Mated in the shadows

No turning back

2.

The morning sun was just beginning to rise, casting pale gold streaks across the misty woods that surrounded the pack lands.

Celeste moved quickly, heart pounding as her boots crunched the gravel path leading away from the cabins. Her jacket was zipped halfway, hair still tangled from the night before, and the mark on her arm throbbed like it had a heartbeat of its own.

Every nerve in her body was still buzzing from what happened—from what she did.

She had slept with Alpha Kael. Not just kissed. Not just touched. She gave herself to him—completely. And now, the reality of that truth was pressing against her lungs like stone.

Her stomach twisted.

What had she done?

She didn’t even shift yet. She was barely accepted into the pack. She hadn’t even connected with her wolf until last night, and now she had crossed a line that could shatter everything.

She tightened her grip on her bag and glanced around. The forest was quiet, and most of the pack was still asleep, recovering from the induction festivities. She just had to make it past the gates—find space, think, breathe.

"Celeste?"

She froze.

That voice—sharp, familiar, too awake for this early in the morning.

She turned slowly, eyes widening.

Bonnie.

Her best friend stood just a few feet away, arms folded, eyebrows raised, still in pajama shorts and a loose hoodie. Her dark curls were a frizzy halo around her head, and her eyes—those bright, fierce eyes—were locked onto Celeste like a hawk spotting prey.

Bonnie looked her up and down once. Her gaze dropped to the mark on Celeste’s arm, to the torn look in her eyes, to the barely zipped jacket and swollen lips.

Then her eyes narrowed. “What the hell happened to you?”

Celeste opened her mouth. Closed it.

Bonnie tilted her head. “You’re sneaking out at sunrise looking like you just committed a murder or had the best night of your life. Which one was it?”

Celeste exhaled shakily. “I... I messed up.”

Bonnie blinked. “Messed up how?”

Celeste looked down at the ground, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I slept with Kael.”

Bonnie’s jaw dropped. “Wait. Alpha Kael? As in… the pack’s leader? The man who barely speaks to anyone and could probably rip someone in half with one hand?”

Celeste nodded once, eyes filling with panic.

Bonnie gawked. “Okay, girl, you better start talking because my brain is short-circuiting.”

Celeste grabbed Bonnie’s wrist and pulled her off the path, behind a tree. “You can’t tell anyone. Please. It wasn’t supposed to happen—it just... I felt something during the marking. Then suddenly, I was burning up and—”

“Hold up.” Bonnie cut in. “You went into heat?”

Celeste’s silence answered for her.

Bonnie stared like she’d been hit with a lightning bolt. “But you haven’t even shifted. That shouldn’t even be possible unless—”

“My wolf awakened last night,” Celeste blurted, voice cracking. “She came alive when the moon rose. And when Kael looked at me, it was like... like I couldn’t stop myself. We couldn’t stop.”

Bonnie leaned back against the tree, hand on her forehead. “Oh my goddess.”

Bonnie eyed Celeste suspiciously. “Did you guys use a rubber?”

“No, we forgot. It wasn’t supposed to happen,” Celeste grumbled, burying her face in her hands.

Bonnie groaned. “Well, this must stay a secret. I’m going to help you—as long as you don’t get pregnant.”

Celeste looked up, eyes wide with relief. “Oh thank you, my friend. What would I do without you?”

She pulled Bonnie into a tight hug.

“I don’t want anyone to find out about this. The members of the clan are so judgy—they’ll judge me till I die.”

“Well, it’s fine. It won’t get out,” Bonnie said, pulling away from the hug. “Just... hope he doesn’t remember.”