Secret AND Shadows
Summer's pov
Three days. Three suffocating days locked in the gilded cage Dominic called my room. I had spent most of that time pacing, staring out the window, or lying in bed with my thoughts swirling like a storm. The encounter with the cloaked figures hadn’t left my mind. And neither had Dominic.
Not that I wanted to see him.
He hadn’t come by since that night, and a part of me was relieved. Seeing him would only remind me of how much he had taken from me—my freedom, my choices. But another part of me, small and quiet, hated how much I missed him despite everything.
I shook the thought away as I wandered through the halls of the Lycan house. It was vast, like a labyrinth, and I’d barely explored a fraction of it during my time here. Today, I just needed to move, to escape the confines of my room and the oppressive silence that had consumed me.
My bare feet padded softly against the cold stone floors as I passed ornate tapestries and grand doors. I avoided the main corridors, not wanting to run into anyone, but I couldn’t stop my curiosity from pulling me deeper into the unfamiliar parts of the house.
That was when I saw it—a narrow corridor I hadn’t noticed before, partially hidden behind an arched column. The dim lighting and eerie stillness should have deterred me, but something compelled me to step forward.
As I moved down the corridor, the air grew colder, and a faint murmur of voices reached my ears. I froze, straining to listen. It was faint at first, but then it became clearer—a woman’s voice, sharp with irritation, and another voice, lower and harder to discern.
I crept closer, keeping my footsteps as silent as possible. The door at the end of the corridor was slightly ajar, and I peeked through the gap.
Inside, two figures stood in the shadowy room. One of them I recognized instantly—Jessica. She was poised, her blonde hair gleaming in the faint light, her expression twisted with anger.
The other figure remained hidden in the shadows; their voice too low for me to make out.
"I thought you said it would just be the two of you coming," Jessica snapped, her tone sharp. "You never said anything about an alliance."
The figure in the shadows shifted slightly, but their response was inaudible.
Jessica’s jaw clenched, and her hands balled into fists. “You’ve put me in a compromising position. Dominic doesn’t know, and if he finds out…” She trailed off, her anger simmering.
The low voice spoke again, calm and unbothered, and Jessica’s face flushed red.
"Fine," she hissed. "But if this backfires, it’s on you."
She turned abruptly, storming toward the door. I barely had time to react before she stepped into the corridor, and my heart leapt into my throat as I scrambled backward.
But it was too late.
Jessica slammed into me, her heels clicking against the floor as she stumbled slightly. Her icy blue eyes widened in surprise before narrowing into a glare.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, her voice venomous.
"I—" I stammered, my mind racing for an excuse. "I was just… walking."
Jessica’s eyes flicked toward the room behind her, and for a moment, I thought she might drag me in or confront whoever was inside. But instead, she stepped closer to me, her expression cold and calculating.
"You shouldn’t be here," she said sharply, her voice low. "This part of the house isn’t for wandering strays. Be very careful, little wolf. Curiosity might get you hurt. Or worse.”
Her words sent a chill down my spine, but I refused to let her see my fear.
Her lips curled into a mocking smile; her icy blue eyes gleaming with malice.
“Being Dominic’s little pet won’t protect you from me. You’d do well to remember that.”
My chest tightened at her words, but I forced myself to stand tall, refusing to cower. “I’m not his pet,” I said, my voice firmer than I felt inside.
She let out a sharp laugh, the sound cutting through the stillness of the corridor like a blade. “Oh, please. You think anyone sees you as more than a leash he has to carry around? You’re nothing but a distraction. Just a play toy to distract himself.”
The venom in her tone made my stomach twist, but it was what she said next that truly pierced me.
“And your kind,” she sneered, her eyes narrowing with disgust. “Pathetic little mutts playing at being wolves. Do you know what real strength looks like? It’s not whatever scrap of wolf blood you’re clinging to. You’re not one of us. You never will be.”
Her words hit harder than I expected, each one digging into a wound I didn’t know I had. I swallowed the lump rising in my throat, refusing to let her see how deeply she had cut me.
“Stay out of places you don’t belong,” Jessica continued, her voice sharp as she gestured dismissively down the corridor. “If you value your life, you’ll keep your little nose out of things that don’t concern you.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing my emotions down as I stepped back. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me break. Without another word, I turned and walked away, my footsteps steady even though my heart was racing.
But as I rounded the corner, her words continued to echo in my head. Her insult about my wolf kind stung more than I wanted to admit, and the ache in my chest refused to fade.
I hated that she had gotten under my skin. Hated that her words echoed in my mind long after I’d left her behind. But more than anything, I hated that I couldn’t shake the curiosity that had brought me to that corridor in the first place.
Who had she been speaking to? And what had she meant about an alliance?
My thoughts swirled as I made my way back to another corner, the cold stone floors chilling my bare feet. I tried to tell myself that whatever was going on, it wasn’t my concern. But the memory of Jessica’s angry words, the shadows in that room, and the tension in her voice all refused to leave me.
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring the intricate details of the walls as I turned another corner. I hated that she had gotten to me, that her words had dug into the tender, fragile parts of my heart that I tried so hard to guard.
Jessica’s sneer, her sharp tone, and the coldness of her insults replayed in my mind like a broken record. *Not one of us. Never will be. Her words burned, echoing the doubts I had tried to bury since the moment I realized what I was.
A sob escaped before I could swallow it, and I pressed my hand to my mouth, willing myself to stop. But the tears came anyway, hot and relentless, and I stumbled to the side of the corridor, leaning against the cold stone wall for support.
*Why does it always feel like I’m fighting to belong?
I wiped at my eyes angrily, determined not to let Jessica’s cruelty break me. But as I lifted my head, my breath caught in my throat.
There, in the corner of the dimly lit hallway, stood a figure cloaked in black.
The same cloaked man I had seen that night.
He was still, his face obscured beneath the hood, but I knew it was him. The same piercing presence, the same eerie calm that seemed to seep into the air around him.
For a moment, I thought I was imagining it, a trick of my frayed nerves. But then he moved, ever so slightly, tilting his head as if studying me.
My heart pounded, and I instinctively stepped back, pressing myself against the wall. "Who are you?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
The cloaked man didn’t respond. He remained silent, his presence unnervingly calms despite the chaos swirling inside me.
“What do you want?” I asked, louder this time, my voice catching.
Still, he said nothing. But there was something in the way he stood, something almost… expectant. Like he was waiting for me to make the next move.
I swallowed hard, my tears forgotten in the wake of his sudden, haunting appearance. My fear warred with curiosity, and for a moment, I considered running. But something about him held me in place, rooted to the spot.
I blinked, expecting him to disappear like before, but he didn’t. He stepped back into the corner as if motioning for me to follow.
I should have run. Every instinct screamed at me to turn around, to put as much distance between us as possible. But I couldn’t.
Instead, I followed.