‘Zander, why did you let him go?’ Lyon’s voice echoed in my mind, frustration lacing every word.
I didn’t reply. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t have an answer. He wouldn’t have stayed even if I had tried to stop him. He was selfish and wicked, and as much as I hated to admit it, he was a part of me. My shadow.
The power I was born with came with a curse, and he was that curse. If Lyon, the most powerful wolf, was my boon, then the demon was my bane, my shadow tethered to me since birth. I had grown up surrounded by dark energies, energies that undoubtedly made me the most powerful alpha in the world.
But no one knew about him-not even my mother. My demonic shadow had been cunning from the very beginning, careful to conceal himself while slyly shifting the blame for all his mischievous deeds onto me. At first, I thought I could manage him, control him. But as time passed, his darkness grew stronger, more insidious.
He didn’t just want to exist within me-he wanted to spread his darkness across the world, to let it seep into every corner of existence.
When I refused to let him have his way, to let him destroy everything I cared about, the cracks between us began to widen. His fury at my defiance only made him more determined to escape my control.
When the prophecy’s timeline came to light, my demonic shadow made his choice. He left me, unwilling to face death by my side.
I remembered the moment I asked Lyon to leave as well, to save himself. But Lyon refused.
‘We’ll fight this together,’ he had said. ‘We can defy fate.’
And he was right. We were still here, still alive-because of his faith and the power of our mate.
‘Zander, why are you silent?’ Lyon’s voice reverberated in my mind, sharper this time. ‘Why don’t you do something? He’s becoming more vicious by the day-a growing threat to the entire shifter community.’
His concern was justified, and I could feel his agitation mirroring my own. My heart burned with a mix of fury and desperation as I grappled with the pressing need to find a way to stop the Dark Alpha.
He had been hiding in the shadows for so long, always lurking, always plotting. But now, exposing himself before Selena? That was a deliberate move-a calculated act that screamed danger. It wasn’t random. His intentions now seemed far darker and far more dangerous than I had feared.
Something truly insane was brewing in his twisted, demonic mind, and I knew I couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
But at the same time, I couldn’t bear the thought of Selena knowing my dark secret-of her hating me for it. My people… how would they react when they discovered that their savior was also responsible for their ruin?
‘No, Zander. You are NOT that demon,’ Lyon growled, his voice firm as he read my spiraling thoughts. ‘You have never been like him, even when he tried to twist you into the monster he is. You have a kind and strong heart, and Selena is our strength. She would never stand by a demon. I know her.’
I sighed deeply. Lyon was right. I knew Selena too well-she would never side with a creature like him. But what about the mate pull? I didn’t doubt Selena’s loyalty, but the Dark Alpha was a master manipulator. I couldn’t trust him.
That was why I couldn’t muster the courage to tell her-not even when she asked me directly. The guilt gnawed at me, sharp and unrelenting, because I had promised her. I had promised Selena that nothing would ever come between us, that there would be no secrets, no lies.
And yet, here I was, keeping the darkest truth of my life hidden from her.
This wasn’t just any secret-it was the one thing that could take her away from me forever. The thought was unbearable. She was the queen of the Lunar Realm, destined for greatness, while I was just a flawed, helpless Alpha, burdened by a curse I couldn’t escape.
How could I risk losing her to the truth? How could I tell her that the man she loved was tied to the very darkness that threatened her world?
Oh, Goddess! What kind of dilemma was this? Why did it feel like the problems in my life never ended?
‘We will find a way,’ Lyon’s voice cut through my storm of thoughts, steady and resolute.
“But how?” I groaned, frustration clawing at my chest. “I can’t kill my shadow, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to defeat him, no matter how long I’ve been searching.”
‘Trust your instincts,’ Lyon said, his tone a blend of encouragement and conviction. ‘They’re telling us we’re close. Close to finding the answer.’
His words ignited a faint spark of hope within me. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance to end this once and for all.