LOGINShare
CHAPTER EIGHT:THE SHADOWS CLOSING IN
Last Updated:
2025-11-26 08:24:25THE SHADOWS CLOSING IN
The howl still echoed in my chest, long after the sound had faded into the night. I pressed my back against the window, my hands trembling, heart hammering like a drum against my ribs. The moonlight cast silver shadows over the room, but none were safe. None were mine.
Bella’s fingers dug lightly into my arm. “Emily,” she said, voice low, “you have to stay calm.”
“Calm?” I snapped, my voice rising despite myself. “Calm? Did you hear that? That was him. Damien. And I don’t know what he wants from me, but it isn’t anything… normal.”
Bella’s eyes softened. “Normal has nothing to do with this. You’re a white wolf. You’ve never been normal. You’ve never been like the others. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he claimed you.”
I shook my head, pacing the room. “But I’m not ready! I don’t even know how to shift. I don’t even know what being a mate means! And suddenly… suddenly he’s claiming me like I’m his possession. How do I deal with that?”
Bella leaned back, crossing her arms. “By realizing that resisting him won’t change what you are. You can’t outrun this. And you certainly can’t pretend it’s not real. He’s coming for you, Emily. Every time. Because he knows you. Your wolf knows him. And your wolf… she’s waiting.”
I let out a shuddering breath, collapsing onto the edge of the bed. “Waiting… for what? To tear me apart? To kill me? Or… or to make me his?”
Bella tilted her head, her expression grave. “All three. And none. That’s how the King operates. He doesn’t negotiate. He doesn’t ask. He takes. And yet…” Her voice softened, almost wistful. “…he protects. And that is something you have to understand.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. My stomach twisted. Protects? The wolf I saw in the clearing, the one who killed those rogues in seconds, protected me. Yet the same wolf… the same man… called me mate. My thoughts swirled like the wind outside, chaotic, dangerous, impossible to tame.
“Emily,” Bella said again, grabbing my hands this time. “Listen to me. You are not powerless. You have your family. Your pack. And you have me. We will help you understand. But you have to trust me—and soon, you will have to trust him.”
I blinked at her, unable to form a coherent response. Trust him? How could I trust the man who scared me half to death and claimed me as his?
Before I could answer, the room shook with another low, guttural howl — closer this time. Vibrating through the floorboards, through the walls, even through my bones.
I froze. “He’s here.”
Bella didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she pressed a finger to her lips, her eyes narrowing toward the window.
The trees beyond the estate swayed violently, though no wind had touched them. Shadows seemed to stretch, crawling like living things over the lawn, toward the house.
And then I saw him.
Damien.
Standing at the edge of the forest, framed by moonlight, his black wolf form massive, teeth glinting, eyes molten silver. His gaze locked on mine, unwavering, dangerous, intoxicating.
I could feel him — like a heartbeat inside my chest, pounding against my ribs, synchronized with mine.
He growled low, almost a whisper, yet I understood every syllable: You are mine.
I stumbled back, the word freezing in my throat.
Bella’s voice snapped me out of it. “Inside. Now. Don’t stop moving.”
I obeyed, rushing to the door, but even as I moved, my legs shook. My wolf stirred deep inside me — dormant, silent for years — yet now, an unfamiliar heat, an ache, a longing, pulsed through my veins.
Inside the room, Matteo was already on his knees, arms spread to guide me to safety. His eyes were wild, scanning the windows, the doors, the shadows beyond.
“Emily,” he hissed, “you cannot—”
The words froze.
Because the front doors of the estate slammed open. Guards shouting, shifting mid-step from human to wolf, their claws scrabbling for purchase on the stone floors. And then he was inside.
Damien.
Not as a wolf this time. Not fully. Half-shifted, massive, dark, and glowing with power. Every step made the floorboards groan. Every breath drew mine tighter.
His eyes found mine instantly, locking with a predator’s precision. “Emily,” he growled. “You shouldn’t be here. Alone.”
“I—he saved me—” I started.
He lifted a hand, and the air between us sparked, charged with raw energy. I fell silent.
“Don’t speak,” he commanded. His voice wasn’t loud — it didn’t have to be. It cut. “You will listen. You will learn. You will survive. Because if you don’t… they will take you.”
