Falling For The Demon Wolf

JADE 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The stream behind the pack house glimmered under the moonlight, calm and cold—everything I wasn’t. I stood with my arms folded tight across my chest, staring down at the water like it held the answer to a question I didn’t know how to ask.

Behind me, Rhys paced like a caged wolf.

"You know I wouldn’t hurt you," he said, voice rough with frustration. "I’ve given you space, time—whatever you need. But I won’t keep pretending this doesn’t kill me."

I clenched my jaw, heart thudding painfully. "It’s not about you hurting me. It’s about me not being ready."

Rhys stopped pacing. "Then tell me what the hell you are ready for, Jade. Because I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff with you, and you keep pulling me back with one hand while pushing me away with the other."

My throat burned. I turned, meeting his eyes. "I didn’t ask for this, Rhys. I didn’t grow up dreaming about a mate. I had plans—freedom. And now, every time you look at me like that—like you’re waiting—I feel like I’m suffocating."

His face twisted in pain, but before he could respond, a sharp rustle from the trees made us both go still.

A figure emerged from the shadows, tall and unmistakable.

Gerald.

His expression was unreadable as he approached, arms crossed over his chest, that permanent scowl etched deeper into his face. "Trouble in paradise?" he said dryly, glancing between us.

Rhys instantly shifted, his posture defensive. "What do you want?"

"I came to check on you two. Maren’s losing her mind back there, and Zain’s not exactly in his right head." Gerald’s eyes landed on me, narrowing. "Didn’t think you’d storm off when your sister’s barely holding on to her life."

Shame punched through me, sharp and fast. "We didn’t go far," I muttered.

"Doesn’t matter. Your Alpha just marked your sister without warning, and her body’s still fighting to recover. You don’t think he’ll lose it if another one of you vanishes?"

Rhys stepped in front of me slightly, jaw tight. "We were just talking. No one vanished."

Gerald’s gaze sharpened. "Talking? Is that what we’re calling this now?" He looked back at me. "You know you’re not the only one struggling, Jade. But playing tug-of-war with your mate’s heart doesn’t help anyone—least of all you."

My breath caught.

Rhys said nothing. Just stood there, tense and silent.

Gerald shook his head once, then turned back toward the pack house. "Five minutes. Then I’m dragging both your asses back myself."

When he disappeared into the trees, silence fell again—thick and uncomfortable.

"I didn’t mean to run off," I whispered.

Rhys’s voice was low, barely a growl. "I don’t care that you ran. I care that you keep running from me."

I turned to him, forcing the words out. "Because if I let you mark me, everything changes. I change. And I’m scared I won’t know who I am anymore."

His expression softened, but the ache in his eyes deepened. "Jade... you don’t have to stop being you to be mine. I just need you to stop acting like I’m the enemy."

For a heartbeat, I didn’t know what to say.

So I didn’t.

I just stepped closer, feeling the storm between us shift—but never settle.

Rhys’s breath hitched.

I wasn’t sure if it was from how close we were standing now or the words that slipped past my lips.

"But I’m human," I whispered, my voice barely louder than the water trickling over stones behind us. "I’m not a wolf or anything like you. Your mark... it might not even work on me. Or worse—it could kill me."

His eyes searched mine, and for once, he didn’t rush to speak. He just stood there, as if those words shattered something between us he’d been trying to pretend wasn’t there.

"I’ve read the stories," I went on, softer still. "The ones no one talks about. When a wolf marks a human and the bond doesn’t take, the body burns from the inside. And the wolf... the wolf goes mad."

Rhys exhaled slowly, like he’d been punched in the gut.

"You think I don’t know that?" he rasped. "You think I haven’t gone through every record, every elder’s tale, every damn scroll Maren let me near trying to find something to reassure you?"

That surprised me. "You... did all that?"

"I’d tear the world apart if it meant keeping you safe." His voice cracked. "But Jade, I also know this—you feel me. Just like I feel you. That pull isn’t just in your head. It’s real. I’ve seen how your eyes change when I’m near. I’ve felt it in every brush of your hand, every time your breath hitches when I say your name."

"I feel it," I admitted, barely breathing the words. "But I’m terrified."

Rhys stepped closer, his forehead nearly resting against mine. "So am I."

I closed my eyes, drinking in his scent, the warmth of him, the raw, unfiltered emotion that swirled between us like a storm barely held at bay.

"Then don’t ask me to choose tonight," I said. "Let me breathe, Rhys. Let me believe I can survive this... and maybe you’ll get your answer."

His hands dropped to his sides, curled into fists as if it was taking everything he had not to touch me.

"One day," he murmured, voice thick with longing. "You won’t be afraid of the fire. You’ll see that we were forged in it."

And without another word, he turned and started back toward the pack house, the space between us stretched taut—fragile, but not broken.

Not yet.

I sighed looking back at the stream as the moon reflected in it.

I wondered if my father was looking for me or if they had just left me to die just like they did with violet.

Speaking of which she has woken up and apparently Zain has marked her, according to what the grumpy scary guy said earlier.

That stupid bastard. How could he do that without her consent......I need to go and see her before she comes looking for me