Chapter 4- Beneath the house of shadows

The days drag on in a blur of forced smiles and strained silence. We’re living in the same house now, though we’re anything but married. Elias and I share a space that feels too big, too empty. The only sound is the occasional creak of the old floorboards, the hum of the heating system, and the distant calls of birds outside. I almost want to scream just to hear something real.

But I don’t. Not yet.

The house itself is a reflection of everything I don’t belong to. It’s grand in a way that feels out of place—wooden beams stretch across the ceiling, dark hardwood floors beneath me, and rooms full of expensive antiques that look like they’re better suited to a museum than a home. I’ve never been part of this world. Not in any real way. Not until now.

I’ve tried to ignore the growing unease that gnaws at my stomach every time Elias is near. I tell myself it’s just the aftermath of everything happening so fast. That I just need time to adjust. But deep down, I know something’s wrong. There’s a tension in the air that I can’t shake. Something dangerous. Something ancient. I can feel it in the silence between us, in the way he watches me sometimes, his eyes sharp and unreadable. It’s like he’s waiting for something. And I don’t know if I’m supposed to wait, too.

This morning, after a restless night, I wake to the sound of Elias’s voice drifting through the hallway. It’s low, controlled—talking to someone, but not to me. I’m not sure what it is about his voice that makes me uneasy. It’s not like the gruff tone he uses with me. This is different. This is softer. Almost… pleading.

Curiosity pushes me out of bed. I slip on a pair of worn jeans and a hoodie, something comfortable, something that feels like me, and head down the long corridor. The house is unnervingly quiet, except for the sound of his voice, echoing from the living room.

I stop just outside the doorway. Elias is standing near the large stone fireplace, his back to me. But it’s the figure in front of him that catches my attention.

A man. Dark hair, tall, broad-shouldered, like Elias, though his features are sharper, more striking. His clothes are expensive, too—tailored, crisp. But it’s the air around him that catches me off guard. There’s something about him that feels… different. Something unnatural. And I don’t think it’s just because of the way Elias is looking at him.

“This isn’t a decision we can undo, Elias,” the man says, his voice smooth, like he’s trying to soothe a wound that doesn’t exist. “You’ve committed. You’ve bound yourself to her now. To Avery.”

“I know,” Elias replies, his voice tight, like he’s been pushed too far. “But I’m not ready for this. I don’t want this life. Not like this.”

I feel a jolt of confusion. I know Elias doesn’t want this, but hearing him say it aloud somehow makes it worse. Like I’m not just a part of some deal—I’m the result of it. I’m a sacrifice.

“And yet, you have to,” the man says, his gaze never leaving Elias. “There’s no going back. You know what’ll happen if you do. We all do.”

The room falls into a heavy silence, thick with words left unsaid. I don’t want to hear more, but I can’t help it. I can’t leave, can’t move from my spot in the hall. I’m frozen by the weight of their conversation.

The man turns his gaze, just for a second, and I feel it—the change in the air. It’s like a switch flips inside of me. Like he’s aware of me, like I’m something he’s been waiting for.

I take a step back, but it’s too late. Elias turns, catching sight of me in the doorway. His face hardens, and I feel my heart skip a beat. There’s something in his eyes. Something guarded. Something dark.

“Avery,” he says, his voice quieter now, but still laced with tension. “This is… this is Seth. My—”

“Pack member,” Seth finishes for him, his eyes never leaving mine. There’s a strange, almost amused glint in his gaze as he appraises me. I don’t like it. I don’t like any of it.

I force a smile, though it feels brittle. “Nice to meet you,” I say, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing here, in this strange world where nothing makes sense.

Seth tilts his head slightly, his lips curling into something like a grin. “No need for pleasantries, Avery. We both know why you’re here.”

I blink, the words hanging in the air like smoke. “I don’t think I do,” I say, my voice sharper than I intend.

“You will,” Seth replies, his voice low and ominous. “Soon enough.”

I want to ask him what he means, but before I can get the words out, Elias steps between us, his hand lifting in a way that signals the conversation is over. “Seth, that’s enough.”

Seth nods, but his smile remains, like he knows something I don’t. “We’ll see, won’t we?”

He turns and strides toward the door. He doesn’t look back, but I feel his eyes on me, like a shadow trailing my every move. The tension in the room doesn’t lift as he leaves. Instead, it thickens. I want to say something. I want to demand answers, but the look Elias gives me stops me cold. There’s a warning in it. A silent message that I’m not ready to hear.

“Who was that?” I ask finally, though my voice is quieter now. My body feels like it’s made of stone, like every movement is heavier than it should be.

Elias doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he just looks at me. It’s like he’s debating something—whether or not to tell me. But then he speaks, his voice strained, like the words hurt him.

“Someone who doesn’t need to be involved in this,” he says, his words clipped.

I’m about to ask him what that means, but he cuts me off. “I didn’t ask for any of this, Avery. I didn’t ask for you. For any of it. But now… now we’re stuck.”

My heart stutters in my chest. There it is again. The words I’ve been dreading. Stuck. That’s what I am to him. A mistake he can’t undo.

Before I can reply, he walks past me, his shoulder brushing mine, and I can feel the heat of his body even as he pulls away. It’s like an electric current that shoots through me, leaving me feeling more alive than I should.

I stand in the hallway, alone again, the silence crushing. I should be angry. I should shout, demand answers. But instead, I’m frozen. I’m terrified, and I don’t even know why.

There’s something dark lurking beneath this marriage, beneath Elias’s cold, distant gaze. Something that goes deeper than I could have imagined.

And I’m starting to think that the deeper I get, the harder it’s going to be to get out.