The Shadow Alpha

The forest fell silent.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

Clover’s wide emerald eyes remained fixed on the stranger standing between her and the hunters.

He was taller than any man she had ever seen, his broad shoulders wrapped in a black cloak that shifted gently in the night breeze. His golden eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight with the same intensity as the wolf that had appeared moments earlier.

He hadn’t lied.

He was the wolf.

The lead hunter recovered first.

“Alpha Kael Blackthorn.”

His voice carried equal parts respect and fear.

“This matter does not concern the Shadow Pack.”

Kael didn’t flinch.

“It does now.”

“The girl is under the authority of the High Coven.”

Kael’s expression remained unreadable.

“I don’t remember asking the High Coven for permission.”

A ripple of uneasy laughter spread through the wolves gathered behind him.

The hunters, however, looked anything but amused.

“The peace treaty still stands,” another hunter warned. “Interfering with our mission will be considered an act of war.”

Kael took one slow step forward.

The air around him grew heavier.

His Alpha aura rolled through the forest like an invisible wave.

Several hunters instinctively staggered back.

“If your treaty allows armed men to chase an untrained young woman through my forest,” Kael said quietly, “then perhaps it deserves to be broken.”

The lead hunter tightened his grip on his staff.

“You would risk war… for her?”

Kael glanced briefly at Clover.

She stood trembling, leaves tangled in her dark hair, her breathing uneven. She looked more frightened than dangerous.

Nothing about her resembled the monster described in the old stories.

Yet the scent drifting from her…

Moonlight.

Wildflowers.

Ancient magic.

It was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

His wolf stirred inside him.

Mate.

The word echoed through his mind.

Kael immediately buried the thought.

Impossible.

The Moon Witches were supposed to be extinct.

And yet…

His wolf refused to look away from her.

“You have ten seconds,” Kael said, turning back to the hunters.

“Leave.”

The lead hunter laughed.

“There are five of us.”

Kael’s lips curved into the faintest smile.

“You noticed.”

A heartbeat later—

He disappeared.

The hunters barely had time to react.

Kael moved like living shadow.

One hunter’s staff shattered before he could cast a spell.

Another was disarmed with a single strike.

The remaining three found themselves surrounded by growling wolves before they could lift their weapons.

The battle was over almost as quickly as it had begun.

Kael stood in the center of the clearing, not a single scratch on him.

“Go,” he ordered.

“And tell your masters this…”

His golden eyes flashed.

“If they want the girl…”

“They’ll have to come through me.”

The hunters exchanged nervous glances before retreating into the darkness.

Only when their footsteps had completely disappeared did the wolves begin to relax.

Damon approached cautiously.

“Should we really have done that?”

Kael didn’t answer.

His attention remained fixed on Clover.

She looked exhausted.

Confused.

Terrified.

When their eyes met, she took a hesitant step backward.

“I don’t even know who you are.”

“My name is Kael.”

She swallowed.

“Why did you help me?”

Kael was silent for a moment.

Because my wolf believes you’re my mate.

Because every instinct tells me to protect you.

Because the moment I saw you, nothing else mattered.

But he couldn’t say any of that.

Not yet.

Instead, he answered simply,

“Because someone is hunting you.”

“And you expect me to trust you?”

“No.”

His honesty caught her off guard.

“I expect you to survive.”

Before Clover could reply, Damon came running from the edge of the clearing.

“Alpha!”

Kael turned.

“What is it?”

“We searched the cottage.”

His voice was unusually quiet.

“There was no sign of Agnes.”

Hope flickered across Clover’s face.

“So she escaped?”

Damon lowered his eyes.

“We found this.”

He held out a weathered wooden pendant carved with protective runes.

Its chain had been snapped.

Clover recognized it instantly.

Her grandmother never took it off.

Her knees gave way.

“No…”

Kael caught her before she hit the ground.

She buried her face in her hands as sobs escaped her chest.

For the first time since the hunt began, the fearless Alpha didn’t know what to say.

He simply stood there, supporting the weight of a grieving stranger.

After several moments, Clover whispered through her tears,

“I have nowhere to go.”

Kael looked toward the towering walls of Blackthorn Keep in the distance.

Then back at the frightened young woman in his arms.

“You do now.”

Far beyond the forest, inside the towering halls of the High Coven, a hooded woman watched a silver bowl filled with rippling water.

Within its surface, Clover’s face slowly appeared.

The woman smiled.

“So…”

“The heir has finally awakened.”

She reached into the bowl, and the image dissolved into crimson.

“Prepare the Ravens.”

“This time…”

“The Moon Witch will not escape.”