The shadows moved like smoke through the halls.
Everyone froze. The air grew cold, sharp, and thick, like it was pressing against our lungs. I could
short, quick, afraid. Dennis shouted for light, but every bulb and candle
hear the others breathing
stayed dead. It was as if the shadows had eaten the flame itself.
“Asher.” I whispered, grabbing his arm.
“I’m here.” His hand found mine, steady and warm, the one solid thing in the dark.
Gage’s voice came next, rough and urgent. “Get behind me, Lilly-”
A loud crash cut him off. Something hit the wall hard. We couldn’t see it, but we felt the vibration
rumble through the floor.
Then, a faint golden glow flickered from Gage’s hand – his power lighting the space just enough to see. Shadows crawled along the ceiling like ink spilling from invisible cracks.
Dennis barked orders, his alpha voice booming. “Warriors – form up! Protect the exits! No one
goes alone!”
Shapes moved fast. The warriors shifted, their wolves breaking free in flashes of color and fur. The air filled with growls and the scent of fear.
I turned to look for Arlo. He stood in the center of the hall, staring at his hands like he didn’t understand what was happening. His face was pale, and his eyes glowed faintly gray.
“Arlo!” I called. “Get back!”
He didn’t move.
The shadows swirled around him, slow and curious, like they recognized him.
Asher stepped forward, energy flaring around him in a silver wave. “Sage–something’s wrong with
him.”
I felt it too – a pull, faint but steady, coming from Arlo. The same energy that had called the
shadows before.
“No.” I whispered. “It can’t be…”
But then Arlo lifted his left arm. His sleeve slid down, and I saw it – dark lines burned into his wrist, almost like veins, pulsing faintly beneath his skin.
Asher swore under his breath. “That’s a mark.”
I stepped closer. “But Arlo doesn’t have powers.”
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hekhau Aldi sali moved you is Gage’s twin brother Arto said,
*ie abusow moved again, drawn toward him, curling around his body like it was tasting the mark.. Ayto flinched and stayed at his wrist, scratching until I could see blood.
“I
bums/i4e sold, voice shaking. I can’t make it stop
Dont touch 4 shouted, reaching for him,
The shadows hissed, swirling around him faster. Gage tried to throw a pulse of light at them, but My dodged it easily retreating only long enough to regroup,
Lilly grabbed his gum. “Stop! You’ll hit him!
*Then what do you want me to do?” He yelled. “Watch him get eaten alive?”
Dennis stepped between them, voice low but sharp. “Everyone stay calm. It’s feeding on fear,”
Asher pulled me close. “Trinity, look at Arlo’s wrist again”
1 did. The mark wasn’t random – it looked like ours. Similar lines, similar energy, except his was
dark instead of bright, Like the shadow had copied it somehow.
“Oh no.“I breathed, “It bonded to him.”
Dennis turned sharply. “What did you say?”
“W’s not just a mark” I said, “It’s a connection. Like ours, but twisted. The shadow’s been using him as a doorway this whole time”
Ado dropped to his knees, gasping. The mark glowed darker, spreading up his arm. “It’s inside me.” He said, voice weak. “I can feel it moving,”
Asher stepped forward, holding his hand out toward Arlo. “We can still stop it. We just have to close the link”
Gage looked between us. “How?”
“I don’t know yet.” I admitted. “But if the shadow made its own bond… maybe we can make a stronger one”
The floor trembled again. From the far end of the hall, one of the bigger shadows took shape – a tell, dark form with burning red eyes,
Lilly screamed, “It’s coming!”
The warriors rushed to meet it. Power clashed silver, gold, and gray flashing through the dark. The air was full of growls, claws, and the crackle of energy.
Asher threw up a barrier in front of Arlo and me, his hands glowing bright. “Keep him still!” He
<
Arlo thrashed in my arms, fighting something I couldn’t see. His eyes flickered between gray and black. 7 can hear them.” He said, voice breaking. “They’re calling me back.”
