Confessions

I reached for Shadow, my fingers tracing the hard lines of his chest, feeling the heat radiating from his skin. The dim light of the room wrapped around us like a cocoon, and I felt the anticipation thrumming in my veins. "Shadow," I whispered, my voice laced with desire, "I want you."

He caught my hand in his, strong yet gentle, and I saw something flicker across his face—a shadow of a conflict that didn't make sense to me. "Amina," he said firmly, a note of finality in his tone that made my heart sink, "not now."

Confused and aching with need, I pressed closer, tilting my face up to meet his. But instead of yielding, he pushed me away, the force of it sending a shockwave through my body. "What's going on?" I managed to gasp out, the hurt clear in my voice as I stumbled back.

Shadow's eyes were an enigma, dark and unreadable. His jaw clenched tight, yet I could see the muscle twitch as if he was battling some inner demon. "We can't do this, Amina," he said, his voice strained as though each word pained him.

I stood there, bewildered, my heart pounding against my ribs. "Why? Don't you want me?" The question hung heavy between us, laden with fears I couldn't quite articulate.

He turned away then, and when he spoke, his voice was low and controlled, betraying nothing of the turmoil I'd seen just moments before. "I believe in waiting for marriage, Amina. It's...important to me."

I searched his face, looking for the truth behind those carefully chosen words. There was something he wasn't saying, a tension that belied the calm facade he presented. I knew Shadow, his wild spirit, his passionate nature. This sudden talk of marriage and waiting felt like a story spun from thin air, a cover for something else. Yet, despite the doubts swirling in my mind, I held back, biting down on the multitude of questions threatening to spill from my lips. I simply nodded, letting the silence settle over us, heavy with the things left unsaid.

My fingers fumbled with the hem of my shirt, a nervous habit that had taken hold since Shadow's rejection. The silence in the room was suffocating, each breath I took seemed to scream my guilt. I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe it was me, that my betrayal with Will Scott had somehow seeped into the air between us, tainting everything.

"Shadow," I began hesitantly, avoiding his gaze. "I... bumped into someone at the pack house today." His eyes narrowed slightly, a silent prompt for me to continue. "She was just standing there, in the hallway, draped in nothing but a towel."

"Who was this woman?" he asked, clearly confused by the sudden change in topic.

"She was beautiful," I admitted, reluctantly painting the image of her in my mind. "Tall, with long silver hair that fell like a waterfall down her back. Her eyes were the color of winter frost." A shiver ran down my spine as I recalled her chilling gaze, the way it seemed to look right through me.

"And?" Shadow prompted, leaning forward slightly, his interest piqued despite the oddity of our conversation.

I swallowed hard, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "She said something strange... She told me you didn't love me. That you'd never truly be with a weak human like me." My voice was barely a whisper, the fear and doubt I felt curling around my heart like ivy.

Shadow's expression was unreadable for a moment before he spoke, his tone even. "Is that what's been bothering you?" he asked, studying me as if trying to unravel the thoughts racing through my mind.

I nodded mutely, unable to articulate the turmoil inside me, the worry that I had pushed him away with my infidelity, that I was unworthy of his love or desire. All I could do was wait, suspended in this fragile moment, hoping for some sign that we could move past the shadows of doubt that loomed over us.

Shadow's reaction was immediate and unexpected. He threw his head back, a deep, hearty laugh erupting from him as if I'd told the punchline to the world's funniest joke. His shoulders shook, and he clutched at his sides as though the laughter was a physical thing he needed to hold onto lest it tore him apart.

"Gods, Amina," he managed to gasp out between peals of laughter, wiping away tears that had begun to form in the corners of his eyes. His amusement was so genuine, so infectious, that for a moment, I forgot my own unease. "You...you met Luna!"

I blinked in confusion, a crease forming on my forehead. "Luna?" The name didn't ring any bells, and I struggled to keep up with his sudden change in demeanor.

He nodded, still chuckling, and cursed softly under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief. "My sister," he said, finally calming down enough to speak coherently. "She loves pranking people, especially new members of the pack who don't know her yet."

The atmosphere shifted subtly, like the moment before a storm breaks. My heart, which had briefly lifted at the sound of his laughter, sank once again. Luna—his sister. Of course. The pieces clicked into place with a heavy finality that settled in my stomach like lead.

Dread curled around me, cold and suffocating. His sister. The woman who would have every reason to hate me since she knew the truth. The truth about Will Scott. A knot tightened in my throat, and I forced a small, strained smile.

"Your sister has quite the sense of humor," I murmured, my voice lacking its usual warmth. Shadow's laughter had faded, but there was still a twinkle in his eyes—a lightness that seemed worlds away from the tension gripping me.

"Ah, that's Luna for you. She keeps us all on our toes," Shadow replied, oblivious to my inner turmoil. His easy grin was a stark contrast to the fear gnawing at my insides, the worry that his sister might see through the same facade he did not.

I wrapped my arms around myself, a vain attempt to ward off the chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. In the space of a heartbeat, the room felt smaller, the walls pressing in with the weight of secrets unspoken and truths yet to be revealed.

My fingers trembled as I reached for his hand, the touch meant to be reassuring to us both. His grasp was warm and firm, a silent testament to the strength I had always admired in him.

"Shadow," I began, the word barely a whisper, "there's something I need to tell you." My voice cracked like thin ice underfoot, revealing the fracture lines of my resolve.

He looked at me then, his eyes searching mine with an intensity that felt like it could peel back the layers of my soul. "What is it, Amina?" he asked, concern lacing his words.

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his gaze settle upon me. "It's about... Will Scott."

A flicker of confusion crossed Shadow's face, replaced swiftly by understanding—a darkening storm cloud obscuring the light of his previous amusement. "Will?" he echoed, his voice steady but the edge unmistakable.

"Shadow, I..." I hesitated, biting my lip. The admission tasted bitter, a vile truth I had to expel. "I cheated on you with Will."

The words hung between us, spectral and damning. I watched as a myriad of emotions played across Shadow's features—shock, hurt, anger—all vying for dominance. His hand in mine became a vice, not painful, but infinitely more confining than any physical restraint.

Then, without warning, he released my hand and stood up, the movement abrupt, his back to me. His shoulders were tense, the lines of his body a rigid barrier I suddenly had no hope of breaching.

"Shadow?" My voice was scarcely audible, a plea for him to turn around, to say something, anything, to break the silence that stretched out like a chasm between us.

He stood there, a statue carved from shadows and secrets, the stillness around him more telling than any words could ever be. And then, just as I thought he might remain that way forever, he drew a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling with the force of it.

"Did you love him?" The question came out as a low growl, tinged with a rawness that made my heart ache. It wasn't the response I had expected, and it left me grasping for an answer that wouldn't cause more damage.

"Shadow, I—" But before I could finish, he spun around, his eyes blazing, the tempest within him breaking free, and—