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đź“– Full Chapter: Shadows That Know My Name
The morning sunlight spilled across Ivy's bedroom floor in golden waves, but something about the day felt off—like a breath she couldn't quite catch.
Jayden kissed her temple as he got out of bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "You okay?"
She nodded slowly. "Yeah… I just have a weird feeling."
"Is it the voice again?"
"No. Something else," she murmured. "Like… someone's watching."
Downstairs, the sound of tiny feet pattering across the floor broke the stillness.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Xander called out.
Jayden scooped him up with a grin. "My little shadow! Ready for school?"
Xander giggled and clung to Jayden. "Can you walk me in today, Daddy?"
Jayden blinked—softened. "Yeah, buddy. I'd like that."
Ivy's heart melted as she watched them. Her little family.
She never imagined she'd have this.
---
The ride to school was full of laughter. Xander chatted about a dream he had where Jayden turned into a superhero and saved a baby dragon. At drop-off, Jayden knelt beside him and adjusted the straps of his backpack.
"Be brave, okay?" Jayden said. "And remember—who's got your back?"
"You do, Daddy!" Xander said proudly.
Jayden kissed his forehead and whispered, "Always."
Ivy could barely breathe past the emotion swelling in her chest.
---
At college, Ivy found herself wandering.
Jayden had left to meet a pack ally, and Ivy's class wasn't for another hour. She walked through the courtyard where the shadows stretched long despite the sun.
Then she saw him.
James.
But something was different.
He stood near the stairs of the science building, talking to someone Ivy didn't recognize. His hair was messier, his eyes more sunken—less life, more shadow.
When he finally spotted her, his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Ivy," he said, walking toward her.
"Hey…" she replied cautiously. "Long time."
"I've been… dealing with things," he said, gaze flicking briefly behind her, scanning the crowd. "But I missed talking to you."
Her stomach twisted. Her instincts screamed, "Run."
But her heart remembered the boy who made her laugh when Jayden had broken it.
She looked into his eyes—and saw something broken.
"I'm glad you're okay," she said carefully. "I was worried."
He stepped closer. "I never stopped thinking about you, Ivy."
Something shifted in her chest—like wind caught in her lungs.
And suddenly, her powers stirred.
The grass around them trembled, the air grew dense—her elemental energy rising without her control.
"I—I should go," she whispered.
He nodded slowly. "We'll talk soon."
But she couldn't shake the feeling: James wasn't alone in his mind anymore.
---
Meanwhile… across the street.
Jake stood beside a black motorcycle, hidden behind his dark helmet.
From the corner, he watched Ivy walk away from James—saw her clutch her chest as if something had hurt.
He burned with rage.
> "She's scared of him. That's new."
The voice beside him belonged to the same informant from before—a silver-haired woman with mirrored sunglasses and a cold smirk.
"Should we step in?" she asked.
Jake didn't respond. He lifted his visor just slightly and whispered, "Not yet. But keep eyes on James. He's being used."
She nodded. "And Ivy?"
Jake looked toward her fading figure.
"She's glowing again," he murmured. "That power… it's stronger than before."
---
Later that afternoon, Ivy sat by the old greenhouse near the school's edge. She needed space. Time to think.
Jayden found her there, quiet and staring at her trembling hand.
"You're not okay," he said, kneeling in front of her.
She finally looked up. "I don't think James is the same."
Jayden's jaw tensed. "I told you something was wrong with him."
"I know… I just wanted to believe I was imagining it. But today… I wasn't. Something's changed."
Jayden brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Whatever it is, I'll protect you. Both of you."
Her voice dropped. "My powers—they reacted. Around him. And earlier, I bumped into a man—something about him felt…"
She paused.
"Familiar. Like… the air around him called to me."
Jayden frowned. "Another werewolf?"
"I don't think so."
She reached out her hand, and with a gentle breath, the earth shifted, vines blooming between her fingers.
Jayden watched, eyes wide.
"You've never shown me that."
She nodded. "Because I didn't know how you'd see me. People fear power like mine."
"Not me," Jayden whispered. "I see you."
Tears filled her eyes.
And from far above, perched on the university's rooftop—Jake watched.
Saw her powers. Her sadness. Her warmth with Jayden.
And his heart cracked.
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🌙 Final Scene
That night, Ivy dreams again.
But this time… she sees a forest.
A burning house a woman screaming.
A boy screaming her name.
"Ivora… help me…"
She wakes in a gasp, sweat beading down her spine.
Jayden jolts awake beside her. "What is it?"
She grips the sheets.
"It wasn't just a voice this time… I saw him. The boy. And he knew my name."
Her purple eyes glow faintly in the darkness.
"He's close. I can feel him."
And from the shadows outside… Jake stood in the trees, heart breaking.
"I'm here, Ivora."
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