All Chapters of The Alpha King's Shadow: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

They got to the river right before the sun peeked up. A skimpy fog sort of floated over the top, like some kind of breath caught in between places you can't quite see. Selene pulled her horse to a stop at the edge, her heart picking up speed as the air around them got heavier, more hushed, like it was paying attention on purpose. The water moved a bit, not calm at all; it swirled on itself and brought along sounds that had nothing to do with breeze or flow.Aurek got off his horse first thing, eyes sweeping the shadowy trees ahead. We will rest here, he said in a low voice. He tried to make it come out firm, but she caught the tiredness underneath, the leftover noise from the fight, and those tricky words from the envoy still bouncing around in his head. He walked like someone held together by pure habit, but his eyes, those hot, fidgety ones, kept drifting to the river like it was calling him out.Selene hung back in the saddle just a second more. Something about that river felt off,

When she emerged from the corridor, everything around her seemed just the same. Moonlight coated the trees in silver, damp moss filled the air with its scent, and the river kept murmuring behind her like nothing unusual had occurred.But the ground moved slightly. Roots beneath her boots throbbed once, then twice, before settling down. It felt as if the earth was checking to see if she was still breathing.Selene dropped to her knees and placed her palms against the soil. Warmth came up from it. Far too much warmth.Her chest ached from where light had exploded out of her in the labyrinth. Skin there glowed a little, almost like the river's rhythm had taken root inside her ribs. She put a hand over it and tried to calm the sensation.Something rustled off to her right."Aurek?" she said in a low voice.Nothing came back, just leaves brushing against each other with a sound like grinding teeth.She pushed herself to stand. Her body weighed more now, movements came slower, as though the

The river, a relentless serpent, had dragged them further than either had imagined. By the time the trees started to thin, offering peeks at the smoke-stained horizon, Selene's muscles screamed in protest. The night air bit with a chill, heavy with the smell of ash, and it filled her lungs with each ragged breath. Each sound, be it the crack of a twig or the distant hoot of an owl, seemed amplified, as if the woods held its breath to listen.Aurek, ever vigilant, forged ahead on a trail that ran along the ridge. His once-white shirt now clung to him, stained dark with soot and river muck. Bathed in the faint light, he looked both man and beast, a blend of wolf and human fused into a wary figure. Selene kept her distance, minding the throbbing pain in her hand near the mark. It burned with a soft heat, in sync with his heartbeat more than her own.As dawn painted the horizon, a watchtower emerged, a wreck of broken stone almost consumed by ivy. It must have held importance with its pos

The night was a living thing, not friendly at all, almost like it was trying to smother me, its whispers warnings I wanted to ignore but couldn't. The road ahead? Pitch black. The trees? Like accusing figures. I gripped the reins, not to boss the horse around, but to feel grounded against the storm brewing inside me. Selene was next to me, quiet and delicate like a candle flame about to be blown out. Yet there was something impossibly bright about her, like the darkness itself knew better than to even try and touch her.Every part of me screamed danger, but not the kind I could beat with a sword. This felt old, nasty. My wolf rumbled deep in my chest, a vibration running through my skeleton. I tasted blood and felt this chill crawl all over my skin. Someone – something – watched us, stalked us, growing fat on Selene’s barely-there panic.I wanted to say something, to tell her to watch out, but the words felt stuck. My hands were shaking, so I made fists. The night had teeth, and I cou

Stay close, he whispered, almost growling. It was an order, a lifeline, and a heads-up all in one. I nodded, even though he couldn't see, and pulled my horse beside his. I was terrified, totally helpless, and yet my heart skipped a beat at the sheer force of him – the way he was in control, dangerous, ready to crush whatever was in front of us.The shadow moved again, slow now, like it was playing with us. I could feel the bad vibes coming off it, a cold intelligence that matched Aurek's. My wolf got antsy. I felt a surge of my own fear and – yeah, I'll say it – fascination. This wasn't just about what was out there; it was about what was happening between us, this blurry line between hunter and prey, protector and protected, wanting and surviving.Aurek shifted, reaching for his sword. My breath caught – it was the way his muscles tightened, the hint of violence barely held back. I wanted to tell him to be careful, but I couldn't speak. Instead, my body answered his, mirroring him, e