I swallowed hard. “Take me… who?”
Damien’s gaze flicked to the open doors. Shadows writhed in the corners of the estate, unnatural and cold. “Rogues. Bloodhunters. Others who know what you are. And they are coming.”
My throat closed. “Why me? I’m… I’m not ready.”
He took a step closer. His presence filled the room, pressing against my chest, making it hard to breathe. “Because you are the last of your kind. The white wolf. And she does not wait. Not for fear. Not for indecision. Not for hesitation. You awaken, Emily. Whether you want to or not.”
The words made something inside me snap. My chest burned. My wolf stirred, muscles and claws and teeth I didn’t even know I had.
“You—” I whispered, unable to finish.
“Enough,” Damien said sharply. His eyes softened for a heartbeat. “I am not your enemy. I am your protector. But understand this: protection has a cost. You will awaken. You will hurt. And if you survive, you will not be the same girl who walked into my forest.”
I felt dizzy. Breathless. My knees threatened to buckle. “Why are you… saying this to me?”
“Because you will need to trust someone. And right now, it is me.” His eyes softened fractionally, enough to make my chest ache. “Your wolf knows me. Your destiny cannot hide from me. You must accept it—or you will not survive the night.”
I shook my head violently. “I… I don’t understand. I can’t even…”
“You will understand,” Damien interrupted. “When you awaken, you will understand everything. And only then will you finally see why I claimed you.”
The estate fell silent. Even the wind seemed to stop. I could hear my own heartbeat echoing in my ears.
Bella stepped forward, her voice trembling. “Emily… listen to him. Trust him. Not everything is as it seems. He is dangerous, yes—but he is also necessary.”
I swallowed, trying to steady my trembling hands. Necessary. Dangerous. Mate. King. White wolf.
The words tumbled through my head, a jumble of fear and wonder and something I couldn’t name.
Outside, a distant howl echoed. Rogue wolves? Or something else entirely?
Damien’s gaze met mine again. “You have less than an hour before the night fully falls. The hunt begins. Your awakening is coming. If you are not ready… you will not survive.”
I wanted to scream. To run. To hide. But my body refused.
Something deep inside me, a part I didn’t know existed, trembled. Longing. Fear. Power.
And then, without another word, he was gone — vanished like smoke into the forest.
The estate erupted into chaos. Guards barking orders, wolves shifting, my grandparents shouting.
And I was left trembling, alone, staring out the window at the forest, hearing the howl of my destiny echoing between the trees.
Somewhere in the shadows, Damien waited.
And he w
asn’t the only one.
Because the night had already begun.
Latest chapter
The werewolf king is my mate. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:IS THAT DAMIEN?.
IS THAT DAMIEN?I do not leave my room, not even when the sun rises and spills light through the curtains. Not when the house shifts with morning sounds. Not when footsteps pass my door again and again.I stay exactly where I am.The floor is cold beneath me, but I do not move to the bed. Moving would mean choosing something, and I am very tired of everything. I want to fade into the abyss. I miss my parents. And bella. No-one would talk about her, my days have been monotone with Daniel and Elio being the constant in my life.Elio has tried to get me out of my room but I feel like he’s forcing a sibling relationship which is not yet there.A knock at the door sounds softly.“Emily?” Grandma’s voice floats through the door. “Breakfast is ready.”I say nothing.Silence stretches.Then another knock, slightly firmer this time. “You do not have to come down. I can bring it to you.”I press my forehead against my knees and stare at the expensive marbling.I am not hungry. Or maybe I
The werewolf king is my mate. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:DISAPPEARING.
