Chapter 4
934 Words
The darkness breathed with her.
That was the first thing Midnight realized.
Every flicker of black smoke twisting around her body moved like it was alive—responding to her heartbeat, her anger, her fear.
Or maybe feeding on it.
The alley had gone completely silent.
No one moved.
Not the wolves.
Not Kael.
Not even Malakar.
All of them watched her like she was a bomb seconds from detonating.
Midnight’s chest rose sharply as another wave of power rolled through her veins. It hurt. God, it hurt. Like fire replacing blood beneath her skin.
She looked down at her trembling hands.
Black veins stretched across her fingers now.
Claws tipped her nails.
Monster.
The thought hit hard enough to crack something inside her.
Kael moved toward her slowly.
Carefully.
Like approaching a wounded animal that might rip his throat out.
“Midnight.”
His voice was calmer now.
Lower.
Dangerously soft.
“Look at me.”
“I don’t want you to see me like this.”
The confession slipped out before she could stop it.
Something painful flickered across Kael’s face.
Then disappeared beneath cold control.
“You think this changes what you are to me?”
Midnight laughed bitterly, though it sounded strained and wrong with the demon layered beneath her voice.
“I’m pretty sure being an abomination changes a lot.”
A growl ripped through Kael instantly.
Not at her.
At the word.
“You are not calling yourself that again.”
The command in his voice hit something primal inside her. The wolf in her reacted instantly, settling beneath his tone.
But the demon?
The demon smiled.
Interesting.
Malakar noticed too.
Crimson eyes gleamed with amusement from the shadows.
“The alpha already tries to tame you.”
Kael’s silver gaze snapped toward him murderously.
“Watch your mouth, demon.”
Malakar ignored him completely.
His attention stayed fixed on Midnight.
“You feel it now, don’t you?” he asked softly. “The hunger.”
Midnight’s stomach twisted violently.
Because yes.
She did.
Not for food.
For power.
For chaos.
For something she couldn’t even name.
It terrified her.
Kael must have sensed the panic rolling off her because he stepped closer again.
“You’re fighting it.”
“I don’t know how not to.”
The black smoke lashed violently around her body like a storm reacting to her emotions.
A nearby car alarm suddenly exploded into noise before dying instantly.
Midnight flinched.
Kael didn’t.
“You’re stronger than it.”
Malakar laughed quietly.
“That is where you are mistaken, wolf.”
The demon took another step forward.
Every wolf in the alley tensed immediately.
“She is it.”
The words hit like a blade to the chest.
Midnight’s breathing turned uneven again.
Kael’s expression darkened.
“You don’t get to define her.”
“But you do?” Malakar tilted his head slightly. “Tell me, Alpha… when she loses control and tears through your precious pack, will you still look at her like she’s worth saving?”
Kael answered instantly.
“Yes.”
The single word slammed into Midnight harder than it should have.
Because he meant it.
She could feel the truth of it through the bond now pulsing violently between them.
Mate.
The realization still felt unreal.
Impossible.
And yet every instinct inside her recognized him.
Wanted him closer.
Trusted him.
Which made no sense because this male should terrify her.
He was lethal.
She could see it now.
The predator beneath his skin. The violence in the way he stood. The control wrapped tight around brutal instincts.
Kael Draven was not a good man.
But when he looked at her—
It felt like she was the only thing in the world he might burn kingdoms to protect.
And that was somehow more frightening than the demon.
Malakar’s smile slowly disappeared.
“You would choose her over your own kind?”
Kael’s silver eyes glowed brighter.
“I would kill my own kind for her.”
Silence crashed through the alley.
The wolves behind him looked stunned.
Midnight’s heart stopped.
Even Malakar looked surprised by that answer.
Then—
A sharp pain suddenly ripped through Midnight’s chest.
She gasped violently, stumbling forward as something inside her clawed upward hard enough to steal her breath.
Kael caught her instantly.
“Midnight.”
She grabbed his shirt desperately.
“It hurts—”
Her back arched.
Bones cracked.
The wolf this time.
Not the demon.
Kael’s eyes widened slightly.
“She’s shifting.”
One of the wolves behind him swore softly.
“She’s never shifted before?”
“No,” Kael growled.
Panic exploded through Midnight instantly.
“What do you mean shifting—”
Pain cut her off completely.
Her scream echoed through the alley as her body started changing.
Claws tore through her fingertips.
Her spine cracked violently.
Dark smoke and silver fur erupted together across her skin.
Kael wrapped both arms around her before she collapsed.
“Breathe.”
“I can’t—”
“You can.”
His voice slammed through the chaos inside her.
Commanding.
Steady.
Alpha.
Her wolf responded instinctively.
But the demon fought back.
The two creatures inside her collided violently.
Midnight screamed again as crimson energy burst outward from her body in a shockwave.
The ground beneath them cracked.
Windows shattered for blocks.
And for one horrifying second—
Massive black wings made entirely of shadow exploded from her back.
Every wolf in the alley froze in terror.
Malakar smiled.
Kael’s face went deadly pale.
Because hybrids were never supposed to have wings.
- Writer
