My Human Husband, Shades of You

Chapter Eleven

**Thessara's POV**

"No animal did this." I touched the deep scratches on my car door, my fingers traced each groove. These were claw marks, it was a big one. Something inside me stirred, my wolf recognized the scent, I looked up at the hospital entrance. Kieran stood there watching me, I could see his dark eyes seemed to see everything.

My chest pulled tight, like something was tugging me toward him. I wanted to run to him, needed to be close and this had to be the mate bond.

At home that night, I dug out my old books. The ones I saved from my pack, the ancient texts about wolf magic. Stories my grandmother told me, I found a chapter about mates. Read every word twice. The moon goddess gives each wolf one true mate. When that mate dies, she might give you another chance. But only if you have something important to do together. My hands shook as I read. Kieran was my second chance mate. I was sure of it now. But what were we supposed to do together?

Work the next day felt different. Everything was sharper. Brighter. More intense. Kieran walked past the nurse's desk. My heart started pounding. Heat spread through my body. I could smell him from across the room. Pine trees after rain. Something wild underneath. Something not quite human.

"Are you feeling okay?" Simon appeared next to me. "You look hot." I blinked hard. I tried to focus. "Just tired." That was a lie. I wasn't tired. I was burning up inside. Every part of me was aware of Kieran.

Surgery started at noon. Dr. Phillips put me with Kieran. My stomach dropped. "Try to keep up," Kieran said. His voice was cold. Professional. But his voice made me shiver. Made my wolf pace inside my chest. We worked on a simple appendix removal. The patient was stable. Nothing complicated. Then Kieran reached for the same tool I was grabbing. Our hands touched. Fire shot through me. Electric and hot. I gasped and jerked away.

Kieran went still. His eyes met mine over his mask. They weren't gray anymore. They were gold. Like a predator's eyes. "Focus," he said. His voice was rough now. But I couldn't focus. Something alive hummed between us. The mate bond was getting stronger. The rest of surgery was torture. Every time Kieran moved closer, my body reacted. My heart raced. My breathing got shallow. He felt it too. I could see it in his tense shoulders. The way he avoided looking at me.

After surgery, I hid in the supply room. I tried to catch my breath. Kieran's scent was on my scrubs. Made my wolf whine with want. This was getting dangerous. The bond was waking up. Getting harder to ignore. My body craved him like air. Like water. Like something I needed to survive.

That night, the dreams started. I was running through a dark forest. My paws hit the ground in rhythm. Trees blurred past me. Someone ran beside me. A big figure with dark hair. He moved like a hunter. Smooth and deadly. I couldn't see his face clearly. But I knew him somehow. My soul recognized him. We ran together until sunrise. Partners. Equals. I woke up breathing hard. My sheets were soaked with sweat. The dream felt more real than being awake.

The next day, Simon found me in the break room. "Want to get dinner tonight?" His smile was hopeful. Kind. My chest got tight. Simon was sweet. Everything I should want in a guy. But the mate bond rebelled. It made me feel sick thinking about being with someone else. "I can't," I said quietly. "Why? Because of Dr. Reynolds?" I looked at him. Saw the hurt in his eyes. Hated that I was causing it. "It's complicated."

Simon stepped closer. His face was serious now. "It doesn't have to be. Whatever's happening with you two isn't healthy. He treats you like you don't exist." Simon was right. Kieran was cold to me. Distant. But he was still mine. My mate. My other half. "I'm sorry," I whispered. Simon's face fell. He nodded and walked away. I felt awful. But I couldn't fight what the moon goddess planned. Couldn't deny my nature.

That night, weird things started happening at my apartment. My books moved from where I left them. The temperature dropped fast. Shadows shifted in the corners of my eyes. Something was watching me. Hunting me. I checked every lock twice. Closed all the curtains. But I still felt eyes on me. My wolf was alert. Hair standing up. Ready to fight or run. The air felt thick with danger. Like a storm was coming.

