Shadows in the rain
1464 Words
Chapter Five
Shadows in the Rain
Evelyn
The mansion felt too quiet.
She wandered the halls, curious, drawn to the flickering shadows cast by the morning sun through the tall windows. Every step echoed against polished stone floors. She could still feel him—Colt—lingering at the edge of her senses. Always there. Watching. Waiting.
A sudden gust of wind rattled the glass doors, and she shivered. The forest beyond the estate seemed closer than before, dark and whispering.
She didn’t know why, but a thrill ran through her. She felt drawn to the edge. Drawn to danger.
And then she saw it.
Movement.
A shadow darted across the terrace outside, too fast, too deliberate to be a bird.
Her pulse spiked.
Before she could step back, a hand gripped her wrist, strong, grounding.
Colt.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said. Calm. Measured. Controlled. But the golden flash in his eyes betrayed the surge of something primal beneath.
“I… I just wanted to see the terrace,” she whispered.
“You’ll see it another time,” he said quietly. His gaze scanned the horizon. His jaw tightened. “There’s… someone here.”
Colt
The intruder was near. A predator. Not fully human. Not fully wolf. His senses flared as the shadows slipped closer to her.
The wolf stirred violently beneath his skin.
Mine.
He swallowed. Control. Restraint. He could not afford to lose it—not here, not now.
“Step back,” he said, voice calm but low, carrying the weight of authority.
Her hand brushed against his coat as she stepped back. That small contact sent a shock through him, and the wolf inside hissed in protest.
Not yet.
Not here.
He didn’t move her. He didn’t cage her. But the tension between them, the pull of instinct, made his chest ache in a way only she could provoke.
And he wanted her to feel it too.
Evelyn
The shadow moved closer. Her instincts screamed at her to run.
But she couldn’t.
Colt was there—between her and the threat. His presence radiated heat. Power. A quiet, controlled danger that made her knees weak.
He exhaled slowly. “Stay behind me.”
Not a demand. A warning.
Her pulse raced. His closeness, his calm, his control—it was intoxicating.
“I… I don’t understand,” she whispered.
“You will,” he said. His eyes glimmered gold for a heartbeat, betraying the beast beneath.
And then the intruder revealed itself—a man, or something that looked like one. His eyes glowed faint red in the shadow. Teeth sharper than human.
Colt growled low, a sound that vibrated through her chest.
Colt
The wolf wanted to leap. Wanted to tear, to claim, to destroy.
He forced himself to stand still. Controlled. Protective. Obsessed—but disciplined.
“Evelyn,” he said, voice rough, low, commanding, “behind me. Now.”
She obeyed instinctively, moving closer. The brush of her hand on his back sent another spike of tension through him, but he didn’t let it break him.
The intruder moved, testing him, circling like a wolf scenting blood.
Colt’s eyes narrowed. Teeth flashed slightly. The golden glow intensified. The wolf was ready to erupt.
But he held it back.
She needed to see the truth of him before the wolf took over.
Control.
Always control.
Evelyn
Her heartbeat thundered. She could feel the danger. Could feel him, hot and tense beneath her touch.
“Colt… what is he?” she whispered.
“Something that doesn’t belong near you,” he said, calm, deadly.
Her fingers brushed against his chest again, and she felt it—like a live wire running through him.
“I…” Her voice faltered. She couldn’t name the fear, the excitement, the pull she felt toward him.
“Don’t,” he breathed, leaning slightly closer, the heat of his body grazing hers.
“Don’t what?”
“Lose control.”
Her pulse skipped.
Something in her told her he was barely holding back. And part of her wanted him to let go.
Just a little.
Colt
He knew the wolf could no longer be ignored.
He felt it coiling inside him, claws scraping beneath the surface, teeth grinding for release.
He exhaled slowly, forcing his body to relax, forcing the wolf down. Protective obsession—controlled.
But Evelyn had touched him. Only once. A mere brush of skin.
