Chapter 6 – Shadows in the Silence
The moonlight streamed through the cracks in the wooden shutters, painting pale streaks across the cold stone floor of the room Louve had been given. It wasn’t much—just a bed, a blanket that smelled faintly of pine and smoke, and a small basin of water—but after days in a cage, it felt like luxury. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling beams, her thoughts swirling like storm clouds.
Her shoulder still throbbed from the patrol’s rough handling earlier, and the crescent mark burned hotter than usual. It always did when she was close to him—Alpha Dolph. She hated the way the name lingered in her mind like a whisper. The mate bond wasn’t something she asked for, and yet every time their eyes met, something primal inside her stirred, clawing to the surface.
But he didn’t want her. He made that clear.
“Pathetic rogue,” he’d spat earlier when she hesitated during their last encounter in the clearing. The words should’ve rolled off her like water on stone, but they burrowed deep instead, because a small, traitorous part of her wanted his approval. Wanted something more than the empty existence she’d endured for so long.
Louve clenched her jaw and sat up abruptly, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. The floorboards were icy beneath her bare feet. She didn’t want to cry, but the sting behind her eyes betrayed her. She wiped at her face roughly.
No more tears. Not for him. Not for anyone.
A soft thud outside her door made her freeze. Her wolf bristled inside her, pushing against her skin like a restless shadow. Whoever it was hadn’t knocked. They were just… standing there. Listening.
Slowly, Louve rose to her feet and crossed the room silently. She inhaled deeply, trying to catch a scent through the thick wooden door. Pine. Cold steel. And something sharp—like jealousy laced with anger.
Seraphine.
Of course.
Before Louve could decide whether to confront her, the footsteps retreated, light and measured. She waited until the last echo faded, her pulse pounding like a war drum in her ears. Seraphine didn’t like her. That much was obvious. But that look the Beta had given her earlier—the one filled with barely masked hostility—it wasn’t just about pack politics. No, Seraphine’s hatred burned deeper, like a personal vendetta.
Louve moved back to the bed and sat, her mind spinning. She wasn’t naïve. She’d seen enough of this world to know what fueled a wolf’s darkest emotions: love, power, and loss. Seraphine had the look of someone who had already lost too much—and wasn’t ready to lose more.
Especially not to a rogue.
By morning, the air was thick with tension. Louve felt it the moment she stepped out of the small cabin, the frost crunching beneath her boots. Bloodmoon warriors moved with purpose, their eyes sharp and their shoulders taut, as though preparing for war.
Something was wrong.
She spotted a pair of wolves speaking in hushed tones near the training grounds. The smell of fear clung to them like smoke. Louve’s stomach tightened.
“Rogue,” a voice barked behind her.
She turned to find Seraphine, her tall, lean frame cutting a striking figure in a sleek black coat. Her silver eyes gleamed like shards of ice, and her lips curved in that mocking smile Louve was starting to hate.
“Alpha wants you,” Seraphine said curtly, stepping closer until they were nose to nose. “Don’t make him wait. It’s not… wise.”
Louve held her gaze, refusing to flinch. “Then lead the way.”
Seraphine’s smile widened—sharp and humorless. “Gladly.”
---
The Alpha’s cabin was bigger than the rest, but just as stark—wooden beams, a roaring hearth, the scent of iron and pine heavy in the air. Louve stepped inside, her pulse quickening despite her best efforts to stay calm. Alpha Dolph stood near the map table, his broad shoulders tense as he studied the lines carved into the wood.
He didn’t look up when she entered. “Leave us,” he said.
Seraphine hesitated, her jaw tightening before she spun on her heel and exited, the door slamming shut behind her.
For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Louve shifted her weight, her wolf pacing restlessly inside her.
“Shadowfang attacked the northern border last night,” Dolph said finally, his voice like gravel. “Two of my warriors are dead.”
Louve swallowed hard. “I’m… sorry.”
“Don’t waste sympathy on me.” His gaze lifted, pinning her with the force of a winter storm. “Save it for yourself. Because if Lucien gets his hands on you, he won’t just kill you—he’ll rip your soul apart to feed his power.”
The room seemed to tilt for a second, the air rushing from her lungs. She’d suspected Lucien was after her, but hearing it aloud… it made everything real. Too real.
“Why?” she whispered.
Dolph’s jaw clenched. He stepped closer, the heat of his body cutting through the cold like fire. “Because of what you are.” His eyes flicked to her shoulder, where the mark burned beneath her tunic. “The Moonbane.”
The word hung between them, heavy with meaning she didn’t yet understand. Louve’s throat tightened. “I’m not—”
“Yes, you are.” His voice hardened like steel. “And that means you’re either my greatest weapon… or my greatest weakness.”
Something inside her cracked at the way he said it—like her existence was nothing more than a calculation. A strategy.
Her voice shook, but she forced the words out anyway. “And what am I to you now?”
Dolph froze, his expression unreadable. For a heartbeat, his walls slipped, and she saw something raw flicker in his eyes—something that made her heart stutter.
Then it was gone.
“You’re my problem,” he said flatly, turning away.
The words hit harder than claws. Louve bit the inside of her cheek to keep from reacting, tasting copper as blood pooled on her tongue.
“Training starts tomorrow,” Dolph continued, his tone clipped. “If you’re going to survive—and if my pack is going to survive—you’ll learn to control whatever’s inside you.”
He moved toward the door, pausing just long enough to throw one last glance over his shoulder. “Don’t run, Louve. You won’t make it out alive.”
And then he was gone, leaving her alone in the flickering firelight, her heart a tangled mess of fury, fear, and something far more dangerous.
That night, sleep didn’t come easy. Louve lay awake, listening to the wind howl through the trees like ghosts mourning the dead. Every shadow seemed to stretch longer, darker, as if the forest itself was alive and watching her.
When the dream came, it wasn’t like the others.
This time, she was standing in a field of silver grass, the moon a bleeding crescent in the sky. A wolf—massive, fur white as bone and eyes like black fire—stood before her. Its voice slithered into her mind like smoke.
Child of the crescent… bearer of ruin…
Louve’s chest heaved. “What do you want from me?”
To remember. To awaken.
The wolf’s jaws parted, revealing teeth sharp enough to rend the stars. Two paths lie before you: Bind the bond and live… or break it, and all will burn.
The ground cracked open beneath her feet, flames licking at her heels. Louve screamed, reaching for something—anything—when a hand seized hers, strong and unyielding. She looked up.
Alpha Dolph.
And then she woke, drenched in sweat, her heart battering her ribs like a drum of war.
The sun had barely risen when a knock sounded at her door. Louve dragged herself out of bed, her legs trembling as if the dream had drained her strength. She opened the door to find Seraphine, her face carved from stone.
“Time to train,” she said coldly. “Try not to die.”
Louve stared at her, jaw set, determination blazing in her chest. She didn’t know what the spirits wanted from her, or why fate had tied her to a man who didn’t want her… but one thing was certain.
She wouldn’t break. Not now. Not ever.