CHAPTER <b>113 </b>


    The shadows moved like liquid, slithering across the uneven ground. Every instinct in me screamed to run, but my legs felt rooted to the spot, heavy and unresponsive. My heart thumped so violently in my chest that I feared it might burst, each beat echoing painfully in my ears. Elias shifted closer, nting himself firmly between me and the threatening darkness. His jaw was tight, his eyes sharp and alert, but I knew, as he did, that he had no real defenses against whatever these creatures were. The air around us seemed to thrum with menace, a cold, vibrating pressure that made my skin crawl.


    summoned a fireball in my palm, feeling its searing heat pulse against my skin, and hurled it toward the shadows. It exploded in a sudden ze of light and heat, sending tendrils of darkness recoiling, though only momentarily. They reformed instantly, flowing back toward us with relentless purpose.


    Elias‘ grip on my wrist tightened, his fingers digging in, and a deep, warning growl rumbled from his throat. I could feel the tension in his body, his readiness to strike even as he knew he was vulnerable. The shadows seemed almost understanding, writhing and stretching like they were alive, probing, testing, searching for a weakness we hadn’t yet shown. My mind raced, trying to calcte our next move, while my chest burned from the adrenaline and fear surging through me


    “We ne


    His voice was low, tense, sharp.


    nt to fight this? They look like shadows!” I yelled.


    ave to get out of here before they reach us.” <fna4b7> Follow current nov?ls on find?novel</fna4b7>


    <b>yre </b>too fast.” I gasped.


    across the


    “We’ll just have to be faster.” He grabbed my hand with his other, and we + ins, away from the castle. Going back inside Arthur’s walls was suicide–too many strange, dangerous things waiting there.


    Behind us, the shadows flowed and twisted, relentless. I risked a nce back, and my stomach churned. They were chasing us, fast, silent, unstoppable.


    I felt the fear twist in my stomach, sharp and relentless, but I refused to show any weakness. I was already showing enough weakness by running from these beasts, enough for them to sense and exploit. My senses started to re, every sound and shadow amplified, and my wolf was on edge, restless and protective. She was helping me, guiding me, watching the beasts when I couldn’t, her presence a steady, grounding force. They weren’t mindless. They were organized, calcting, and hunting us with a precision that made my skin crawl. Every


    CHA


    instinct screamed that escape would not be simple.


    A tendril of darkness shot toward us like a whip. I ducked instinctively, feeling it graze my shoulder as I fell to the ground. Elias quickly helped me back to my feet, his eyes wide with rm as he saw how close they were getting. Pain red up in my shoulder, sharp and sudden, but it wasn’t deep–it was more like a warning, a message that these shadows could hurt in ways beyond physical force. My heart raced, adrenaline pumping through me, and I realized we weren’t just facing creatures–we were facing something alive, something that could sense fear and strike at it.


    “Keep running.” Elias shouted, swiping his ws at one of the tendrils. His w tore through the darkness, but it reformed instantly, swirling like smoke around him.


    I had never seen anything like this. Not from any realm. This was something different. Something that wasn’t easily controlled or defeated. I knew that much for sure. Every instinct in me screamed that this was dangerous, yet fascinating in a way I couldn’t fully understand. The power that I started to feel radiate around us was something I’d never felt before. Except for when I was creating my own magic. It was powerful, almost overwhelming, like it had a mind of its own, pulsing through the air and making my skin tingle. I could feel its presence pressing against me, testing me.


    I felt a surge in my chest, the familiar wolf instincts waking fully. My ws lengthened, my senses sharpened. Every nerve in my body was alert, and I could feel the energy of the shadows–cold, hungry, and ancient, like they had been hunting for centuries. My heart pounded, but it wasn’t fear; it was anticipation.


    I stopped Elias from running. It was no use. They were just ying with us, toying with our fear. If they truly wanted us, they would have had us by now. We were simply exhausting ourselves for nothing by fleeing.


    So we stopped and turned back to face the creatures chasing us. Instant hey froze too, only a few feet away, their shapes flickering like smoke, waiting, watching, calcting their next move.


    Together, we circled, back–to–back, striking at tendrils as they lunged. Every swipe of my ws burned with adrenaline; every growl from my mate sent tremors through the darkness. But the shadows kepting, relentlessly.


    Then, a <i>voice </i>echoed through the air–low, cold, and mocking. “You cannot survive whates for you.”


    I froze, recognizing the tone. It wasn’t Arthur–it was <i>him</i>. Whoever–or whatever–was behind the shadows. A voice that I had heard whispering to me before. A long time ago. A presence that made even the man’s anger seem insignificant.


    C CHAPTER 113


    Elias growled again, stepping protectively in front of me. “We’ll survive. Together.”


    *26 Points?


    I nodded, feeling the bond re between us. With a surge of courage, I leaped forward, ws. tearing into a shadow that had reached for my throat. Sparks of energy shot through me–an instinctual power I hadn’t fully controlled before. The shadow hissed and shrieked, recoiling.


    Encouraged, Elias roared and lunged at another tendril. The shadows began to falter–but then, from the darkness, a massive shape emerged. Taller than any wolf, its eyes burning red, tendrils writhing like snakes around it.


    I held my breath. This wasn’t a normal enemy. It was something ancient, a creature born from darkness.


    “What the hell is that thing?” Elias asked.


    “I’ve never seen it before. But it’s old. Really old.” I said.


    “What do you mean?” He asked.


    “Ancient. Like it’s lived here for centuries.” I said.


    “You can feel that?” He asked.


    “I can feel his energy.” I said.


    The wind howled, whipping the night into a frenzy. I clenched my ws, feeling Elias‘ presence beside me. “We fight. Or we die.” Elias said.


    “Elias. I don’t know if we can.” I said.


    “We have to try. He’s controlling these animals. If we don’t take him out, then we’re the ones that are going to die. Think about Grayson. We have to fight.” He said.


    “That was a low blow.” I said


    “I know. But it’s t


    I know will make you fight.” He said. “How did you just get


    to those


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