Chapter 57
558 Words
The fire inside me hadn’t stopped since training. Even after Devon left me to rest, my body still hummed like I was standing in the center of a storm. I curled into the sheets, staring at the faint glow of my skin in the dark. It flickered on and off like a warning light, refusing to settle.
When sleep finally dragged me under, it wasn’t peaceful.
I was back at the border. The forest was thick with shadows, and the wind carried the scent of blood. Wolves lay all on the ground, dead, broken and silent, and in the center of it all stood Kyle. His grin was sharp, his eyes burning with hunger that wasn’t human.
“You can’t hide, Adriana,” his voice echoed, low and cruel. “I’ll always find you. Even your mate won’t save you.”
Behind him, the trees twisted unnaturally, roots bleeding black fire. A howl ripped through the air, and when I spun, Devon stood at my side, but his chest was caved in, his eyes wide and empty.
I screamed, flames exploding from my body, but the shadows only swallowed them whole.
I woke with up crying, clutching my chest. My body was covered in sweat, the sheets twisted around me like restraints. My skin glowed faintly again, fire curling at my fingertips.
“Addy.” Devon’s voice was low, calm, pulling me back before I lost it completely. He was at my side in seconds, his hands steady on my shoulders. His presence pressed against me, his bond anchoring me like stone in a river.
“I saw him,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Kyle. He was here. He killed you. I—” My words tangled with panic, but Devon hushed me, pulling me against his chest.
“It was a dream,” he murmured, stroking my hair. “Just a dream. He can’t touch you here.”
But it hadn’t felt like a dream. It had felt real. Too real.
My fire finally dimmed, leaving me trembling against him. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, but his silence told me he was thinking the same thing I was: this wasn’t just a nightmare.
By morning, I was calmer, but unease still pressed at me like smoke under the door. I dressed slowly, ignoring the way my hands shook. Devon had left to meet with the elders, but I could feel his tension echoing down the bond.
When I stepped outside, the packyard was quiet, almost too quiet. Wolves paused in their tasks to look at me, their expressions unreadable. Some offered nods, others still carried doubt in their eyes, though the haze of hostility seemed lighter now that Levi was gone.
Yet something about their stares crawled under my skin. Not hatred. Not quite. Something else.
A whisper. A pull.
As if the air itself wanted me to believe I didn’t belong.
I forced myself to stand taller, lifting my chin. I wasn’t the same girl who had flinched at every glare. Devon’s words still rang in my ears: You’re not cursed. You’re mine.
But even as I walked, the feeling deepened. My fire stirred again, restless beneath my skin, and I knew the nightmare hadn’t just been fear, it was a warning.
Something was coming.
And it was close.
- Writer
