I never knew my legs could carry me this fast.

Being this Shadow Wolf thing? It felt like I was flying. No, like a bullet shooting through the trees. I wasn't running, I was slicing everything in my way. But gosh, it was too much. Too strong. My lungs burned like someone poured fire inside them.

And my wolf? She howled in my head, thick with rage.

MINE. THEY TRIED TO BREAK US. NOW WE BREAK THEM.

I could see it so clearly, claws ripping into every face that ever sneered at me. Part of me wanted it. But the thought twisted my stomach. What happens after?

"There she is! Don't let the bitch reach the river!" Jax's voice came from the right, loud and mean.

He was getting closer. Even with all this new power, I was tired. Years of barely eating as a servant had left me weak. I pushed anyway. My paws slipped on wet moss and I almost fell, my body failing again. Always failing.

Then I felt it, the first glitch.

As I leaped over a fallen log, my body didn't stay solid. For a split second, I turned into a cloud of black smoke and went right through the wood like nothing. But when I landed on the other side? Everything spun. My wolf vanished. My bones snapped back into place with a sickening crunch, dumping me onto the dirt, human and naked. My power had run out.

Dammit! Not now! Everything always falls apart. Always at the worst moment.

I grabbed the bundle Lila threw at me in all the chaos. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I pulled out the wool jacket and the plain dress. The second the fabric touched me, blood started soaking through from the gash on my hip where the hunter's arrow had sliced me.

I heard paws. Heavy ones from Jax.

He burst through the bushes and shifted back to human right in front of me with that ugly twisted grin spread across his face.

I curled into myself, arms over my chest, hating how small I felt again. The shadows tried to hide me, but I was still just the broken omega.

"Jax burst through the trees, shifting back to human with a jagged grin. "From monster to shivering rat," he mocked, reaching for my throat. "Time to erase this mistake."

But the shadows? They didn't ask me. They just shot up from the ground, wrapped around his ankles like snakes. He tripped hard and his face landed in the dirt.

"What the hell?" he yelled, kicking at the black mist.

I didn't stick around to watch him get up. I turned and ran. No wolf speed anymore, but I still had the stubborn part of me that had survived years of hell.

Jax roared furiously behind me but the trees were closing in tighter, hiding me step by step.

The air changed and got colder. It smelled like wet earth, old rot, and something ancient and secret. I knew exactly what it meant. I had crossed the border. I was in Rogue Lands now.

Jax and his guys stopped at the tree line. Their torches looked like angry eyes far away. They didn't follow.

No Eclipse wolf was stupid enough to enter the Rogue Lands without an Alpha's command.

"Yeah, keep running, mutt!" Jax yelled, his voice echoing. "The Rogues will do our job for us! They'll pick your bones clean by morning! You're dead either way."

Their laughter chased me, cruel and loud, but it faded as they turned back toward the pack house. Toward safety. Warm beds. Full stomachs. While I run until I can't.

I kept going because I had to. My legs turned to jelly, but I forced them forward. Every shadow looked like it was about to grab me. Every twig snap made me flinch hard.

I pushed into the Rogue Lands, the air turning cold and smelling of old rot. Jax's laughter faded behind me, but the silence of the forest was worse.

I ran until my legs were jelly but they just kept moving on their own because the second I stopped, I was done for. And I wasn't ready to be done. Not after the way Kairos looked at me.

That cold, empty look was still burning behind my eyes..

The moon was way down low by then and dawn was probably somewhere behind the trees, but this forest didn't care. It stayed dark, mean, thorns snagging me every few steps.

I stumbled into a tiny clearing and basically collapsed against an old fallen log. My side was screaming. Blood had soaked Lila's jacket completely, making it heavy and freezing against my skin, my numb fingers pressing the wound.

I let my eyes close. Just for a second.

Which was a huge mistake, because the second I let my guard down, the bond exploded in my chest again.

It was Kairos.

He wasn't just angry anymore. He was hunting. I could feel his massive deadly wolf crashing through the trees straight toward me.

