fight, but I wasn't ready. The odds were against me- I was alone.

A branch snapped just ahead. My instincts screamed a warning, but it was too late. A massive shape lunged from the darkness, knocking me off my feet. My body slammed into the dirt, the force of impact stealing the air from my lungs. Hot breath ghosted over my neck.

Alpha Maddox.

The scent of pine and blood filled my nostrils. His wolf loomed over me, amber eyes gleaming with rage.

"Running, are we?" His voice was a growl, filled with venom. "Did you really think you could escape, Adele?"

My body refused to move, every muscle locked in terror.

"You were never meant to survive," he continued, claws sinking into my arm as he leaned closer. "A pathetic omega like you... carrying the mark of something unnatural."

He knew.

He had seen it the moment I shifted-my wolf wasn't ordinary. It was stronger. Faster. Something ancient that shouldn't exist in a runt like me.

His claws dug deeper, pain searing through my skin. My wolf snarled inside me, anger rising like a wildfire. A howl split the night. A sound so deep and commanding it sent shivers through the air.

Maddox stiffened.

Another presence stalked from the shadows, its power suffocating.

A wolf, larger than any I had ever seen, stepped into the moonlight. Midnight black fur rippled over a body carved for war, and golden eyes locked onto me with an intensity that made my breath hitch.

Drake Anders.

The Shadow Alpha.

My fated mate.

Drake Anders' POV

The scent of blood tainted the air, thick with the stench of fear.

My wolf prowled forward, every muscle coiled with lethal precision. I had been tracking this moment for days, drawn by a pull I couldn't explain. Now, standing in the clearing, I understood why.

A girl lay on the ground, fragile in the grip of the wolf above her.

Maddox.

A growl rumbled deep in my chest, vibrating through the ground. He was nothing more than a coward, preying on the weak to feel powerful.

His head snapped up, eyes narrowing.

"This is Bloodmoon territory," he sneered. "Stay out of pack business, Anders."

His mistake was thinking I gave a damn about his rules.

My gaze dropped to the girl beneath him. Adele. Her name surfaced in my mind like a whisper, unbidden but unshakable. She was mine. Everything inside me screamed it.

Maddox had his claws in what belonged to me.

My wolf surged forward before I could stop him. A blur of movement, a flash of fangs-Maddox barely had time to react before I slammed into him, sending him sprawling across the ground.

Adele gasped, scrambling back as I stood between them.

A warning growl rumbled from my throat. "Touch her again, and I'll rip your heart out."

Maddox staggered to his feet, eyes dark with fury. "You don't know what she is."

"I don't need to." My voice was deadly calm. "She's mine."

Shock flickered across his face. The weight of my words sank in.. Fated mates. The bond pulsed between us, invisible yet undeniable.

Maddox's lip curled, but he wasn't foolish enough to challenge me. He knew he couldn't win. With a final snarl, he turned and disappeared into the trees. Silence stretched between us. Adele still hadn't moved. She looked at me, eyes wide, body trembling.

"Why?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

My fingers curled into fists. "Because fate doesn't make mistakes."

Her breath hitched. Neither of us spoke. But deep down, I knew- this was only the beginning.

Adele Kenneth's POV

The forest had never felt so silent. No more snarls, no more threats, just the soft rustling of leaves and the heavy presence of the man who had saved me. My pulse pounded in my ears, each frantic beat reminding me that this moment was real.

Drake Anders.

The name alone had haunted my nightmares. The Shadow Alpha, a legend whispered in fear, a man whose presence could command silence in a room filled with warriors. And now, he stood before me, golden eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that sent my breath hitching.

Heat radiated from his body, the sharp scent of pine and raw power surrounding me. Every fiber of my being screamed to run, but something deeper held me in place. He was my mate.

The realization crashed into me like a tidal wave, stealing the ground from beneath my feet. This wasn't supposed to happen. The Moon Goddess had cursed me with a fate I didn't understand, tying me to a man I should fear, not crave.

Drake's gaze darkened. "You're hurt."

His voice sent a shiver down my spine, deep and commanding, laced with something I couldn't decipher. He stepped forward, and instinct forced me to retreat. My back pressed against the rough bark of a tree, breath coming in uneven gasps.

He stopped. A muscle in his jaw twitched, as if restraining himself.

"I won't hurt you," he murmured.

