Dancing with Shadows ✔

Shadow

Dancing with Shadows

Chapter 20

Declan had been restless for weeks. Ever since that night with Jessica, he found himself returning to her whenever he felt frustrated or angry—and he was always angry. The more people around him urged him to forget about Emma, the more the thoughts of her clung to him as if etched into his very being. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling, and lately, it had grown stronger, like a primal instinct whispering in his mind, urging him to find and protect her.

He ran a hand down his face, the weight of his thoughts pressing heavily on him, before stepping outside. Without a second thought, he shifted into his black wolf form, his powerful muscles rippling beneath his fur as he dashed into the forest—the same forest where he had lost Emma.

The familiarity of the forest brought him a strange mix of comfort and sorrow. The wind brushed through his fur, the earthy scent of the forest filling his senses as the ground raced beneath his paws. Dodging trees with practised agility, he let the adrenaline course through him, momentarily forgetting his troubles. But as he approached the precipice, the place where Emma had died, the weight of reality settled back in.

He slowed to a stop at the edge of the cliff, the sight of the calm water below both haunting and mesmerizing. Shifting back into his human form, Declan took a seat at the cliff's edge, staring out over the water that continued to beat against the rocks below.

"Hey, Emma. It's me, Declan," he began, his voice barely above a whisper.

He paused, struggling with the storm of emotions inside him. "I don't know if you're trying to make me feel guilty or what... but I want you to stop irritating me. What do you want me to say? That I didn't protect you or fight for you, even though I was supposed to, no matter what?!" His voice rose, frustration and pain mingling together until he found himself shouting into the void.

"I WAS YOUR MATE AND I WAS YOURS BUT... you betrayed me. I love you—I shouldn't, but I still do."

He sighed, the intensity of his emotions overwhelming him. Running his fingers through his hair, he pulled it hard, letting out a scream that echoed through the forest. He stayed like that for several minutes, releasing the pent-up agony, until his breathing began to slow and his heart rate settled.

As he sat there, trying to find some semblance of peace, he sensed someone behind him. Instinctively, he whipped his head to the side, his eyes narrowing.

"What do you want?" he snapped, his voice laced with irritation.

The guard standing there flinched at his tone, his fear palpable. "S-sorry, Prince Declan... b-but the king and queen would like t-to talk to you."

Lately, it seemed everyone was more terrified of him. Declan's eyes darkened with anger. A sharp growl escaped his lips, causing the guard to tremble. He was losing patience, and if they kept pushing him, he knew he might snap—parents or not.

He got to his feet, not bothering to hide his displeasure as he stalked past the guard, his thoughts still lingering on Emma. Even as he headed back, he couldn't escape the pull she had on him, no matter how hard he tried. The urge to find her, to protect her, was relentless, and it gnawed at him like a curse he couldn't shake.

**

Declan strode through the corridors of the palace, his mood as dark as the storm clouds brewing outside. The weight of his frustration pressed heavily on him, and the thought of facing his parents in the throne room only intensified it. As he neared the grand doors, a figure leaning casually against the wall caught his eye.