Ciaran's POV
The shadows paused, their movement reverent, as though sensing she'd gone too deep. Her breathing was shallow, her head limp against the air. Floating, bound, and blissfully unconscious. Ciaran stepped closer from the dark, his voice a thread in the stillness. "Little one…" No response. He watched her—admiring and alert—his own breath tight in his chest. Her face was soft, her lashes fluttering like she was dreaming. The shadows curled protectively around her, awaiting his next word like loyal pets. "Therrin," he said more firmly, his voice sliding low and rich, cutting through the haze. "Come back to me." She stirred. A tiny sound escaped her lips, barely audible. Her body shifted slightly in the air, the arch of her back instinctive. She blinked slowly, her eyes unfocused and glazed with submission and softness. "There you are." He touched her cheek, his fingers cold and grounding. "You went deep, didn't you?" She nodded slowly, dazed. "What… happened?" "You slipped into subspace. Drifted out. You were stunning like that." His voice deepened, a darker note curling behind his next words. "So obedient. So fucking perfect, bound and undone." Therrin's lips parted on a soft inhale, her breath shaky. Ciaran leaned in, his voice wrapping around her like silk and smoke. "But I need to ask you something now, little shadow." His hand slid to the back of her neck, his thumb tracing the line of her spine, grounding her. "Do you want to stop," he murmured, "or do you want more?" She didn't answer at first. Her body was still floating, arms still bound behind her back, hair mussed from where shadows had toyed with it, her breath caught somewhere between pain and pleasure. Then she whispered it. "More." His smile was all hunger. "Good girl," he breathed, stepping closer, his eyes glowing like midnight flame. "You have no idea how proud I am of you." His mouth brushed her ear. "So soft for me… so ready to be ruined all over again." The shadows stirred like wolves behind him. And then— He kissed her. Possessively. Invading her mouth with his tongue. She moaned at the intrusion. Giving him more strength to push forward. He ripped her nightgown open, exposing her body to the cool air. The shadows he commanded resumed their task, rubbing her skin, teasing her throat by squeezing and letting go. But this time, he decided, she needed something more, something…vulnerable. The shadows obeyed his wordless command, wrapped down her thighs in tendrils, and spread her legs apart, keeping her open. The shadow hand on one of her breasts let's go, and roams down her stomach, further down to her core to rub that already sensitive nub. Ciaran immediately took her breast in his mouth, sucking, and tracking with his tongue. He nipped her nipple and pulled, at the same time, the shadow hand squeezed her bud. She jolted and moaned at the sensations as she reached her climax. Wet, and leaking, the shadowed hand evaded even further, starting with one finger, gently and slowly protruding in and out of her core before inserting another. Ciaran had moved at this point. Right between her legs, watching the shadow do its work. He commanded the shadow to move both fingers separately, giving her new sensations, and she moaned and bucked at the actions. He smiled wickedly, watching her writhe underneath them. "The shadows play with you, but I'm the one who owns your pleasure." He took action then. Called the shadow to retreat right before she could reach the end, and shoved himself inside of her, hard. Now is not the time to be gentle. No. Her body is demanding the dark, deep, primal thrusts. The shadow hand at her throat begins to squeeze harder than before. Another stuck its fingers in her mouth, first gagging at the intrusion, and then when she relaxed, she began to suck on them. He went deeper inside her. Picking up the force and pace. Only slowing as she was reaching her climax, teasing and taunting her over and over. Relentless. He wanted her to beg. "I'll push you deeper, take you farther. You trust me, don't you?" The hand retreated from her mouth, gripping her jaw, allowing her to answer. "I trust you… but I'm scared…I need you to take me further…I'm yours to break". He groaned at her words, and went even harder on her. He moved faster and deeper, but she needed more. So, so much more. She was writhing underneath him. Wild and mad. Frantically trying to meet his movements. Some shadows moved to her shoulders, ones in her hair moved to the crown of her head, and they began pushing her, moving her body fervently. She was a screaming mess at this point. Tipping on the edge. Just as they were both to find their release, another tendril snaked down her back, and moved further down, and intruded a spot that had never been touched. "CIARAN!" She screamed as she finally started to go limp. She was quaking, and moaning still, feeling the aftershock of their release. Her breath, uncontrollable. He lifted her up. And held her against him, while still being inside her, and walked over to the bed. He laid them both down, never breaking contact. Allowing her to feel everything she was feeling, with his arms around her. "You're exquisitely broken—and I love every part of you." And then, they slept.Ciaran's POV The shadows