Chapter 59**Evangeline's POV**I didn't sleep when I got home from the cave.How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I felt Ronan's lips on mine. Felt the way the bond had exploded between us like fireworks. Felt the moment I'd pulled away and watched something die in his eyes.My apartment felt smaller than usual. The walls pressed in on me, making it hard to breathe. I sat on my bed and stared at the window where I'd seen those silver eyes watching me. Where someone had left that black rose as a warning.Everything was falling apart. My identity, my heart, my carefully built walls of protection.The Shadow King's voice still echoed in my mind from the cave. "Now you are ready to become mine." The words made my skin crawl, but part of me understood what he meant. When you had nothing left to lose, darkness started to look appealing.I forced myself into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the dirt and blood from the hollow wolf attack. But it couldn't wash away the memory
Chapter 58***Evangeline point of view***The bond erupted between us like a supernova, sending waves of emotion and sensation through every nerve in my body. But it was more than that. As our lips met, the cave trembled. My shadow magic, suppressed for so long, began to break free. Darkness and silver light burst from my skin in equal measure, dancing, clashing, seeking balance. For a moment, I thought the earth itself was holding its breath.His lips were soft and warm against mine. His hands tangled in my hair, holding me like I was the most precious thing in the world. And for a moment, despite the chaos of power swirling around us, I let myself believe it was real.Then reality crashed back down on me.I pulled away, my chest heaving, desperately shoving my magic back down before he could see what I truly was."No," I said, scrambling backward until I hit the cave wall."Evangeline...""No!" The word echoed off the stone walls. "You don't get to do this to me. Not again.""What d
Chapter 57**Evangeline's POV**I couldn't stay in the apartment after what I'd seen through the window. The shadows dancing on the glass. The feeling of eyes watching my every move. Someone had been out there while I discovered the truth about my bloodline, and now they knew exactly what I was.So I ran.The forest behind Blackclaw Academy had always been my refuge when the world became too much. Tonight, with my blood still pulsing silver and black beneath my skin, I needed the darkness and silence more than ever.My feet carried me deeper into the woods than I'd ever gone before. Past the familiar walking trails, beyond the clearings where students sometimes came to skip class. Here, the trees grew thick and ancient, their branches blocking out the moon and stars.I should have been afraid. Should have remembered the hollow wolves that had attacked me before. But my mind was spinning with everything I'd learned, and fear felt like a luxury I couldn't afford.I was the Bridge. The o
Chapter 56**Evangeline's POV**That night, my dreams pulled me into another world.I stood in a place where silver light fell like rain from an endless sky. The ground beneath my feet sparkled like crushed diamonds, and the air hummed with power so ancient it made my bones ache. Everything here felt familiar, like a half-remembered song from childhood.In the distance, a figure walked toward me. She was tall and graceful, with flowing hair that shifted between silver and black like liquid moonlight. Her skin glowed with the same ethereal light that surrounded us, and when she looked at me, her eyes held the wisdom of centuries.I knew who she was before she spoke."Child of my blood," the Moon Goddess said, her voice echoing through the dreamscape like music. "You have finally awakened."My throat felt tight with emotion. "I don't understand what's happening to me.""You understand more than you know." She moved closer, and I could see her face clearly now. Beautiful beyond words, bu
Chapter 55**Ronan's POV**The headaches started on Tuesday.Sharp, stabbing pains that felt like someone was driving nails through my skull. I'd wake up clutching my head, my sheets soaked with sweat, my wolf howling inside my mind like he was being tortured.Because he was.Every day since I'd rejected Evangeline again, my wolf had been fighting me. Clawing at my control. Demanding I fix what I'd broken. But I couldn't. Wouldn't. I had duty. Obligations. A future that didn't include her.So I suffered.Wednesday brought fever. I sat through classes with my skin burning, my vision blurry, pretending everything was fine. Teachers asked if I needed to go to the nurse. Classmates whispered about how pale I looked. But I forced myself to stay upright, to keep functioning.A future Alpha didn't show weakness. Not ever.Thursday, my hands started shaking.I tried to hide it during lunch, keeping my hands under the table while Celeste talked about wedding venues. But when I reached for my w
Chapter 54**Evangeline's POV**Monday arrived like a storm cloud. I'd barely slept after finding the black rose on my windowsill, and my nerves felt raw and exposed. Every shadow in my apartment had looked like a threat. Every creak of the old building had made my heart race.The silver pendant Maeve had given me hung heavy around my neck, hidden beneath my shirt. It had grown warm during the night, pulsing with an energy that felt protective. Whatever was hunting me, the charm was working overtime to keep me safe.I grabbed my bag and headed for school, my feet dragging with exhaustion. The hallways of Blackclaw Academy buzzed with the usual Monday morning chaos. Students rushed to lockers, teachers called out reminders about assignments, and somewhere in this maze of normalcy, someone wanted me dead.The thought made my stomach twist with fear.Lunch period couldn't come fast enough. By the time the bell rang, I was shaking with hunger and anxiety. I hadn't eaten breakfast, too ner