Chapter 5 Into Shadow's Embrace

My feet stumble over twisted roots as midnight closes in. Each step pulls me further from the only home I've known. The celebration music fades behind me. My hands clutch the small bag holding seventeen years of memories - all I have left. A branch cracks underfoot, and I freeze. Yellow eyes blink open in the darkness. "Lost, little omega?" The voice slides from the shadows like oil. I back up slowly. "Just passing through." More eyes appear between the trees. Figures emerge - not quite human, not quite wolf. Their skin ripples and shifts, making my stomach turn. Their leader circles me, his grin too wide. "Smell that, boys? Rejection... power... and something else." My hand instinctively covers my stomach. His eyes narrow. "Please," I whisper. "I don't want trouble." He laughs, the sound echoing wrong. "Oh, but trouble wants you." His fingers elongate into claws. "Grab her. Carefully though - breeding omegas fetch a nice price." I run. Branches whip my face. Their footsteps thunder behind me, getting closer. "Can't run forever, little omega!" "The buyer likes them spirited!" My ankle catches a root. I hit the ground hard, copper flooding my mouth. "No more games." The leader looms over me, face shifting between human and monster. "Time to—" A howl cuts through the night like a blade. "What the—" The leader spins around. Black fur erupts from the shadows. The wolf is massive, darkness seeming to curl around it like smoke. One of the shapeshifters stumbles back. "That's not possible. No packs hunt these woods!" "Kill it!" the leader screams. The wolf moves like a nightmare. Its jaws snap bones. Claws tear flesh. Every movement is deadly grace. "Alpha, help!" A shapeshifter gurgles before those massive teeth find his throat. The leader's body contorts. "Die, you—" The wolf's attack silences him mid-curse. Silence falls. Blood drips from black fur. I should be terrified. Should run. But when those silver eyes meet mine, all I feel is... safe. The wolf approaches slowly. Its nose touches my hand, gentle as a whisper. "Thank you," I manage. The world spins suddenly. The night's events crash over me like a wave. "I can't..." My vision blurs. "I..." Strong arms catch me as I fall. Through fading consciousness, I feel myself being lifted against soft fur. A deep voice rumbles, "Sleep, little omega. You're safe now." I drift away to the rhythm of steady movement, wrapped in darkness that feels like home. When I wake, I'll have questions. About the wolf. About why shadows danced at his command. About why his touch felt like belonging. But for now, I let the darkness take me. Time to become someone new. Time to discover why the night itself came to my rescue. *** Warmth envelops me like a cocoon. My eyes flutter open to find myself wrapped in thick furs, the scent of pine and earth filling my lungs. "She's awake." A female voice, gentle but firm. My vision focuses on a woman with striking grey hair despite her young face. She presses a cool cloth to my forehead. "Where..." My throat feels like sandpaper. "Drink." She holds a cup to my lips. "Slowly now." The water tastes sweet, with hints of herbs I don't recognize. My head clears instantly. "I'm Clara, the pack healer." She studies my face. "You've been out for two days." "Two days?" I bolt upright, then immediately regret it as the room spins. "Easy there." Clara steadies me. "The rejection bond takes a toll. You're lucky to be alive." Heavy footsteps approach. The door swings open, and my breath catches. He fills the doorway completely. Tall, broad-shouldered, with midnight-black hair and those same silver eyes I remember from the wolf. Power radiates from him, but it feels different from Jason's – ancient, wild. "Leave us, Clara." His voice is deep, with a hint of a growl. Clara squeezes my hand before leaving. "Don't let him intimidate you. His bark is worse than his bite." He raises an eyebrow at her retreating form. "I heard that." "You were meant to." She calls back, shutting the door. Silence stretches between us. I clutch the furs tighter. "You're him." I whisper. "The wolf who saved me." He moves closer, each step deliberate. "And you're the omega who stood up to an Alpha, then ran straight into shapeshifter territory." "I didn't exactly plan it." A ghost of a smile touches his lips. "No, I suppose you didn't." "I'm Fynn." I lift my chin. "And I can leave as soon as—" "You're staying." His tone brooks no argument. "At least until we figure out why those traffickers were so interested in you." My hand instinctively goes to my stomach. His eyes track the movement. "Ah." Understanding dawns in his expression. "That complicates things." "I don't need charity." He laughs, the sound unexpectedly warm. "Trust me, little omega, charity is the last thing on my mind." A knock interrupts us. A young man pokes his head in, grinning. "Sorry Alpha Morgan, but the council's getting antsy." Morgan. His name suits him somehow. "Tell them to wait, Jake." "I would, but Jane's threatening to come up herself." Jake's eyes darted to me curiously. Morgan sighs. "Fine." He turns back to me. "Rest. We'll talk more later." "What if I'm gone when you return?" He pauses at the door, those silver eyes gleaming. "You won't be." He's right. Something about this place, about him, pulls at me like gravity. Jake lingers, practically bouncing with curiosity. "So you're the one who got the mighty Shadow Alpha to run patrol on a full moon?" "Jake." Morgan's warning growl sends the young wolf scampering away, laughing. I'm left alone with my thoughts, but not for long. Voices drift through the window – pack life in full swing. It sounds different from what I'm used to. More laughter. Less formality. Clara returns with food and more questions than answers. Each response reveals a pack unlike any I've known. They call themselves the Night Runners. They protect the Deep Woods from threats like those shapeshifters. And their Alpha... well, there are whispers about his power over shadows, about ancient bloodlines and darker gifts. I should be scared. Should run again. But for the first time since Jason's rejection, I feel something else. I feel like I'm exactly where I'm meant to be. Even if I don't understand why. Yet.