Page 13 of Falling for My Shifter Enemy

"Theo reached out to Ryan. They're coordinating to keep everyone safe." She grabs my hand, squeezing it. The warmth of her touch grounds me as the bond thrums with renewed intensity. "Hunters have been spotted near the ridge. Neither pack can afford to run alone." Her eyes light up with sudden purpose. "You should come."

"I can't shift, Zoe. You know that." The words taste bitter, familiar as an old scar. I've said them so many times over the years, each repetition a reminder of what I lack.

"So what?" She squeezes my hand harder, her eyes fierce with conviction. "You're stronger than you think, Chloé. You don't need to shift to show them that. To show him that." Her words sink into me, finding purchase in places I thought had gone numb. "Being yourself doesn't make you weak. Sometimes it makes you stronger."

Her words stay with me as the full moon approaches. The pull of the mate bond grows stronger with each passing day, as if responding to the moon's influence. Every night, I dream of amber eyes and strong hands, waking with an ache that goes bone-deep. The moon calls to my wolf in a way it never has before, as if Theo's rejection has awakened something in my blood that refuses to be denied. Each night, I stand at my window, watching the moon grow fuller, feeling the way it amplifies the bond until I can barely breathe through the intensity.

The night of the run arrives too quickly. I stand on the edge of the clearing, watching as the Howling Pines and Whispering Pines wolves gather together, their eyes gleaming in the moonlight, bodies twitching with barely contained anticipation. The air is thick with tension—both packs united under a temporary truce, yet the rivalry still simmers beneath the surface. It’s strange to see them like this, side by side, the uneasy peace hanging in the air like a storm ready to break.

The moon looms large and full overhead, casting its silvery glow over the ridge, and I can feel the pull of it deep in my bones. The energy of the night thrums through the forest, a wild pulse that I can’t quite grasp, but it’s there, just out of reach. It’s the night ofthe full moon run, and the wolves around me—my pack, Theo’s pack—are ready to let go, to run free beneath the moon’s gaze.

I watch as the first wolves begin to shift, their bodies contorting, bones cracking with an eerie grace. Fur sprouts from skin, and within moments, powerful wolves stand where humans once were. It’s both beautiful and terrifying, this transformation. My heart clenches with a familiar ache as I watch them—an ache that’s been with me for as long as I can remember.

I can’t shift.

The thought hammers through me, raw and painful. They get to run, to feel the earth beneath their paws, the wind in their fur. But me? I’m just…stuck. A human among wolves. Always on the outside, always watching.

I dig my nails into my palms, trying to ground myself. I belong here, I remind myself. This is my pack. Even if I can’t shift, even if I’ll never feel that wild freedom they do, I’m still a part of this.

Across the clearing, my eyes catch on a figure towering above the others. Theo. He hasn’t shifted yet, but even in his human form, he’s impossible to miss. His dark auburn hair gleams under the moonlight, his broad shoulders squared, exuding raw power and command. He’s every bit the Alpha, and as his piercing amber eyes find mine, my breath catches in my throat.

The mate bond flares to life, crackling between us like an electrical current. My skin tingles, my heart pounds in time with his, and for a moment, the rest of the world falls away. It’s just him and me, bound together by something neither of us can control, something that’s both a blessing and a curse.

Theo’s gaze doesn’t waver, doesn’t soften. But I see the conflict in his eyes—the way his jaw clenches, as if he’s fighting against the very thing that draws us together. The rejection still burnsbetween us like an open wound, but the bond doesn’t care. It pulses, alive and relentless, reminding me that no matter what he said, we are bound.

I want to look away, to break the connection, but I can’t. His presence is a gravitational force, pulling me toward him, even when I know I shouldn’t want it. My chest tightens, the ache of longing so sharp that I press a hand to my heart, trying to keep it from shattering all over again.

Theo shifts then, his body cracking and bending with the same brutal grace as the others. A massive wolf stands in his place, deep brown fur shimmering under the moonlight, his amber eyes glowing in the darkness. For a moment, he doesn’t move, just stands there, watching me. His presence fills the night, overwhelming and impossible to ignore. I feel him in my blood, in my bones.

Then, without a sound, he turns and disappears into the forest, leading his pack into the shadows.

Chapter 7

Chloé

I stand there, alone, watching the others follow him. One by one, they shift and race after their Alpha, their bodies vanishing into the thick trees that line the ridge. Ryan hesitates for a moment, casting a quick glance back at me, his expression tight with concern. But then he, too, shifts into his wolf form—a large dark brown wolf—and bounds after the others, leaving me standing on the edge of the clearing, the sound of paws on earth fading into the night.

The silence that follows is suffocating. It presses down on me, heavy and cold, and the weight of my loneliness sinks deep into my chest. I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hold it together, but all I can think about is how much I wish I could run with them. How much I wish I could feel the freedom they do, the wildness of the night coursing through my veins.

The moon is so full, so bright, and I can almost feel its power tugging at something deep inside me. It’s like a whisper in my blood, a call I can’t answer. For a moment, I close my eyes and imagine what it would feel like to let go, to shift into something wild and untamed, to run beside Theo under the moon’s light.

But I can’t. I never will.

A low growl snaps me out of my thoughts, and my eyes fly open. Two wolves are standing at the edge of the clearing, their eyes locked onto me with a predatory intensity that makes my heart stutter. They’re from Theo’s pack—I recognize Liam, the younger wolf who sneered at me during dinner, and beside him, Maya, her golden fur bristling with hostility.

I freeze, my pulse thundering in my ears as they step closer, their bodies stiff with aggression. They don’t need to speak—I can see the challenge in their eyes, the disdain in the way they hold themselves. I’m not welcome here. I’m an outsider, a weak human among wolves, and they want me gone.

Liam bares his teeth, a low growl rumbling from his throat. Maya circles me slowly, her eyes flashing with territorial fury. My breath catches in my throat, and I take a step back, my pulse racing. Are they actually going to attack me?

I don’t have time to find out.

A blur of dark fur barrels between us, and Theo’s massive wolf stands rigid in front of me, his growl low and menacing, vibrating through the ground beneath my feet. His presence is like a wall of dominance, his amber eyes blazing with a warning that makes even my skin prickle with fear.

Liam and Maya freeze, their ears flattening as they back away from Theo’s wrath. His growl deepens, rumbling through the clearing, and I can feel the barely contained violence simmering beneath the surface. The air is thick with tension, every muscle in his body coiled like a spring.

Liam and Maya hesitate for a moment, then finally slink away into the trees, their tails low, but not before shooting me one last look of disdain.

The clearing falls silent again, and Theo doesn’t move. He stays, his massive frame blocking me from the world, his growl still rumbling softly in his chest. I take a shaky breath, my hands trembling at my sides. I should be afraid of him—of the power he wields so effortlessly—but instead, all I feel is safe. Like as long as he’s standing between me and the world, nothing can hurt me.

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