Mated To The Twin Alphas

9: The Shadow Within

The air after the hunt was heavy with smoke and silence.

The rogue’s body had already turned to ash — whatever dark energy had created it burned out by the light of the Moon. But the forest didn’t feel calm. It felt watched.

Back at the packhouse, healers moved through the wounded, their hands glowing faintly with lunar salve. Damon stood at the entrance, his shoulder still bleeding through the bandage, though he pretended not to notice. Darius paced near the window, restless and silent, his aura pulsing with caged fury.

And me? I sat at the edge of the infirmary cot, staring at my hands. They still shimmered faintly silver, the last trace of the light that had burst from me during the fight.

I could still feel them both — their exhaustion, their pain — through the bond. The connection hadn’t faded this time. If anything, it was stronger.

“You should rest,” Damon said softly, breaking the silence. His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed the same unease twisting inside me.

“I’m fine.” My voice came out too quickly.

Darius turned, his expression sharp. “Fine? You lit up half the forest like a storm, Selene. You drained half your energy and nearly stopped my heart doing it.”

I blinked. “I didn’t—”

He cut me off, stepping closer. “I felt it. When that light hit, it was like something clawed at me from the inside.”

Damon’s jaw tightened. “I felt it too.” He glanced at me, then at his brother. “It wasn’t just her. The bond reacted through all of us.”

The word hung heavy in the air: reacted.

Darius scoffed. “Or maybe it’s spreading.”

That thought chilled me. “What do you mean?”

He met my eyes, his expression unreadable. “That thing in the forest — the rogue — it was drawn to you, Selene. What if it wasn’t hunting the pack at all? What if it was hunting whatever’s inside you?”

“Enough.” Damon’s voice cut through the tension. “We don’t even know what she is yet.”

The words stung more than he meant them to.

“I’m still me,” I said quietly. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

The silence that followed felt too heavy, too full of things none of us knew how to say.

Darius broke it first. “Then we find out what the Moon put in you.”

He turned to leave, but as he reached the door, his body jerked. His breath caught. For a second, his eyes flashed not gold, but black — the same darkness that had filled the rogue’s.

“Darius?” Damon moved fast, steadying him.

But Darius only shook his head, clutching his chest. “I— I’m fine.” He forced a rough breath and straightened, but his skin was pale, sweat shining on his temples.

The mark on my wrist throbbed painfully, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. I could feel something inside him — a shadow pressing against the bond, whispering.

“No,” I whispered, realization dawning. “It’s not over. The rogue… it infected you.”

Damon’s gaze shot to his brother, horror flashing in his eyes. “If that’s true—”

Darius cut him off, voice low, dark. “Then we don’t tell the pack.”

“You can’t hide something like that!” I snapped.

His eyes locked on mine, fierce and desperate. “If they find out, they’ll kill me before they understand it. Whatever this thing is, I’ll fight it.”

The mark between us flared, reacting to his resolve — or his fear.

Damon’s expression hardened, torn between Alpha and brother. “We’ll find a way to purge it. Together.”

I nodded, though my heart was already pounding with dread.

Because deep down, I knew the truth neither of them could admit yet — the shadow wasn’t just inside Darius.

Through the bond, I could feel it stirring inside me too.

And whatever it was… it was waking.