LOGIN_Ryker's POV_I could not sleep.No matter how many times I closed my eyes, the same image returned to my mind. Emma lying unconscious in my arms. The way her body had gone still. The way my heart had stopped for a moment when she did not respond. I could still remember the fear that had taken over me. It was a feeling I was not familiar with.I had spent my entire life controlling my emotions. As an Alpha, I had learned to remain calm even when everything around me was falling apart. I had always believed that fear was something I could control, something I could push aside when it was necessary. But with Emma it was different.When it came to her, my usual control meant nothing. The thought of losing her had made me feel powerless and I hated that feeling. It was not because I was afraid for myself. But because for the first time, there was someone in this world who mattered more to me than my own life.Emma was not just my mate. She was the person my wolf had been searching for. Th
_Ryker's POV_“What are you saying?”The healer looked back at Emma. “She has a wolf,” she repeated. “But something is preventing that wolf from fully connecting with her.”I stared at her. “What could stop that?”The healer did not answer immediately. That bothered me.She was one of the most experienced healers in the Devil’s Pack. She had treated injuries from battles. She had helped wolves through painful shifts. She had seen things most people would never understand. But now she looked uncertain.“What is wrong with her?” I asked. My voice became sharper.The healer looked at me carefully. “Alpha, I need to examine her further before I can give you an answer.”“I need an answer now.”My fingers tightened around the edge of the bed. Emma was lying there. She was unconscious and looked so vulnerable. I had no idea what was happening inside her body.Shadow moved restlessly inside my mind. "She is our mate.""I know.""Something is wrong."I closed my eyes briefly. "I know."For onc
_Ryker's POV_I had faced enemies who wanted me dead. I had stood in front of armies and watched my enemies beg for mercy. None of those moments had made me feel as powerless as watching Emma stand in the center of the meeting hall and fail to shift.The image kept replaying in my mind. The way she closed her eyes and she searched for something inside herself. The way her expression slowly changed when nothing happened. She had looked hurt. It was not because the pack had questioned her but it was because she had failed to live up to her own expectations. I stood alone in my office. I was staring out of the window while the night covered the Devil’s Pack territory. The pack was quiet now but I could still feel the whispers. The questions. The doubt.“She is not human.”Shadow’s voice moved through my mind. My wolf had been restless since the meeting ended.I closed my eyes. “I know.”“No,” Shadow growled. “You know what you feel. But you do not know what she is.”I tightened my jaw.
_Emma's POV_The bond between us was still something I could not understand. Even after everything that had happened, a small part of me still hoped that I would wake up and realize that it had all been a terrible nightmare.My entire world had changed in less than three days and I was still struggling to understand where I belonged in all of this.But one thing had become clear. I could not run away anymore. And I could not ignore the strange presence inside me that I could feel but could not understand.The next morning, Ryker told me that there would be a pack meeting. The moment he said those words, my stomach tightened.“A meeting?” I repeated. He nodded. “Yes.”I looked at him carefully. “About what?”For a moment, he said nothing. Then his eyes met mine.“About you.”My heart sank slightly. “Me?”Ryker stepped closer. His gaze never left mine. “Emma, you are my mate.”I looked away. Even after everything, I still was not used to hearing those words.Every time he said them, so
_Emma's POV_ The word echoed inside my mind. Protect him. I froze. My eyes stayed on Ryker as he stood a few steps away from me. I did not understand why those two words affected me more than anything else I had heard from that strange voice. It was telling me to protect him. The man who should have been the person I feared since he belonged to a very dangerous world. “Why?” I whispered. Ryker’s expression shifted slightly as he looked at me. “Why what?” I swallowed hard. “Why does it care about you?” For a moment, he said nothing. His eyes changed slightly. It was as if he already knew an answer I was not ready to hear. “Emma…” “No.” I shook my head and stepped back slightly. “I need answers. I need you to stop acting like this is normal.” Ryker stayed silent. I stepped closer. My frustration was growing. “Yesterday I was human.” “You still are you.” “That is not an answer!” My voice cracked. I hated that. I hated feeling weak in front of him. “I woke up yesterday m
_Emma’s POVThe room did not feel the same after she left. Even though Linda was gone, I could still feel the weight of her presence. Her cruel words stayed in my mind, along with the anger in her eyes and the way she had looked at me like I was something that did not belong in this world.I remained standing there silently, staring at the empty doorway where she had disappeared. My body was still tense and my hands continued to tremble slightly. But it was not because I was afraid of her anymore. It was because I was afraid of myself.I lowered my gaze to my hands and stared at the fingers that had pushed her away only moments ago. They looked the same as always. They were my hands. The hands that had cared for injured animals, held medical tools and lived an ordinary life.But what happened before had not felt ordinary. I still remembered the strange rush of strength that had moved through me. It was not just anger. It was something deeper, something unfamiliar, like a part of me th







