the alpha unseen mate

chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Awakening

The moon hung low in the sky, a pale sentinel in the dark. Jordan’s senses felt heightened, every rustle in the trees and shift in the wind seeming magnified. She had never felt this way before—alive, on edge, and yet strangely at peace, as though everything she had ever been told was true, and she was only now discovering it.

Zane stood before her, his posture confident, unyielding, a sharp contrast to the unease wriggling in her gut. She had barely come to terms with his revelation, that she was connected to something ancient, something far greater than just the tomboyish human she had always been. But now, the air around them hummed with an energy she could neither ignore nor understand.

"You’re ready," Zane said, his voice steady, though his eyes—those fierce amber eyes—betrayed a flicker of something else. Concern? Fear? "This is your bloodline, Jordan. This is who you are."

Jordan shook her head, trying to push the weight of the revelation away. “I’m not ready for anything. This… this power you speak of, it doesn’t feel real.”

Zane's gaze softened, though his stance remained protective. He wasn’t the kind to coddle. “You are more than you think, Jordan. You always have been.” He stepped closer, his hand brushing against hers. The touch sent a strange jolt through her body, a feeling both foreign and familiar. It was as though the very connection he spoke of was pulsing between them, alive, hungry.

“I’ve been a tomboy my whole life,” she muttered, almost to herself. “Fighting for every inch, never caring about romance, relationships… how could I be this?”

His fingers curled around hers, a warm, steady pressure. “You don’t have to be anything other than what you are. But now, you need to decide what that is. The world won’t wait for you to figure it out.” Zane’s voice dropped to a whisper, as if the forest itself was listening. “You have power, Jordan. Power that others will want to control.”

The ground beneath her feet shifted, and a sudden chill gripped the air. Jordan froze, her eyes darting around as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Something was coming, something dark. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt it in her bones. A predatory presence, closing in.

“They’re here,” Zane growled, a deep rumble that sent tremors through the forest. “The Skryds.”

Before she could even ask what that meant, the first creature emerged from the trees. Its shape was vaguely human, but it moved with an eerie grace, its skin an unnatural pale hue. The others followed, their eyes glowing with a fire that chilled Jordan’s blood.

"They were once part of my pack," Zane’s voice was low and dangerous. “Now they hunt anyone with power. Especially you.”

Jordan’s throat tightened. “Why me?”

“Because you’re my bloodline,” Zane snarled, his eyes flashing. “And they want what’s mine.”

Without another word, Zane transformed. The change was instantaneous—fur sprouted from his skin, his limbs growing stronger, longer, until he stood before her as a massive, powerful wolf. His amber eyes locked onto hers for a moment, silently urging her to stay back. He was a force of nature now, and nothing would stop him.

But Jordan didn’t retreat. She couldn’t. Not when she felt something stir within her, something deep and untamed.

"Stay behind me," Zane commanded, but she ignored him, stepping forward instead, drawn to the ancient power inside her. The energy thrummed in her veins, urging her to act.

The Skryds attacked in a flash. Zane lunged at the first, his claws slashing through the air, his fangs sinking deep into the creature’s throat. The forest shook with the force of their clash, but Jordan barely noticed. Her attention was fixed on the power rising inside her.

She raised her hands instinctively, and with a cry, released a burst of energy. The shockwave sent the Skryds sprawling, their bodies crumpling under the force. Jordan’s chest heaved, the raw power both exhilarating and terrifying.

Zane looked at her in awe, his wolfish eyes wide. “Jordan, stop! You’ll kill them!”

But the power inside her surged again, unstoppable. She had to control it—had to understand it. The Skryds scrambled to their feet, but the energy had already begun to shift in the forest. They were no match for her now.