He was coming to finish it. He was coming to kill the monster he'd rejected, before the Shadow Madness could spread.

I have to hide. I have to hide right now. Panic clawing up my throat. He won't stop and he won't hesitate to kill me.

The rejection felt like a rock sitting on my chest. Twenty-two years I'd dreamed about my mate. Prayed every single night for someone who would see me, choose me, love me. And when the Moon Goddess finally answered? She gave me a man who wanted me dead.

I spotted a little hollow under a rocky overhang. I crawled inside quickly and curled into a tight ball, hugging Lila's bundle to my chest like it was the only thing keeping me alive. It was all I had left of my old life.

I tried to stay awake. Tried to keep watch. But my eyes were so heavy. My head pounded from the mate bond, throbbing like a bad bruise that wouldn't stop hurting.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face-those storm-gray eyes full of nothing but disgust. Always disgust.

I hate you, Kairos, I whispered into the dark, voice cracking. I hate you for doing this to me. I hate you for being right about how broken I am.

Right as I started drifting into feverish, half-sleep, a new scent hit me hard and pulled me awake.

It wasn't Kairos. Not the sharp blood-and-copper smell of the Alpha. Not Jax's stink.

This was different. Deep. Spicy. Familiar in a way that made my skin tingle. Cedarwood. Mountain wind. The smell of a wolf who didn't belong to anyone. A wolf who had survived things that should have killed him.

A rogue? Another hunting party? Or worse?

Then I heard it-heavy footsteps, slow and deliberate, right outside my hiding spot.

A big shadow blocked the moonlight and turned everything pitch black. My eart slammed, with my lungs burning.

There was no air or any escape.

I held my breath until my lungs screamed. My heart slammed so hard I thought it would crack my ribs. I prayed to a Goddess I didn't believe in anymore to make me invisible.

Please pass. Please don't stop. Please.

But I wasn't.

A large, dark hand reached into the hollow.

I scrambled back, nails digging into dirt, but there was nowhere left to go.

This was probably my end.

I opened my mouth to scream, to beg for help I knew wouldn't come, but a rough, warm palm clamped over my lips. It smelled like earth. Like home in a way I couldn't explain.

Home. How? How can that feel like home?

"Found you," a deep, gravelly voice whispered right against my ear.

It sounded like a dream I used to have or the worst nightmare coming true.

I looked up through the spaces between his fingers. Glowing gold eyes stared back at me. Intense. Burning. Not full of hate like Kairos's eyes but full of something else. Something hungry. Something that made my stomach flip.

For a heartbeat his gold eyes flickered - darker, almost black - then cleared. I told myself it was just exhaustion

Before I could fight or before I could even think, a strange sweet mist filled the air. My muscles went soft, my head fell back and once more, my body betrayed me again.

The last thing I felt was his arms sliding under me, lifting me like I weighed nothing.

"Sleep, Elara," he murmured low against my ear. "The King can't reach you here."

And then the world went completely black.

The sweet smell lingered on my tongue when I woke, but the fear was gone. Only heavy fog remained, weighing my limbs like lead.

I wasn't in the hollow anymore. I wasn't running.

Soft furs cradled me inside a cave. Firelight danced on stone walls. My side didn't scream when I shifted, someone had cleaned the gash and wrapped it in herb-scented linen.

"Don't try to shift," a low voice rumbled from the shadows. "The mist keeps your wolf quiet. You need rest."

I bolted upright, my heart hammering. The memories of the night came rushing back, the rejection, the hunt, the gold eyes in the dark.

,A man stepped into the firelight. He was tall, shoulders wide, dark hair falling messy over his forehead. No shirt. Scars crossed his ribs, shoulder, forearm marks that said he'd faced things that should've killed him and walked away anyway.

But damn... he was beautiful.

Rough, dangerous beautiful. The kind that hits you in your gut because you know this man could break you in half and some stupid part of you wants to find out what that feels like.

My mouth went dry. My wolf stirred hard. He smelled like destruction and shelter all at once. He looked like the boy from the orchard who once whispered he'd get me out of those kitchens.