I looked up articles about creature attacks. Read about things with glowing eyes. Strange animal attacks. My blood went cold. These were the same monsters that killed my pack. They'd found me again. I grabbed my phone to call the police. Then stopped. What would I tell them? That supernatural creatures were after me? They'd think I was crazy. The temperature dropped more. Frost formed on my windows in July. Something scratched at my door. Long slow marks. Like claws.

I backed toward my bedroom. Got the silver knife I kept hidden under my mattress. The scratching stopped. Everything went quiet. Too quiet. I waited for hours. Nothing else happened. But I couldn't shake the feeling of being hunted. Watched. Stalked. Sleep came in fragments. Every sound made me jump. Every shadow looked like a threat. This couldn't go on forever. Something had to give.

The next night at work, the feeling followed me. Whatever wanted me knew where I worked. I stayed near other people. But the hospital felt wrong after midnight. Darker. More dangerous. Like something evil was walking the halls. The fluorescent lights flickered. Casting weird shadows on the walls. Even the other staff looked nervous. Like they could sense something was off.

I was in the east wing when I felt it. A predator nearby. Something that shouldn't exist in the real world. My wolf started howling in my head. Warning me. Telling me to run. But where could I go? These things found me before. They'd find me again. Then I caught a familiar scent. Pine and rain. Safety. Kieran. My feet moved on their own. Following his scent. Drawn by instinct deeper than thought.

I found his office. The door was closed but I could sense him inside. I lifted my hand to knock. Then hesitated. What was I doing? Kieran barely talked to me. He'd made that clear enough. But the bond mate didn't care about logic. It pulled me toward him. Promised protection. The predator feeling got stronger. Closer. Footsteps echoed behind me. Slow and deliberate. Not quite human.

My wolf went wild. Clawing to get out. Ready to shift and fight. But I couldn't shift here. Too many people around. Too many cameras watching. The footsteps got louder. I knocked on Kieran's door. "Come in." I slipped inside fast. Closed the door behind me. Leaned against it. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst.

Kieran looked up from his papers. His eyes got sharp when he saw me. "Claire? What's wrong?" Everything was wrong. The mate bond. The creatures hunting me. The way my whole body ached when he was near. "Someone's following me," I whispered. It wasn't totally a lie. Kieran was on his feet in seconds. His whole body went alert. Protective mode. The change in him was instant. Dangerous. Like a switch had been flipped.

"Where?" he asked. His voice was deadly calm. "In the hall. I heard footsteps." He moved to the door. Listened hard. I could see every muscle tense. "I don't hear anything now." But he believed me. I could see it in his face. There was no doubt. No questions about my sanity. He knew something was out there. "Sit," he said gently. "Tell me what happened."

I sat across from his desk. I tried to organize my thoughts. How could I explain without giving everything away? The mate bond. My wolf side. The creatures from my past. "Strange things keep happening," I started. "At home. Here at work. Like something's watching me." Kieran's jaw got tight. His hands clenched into fists. "What kind of strange things?" he asked. His voice was controlled. But I could hear the anger underneath.

"Stuff moving around. Cold spots appear. Scratches on my car. Footsteps when nobody's there." He was quiet for a long time. Studying my face. Looking for lies. For signs I was making this up. "You're not safe," he said finally. The words made me shiver. Because I could hear he was completely serious. Kieran knew something. About the creatures. About the danger stalking me. This wasn't news to him. He'd been expecting this.

"What do you know?" I asked. The question hung between us. Heavy with possibility. He stared at me for a long moment. Like he was deciding how much truth to tell. "More than you think," he said quietly. The mate bond buzzed between us. Stronger now. Harder to ignore. He was my protector. My other half. The one chosen for me. But sitting in his office, breathing in his scent, one question burned in my mind.

If Kieran was meant to keep me safe, why did I feel like he was hiding secrets that could destroy us both?