Chapter Five

I woke up to an empty room. The silence was suffocating, and a chill crawled up my spine. I hated the emptiness, the way it wrapped around me like an unwanted presence. Last night’s events, tangled with passion and confusion, were all I could think of. Tristan’s body beside mine, the way his warmth seeped into me, was the only thing that kept me grounded.

Suddenly, the sound of a shower turning on broke the silence. My heart skipped a beat, my anxiety pushing me to the edge. He was still here. Tristan was still here. The relief I felt was immediate but fleeting, soon tangled with nervous energy.

The shower shut off, and Tristan appeared, his damp hair falling over his brow, eyes dark and calculating. "Good morning," he said, his voice deep, commanding, like a touch on my skin.

"Good morning," I replied, voice barely a whisper, a fluttering unease taking over me.

Tristan met my gaze for a moment, his lips twitching slightly. "Sleep well?" he asked, his tone dripping with something I couldn’t quite place.

I nodded, feeling a heat rush to my cheeks. "Yes, thank you."

His gaze lingered, the intensity in it unsettling yet strangely magnetic. Without another word, Tristan moved toward the towel, his presence dominating the room.

"Let’s go downstairs," he ordered, the firmness in his tone not leaving room for argument. "Ellara’s made breakfast."

My heart hammered in my chest as I followed him downstairs. What was going to happen today? I couldn’t shake the feeling that the calm was only temporary. The tension was palpable, thick between us.

In the kitchen, Elara greeted us with a warm smile. "Good morning, you two! Breakfast is ready."

The smell of food hit me, reminding me of how long it had been since I’d eaten properly. My stomach growled loudly, and I took a seat beside Tristan, trying to ignore the restless energy building inside me.

As we ate in silence, the quiet was suddenly broken by Elara’s serious voice. "Tristan," she said, her tone low, "don’t you think it’s time you told her the truth?"

My pulse spiked, confusion swirling within me. What truth?

Tristan’s gaze shifted toward me, his eyes dark. He seemed hesitant for a moment before ... "Let’s go," he said, his voice low and commanding as he stood up, pulling me out of my seat by the hand. "I’ll show you."

We stepped out of the house and into the woods. My nerves were on edge. What was happening? Why did I feel so out of control?

We walked in silence until we reached a clearing. Tristan turned to me, his face hard but with an a little bit of softness in his eyes. That assured me a little. "I need you to promise me something, Jessica," he said, his voice low, almost dangerous. "When I shift, I need you to promise me you won’t scream or run."

I froze, a sense of dread and curiosity swirling within me. "Why would I scream?"

He met my gaze, unblinking, his tone unwavering. "Because my wolf is possessive and predative. And if you run, it’ll want to chase you."

A shiver ran down my spine at the raw intensity in his words. But there was something else there too—something that kept me rooted in place, like I had no choice but to trust him.

"I promise," I whispered, my voice trembling slightly.

Tristan’s lips curled into a faint, dangerous smile. "Good."

In the blink of an eye, Tristan shifted, and before me stood a massive black wolf, eyes glowing with an intensity that made my blood run cold.

I stepped back instinctively, my heart pounding in my chest. Fear pumped in my vein and my first instinct was to run but our conversation from earlier had my feet rooted on the ground. I felt scared but as looking into the wolf’s eyes, something shifted in me—a pull, an undeniable connection. I felt... something else. Something unspoken.

The wolf approached slowly, its eyes never leaving mine. I reached out a trembling hand, and it nuzzled against it, its fur soft but strong beneath my touch. I could feel the heat of its body, the power that radiated from it.

It wasn’t what I had imagined. It wasn’t monstrous or savage. It was... him.

My fear seemed to disappear into thin air and I found myself stepping closer, my body moving almost on its own accord. The wolf nipped at my fingers, its playful nature surprising me, even making me laugh. This was Tristan’s wolf form. And it was... affectionate... completely different from it's human form.

