7. A Pact with Darkness

The silence in the shelter weighs like a tombstone after Caleb’s departure. Shadow paces back and forth, tension evident in every movement. His eyes still burn with that golden gleam, as if his wolf is just one breath away from taking over.

“Why is Caleb here?” I ask, finally breaking the silence.

“Because he’s always looking for trouble.” Shadow stops, placing one hand on the wooden table. “But that’s not all. He follows someone else’s orders.”

“Someone else?”

He nods, his lips pressed into a tight line.

“The pack. Their leader, to be exact.”

“The leader of your pack?” The thought surprises me—and terrifies me. “What does he want with me?”

“They don’t have a problem with you. They have a problem with me.” Shadow looks at me, and in his expression, there’s something I’ve never seen before: guilt.

“Ever since I chose to walk away from them, they’ve been watching me, waiting for an excuse to come after me. And now, by bringing you here, I’ve given them exactly what they needed.”

“Why? Why am I a problem?” My voice trembles, though I try to hold it together.

Shadow steps closer, his gaze fixed on mine.

“Because you’re human, Amelia. Because you’re... different.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“In their world, it makes all the sense.” His voice is low, carrying a pain that seems to rise from somewhere deep inside. “Lycans don’t mingle with humans. The rules are clear: we’re meant to stay among our kind, to protect our bloodline.”

“That sounds... outdated.”

“It’s more than outdated. It’s brutal.”

I can’t stop the shiver that runs down my spine. Shadow’s words paint a picture of a closed-off world, ruled by rigid, merciless laws. A world where what we have would never be allowed.

“Then what do we do?”

Shadow falls silent for a moment, as if caught between what he wants and what he knows he should do. Finally, he steps closer, his fingers brushing against mine.

“I’ll protect you. No matter what.”

I want to believe him, but there’s a shadow in his eyes that tells me even he’s not sure how.

The night drags on, slow and heavy. I try to sleep, but my thoughts won’t let me rest. I shift under the blankets Shadow laid out for me, every noise from the forest, every creak, setting me on edge.

Then I feel it. A presence.

I open my eyes and see Shadow sitting near the entrance, his silhouette outlined by the faint glow of the torchlight.

“You’re not sleeping?” I whisper.

He turns to me, eyes glinting like a predator’s in the dark.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because if I close my eyes, I’m afraid I’ll lose you.”

His words steal the air from my lungs. There’s something in his voice, in the way he says it, that hits me straight in the chest.

I get up and move to sit beside him. For a long moment, we say nothing. We just sit there, sharing the silence.

“Shadow… I can’t do this alone.”

“You’re not alone.” His hand covers mine—warm and strong. “But I need you to trust me.”

“I do. But you don’t trust me.”

He tenses, eyes darting away.

“It’s not that…”

“Then tell me the truth. What’s really going on? What aren’t you telling me?”

Shadow sighs, his grip on my hand tightening.

“There’s something you need to know about me, Amelia. Something I’ve tried to keep from you.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not just an outcast to the pack. I’m a danger.”

His words freeze me in place.

“What do you mean?”

“When I left the pack, it wasn’t just because I couldn’t follow their rules. It was because… there’s something in me I can’t control.”

“What thing?”

“My wolf. He’s stronger, wilder than the others’. And when I’m with you… I feel like I might lose control.”

The air between us thickens. My heart pounds—not from fear, but from something else. Something I don’t want to name.

“Then why did you bring me here?”

“Because I couldn’t leave you. I couldn’t let them hurt you.”

His words disarm me. I want to be angry, to yell at him to tell me everything—but instead, I find myself leaning closer to him.

“I don’t care what you are, Shadow. I don’t care what they think. I just want to be with you.”

He looks at me, and in his eyes, I see something that takes my breath away.

“Amelia… you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I know exactly what I’m saying.”

Before he can answer, I lean in and kiss him. It’s a desperate kiss, charged with emotions I can’t hold back. For a moment, Shadow goes still—but then he kisses me back, his lips moving against mine with a fierce, aching intensity that makes everything else vanish.

When we finally pull away, his eyes are dark with a mix of longing and fear.

“This won’t change what’s coming, Amelia.”

“Then we’ll face it together.”

He wraps his arms around me, and for the first time, I feel like—despite everything—we might just have a chance.

But deep down, I know this is only the beginning.

The shadows are closing in around us, and the battle for our love has only just begun.