He took a slow step closer.

I flinched before I could stop myself. He froze instantly and raised his both hands up with palms open.

"It's me. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Kael?" I whispered, my voice cracking.

He stopped, his gold eyes softening just a fraction. "You remember me."

"You're supposed to be dead," I said, my voice rising as the panic set in. "Kairos said you died in the purge. He said-"

"Kairos says a lot of things to keep his throne" Kael interrupted, his voice dropping into a low growl. He walked over and sat on a stone ledge across from me. "I had to stay dead to stay alive, Elara. But I've been watching. I saw what happened at the ceremony."

He held out the bowl. It was water. I took it with shaking hands, my mind spinning.

"But I'm not Kairos. I don't fear what you are."

He glanced up. Our faces were close. Too close that I saw his eyes flick down to my mouth just for a second then came right back up and the air between us suddenly became heavy.

He then cleared his throat. "You shifted into a Shadow Wolf."

"Yeah."

"That's dangerously rare." He paused, voice softening. "Beautiful." He said that last word quietly.

"But everyone says it's a curse and calls us monsters. But I don't feel like a monster. I feel... weirdly okay. Stronger. It doesn't add up with what they've always said."

Kael sat back a little, thinking for a second.

"Because power like that scares the ones who want to stay on top," he said. "There's an old prophecy that a Shadow Wolf will either save the packs or level them to the ground. They decided it was easier to hunt us than to find out which one you are."

"So he rejected me... because of some old bullshit prophecy."

Kael nodded.

"He's scared of what you could do. But he's also scared of what happens if he lets you go. The bond doesn't break easy. You feel it, right?"

I nodded. "All the time. Sometimes it's this soft, quiet pull. Other times it hurts so bad I can't breathe."

"That's why he's hurting too," Kael said. "And why he'll come after you one day."

"Why did you take me, Kael? Why the mist? Why didn't you just let me run?"

Kael turned back to me, and the intensity in his gaze made my breath hitch. He didn't look at me like the "scentless mutt" I'd been for twenty-two years. He looked at me like I was a prize he'd finally caught.

"Because you wouldn't have made it another mile," he said. "I didn't just stumble across you, Elara. I've been waiting for this."

"For what?"

"For you to wake up. For you to see what you actually are." He leaned in just a little, his gold eyes burning with a dark, familiar fire. "And for you to help me take back what Kairos stole."

Of course you want something. Silly me, thinking a man like him would just... want me.

I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs. "You want the throne?" I asked, my voice trembling. "You want to take his place?"

Kael's jaw tightened, a bitter shadow crossing his face.

"I want what was promised to me before our father conveniently died and Kairos let Mara whisper him onto the throne. That chair belongs to the strongest of the bloodline, Elara. Our father knew I had the Shadow strength. Kairos knew it too that's why he cast me out."

He leaned in, his gold eyes burning. "But I don't just want the crown he stole. I want the only thing he has left that makes him a King. I want the woman he was too much of a coward to claim. I want you."

My wolf rumbled. She wasn't looking at the bond with Kairos anymore. She was looking at the man standing right in front of us.

Gosh, my wolf is so shameless.

"Kairos rejected you because he's afraid of the dark," Kael whispered, his hand sliding to the back of my neck, pulling me just an inch closer. "But I've been living in it for years. I know exactly who you are, Elara. And I know why the bond with Kairos feels so wrong."

I pulled back just enough to look at him. "What do you mean?"

Kael's smile was dangerous and completely devastating.

"I'm saying the Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes, Elara. She makes backups." He reached out, his thumb grazing my jawline, and a spark of pure, electrical heat snapped between us. It was different from the bond with Kairos-this wasn't a heavy chain; it was a spark that set my blood on fire. "Kairos was your fated match, but he threw you away. And the moment he did, the shadows chose me to catch you."

His smile was warm... but his grip on my arm tightened a fraction too long, gold eyes flashing something possessive, almost hungry.

