Chapter 5: The King’s Shadow

The Shaman’s warning burned in my mind all through the dark night. With her guidance, I hid the crescent-moon amulet deep beneath the layers of the tunic, swearing never to take it out in the open again. We dragged Dominic's unconscious body through a hidden stone maintenance tunnel that led straight from the border river into the subterranean heart of the Shadow Ridge fortress, well before the remaining royal guards could find their Alpha. If the pack knew their King was rotting from the inside out due to a volatile genetic virus, corporate chaos would consume the kingdom.

Now, the harsh morning sun poured through the high windows of the grand study, reflecting off the sleek terminal screens and holographic data-pads detailing sector layouts.

Dominic stood by the far window, his back completely turned to me. He looked fully recovered, dressed in a crisp, midnight-black button-down shirt that stretched tightly across his broad shoulders. The terrifying black veins were gone, but the air in the room was suffocatingly dense with his Alpha pressure.

"You saved me," Dominic said, his deep baritone slicing through the silence like a blade. He didn't turn around, but I could see the reflection of his sharp jawline in the glass. "The Shaman told me what happened. She said your touch brought me back from the brink of absolute madness. She said my beast submitted to you."

I swallowed hard, folding my hands tightly in front of me. "I just did what I had to do. You were hurting, Alpha. I couldn't just stand there and watch you tear yourself apart."

Dominic turned around slowly, his movements fluid and predatory. His glowing golden eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. He walked toward me, each step slow and deliberate, until he was towering directly over me, trapping me between his hard chest and the edge of his massive mahogany desk. The intoxicating scent of dark chocolate and fresh rain washed over me, making my inner voice ache in longing.

"Nobody survives my feral state, Elena," he murmured, leaning down so close his lips almost brushed my forehead. "My own elite guards flee from me when the black blood takes my mind. The strongest Alfas on this continent cannot look me in the eye when the virus wakes up. Yet, a fragile, rejected Omega from a weak pack holds the biological key to my sanity."

His eyes narrowed into sharp slits. "Who are you really? What kind of energy anomaly are you hiding from me?"

"I'm just an orphan," I lied, my heart hammering against my ribs. I prayed to the Moon Goddess he couldn't hear the frantic rhythm of my pulse or detect the energy signature of the amulet hidden beneath my clothes. "The Silvercrest pack treated me like trash because my wolf was dormant. I don't have secret powers, Alpha. I swear."

Dominic reached out, his long, scarred fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. The moment his bare skin made contact with mine, a literal spark of electricity ignited between us. A wave of intense, intoxicating heat crashed over my skin.

Dominic violently stiffened, a dark, possessive flash crossing his features before he abruptly pulled his hand back, his expression hardening into stone.

"I still do not accept the mate bond, Elena," he growled coldly.