1 grabbed his face, forcing him to look at me. “Don’t listen to them. Stay with us.”
hurts” He whispered. “You don’t understand-
“Yes, I do.” I pressed his bleeding wrist against my palm. “You’re not theirs, Arlo. You’re ours.”
Something changed. The bond between Asher and me flared, reacting to my words. The silver light spread from me to Arlo, wrapping around his arm.
Asher’s energy joined mine, steady and strong. Gage added his gold light, even while fighting off the shadows. For a moment, the air around us glowed – a mix of colors spinning together like threads of fire. Asher was the last one to join the bond, connecting the four of us together.
The shadow screamed, twisting away from the light.
Dennis shouted, “Hold it! Don’t let it touch him again!”
Arlo gasped, the black lines on his arm flickering. For a brief second, his eyes turned clear again.” Trinny… what are you doing?”
“Something stupid.” I said, half–smiling. “Trying to save you.”
The energy surged again, stronger this time. But the moment I thought we might be winning, something shifted. The shadow recoiled, then split apart – dozens of smaller forms rushing past the warriors, slipping through cracks in the floor, through walls, through the air itself.
“No!” Dennis shouted. “They’re retreating into the house!”
“Let them!” I yelled back. “It’s him they want!”
Arlo screamed, clutching his wrist again. The veins pulsed black, faster now. “It’s pulling me under
I held tighter. “No, you don’t get to leave!”
Asher dropped beside me, pressing his hand to Arlo’s chest. “Sage, if you bond him, he’ll be linked to you permanently. You’ll share everything – memories, pain, emotions-”
“I don’t care!” I shouted. “It’s the only way to keep him from the shadow!”
Gage turned, his face pale. “You can’t just make that decision for him-”
Arlo gasped, cutting him off. “Do it.”
Everyone froze.
C
His voice was small, but sure. “If it means i don’t have to be there, doa
voice.was
#f
–
Asher and I exchanged a look. His expression said everything he was seated for me, for at of us
But he nodded.
“Alright.” He said. “Together”
We pressed our hands to Arlo’s mark, our bond energy burning bright. The light spread quickly silver from me, gray from Asher, gold from Gage. It wrapped around Ario like a cocoon, ponhing against the darkness that clung to him.
The shadows screamed, shrill and furious. The walls shook. Windows shattered. But we didn’t
stop.
“Stay with me!” I shouted, my voice cracking, “Don’t let go!”
Arlo’s eyes turned white, the black lines on his arm beginning to fade. I could feel it–the shadow’s grip breaking, one thread at a time,
And then – silence.
The air stilled. The shadows vanished. The only sound left was our breathing, ragged and uneven.
Arlo slumped forward into my arms, barely conscious. His wrist still glowed faintly, the dark mark now traced with thin lines of silver.
“It worked.” Gage whispered, stunned,
But I wasn’t so sure. Something still felt wrong–like we’d only paused the fight, not ended it.
Asher’s hand touched my shoulder. “You did it.” He said softly.
I shook my head. “No. We did it. But it’s not over.”
Dennis came closer, eyes sharp. “That bond you just made it changed things. If he’s truly connected to you now, the shadow won’t let go that easily. It will come for all of you.”
I met his gaze. “Then let it come.”
I looked down at Arlo. His breathing was slow but steady. His wrist still twitched, like something under the skin wasn’t completely gone.
And that’s when I saw it.
Beneath the fading light of our bond mark – a new pattern forming, small but clear. A fourth mark, linking his energy to ours.
The bond had accepted him.
But just as the relief washed over me, Arlo’s hand twitched again. His eyes opened – not gray
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anymore, but glowing faint silver,
“Asher,” I whispered. “Something’s happening.”
Before he could answer, Arlo spoke – his voice not quite his own.
“They know now.” He said softly. “They’re coming for all of us.”
And then his body went limp in my arms.
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LUCK DRAW >
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
SUMMARY (~1000 Words in English)