Words meant nothing. Everyone who had ever promised me safety had turned their back on me. My pack, my so-called family, had cast me aside the moment I showed signs of being different. Trusting him would be a mistake.

"You don't even know me," I whispered. "Why did you save me?"

Something flickered in his eyes-something primal, unyielding. "Because you belong to me."

The words sent a bolt of heat through my chest, but I clenched my fists, shoving down the unwelcome sensation.

"You don't get to decide that," I shot back, lifting my chin despite the tremble in my limbs.

Drake's lips curled into something almost amused, but the hunger behind it sent a wave of nervous energy through me.

"You think fate gives us a choice?" he murmured, voice softer, deadlier. "I can feel you, Adele. Every heartbeat. Every breath. You are mine, whether you accept it or not."

A shudder ran through me, not from fear, but from something far more dangerous.

Drake watched me for a moment longer, then took a slow step back. "You need rest. There's a cabin nearby. You'll be safe there."

Leaving with him was reckless. Staying in this forest was suicide.

Trapped between two impossible choices, I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.

Drake Anders' POV

The girl had fire. Even cornered, wounded, and shaken, she still dared to defy me.

Adele.

Her name coiled in my mind like a whisper of something forbidden.

The moment I caught her scent, something in me had shifted. Not just instinct. Something deeper. She wasn't just my mate-she was something else. Something... wrong.

Maddox had known it too. That bastard wouldn't have been chasing her otherwise.

Adele walked beside me, quiet but tense, as if waiting for me to turn on her. The thought irritated me more than it should.

"How far is this place?" she asked, arms wrapped around herself.

"Not far."

Her scent lingered in the cool air-wild, untouched, laced with something ancient. It was driving my wolf insane.

"You're limping," I observed.

"I'm fine."

Stubborn little thing.

The truth was, she wasn't fine. I had seen the way Maddox's claws had dug into her, the way she had curled in on herself when he'd cornered her. She might be strong, but she wasn't invincible.

The cabin came into view through the trees, a secluded refuge I used when I needed to escape the politics of pack life. Small but sturdy, nestled between towering pines, it was the closest thing to peace I had.

I pushed open the door and motioned for her to enter. She hesitated.

"I'm not going to lock you inside," I said dryly. "Unless you give me a reason to."

Her glare would have been more intimidating if she wasn't barely standing.

Stepping inside, she glanced around before sinking onto the couch with an exhausted sigh.

"You live here?" she asked.

"Sometimes."

She didn't press further. Smart girl.

Grabbing a first aid kit, I crouched beside her, reaching for her arm. She flinched.

I tensed. "I told you-I won't hurt you."

Adele swallowed, her breathing uneven, but after a moment, she let me touch her.

Her skin was too soft beneath my fingers, too fragile for the world she had been thrown into. Anger burned beneath my ribs at the thought of what Maddox had done.

Gently, I cleaned the wounds, watching her face for signs of discomfort. She refused to make a sound, even when I knew it stung.

"Why was he after you?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of her torn jeans. "Because I shifted."

I frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Shifting is normal."

"Not for me." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "They thought I was weak. Useless. But my wolf... it wasn't what they expected."

A flicker of something sharp twisted in my gut.

"What do you mean?"

Adele hesitated, then lifted her gaze to mine. In the dim light, her eyes burned gold, the same shade as mine. But that wasn't possible. Only Alphas had eyes like that. Understanding struck like a lightning bolt. She wasn't just any omega. She was something else entirely.

"You're not supposed to exist," I murmured.

Her jaw clenched. "Trust me, I know."

The room fell into silence, thick with unspoken truths.

Adele turned her face away, staring at the crackling fire. For the first time since I found her, she looked tired, not just from the night, but from years of being forced into a world that didn't want her. My wolf growled low in my chest. No one would ever touch her again. Whether she wanted it or not, she was mine now.

Adele Kenneth's POV

Heat from the fire brushed against my skin, its flickering glow barely easing the chill that had settled deep inside me. No matter how close I sat to the flames, the cold lingered- not from the night air, but from the weight of everything that had happened.

Drake moved with quiet efficiency, his presence a force even in the stillness of the cabin. The way he carried himself, the way his golden eyes missed nothing- it made my skin prickle with awareness. He was dangerous, not just because of his reputation, but because of what he made me feel.

A mate.

The word alone felt foreign. I had dreamed of finding one, of someone who would choose me despite my low status. The Moon Goddess had a cruel sense of humor, binding me to an Alpha whose very name made warriors tremble.

