Chapter 5: The Shadow That Hunts
1147 Words
The night was no longer silent.
The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of blood and danger. Elise’s heart pounded as she stumbled through the snow, her breath misting in the freezing air. Behind her, Damian moved with predatory grace, his golden eyes scanning the darkness.
They had been running for hours.
Ever since the attack at the cabin, Damian had insisted they keep moving, but Elise could feel it—something was still out there, watching. Hunting.
“Damian…” she whispered.
He didn’t stop walking, but she saw his shoulders tense. “Keep moving.”
“But—”
“Now, Elise.”
His voice was cold, but she heard the unspoken urgency. Something was wrong.
She swallowed hard and quickened her pace, her boots crunching against the snow. The cold bit at her skin, but it wasn’t the weather that made her shiver. It was the feeling—the oppressive weight pressing down on her, the sense that something lurked just beyond her vision.
And then—
A low snarl echoed through the trees.
Elise froze.
Damian was already in motion. In one swift movement, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him, his golden eyes flashing as he scanned the darkness.
The snarl came again, this time closer.
Then—footsteps.
Slow. Deliberate.
A shadow emerged from the trees, tall and imposing, its presence alone making the air feel suffocating.
Elise’s breath hitched.
The figure stepped forward, revealing a man with silver hair and piercing crimson eyes.
Damian stiffened.
For the first time since she met him, Elise saw something in Damian’s expression that sent chills through her.
Not anger.
Not arrogance.
Pure, unfiltered hatred.
“Well, well,” the silver-haired man drawled, his voice smooth as silk. “Look who finally decided to come out of hiding.”
Damian’s muscles coiled, his fingers flexing like he was barely restraining himself. “Ronan.”
Elise’s stomach twisted at the venom in his tone.
So this was the man who wanted him dead.
Ronan smirked, his crimson eyes flickering to Elise. “And what do we have here? A little human pet?”
A growl rumbled from Damian’s chest. A warning.
Ronan chuckled. “Relax, your Highness. I’m just admiring your taste. She smells… unique.” His head tilted slightly, as if analyzing Elise’s scent.
Elise instinctively took a step back, but Damian moved in front of her, shielding her from Ronan’s gaze.
“Stay away from her,” Damian snarled.
Ronan’s smirk widened. “Oh? How interesting. You never cared for anyone before. Why start now?”
Damian didn’t respond. His entire body was taut with tension, ready to strike.
Ronan sighed dramatically. “You’ve been such a disappointment, Damian. Your father would be ashamed.”
Elise’s breath caught.
His father?
Damian’s fists clenched. “Say his name again, and I’ll rip your throat out.”
Ronan’s crimson eyes glowed, amusement dancing in them. “Oh, I’d love to see you try.”
Then, without warning—
He moved.
One second he was standing still. The next, he was right in front of Damian.
A blur of silver and black.
Damian barely had time to react before Ronan’s fist slammed into his ribs, sending him crashing into a tree with a sickening c***k.
Elise screamed.
She barely had time to process what happened before Ronan turned toward her, his expression eerily calm.
“Run, little one,” he murmured. “Or stay. It won’t matter.”
A cold wave of terror washed over her.
Damian groaned, pushing himself up from the snow. His golden eyes burned with fury, but Ronan barely looked concerned.
“Still weak,” Ronan mused, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve. “You are no match for me. You don’t deserve the throne—I do, and I will take it as soon as you die.”
Damian froze.
A heartbeat of silence.
Then—the air changed.
A deep, inhuman growl rumbled from Damian’s chest. The sound was primal, raw, deadly.
Elise felt it before she saw it.
The power surging through him.
The temperature dropped, the wind howling around them as Damian’s body began to shift. His bones cracked, his muscles bulging, his skin darkening beneath a thick coat of black fur.
His golden eyes blazed.
A full transformation.
Ronan’s smirk finally faltered. “Ah… so you do remember how to be a king.”
Damian attacked.
This time, it wasn’t a fight. It was a war.
The two Lycans clashed, a storm of claws and fangs, their battle shaking the very ground beneath them. Elise stumbled backward, watching in horror as Damian fought like a beast unleashed.
But Ronan was fast.
Too fast.
Even with Damian’s strength, Ronan anticipated his every move, dodging with ease and striking back twice as hard.
Damian was losing.
Elise’s heart pounded. She had to do something.
But what?
Then—a voice whispered inside her mind.
Don’t be afraid.
Elise froze.
The voice wasn’t hers.
It was inside her.
A sudden burning sensation shot through her hand. She gasped, clutching it as the mark on her skin began to glow—the same mark that appeared when she touched Damian.
The moment she focused on it, a wave of energy rushed through her, foreign yet familiar.
Her vision blurred—and suddenly, she saw.
Not with her eyes.
But with something deeper.
Damian’s pain. His exhaustion. The shadows that haunted him.
And then—
She saw herself.
Not as she was.
But as she was meant to be.
Not human.
Not weak.
Something more.
Elise gasped as the energy exploded outward, knocking Ronan back just as he was about to strike Damian’s heart.
Ronan stumbled, his crimson eyes narrowing. “What—?”
But Elise wasn’t listening.
Her body felt different.
Stronger. Sharper. Her senses expanded, her vision sharpening in the darkness, her hearing picking up the rhythmic thrum of Damian’s heartbeat.
She wasn’t just standing.
She was rising.
And Damian, despite his wounds, turned to look at her—his golden eyes widening in shock.
“Elise…?”
But before she could respond, Ronan’s laughter echoed through the trees.
“Well, well,” he mused. “Looks like you’ve found yourself a little queen after all.”
Damian snarled.
But Ronan only smirked. “This just got interesting.”
Then, in the blink of an eye—he vanished.
Leaving only his chilling laughter behind.
Elise’s breath came fast and uneven as she stared at the spot where he had stood. Her heart thundered.
Who was she?
What was she becoming?
Damian slowly got to his feet, his body covered in wounds, but his golden eyes never left hers.
“Elise…” His voice was rough, hesitant. “What… are you?”
She didn’t know.
But something told her…
She was about to find out.
- Writer
