Marked By The ShadowFang Alpha

# **📘 CHAPTER 9 — “When the Shadow Opens His Eyes”

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Aria didn’t sleep.

Not even for a second.

She sat beside Kael the entire night, her fingers gently resting against the back of his hand, afraid that if she blinked, he might disappear into the darkness swallowing him from within.

Rowan stayed outside, guarding the door like a silent sentinel, but Aria barely noticed. Her world had narrowed down to one thing—

Kael’s breathing.

Slow.

Unsteady.

But alive.

Moonlight slipped through the window, bathing his face in silver. For the first time, Aria noticed how young he looked when unconscious—how human.

How breakable.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered, brushing her thumb across his knuckles. “Why did you carry this curse alone?”

A faint growl vibrated through the room.

Aria stiffened.

Kael’s fingers twitched.

His breathing shifted.

His eyes moved beneath his lids.

He was waking up.

Aria leaned closer, heart hammering painfully.

“Kael…?”

His eyelids fluttered—once, twice—before slowly opening.

And the moment his eyes met hers, Aria felt her entire soul pull taut.

His irises were darker than usual.

A storm of shadows swirled inside them, like a battle still raging behind the gold.

He blinked hard, as if trying to focus.

“Aria…” he murmured, voice rough and broken.

Aria’s throat tightened.

“I’m here.”

Kael tried to sit up, but pain shot through him. His body tensed, jaw clenching.

“Don’t move,” Aria whispered. “You’re hurt.”

He gave a humorless, breathless laugh.

“I’ve been hurt worse.”

“I know,” she said softly. “But you don’t have to pretend with me.”

Something in his expression cracked—just a fraction—but enough for her to see the truth he always hid.

He was tired.

Not physically.

But soul-deep.

“Aria,” Kael whispered, voice strained. “You weren’t supposed to see me like this.”

She shook her head.

“I’m glad I did.”

His brows tightened. “No. You don’t understand.”

“Then make me understand,” she said, her eyes fierce. “I want to know everything.”

Kael looked away, the shadows inside him flickering dangerously.

“It’s not safe for you,” he said quietly. “I’m not safe for you.”

Aria’s heart twisted painfully.

“You protected me,” she whispered. “You saved me more than once.”

“And nearly lost myself in the process,” Kael snapped, sharper than intended.

Aria recoiled slightly, but Kael immediately reached for her hand.

His grip was weak—but his eyes were desperate.

“No. I didn’t mean—Aria, look at me.”

She lifted her eyes.

“I lost control today,” Kael whispered, voice raw. “I could have hurt you. Or worse.”

“But you didn’t,” she said.

“That’s not the point.” His voice cracked. “The shadows… they grow stronger every time I fight. Every time I use my power. Every time I feel too much.”

Aria froze.

“Too much… like what?”

Kael stared at her.

Silent.

Unblinking.

Her heart pounded.

“Kael… what do you feel?”

The air grew thick between them.

Finally, Kael exhaled shakily.

“You,” he whispered. “I feel YOU.”

Aria’s breath caught.

“You’re inside everything I do,” Kael continued, his voice breaking with honesty he could no longer hide. “Every thought. Every instinct. Every shadow. You’re the only thing I see, the only thing I hear, the only scent my wolf recognizes.”

Aria’s chest tightened painfully.

But Kael wasn’t done.

“When you’re afraid… I feel it like it’s my own fear. When you’re hurt… I lose control. When you’re close…” His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “My wolf wants to claim you.”

Heat shot through Aria’s body.

Her voice trembled.

“Kael…”

He shut his eyes tightly.

“That’s why I tried to stay away from you,” he said. “Why I tried to push you back. The closer you are, the harder it is to fight the shadows.”

Aria squeezed his hand.

“Then don’t fight alone.”

Kael’s eyes snapped open, glowing with a mix of pain, longing, and fear.

“I don’t want to drag you into the darkness with me,” he whispered. “I’m cursed, Aria.”

She leaned closer, her voice gentle but unyielding.

“You’re not cursed. You’re fighting something no one else can understand. That doesn’t make you dangerous.”

“It makes me a monster,” Kael said.

“No.” Aria cupped his cheek. “It makes you a survivor.”

Kael inhaled sharply as her touch calmed the restless shadows under his skin.

“Aria…” he whispered, almost pleading.

“You protected me,” she said. “You saved your pack. You saved Rowan. You saved everyone—but no one ever saved you.”

Kael’s breath trembled.

“And I want to,” Aria whispered. “Let me.”

Kael stared at her, stunned.

“You have no idea what you’re offering.”

“Then explain it.”

Kael hesitated. His eyes darkened, shadows rippling across his skin.

“A full bond,” he said quietly. “Soul-bonding. It ties us together forever. Your light and my darkness. Your life and my power. It would keep me stable… but it would bind you to a cursed wolf.”

Aria’s voice was steady.

“I’m not afraid.”

“You SHOULD be,” Kael growled, the shadows pulsing hard enough to crack the air.

But Aria didn’t flinch.

She moved even closer, their faces inches apart.

“I choose you, Kael.”

The words hit him like a lightning strike.

His hands trembled as he reached up, brushing his fingers against her jaw.

His touch was warm—almost feverish.

“You don’t know what I’ll become,” he whispered.

“Then let me be there when you become it.”

Kael swallowed hard.

For the first time, he looked… afraid.

Not of himself.

But of losing her.

Then—very slowly—he rested his forehead against hers.

The bond between them sparked violently.

Heat.

Energy.

Shadow.

Light.

His voice was barely a breath.

“You’re going to destroy me, Aria.”

She whispered back:

“No, Kael. I’m going to save you.”

A soft, broken sound escaped him—half laugh, half sob.

Then Kael’s hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her slightly closer—

But before their lips met, Rowan burst into the room.

“Aria—Kael—something’s happening!”

Kael’s eyes snapped open, shadows swirling with sudden fury.

“What now?” he growled.

Rowan’s face was pale, terrified.

“The Elders,” he gasped. “They know Aria is marked. They know the Shadow Wolf is unstable. And they’re coming.”

Kael’s entire body tensed.

Aria grabbed his hand.

His voice dropped into a deadly whisper:

“They want to separate us.”

Rowan nodded. “Or kill her.”

Kael’s shadows exploded behind him—alive, enraged, ready to destroy.

Aria’s breath hitched.

Kael turned to her, gold and darkness burning in his eyes.

“Then they’ll have to go through me.”

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