Six

When he stopped in front of her, Angela noticed something new:

a crease of worry etched into his brow.

“You need to know,” he said, voice low, as if even the trees might be listening. “Your awakening… did not go unnoticed.”

Angela frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Theo ran a hand through his dark hair, a gesture that betrayed his tension.

“There are forces sleeping in this valley. Forces that hunt what you are…” He hesitated, eyes fixed on something beyond her, as if he could see the future unfolding in shadows. “They felt you.”

Angela crossed her arms over her chest, trying to contain the sudden chill that spread across her skin.

“Who are they?”

Theo stepped closer—so close she could feel his warmth.

“Ancient creatures,” he whispered. “Corrupted by darkness. Beings who hunt those like you. Like us.”

A spark of fear ran through her.

Not because of what he said… but because some part of her blood recognized those words.

As if she had always known she wasn’t just running from a brutal ex-lover.

She had been running from something much older.

And now, there was nowhere left to run.

“So I’m in danger?” she asked, her voice trembling despite herself.

Theo lifted his hand and, slowly, touched the side of her face.

The gesture was so tender, so full of silent devotion, Angela almost broke.

“We’ve always been in danger,” he said with a sad little smile. “But now, you’re not alone anymore.”

Angela’s eyes brimmed with tears.

She blinked them back quickly, refusing to let them fall.

There was something in the way Theo looked at her—like she was precious, worthy of protection, not just possession or control.

It was different from Zane’s raw hunger.

Different from Damian’s dark craving.

With Theo, it felt like she could finally breathe.

Angela lowered her head, fighting the swell of emotions.

“I don’t know if I can do this…” she whispered.

Theo tilted his head, his fingers tracing a slow line along her jaw.

“You already are, amore mio.” His voice wrapped around her like a warm embrace. “You survived. You awakened. You’re stronger than you think.”

Angela lifted her gaze, and the world shrank until only the space between them remained.

She didn’t think.

She simply moved.

Her lips touched his in a kiss—soft, almost timid.

Different from the explosion she’d shared with Zane, this kiss was a silent promise.

A whisper of trust born of fear and hope intertwined.

Theo kissed her back gently, his hands cradling her face as if she were glass.

The kiss deepened, slow and reverent, so tender it made Angela’s heart ache.

When they finally parted, Theo rested his forehead against hers, his eyes shut as if in prayer.

“I swear,” he said, voice rough with restrained emotion, “nothing will hurt you while I breathe.”

Angela believed him.

Not because she wanted to.

But because it was true.

She could feel it thrumming in the air between them—an invisible, unbreakable thread.

It was Damian who shattered the moment.

“They’re coming,” he said from the edge of the clearing, his voice a distant thunder. “Feel it? The corruption in the air?”

Angela shivered.

Now that he had named it, she could.

A sour stench, like rotting flesh, drifted on the wind.

Fear clawed at her skin like invisible talons.

Theo turned instantly, protector rising in his stance.

“Stay close to us,” he ordered, gentle but firm. “No matter what you see, don’t let go of our hands.”

Zane and Damian were already moving, forming a triangle around her.

And for the first time, Angela understood.

She wasn’t just being protected.

She was the center.

The prize.

The war had only just begun.

And her blood…

Her power…

Was the most coveted weapon in the game.

The night seemed darker suddenly, as if the stars themselves had hidden from the sky.

Angela felt the tension in the air, an electric hum that made the ground quiver under her feet.

The three Alphas closed in around her, shielding her from the clearing beyond, where the wind howled with supernatural urgency.

Theo stood at her right, steady as stone.

Damian prowled in the shadows, crimson eyes burning with anticipation.

And Zane was at her front, muscles coiled, ready to strike.

She looked at him, feeling that familiar heat, but now something more threaded through the air.

Not only desire. A foreboding—an instinct that whatever came next would change everything.

“They’re close,” Damian said, voice low, almost lost to the wind. “Smell it? The rot? They’ve already scented your power.”

Angela swallowed hard, fear tightening her chest.

“What are they?” she asked, her voice breaking. No matter how much she wanted to be strong, the truth was she wasn’t ready for whatever this was.

Theo’s expression was grave, but his eyes were gentle, as if to lend her strength even knowing the odds.

“They’re corrupted shadows,” he explained. “Creatures who were once human but traded their souls for power. Now, they’re hunters. They hunt what is still pure.”

A chill crawled down Angela’s spine.

The purity of her magic. The essence she was only beginning to understand.

“And us?” she asked, her lips dry. “What happens to us?”

Zane turned to her, a dark smile crossing his face. His golden eyes glowed with a ferocity that made her tremble.

“They can’t touch us. But you—” he looked deep into her eyes, searching for something “—you’re marked, Angela. They’re coming for you.”

Fear turned to fury in her chest. She didn’t know i

f she was more afraid of what was coming, or of the idea of being hunted.

But one thing she knew for certain:

She would not be the victim again.