paused, their movement reverent, as though sensing she'd gone too deep. Her breathing was shallow, her head limp against the air. Floating, bound, and blissfully unconscious. Ciaran stepped closer from the dark, his voice a thread in the stillness. "Little one…" No response. He watched her—admiring and alert—his own breath tight in his chest. Her face was soft, her lashes fluttering like she was dreaming. The shadows curled protectively around her, awaiting his next word like loyal pets. "Therrin," he said more firmly, his voice sliding low and rich, cutting through the haze. "Come back to me." She stirred. A tiny sound escaped her lips, barely audible. Her body shifted slightly in the air, the arch of her back instinctive. She blinked slowly, her eyes unfocused and glazed with submission and softness. "There you are." He touched her cheek,
Therrin's POV The forest around them was thick with dusk, the golden light folding softly beneath the canopy as shadows deepened into night. Therrin sat quietly beside Ciaran, her mind still caught in the aftermath of what had happened during those shadow-bound moments—moments she barely understood but felt woven into the core of her being. Ciaran's voice was low, careful, as he broke the silence between them. "Tell me… how did it feel when the shadows contained your wrists?" His gaze searched hers, steady and patient. Therrin's breath hitched. She hesitated, then slowly looked down at her hands resting on her lap, fingers curling slightly. "It was… strange. Heavy, but not like a weight pressing down. More like a presence—firm, unyielding. I could feel the cold, but it wasn't just cold—it was focused, like the shadows were holding me, keeping me still, making me vulnerable." She swallowed and glanced back at Ciaran, a flick
Grimm's POV The underground chamber hummed with quiet energy, the runes etched into the stone altar glowing softly like a heartbeat in the dim light. Grimm's eyes, sharp and ancient, flicked over Dion's tense form as the young man sat cross-legged, hands resting lightly on the cold surface. "You've taken the first step," Grimm said, voice low but steady. "Acknowledging your fracture is the beginning of healing. But the path ahead will test every part of you—mind, body, and soul." Dion's gaze lifted, weary but determined. "I'm ready to fight. To heal. To hold on." Grimm nodded once. "Good. Because the shadow creatures you face are unlike any foes you've known. They feed on the chaos within, the doubts and fears that ripple through your bond." He stood and began to circle the altar, fingers tracing the glowing runes. "These runes are ancient. Crafted by those who understood the delicate weave of
Dion's POV The ash was still warm beneath his fingers, though the night air had begun to chill around the charred remains of what used to be his sanctuary. The cabin, his refuge from the chaos of the world, lay broken, splintered, and twisted like his heart. Dion sank to the ground, the rough stone biting through his thin boots. His breath came uneven, a mixture of anger, grief, and raw exhaustion. He didn't know how long he had been there, slumped over the wreckage, letting the silence press in on him, heavy and suffocating. He had been forced to watch. To watch her. Therrin. With Ciaran. Their closeness, the way their hands brushed, the quiet moments exchanged between them like a language only they understood—it had torn through Dion's soul like a blade, sharp and cruel. And all he could do was feel. Powerless. Trapped in his own body, a prisoner to his own help
Dion's POV He felt it before he saw it. The tug. The fire. The unbearable silence. The bond between him and Therrin had grown stronger over time — something raw and ancient. But tonight… tonight it burned. Wild and wrong. Like a blade sliding between his ribs, twisted just enough to keep him standing. Dion stormed into the clearing, eyes wild, scent trailing like smoke behind him, shadows whispering in retreat. The moment he crossed the old ward lines, he knew something was off. The cabin he'd built her wasn't empty. But she wasn't there. She was gone. "Where are you?" Dion whispered, but it wasn't a question. It was a plea. He was pulled by instinct more than reason — following the trail only a bonded mate could trace. His boots crushed moss and ash, his heart pounding harder with every step. Then, he fr
Ciaran’s POV She was lying exactly where he'd left her — bare feet tucked beneath her, chest rising in slow, steady breaths, curled like a poem on the dark-furred rug of the abandoned cabin. The fire had long since gone to embers, casting flickers of red across her skin. Ciaran sat in the wooden chair by the hearth, elbows resting on his knees, studying her. There was something dangerous in the peace she wore. Like the stillness of a pond before a body dropped in. He knew what lay beneath that stillness — longing, power, hunger, and shadows, just waiting to be called. His shadows. His mate. Therrin stirred slightly, the curve of her lips parting. A sigh, then a whisper — his name. Not the one others called him. Not the title whispered in fear. The one only she would speak. "Ciaran…" He rose without a sound, the floor groaning gently beneath his bare feet. With a single thought, t