42: Bound By The Shadow
The moon hung low, heavy and red over the fortress. Every creature in the valley felt its pull — wolves howled restlessly, the trees whispered, and somewhere deep inside Darius, something ancient stirred awake. He’d stopped sleeping entirely. Every time he closed his eyes, she was there — not just in his dreams now, but in reflections, shadows, even the corners of his vision. The Phantom Mate. The curse he thought he could contain. ⸻ The morning after her first appearance, Darius walked through the corridors like a man haunted. Servants averted their eyes — his presence had changed. There was an aura around him now, something darker than power. He didn’t speak. He didn’t snarl. He simply was — an Alpha whose silence was louder than a thousand roars. But when Damon found him in the
- Writer