A deep breath steadied my nerves. Worrying wouldn't change anything.

"You need sleep," Drake said, breaking the silence. "Your body is still adjusting to the shift."

The reminder sent a ripple of unease through me. My shift. My wolf. The way Maddox had reacted to it. Something was different about me, something I didn't understand.

"You saw it, didn't you?" I murmured, fingers tightening in the blanket he had given me. "My wolf. It's not normal."

Drake's gaze locked onto mine. Shadows danced in his eyes, unreadable. "I saw enough to know your pack was afraid of you."

"They had every right to be."

His expression didn't change, but something in his posture shifted. "Explain."

Words stuck in my throat. No one had ever asked before. No one had cared enough to hear my side of the story.

"My mother was an omega. Weak. Dispensable." A hollow laugh escaped. "She died when I was young, and the pack saw me as nothing more than a burden. Until now, I had never shifted, never shown any real strength. They thought I was broken."

Drake remained silent, letting me speak.

"Then it happened. The shift was... violent. Painful. When I finally looked in the water, my wolf's eyes weren't brown like before."

A slow exhale left me. "They were gold."

Drake's fingers curled against the armrest of the chair. "You're not an omega."

"The Bloodmoon pack would disagree."

"They're fools." His voice hardened. "Gold eyes belong to Alphas or something close to them. Your wolf isn't just different- it's rare."

Rare. The word settled uneasily in my chest. Rare meant dangerous. Rare meant hunted.

"My entire life, they treated me like I was nothing. Now, they treat me like I'm something worse." The blanket tightened around my shoulders. "What does that make me, Drake?"

His silence stretched too long.

"Mine."

The single word sent heat racing up my spine.

Something flickered in his gaze, something untamed. He wasn't just saying it because of the bond. He meant it.

"You should rest," he murmured again, voice softer this time.

Sleep felt impossible, but exhaustion weighed on me like a heavy chain. Lying down on the worn-out couch, I curled into myself, listening to the quiet crackle of the fire. Drake didn't move for a long time.

Somewhere between consciousness and dreams, his voice reached me once more.

"You are stronger than they will ever understand."

Drake Anders' POV

The fire burned low, casting shadows across Adele's sleeping form. She looked small wrapped in the blanket, fragile in a way that sent irritation clawing at my chest.

Weak. That was what they had called her.

Fools.

Power hummed beneath her skin, raw and untamed. Whatever she was, whatever her wolf had become, she wasn't weak.

Stepping outside, cool night air brushed against my face. The forest stretched in all directions, silent but watchful. Maddox wouldn't let this go. He had wanted Adele dead for a reason, and I intended to find out why.

The pull of the mate bond gnawed at my control. Every instinct screamed to protect her, to claim her, to mark her as mine before another threat could reach her.

Logic warned against it. She wasn't ready for that kind of truth.

A rustling in the trees caught my attention. Footsteps, light but deliberate.

"You picked up a stray," a familiar voice drawled.

Dorian stepped from the shadows, arms crossed over his chest. The Beta of my pack, and the only person who dared to challenge me without fear of death.

"Not your concern," I muttered.

"Everything you do is my concern," he countered. "Especially when it involves an omega from the Bloodmoon pack."

His tone left no room for ignorance. He knew something.

"Speak."

Dorian sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Rumors have been circling about a girl in Maddox's pack. An omega who shouldn't exist."

Every muscle in my body tensed. "What do you mean?"

"Word is, she carries old blood. A bloodline wiped out generations ago." His gaze darkened. "If that's true, it means she's dangerous."

The weight of his words sank deep.

"You think I don't know that?"

"You think she does?" Dorian shot back.

His question lingered between us. Adele had no idea what she was. Maddox had tried to kill her before she could figure it out.

"She's my mate," I said, the truth settling heavily in my chest.

Dorian swore under his breath. "Then you better be ready to start a war, because Maddox isn't going to let her go."

Let him try. Adele was mine. And no one would take her from me.

Drake Anders' POV

Dorian's words echoed in my mind long after he disappeared into the night. War. Maddox wouldn't just let this go, and now, I had something he wanted- something he feared.

Stepping back inside the cabin, I found Adele still curled up on the couch, her breathing steady, her face caught between exhaustion and unease. Even in sleep, tension lined her body, like she was ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. I understood that instinct too well.

