Derek's POV - Alpha
I crashed through the trees, branches tearing at my skin as I followed Maya's scream. My wolf was going crazy inside me, trying to get out and protect our mate. Behind me, I could hear Lily and the others trying to keep up, but I didn't slow down.
"Maya!" I howled, pouring all my alpha power into the sound. "I'm coming!"
The Shadow Wolf's presence hit me like a wall of ice and death. Even my alpha strength felt small compared to whatever was hunting Maya. But I didn't care. I'd die before I let that thing hurt her.
Through the woods, I saw a clearing bathed in strange, dark light. Maya stood in the center, her hands sparkling with silver power I'd never seen before. But she was shaking, and I could smell her fear from here.
The Shadow Wolf ringed her like a massive nightmare made real. It was twice the size of any regular wolf, with eyes like burning coals and darkness pouring off its fur like smoke. When it looked at me, I felt something try to crawl into my mind.
She doesn't really love you, a voice whispered inside my head. She's just an omega. You're an Alpha. You could have anyone.
"Get out of my head!" I growled, shaking off the mental attack.
Maya's eyes met mine across the clearing. "Derek, no! It's too dangerous!"
But I was already shifting, my wolf form breaking free with all the rage and love burning in my chest. I leaped at the Shadow Wolf, aiming for its throat.
The creature moved faster than anything should be able to move. Pain burst across my ribs as its claws raked my side. I hit the ground hard, tasting blood.
You picked duty over her once, the voice whispered again. You'll do it again. You always do.
"That's not true!" I roared, getting back to my feet.
But the words hurt because part of me was scared they were right. Three years ago, I had picked the pack alliance over Maya. I'd married Sarah even though every part of my being screamed that Maya was my real mate.
The Shadow Wolf laughed, a sound like broken glass. "Show her, Alpha. Show her who you really are."
Suddenly, the air around us shimmered. Images began forming in the dark light - memories I didn't want Maya to see.
There I was, three years ago, in my office with my father and the pack leaders.
"You have to marry Sarah Cross," my father was saying. "The alliance with her pack will make us the strongest territory in the mountains."
"But Maya is my mate," I heard my younger self argue weakly.
"Maya is an omega with no family, no connections, no political value," Elder Marcus replied coldly. "You can keep her as a mistress after you marry Sarah."
In the memory, I watched myself nod. I watched myself agree to use Maya while planning to marry someone else all along.
"No," I whispered in the present. "That's not how it happened."
But the Shadow Wolf showed more memories. Me telling Sarah about the plan before I ever told Maya. Me planning the wedding while still visiting Maya's bed. Me knowing she was falling in love while I prepared to break her heart.
Maya's face went white as she watched the memories. "You... you planned it all along?"
"Maya, please, let me explain—"
"You knew you were going to marry Sarah the whole time we were together?" Her voice was barely a whisper.
The Shadow Wolf fed on her pain, getting larger and darker. "See? He never loved you. You were just entertainment."
"That's not true!" I changed back to human form, desperate to reach her. "Maya, I fought against the marriage for months! I tried to find another way!"
But the memories kept playing. The Shadow Wolf showed her every moment of weakness, every time I'd chosen the easy way over fighting for her.
Maya's silver power flickered and started to fade. The more hurt she felt, the weaker she became.
That's when I understood. The Shadow Wolf wasn't just trying to kill Maya - it was trying to break our mate bond totally. If it could make her believe I'd never truly loved her, if it could fill her with enough sadness, she'd lose the power that made her special.
"Maya, look at me," I begged, moving toward her. "Not at those memories. Look at me now."
But she backed away, tears running down her face. "How do I know what's real anymore, Derek? How do I know you're not just here because you feel guilty?"
The Shadow Wolf growled with pleasure. It was working.
Lily and the other pack members burst into the open, but they stopped short when they saw the massive creature. Even brave Lily looked frightened.
"We have to break the bond between them," the Shadow Wolf said to me, its voice like poison. "Give her up freely, and I'll let you live. Keep fighting for her, and I'll destroy your entire pack."
Around the clearing, shadows started moving. More Shadow Wolves were coming - a whole pack of the nightmare animals.
"Derek," Maya said softly, her power almost gone. "Maybe you should listen to it. Maybe this is all wrong."
"Never," I growled. "I'll never give you up again."
But then I saw something that made my blood turn to ice. Little Jamie was running through the woods toward the clearing, calling for his mother. Behind him, Sarah followed with several of my pack members.
The Shadow Wolf smiled with too many teeth. "How interesting. Now we have the child too."
Before I could move, before I could warn him, Jamie ran right into the clearing. The moment his little feet crossed into the space filled with shadow magic, every Shadow Wolf in the area turned to look at him.
And their eyes went wide with hungry recognition.
"No," I breathed, understanding hitting me like a physical blow.
Jamie wasn't just my son. He wasn't just Maya's kid.
He was something else. Something the Shadow Wolves had been looking for.
The head Shadow Wolf's voice became eager, excited. "A Moon Child. Born of a true mate bond and having alpha blood. Do you know how long we've been looking for one of these?"
Maya screamed as she understood what this meant. Her son wasn't just in danger - he was the real prize the Shadow Wolves were after.
"Mama?" Jamie called out casually, not understanding why everyone looked so scared. "Why is everyone so scared of the big doggy?"
The Shadow Wolf began moving toward my son, and I realized with terrible clarity that everything - the attack on our pack, hunting Maya, trying to break our bond - it had all been to get to Jamie.
"Run!" I roared to Lily and the others. "Take Jamie and run!"
But as I spoke, Jamie did something that made every wolf in the clearing freeze.
He looked right at the Shadow Wolf and tilted his head like he was curious.
"You're not supposed to be here," my three-year-old son said quietly. "The moon told me so."
And then Jamie's eyes began to glow with the same silver light as his mother's.