Shadows Of Passing Time – Carter Hughes 108

 

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“She thinks she can fight us. Cute. She’ll learn.” – Seth Caine 

Seth’s POV: 

“Well, she’s not boring, I’ll give her that.” 

Rory let out a low chuckle, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Boring? She’s two seconds away from trying to rip our throats out.” 

“Let her try,” I grinned, tilting my head back against the wall. “Kind of into it, honestly.” 

Jaxon groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face like he was already exhausted. “Focus, Seth. This isn’t a game. She’s our mate, and she’s scared. We need to tread carefully.” 

I side-eyed him, unimpressed. “Since when do you do careful, Jaxon?” I threw my arms up. “You’re 

about as subtle as a damn battering ram.” 

“Enough,” Callum’s voice sliced through our conversation like a blade. His gray eyes were sharp, 

unreadable. “This isn’t about us. It’s about her.” His law ticked, and his grip flexed at his sides. 

“She’s ours, and she needs to understand that.” 

“She understands,” Rory muttered, rolling his shoulders. “She just doesn’t like it. And she’s going to fight us every step of the way.” 

I smirked, my lips twitching at the challenge. “Good I like a fight.” 

Jaxon let out a long breath, clearly trying to keep from strangling me. “This isn’t about what you 

like, Seth.” 

“No, but it’s about her,” I said, my tone shifting to something more serious. “And if you think she’s 

going to fall into our arms because we’re standing around looking all broody and obsessive, you’re 

dumber than you look.” 

Callum’s jaw clenched, but I caught the flicker of reluctant agreement in his eyes. 

Rhea wasn’t the kind of girl to roll over and submit. 

She was a f*****g storm. 

And if she thought we’d be scared of a little thunde? 

She had another thing coming. 

Jaxon’s POV: 

As we made our way to the dining room, my mind kept replaying the way she said Alpha. That mocking little jab had Blaze pacing in my head, teeth bared. 

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‘She’s testing us, Blaze growled. 

‘Yeah,’ I muttered. ‘And we’re letting her. 

Blaze snarled. ‘For now.’ 

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Her defiance was like a drug-pissing me off and turning me on at the same damn time. Every sharp remark, every glare, every f**k you radiating from her eyes made me want to break down her resistance and show her exactly who she belonged to. 

But Callum’s voice cut through my thoughts like always. “We need to stay calm,” he warned. 

Rory scoffed, crossing his arms. “You pinned her to the bed last time.” 

Callum’s jaw flexed. “I learned my lesson.” 

“Did you?” Seth’s voice dripped with amusement. “Because it definitely looked like you were two 

seconds away from-” 

“Enough,” Callum snapped, his voice low and final. The guilt in his eyes flickered-just for a second. 

Yeah. 

We all needed to do better. 

Rhea’s POV: 

I paced the room, my arms crossed, trying to breathe through the frustration boiling under my skin. 

The Alphas-because f**k them, I was definitely calling them that just to piss them off-were absolutely insufferable. 

Move into the packhouse? 

Have a curfew? 

Be chauffeured around like some helpless, delicate thing? 

I clenched my jaw. Who do they think they are? 

The worst part? It wasn’t just about control. 

It wasn’t just about them making rules or throwing their weight around. It was the way they believe 

d-with every fibre of their being-that I was theirs. Like it wasn’t even a question. Like the universe itself had written my name next to theirs in some twisted, cosmic love story I never signed up for. 

That kind of certainty? That unshakable, bone-deep conviction? 

I didn’t know if I wanted to scream or- 

No. 

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I hated that. 

There was no or. 

They were convinced we were bound by fate, but me? 

I didn’t feel a damn thing. 

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No sparks. No magnetic pull. No deep, soul-wrenching knowing that every mated wolf supposedly 

felt when they met their other half. 

Nothing. 

And I wasn’t about to pretend. 

I wasn’t about to get sucked into their world, let myself hope, let myself feel, only to end up 

shattered and alone. 

Not again. 

Never again. Right? 

A knock at the door made me stiffen. 

“Come in,” I called, sharper than I meant to. 

The door opened, and Rory strolled inside, carrying a tray with coffee and toast like he had all the 

time in the world. 

“You skipped breakfast,” he said, placing the tray on the table. 

I lifted my chin. “I wasn’t hungry.” 

I was hungry. Starving, actually. But I wasn’t about to admit that to Mr. Smirky McSmooth Talker 

over here. 

Rory arched a brow, unimpressed. “Eat. You’ll need your energy. 

“For what? Another round of you four steamrolling your way into my life?” 

His lips curved slightly. “Something like that.” 

I narrowed my eyes, but my stomach betrayed me, growling loud enough to make Rory smirk. 

Asshole. 

Still, I grabbed the coffee. “Thanks, I guess.” 

And maybe, just maybe, I let myself enjoy that first sip a little too much. 

Callum’s POV: 

From the hallway, I watched Rory with Rhea through the crack in the door. She was still bristling. 

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“Then lead the way, Alpha,” I said sweetly, watching his jaw tick. 

Yeah. 

I was going to make this hell for them. 

Jaxon’s POV: 

She was taunting me. 

Every sarcastic jab, every roll of her eyes, every time she spat Alpha like it burned her tongue- 

infuriating. 

Intoxicating. 

Blaze growled. ‘She thinks she can fight this’. 

I clenched my 

fists. 

‘She’ll learn.’ 

Because she might think she could fight us. 

But we weren’t letting her go. 

Not now. 

Not ever.