Grabbing a chair, I sat near the dying fire, keeping my senses open for any movement outside. My wolf prowled beneath the surface, restless, already attuned to her.

It wasn't just the mate bond pulling me to her- it was something more. Something I couldn't name.

I had seen wolves shift for the first time. The pain, the rawness of it, the way their bodies fought the change. But Adele's shift had been something else entirely. That power hadn't just been her wolf awakening. It had been something older, something primal.

Maddox knew what she was. That much was clear. And if he had wanted her dead, it meant she was a threat to him. That alone was enough reason to protect her. A sharp gasp broke the silence. Adele sat up, breathing heavily, her hands clutching the blanket like a lifeline. Wild, golden eyes darted around the room before locking onto mine.

"It was just a dream," I told her, though I wasn't sure if that was true.

Her throat moved as she swallowed. "It didn't feel like a dream."

Shoving a hand through my hair, I leaned forward. "What did you see?"

She hesitated, fingers twisting in the fabric of the blanket.

"I was running," she whispered. "Through the forest, but it wasn't this forest. It was different- darker, colder. Something was chasing me. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn't escape it."

Her breathing hitched.

"Then I saw... her."

My muscles tensed. "Who?"

"My wolf," Adele said, voice barely above a whisper. "But it wasn't just my wolf. She was... bigger. Stronger. She looked at me like she was waiting for something."

I didn't move, didn't speak.

Adele finally met my gaze, confusion and fear swirling in her golden irises. "I don't understand. Wolves don't act like that, do they?"

No, they didn't.

A wolf wasn't separate from its human half-it was a part of them, an extension of their soul. But what Adele was describing? That was something different.

"Your wolf is trying to tell you something," I said carefully. "You need to listen."

Her hands tightened into fists. "I don't know how."

"You will."

She exhaled sharply, then glanced toward the door. "Maddox won't stop hunting me, will he?"

"No."

The word hung between us, heavy with truth.

Adele nodded slowly, as if coming to terms with a reality she had tried to ignore. "Then I need to be ready."

Determination flickered in her eyes, cutting through the fear. She had spent her entire life being treated as weak. But she wasn't weak. She was a survivor. And I was going to make sure she stayed that way.

Adele Kenneth's POV

The morning air was crisp, filled with the scent of damp earth and pine.

Drake stood a few feet away, watching me with those sharp golden eyes. He had said we were going to train, but so far, he had only studied me like I was some puzzle he needed to solve.

I shifted on my feet. "Are we actually going to do something, or are you just going to stare at me all day?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Eager, are we?"

"More like impatient."

Drake rolled his shoulders, his muscles flexing beneath his shirt. "Fine. Shift."

I hesitated. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," he echoed. "You need to get used to shifting on command."

My jaw tightened. The memory of my first shift still burned in my mind- the pain, the heat, the overwhelming power. But if I was going to survive this, I couldn't be afraid of it.

Closing my eyes, I reached for that part of me that I had spent years suppressing. A spark of energy flickered at the edge of my consciousness, growing into a fire.

Heat rolled through my body. Bones stretched, reshaping. Pain lanced through my muscles, but this time, it wasn't unbearable. The shift was faster than before, smoother.

When I opened my eyes, the world was sharper. Colors more vivid. Scents stronger. My paws dug into the earth, claws sinking into the damp soil. Drake's wolf stood a few feet away- a massive beast of midnight black fur and piercing gold eyes.

A low growl rumbled from his throat, not threatening, but testing. Instinct surged through me. I lunged.

Drake moved faster than I expected, sidestepping my attack with ease. My paws hit the ground, but before I could react, he was behind me, knocking me off balance. Frustration flared in my chest. I twisted, aiming for his side, but he countered every move effortlessly.

The fight continued, each strike pushing me to my limits. But something was different this time. The more I moved, the more I felt... right. Strong. Powerful.

Drake lunged, his teeth grazing my shoulder before pulling back.

I didn't hesitate. Using the momentum, I slammed into his side, catching him off guard. He stumbled, and for the first time, I felt a surge of victory. A deep growl rumbled from his chest. Not anger- approval.

We shifted back, breathing heavily, the cool air biting against our skin.

Drake studied me, something unreadable in his gaze. "You're learning faster than I expected."

I smirked. "Is that your way of saying I impressed you?"

His lips twitched, but he didn't deny it.