"He isn't your only mate, Elara. He was just the first one to fail you."

Kairos failed me but Kael was right here. He was warm. He was real. And he was looking at me like I was the only thing that mattered in the dark.

"I have two mates," I breathed, the realization hitting me like a physical blow.

I didn't know if I should run or stay.

Suddenly, the bond in my chest gave a violent, painful yank.

Kairos.

He was close. I could feel his wolf howling in the distance, tearing through the forest like a hurricane. He was searching for me, his possessive rage leaking through the link so strongly it made me want to throw up.

Kael stood up, his posture shifting into something lethal and predatory. He didn't look scared; he looked like he had been waiting for this fight for years.

"He's coming for you," Kael murmured, looking toward the cave entrance. "He feels another male near his mate, and his wolf is going feral. But he's hitting a wall. The Shadow Realm protects this place."

He turned back to me, eyes glowing gold.

"Only one of us is keeping you, Elara." His voice dropped, rough and certain. "And it won't be the man who called you a monster."

His hand cupped my jaw, thumb pressing just hard enough to tilt my face up.

"Tomorrow," he said, his voice dropping into a lethal promise. "I start teaching him that he didn't just throw away a mate. He threw away his right to lead this pack. He's been a King of lies for too long, Elara. It's time a real Shadow took the lead."

The shadows didn't feel like a curse anymore. They felt like silk.

Kael stood and held out his hand. "Come outside. There's a clearing behind the cave. It's safe. I want to show you what you can really do."

I looked at his hand, scarred, strong and steady. For twenty-two years, hands were only ever meant for hitting me or handing me chores. But Kael's hand was an invitation. After a moment, I took it. His touch sparked fire, but underneath, the shadows around him seemed to cling too eagerly, like they wanted more than just to teach.

We stood close for a second, his skin warm against mine, and the air in the cave seemed to hum. He didn't let go right away, and neither did I.

Then he cleared his throat and stepped back. "This way."

I followed him out.

The clearing was small, surrounded by thick trees. Sun came through the leaves in spots. The air smelled fresh, like pine and wet earth.

I stood in the center of the hidden clearing, my breath coming in short, excited gasps. Kael stood ten feet away, his arms crossed over his scarred chest, watching me with an intensity that made my skin hum.

"Shift when you're ready. Not because the moon says so. Because you want to." he said.

I took a deep breath. "I don't know how to do it on purpose. It just...happened."

"You do," he insisted, his gold eyes locking onto mine. "It's already in you. Stop fighting the dark, Elara. Feel the shadows at your feet. They've been waiting for you to notice them."

I closed my eyes. Everything got quiet. I felt the air on my skin, the cool shade under the trees, the darkness at my feet like it was waiting.

LET US OUT. My wolf whispered softly.

I did. This shift came easier, not as painful. My body changed, fur came, paws instead of hands and when I opened my eyes, it was silver and bright and the clearing looked sharper. The shadows weren't just empty dark. They felt alive, moving toward me like old friends.

Kael watched me with his arms crossed.

"Walk into them," Kael commanded, looking both surprised and proud. "Let them take you."

I stepped forward.

A shadow by a tree reached out. I didn't stop. I walked right in.

One second I was there. Next second I stood behind Kael, quiet as anything.

I shifted back to human, and a laugh came out of me.

Like an actual laugh which surprised me because I couldn't remember the last time anything had felt good enough to make that sound come out of me.

"Holy shit. That was amazing" I said.

Kael smiled a real one this time. "That's just the start. You can hide in shadows, move through them fast, maybe even pull someone else in if you get stronger. The pack fears it because they can't control it. But you can."

I felt a spark of something I hadn't felt in years. Joy. For the first time in twenty-two years, I wasn't the scentless mutt cleaning grease off the floors. I was a Shadow Wolf. I was a predator.

Kael stepped closer, his gold eyes locking onto mine. He reached out, his thumb grazing my jawline, and that two mates he'd mentioned last night flared to life. It wasn't the heavy, painful shackle Kairos had placed on me. It was a live wire-hot, electric, and completely reckless.