And he already felt the bond tightening, the curse stirring.
The moon-touched blood.
He clenched his fists. He could not touch her—not yet.
Not until she understood the danger she walked into.
But he could not hide the hunger in his golden eyes.
She saw it. She understood it.
And in that moment, neither of them could deny the pull anymore.
Chapter Six
The Beast Unleashed
Evelyn
The forest behind the Blackwood estate seemed darker now, even in the midday sun. Mist clung to the trees, curling around roots like fingers, and the air smelled damp and wild.
Evelyn had wandered farther than she intended. She had told herself she was exploring, but the truth was simpler: she was drawn to the edge of danger, and to him.
A rustle in the trees.
Her pulse spiked.
Before she could react, a dark figure lunged from the underbrush. Fast. Fierce. Not human.
Her scream caught in her throat.
And then he was there.
Colt.
Colt
The wolf inside him tore forward before he even thought about it.
Mine.
He grabbed her in a single movement, pressing her close as he spun to face the attacker. Golden eyes glinted in the shadowed light, teeth bared just enough to warn, claws scraping the earth beneath his boots.
The intruder froze. Not because Colt had spoken. Because his presence radiated danger. Protective, controlled, and lethal.
“You don’t touch her,” he growled, voice low, carrying the weight of a predator that had waited centuries for a mate like her.
The intruder lunged anyway.
Colt’s wolf snapped. The surge of power beneath his skin was intoxicating, almost unbearable. He had to restrain it—couldn’t scare her. Not yet.
But the intruder miscalculated.
A flash. A movement. Colt’s fist met the shadowed figure with a force that sent him crashing back into the misty underbrush.
Evelyn
Her knees buckled. She clutched his chest, trembling.
“Colt!” she whispered.
He pressed her tighter, just enough to anchor her, not hurt her. The heat from his body burned through her soaked sweater, and she could feel the tension coiling in him—danger, instinct, possession.
“Are you hurt?” she asked, voice shaking.
“I’m fine,” he said, calm, but she felt the tremor under his restraint. His wolf wanted to tear apart the world for her.
She could smell it now. Rain-soaked earth, pine, and something primal in him. Wild. Dangerous. Pure Alpha.
Her fingers itched to trace the contours of his face, the edge of his jaw—but she didn’t. Not yet.
Because she could feel the beast inside him waiting.
Colt
The intruder wasn’t dead, just wary. But his wolf screamed for release. The power coiled inside him like fire beneath his skin.
He exhaled slowly, forcing control, forcing himself to be the protector, not the predator.
But Evelyn…
Her proximity, her scent, her courage, made it impossible to deny the pull. The bond was awakening faster than he expected.
“Stay close,” he said quietly, moving with her behind a thick tree. Not a command. Not a threat. Just a warning.
She obeyed instinctively.
And her hand brushed his chest. Once. Just once.
The wolf howled beneath his skin.
He clenched his jaw to stop himself from growling aloud. Protective. Obsessed. Controlled.
Evelyn
The shadow retreated, disappearing into the misty forest.
Evelyn’s breath caught. She looked up at him—golden eyes flashing with heat, danger, and something almost unbearable.
“You… you’re not human,” she whispered.
“I am,” he said quietly. His voice was steady, but she could feel the tension vibrating through every muscle. “And I’m protecting you.”
Her stomach twisted. Protective. Possessive. Obsessive—but controlled.
The words didn’t need to be spoken. She felt it.
And for the first time, she realized she didn’t want to be anywhere else.
Colt
He exhaled slowly, feeling the bond tightening with each heartbeat. His wolf was calm… barely. The curse stirred, the pull of the moon-touched blood undeniable.
She was his. Not by law. Not by force. But by instinct.
And he would do anything to keep her safe.
Even if it meant breaking every rule he had spent centuries enforcing.
Even if it meant unleashing the beast inside him.
- Writer