DISAPPEARING I locked my door.Not dramatically shut it like I wanted someone to notice. I closed it slowly, carefully, then turned the key and stood there with my hand still on the knob, listening.Nothing.No footsteps. No voices. No knocking.Good.I slid down until my back hit the door and sat there on the floor like my legs had simply decided to give up on me. The room felt too quiet, but also safer that way, like silence was a blanket I could hide under.My breathing was wrong. Too shallow. Too fast. I pressed my palm flat against my chest, counting like I had learned to do years ago.One. Two. Three.It did not help.My wolf was not pacing anymore. She was not watching. She was not tense.She was gone.That scared me more than anything that had happened on the training field.I stared at my hands. They were steady now, like nothing had happened, like I had not stood in the middle of the training ring earlier while the ground tilted and voices overlapped and someone shoute
The werewolf king is my mate. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: SHUTTING DOWN
SHUTTING DOWN The training field looked the same as it had the first day, wide, open, ringed by trees, packed dirt underfoot, weapons resting on wooden racks like they were waiting for volunteers.Nothing about it had changed.Or maybe I had not changed at all, and that was going to be a problem.Daniel walked beside me, not too close, not too far. He had learned that distance over the past few days. Close enough to escort me, far enough not to feel like he was hovering.“You’re quiet today,” he said.“I’m always quiet.He glanced at me sideways. “You talk.”“Only when necessary.”He smiled a little. “You know, warriors talk too.”“That explains a lot about you.”That earned a short laugh, which I appreciated more than I let on. It made the walk easier,like I was walking lightly.The field was already active when we arrived. Pairs sparring. Someone shouting instructions. The sound of bodies hitting the ground, not violently, but with intent.My chest tightened.I did not
The werewolf king is my mate. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: LIGHT.
LIGHTThe training field smells like dirt and sweat and something metallic that clings to the back of my throat.I notice it immediately because my body remembers this place before my mind catches up. My palms start to itch. Not claws. Just skin, the way it does when I am about to bolt.Daniel walks beside me, his steps even, like this is another normal morning routine.“You can stand anywhere for now,” he says, pointing toward the edge of the field. “We will start light.Light. That word means nothing to me.I nod anyway.“Okay.”He studies my face for a second, like he is checking whether I will argue or panic or freeze. I do none of those things. I learned a long time ago that freezing only made things worse.Other warriors are already warming up. Some stretch. Some shift partially, letting claws extend and retract as casually as blinking. Their laughter carries across the field, relaxed, familiar.This is not how it used to sound.Daniel claps his hands once. “Pair up.”People
The werewolf king is my mate. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:HIS NAME IS ELIO.
HIS NAME IS ELIO.Daniel and I left the training field when the sun was starting to drop behind the trees. My arms were still buzzing from the last exercise he made me do, which he called conditioning but felt more like wrestling the air until it won.He kept glancing at me while we walked back toward the pack house path. Not suspicious, not annoyed, just checking if I was about to faint or something. I kept my steps steady. My breathing even. My face neutral. I had perfected that expression years ago. A calm mask that never cracked, not even when my stomach twisted or my pulse climbed.“You kept up better than I expected,” Daniel said as he pushed a branch out of my way.“Oh,” I replied, pretending that was a normal sentence. “Thanks.”“You learn fast.”“Training helps,” I said quietly. “Or so people say.”He frowned like he wanted to ask something but changed his mind. Instead he pointed toward the small stream that cut through the back of the territory. “Let’s soak your hand
The werewolf king is my mate. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: ANOTHER CHANCE.
ANOTHER CHANCE.Daniel and I walked across the field in silence. The grass brushed against my boots and the air smelled like sun-warmed dirt. Warriors were already gathering, stretching their arms and talking like this was the most normal thing in the world.Inside me, my stomach tightened in a way I did not want to acknowledge. I kept my face neutral and hoped it stayed that way.Daniel glanced at me. “You slept well?”“I slept,” I replied.“That does not sound like a yes.”“It is close enough.” I shrug taking in the morning air.He let out a short laugh. “Alright. Close enough.”It was easier pretending this was casual. Easier pretending my pulse was not trying to break my ribs. I kept my hands loosely at my sides so he would not see the tension in my fingers.A group of warriors waved at him. One of them, a girl with cropped hair, whispered something to another. They both looked at me. Not with hostility. Not with anything obvious. But the past had trained my body to read looks
You may also like
The Lycan's Rejected Mate
Sunshine Princess792.8K viewsAlpha Jax
C.J. Primer791.6K viewsAlpha Chase
C.J. Primer483.5K viewsMy Hockey Alpha
Eve Above Story2.2M viewsREBORN UNDER INK AND MOONLIGHT
LIL ME X154 viewsMated to one, turn out to be three
Xoxo72 viewsMATED TO MYSELF-THE ALPHA I HATED IS ME
Favouritelily569 viewsHis Christmas Mate
Alyssa Emerald 211 views