I giggled, feeling a strange warmth spread through me. Tristan’s wolf wasn’t just a protector; it was playful, seductive, teasing. It felt almost... possessive, and I couldn’t help but feel like it was testing me.

I stumbled backward, laughing, but the wolf was quick, nipping at my heels in pursuit. I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t even worried. I felt... alive.

As we continued, Tristan's wolf seemed to take a moment of pause, his eyes meeting mine, something almost tender in them. He circled me, keeping his focus on me, like a predator sizing up its prey—but not to harm, only to claim.

Eventually, the wolf backed off, going behind one of the large trees . He emerged again in his human form, a grey joggers on resting on his hips, his upper body naked but somehow more dangerous. "Jessica," he said, voice husky, "You need to understand something. You’re not just anyone. You’re not just a woman. You’re my woman. My soulmate."

My breath caught in my throat. Mate? Soulmate? I had no words, no idea how to respond. This felt like a dream—a twisted, dangerous dream.

He closed the distance between us, eyes burning with a kind of intensity I couldn’t describe. "This bond between us... it’s not just some fantasy. It’s real. It’s everything."

I swallowed hard, trying to make sense of his words, trying to comprehend the weight they carried. "What does that mean?" I asked, barely able to keep my voice steady.

Tristan’s lips curled into a smirk, but his eyes were dead serious. "It means you're meant to be mine. Made to be mine just like I am made to be yours."

My mind reeled at the enormity of what he was saying. I was his... soulmate?...Fated....shit?

I should have a choice, right?

Tristan’s gaze locked onto mine, unwavering and intense. "You don’t have a choice, Jessica," he said, his voice low and commanding. "You’re mine. You always have been. The bond between us—it’s not something you can walk away from. You’re already marked, whether you like it or not. The moment you came into my life, you sealed your fate."

I recoiled slightly, my heart racing in my chest. This wasn’t how I had imagined it. I wasn’t just some prize he could claim. I wasn’t someone to be owned.

“I’m not some damn possession,” I shot back, my voice tight with defiance. "I don’t belong to anyone."

His eyes hardened and his lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He took a step forward, his presence suffocating, the force of his aura pressing in on me. "You will be," he said, his voice dark and certain, filled with the raw power of someone who never doubted what they wanted. "You’re mine, Jessica. And you will accept it."

I opened my mouth to respond, to fight back, but before I could speak, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. My stomach dropped, and instinctively, I stepped back, my heart thundering in my chest.

An arrow shot past us with a high-pitched whistle, the tip narrowly missing my hair as it lodged deep into the tree behind me. My breath caught in my throat, the world suddenly still except for the adrenaline rushing through my veins.

Tristan’s eyes flickered with something dangerous, and in an instant, his posture shifted. He turned toward the forest, his body tense with readiness, his muscles coiling like a spring.

"Stay behind me," he ordered, his voice a growl of command.

I didn’t move, my heart pounding in my ears. The air felt thick with tension, the threat real, undeniable.

Before I could react, another arrow whizzed through the air. This time, Tristan didn’t hesitate. His eyes flashed with fury, and in a blink, he shifted—his body twisting and changing in an instant.

The sound of bones cracking echoed through the clearing as Tristan transformed into his wolf form, massive and powerful, his dark fur gleaming under the dim light. His eyes, now fierce and glowing with an otherworldly intensity, locked onto the unseen enemy, his lips pulling back in a snarl.

His wolf form stood between me and the danger, a solid wall of protection. The air around us seemed to hum with power, and I could feel the raw energy radiating off him.

A growl rumbled in his chest, and I couldn’t help but freeze, my breath catching in my throat. This was real. This wasn’t some fairy tale.

But before anything else could happen, the world around us seemed to explode into chaos. The tension in the air was palpable, the threat closing in on us from every direction.

Tristan’s gaze didn’t waver from the shadows at the edge of the trees, his muscles tense, ready to spring into action at any moment.

And then—another arrow shot toward us, and everything burst into chaos.