"You're a fast learner, Elara," he whispered, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly vibration. "Kairos was a fool to think he could keep a force of nature like you in a kitchen."

I looked up at him, the air between us turning thick and heavy. For a second, I forgot the scars, forgot the exile, and forgot the King who had shattered me. I just wanted to see if Kael tasted as dangerous as he smelled.

He reached out slowly and brushed a leaf out of my hair. His fingers stayed near my cheek for a second. My heart started beating faster.

Why did his touch feel so different from Kairos's? Why did it feel like he was asking instead of taking?

A jagged, agonizing pain ripped through my chest. I gasped, clutching my heart as the mate bond with Kairos suddenly turned into a searing brand. It wasn't just a pull anymore-it was a scream of pure, possessive rage.

MINE.

The voice in my head was so loud it made my ears bleed.

Kael's hand dropped. "He's getting louder."

"He knows I'm with someone" I whispered.

The bond pulled again softer, stronger this time. I closed my eyes. No. Not yet.

When I opened them, I met Kael steady gaze.

"Show me more," I said.

His smile came slowly lighting something inside me I hadn't known was still there.

"As much as you want."

Standing in that clearing with shadows curling lazy around my ankles, Kael looking at me like I was worth every risk, I felt it, something bright and fragile I hadn't touched in forever.

Hope.

And underneath it, maybe... just maybe... something else starting. Something reckless.

Something that might just change everything.

I took a breath, ready to ask him what was next, but the air suddenly went stone-cold. The shadows at my feet, the ones that had been playing like puppies, suddenly hissed and dove back into the dirt.

Kael's smile vanished. He shoved me behind him, his claws sliding out with a lethal snick.

"Elara," his eyes were fixed on the tree line where the sunlight didn't reach. "Don't move."

A twig snapped. Not the light, accidental snap of an animal, but the heavy, deliberate crunch of a warrior. Then, a scent cut through the pine and smoke, one that made my stomach drop and my bond scream in a way that nearly brought me to my knees.

Cedar. Storm clouds. And that bitter, metallic tang.

Kairos didn't step out of the trees. He walked out of the nightmare I thought I'd escaped with half a dozen of guards behind him. He didn't look like a King coming to apologize. He looked like a hunter who had finally cornered his prize.

Kairos's gaze swept over the clearing, landing on Kael's hand, which was still hovering near my arm. A low, vibrating growl ripped from the Alpha's throat-a sound so primal it made the leaves on the trees tremble.

"Get your filthy hands off my Luna, Kael," Kairos said, his voice a dangerous, quiet promise of death.

"She isn't yours anymore, brother," Kael countered, stepping forward to shield me. "You rejected the 'monster,' remember? You threw her into the dirt. I just picked her up."

"You were always the weak one, Kael. Father would be ashamed of what you've become."

Kael responds back. "Father didn't exile me, Kairos. You did. You destroyed our bloodline for a crown that doesn't fit you."

Kairos's eyes snapped to mine. For the first time, I didn't see the cold, distant King. I saw a man who was fueled by a terrifying, possessive hunger.

"Elara," he said, his voice cracking just enough for me to feel it through the bond. "Whatever he told you, whatever lies he's fed you... it doesn't matter. You are coming home. Now."

He stepped over the border line, his boots sinking into the Rogue dirt. He held out a hand toward me, not a plea, but a command. Behind him, a guard stepped forward, shaking out a pair of heavy, silver-lined shackles.

"I'm not going back to a cage, Kairos," I said, my voice shaking but loud. "And I'm definitely not going back to you."

The bond flared with his agony, but I pushed it away. I felt the shadows at my back rising, forming a wall of black smoke between me and the man who had broken me.

"I didn't come to ask, Elara," Kairos said, his face hardening back into stone. "I'm taking you back. Even if I have to carry you in chains."

Behind him, a guard stepped forward, shaking out a pair of heavy, silver-lined shackles. My blood went cold. He didn't come to save me. He came to cage me.