6. Matteo

Chapter 6

Matteo

Frankie’s breath whispers across my skin, a stark contrast to the war raging within me. Another fucking shadow beast attack, and I nearly lost her. The memory of her blood and pain twists my insides like a knife. Each exhale from her lips brands my chest, a reminder of how close I came to failure.

My eyes dart around the room, cataloging weaknesses and potential threats. It’s what I do and what I am—a guardian, a protector… a fucking failure.

Frankie’s hand clenches in my shirt, her face twitching with unseen terrors. Even in sleep, she reaches for me. It’s a pull I can’t resist, a need I can’t deny. She’ll never know how many nights I’ve spent lurking in the shadows, watching over her and fighting the demons that haunt her dreams, because there are so many. Christ, there are so many.

Golden light seeps through the worn curtains, painting her skin in hues of amber and honey. She looks ethereal and untouchable. The faint scent of last night’s rain lingers in the air, mingling with the earthy smell of her hair spread across the pillow.

I know the truth though. I’ve seen the scars, both visible and hidden. I’ve tasted the darkness that clings to her like a second skin.

My muscles coil with the need to act and rip apart anything that dares threaten her, but I remain still, her unwitting protector. My mind races, analyzing and planning.

The window—a weak point.

The door—needs reinforcing .

My grip on her tightens involuntarily.

Last night was a clusterfuck of epic proportions. I promised I’d always be there for her, and I failed. The guilt of her getting hurt twists in my gut like a living thing. Her blood is on my hands, because I wasn’t fucking good enough.

I consider ways to keep her safe without caging her. A tracking spell? No, that’s a betrayal she’d never forgive. A charm perhaps? Something to protect her when I can’t? I can’t always be there. That’s the harsh reality that burns like acid in my veins.

My jaw clenches as I fight the primal urge surging through me. I need to press her into the mattress and sink my teeth into her flesh to bond her and make her mine in every way a shifter can. Her scent—lavender and something uniquely her—fills my senses, making my control fray at the edges.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the beast within. Breathe in, analyze. Breathe out, plan. It’s a mantra that’s kept me sane and focused, but with Frankie in my arms, it’s becoming harder to remember why I’m holding back.

There’s only one reason I don’t give in—Valerie. Her name alone is enough to make my blood boil. We didn’t know the extent of what that bitch did to Frankie. By the time we discovered someone was hunting the lost, it was almost too late. Story of my fucking life.

What’s worse is that Frankie doesn’t know Valerie knew her identity the entire time. She will, though. I’ll tell her, even if the others choose to keep her in the dark. Because Frankie is mine. And I refuse to enter a relationship with her built on lies and half-truths.

She needs to know everything, like who we suspect she is, what she’s capable of, and the target that’s been painted on her back since before she was born. It’s a strategic decision really. Full disclosure is the only way to build trust, and trust will be crucial for what’s to come. Knowledge is power, and she’ll need all the power she can get.

There are so few of us left who can shift in the human realm. The connection to the shadow realm is weak, and everything we are is on the verge of collapse. If the shadow realm falls, we’re fucked. It’s as simple as that.

Frankie can call her shadows into wolves here, in the human realm. It’s a trait only the strongest shadow shifters possess, and power like that corrupts. It twists and destroys, but not her. Never her.

I want to give her time to discover herself and grow into her power, but time is a luxury we don’t have. I’m determined to protect her before one of these other fuckers tries to bond her. I’d like to see them try. They’d have to go through me first, and I’m not exactly a pushover.

A soft sigh escapes Frankie’s lips as she snuggles closer, all softness and curves, but I know the truth. Beneath that delicate exterior lies a survivor. She’s lived through torture that would break most people, and she carries scars that run soul deep. One day, she’ll tell me about them, and when that day comes, I’ll be here, ready to help her rip Valerie limb from fucking limb.

I’ve had just a taste of her, and it’s more than enough to know I was created for her. Fate might not exist for shadow shifters, but damn if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes.

We’re a dying breed, hunted and used. So many of our women are reduced to nothing more than breeding stock. The thought makes bile rise in my throat. Frankie has no idea how lucky she is to have survived Valerie. Then again, luck had nothing to do with it. It was all her—her strength and will to survive.

I hold her tighter, my heart aching for the horrors she’s endured, the women we couldn’t save, and the ones we find pregnant, mentally broken, and bound to monsters without morals or ethics. It’s a fate worse than death.

My father was a guardian once. Now he guards artifacts while our cryptographers race against time to understand our past. He doesn’t talk about his days as a guardian. His silence speaks volumes about the weight of responsibility—a weight I feel acutely now as I hold Frankie in my arms.

Will I become like him? Worn down, hollowed out by the constant struggle?

No. I can’t afford to think like that. For Frankie’s sake, if nothing else.

Unlike the light shifters, we don’t have fated mates. Our women hold the choice of bonds and bonding. They embody the dark feminine energy that guarantees our survival. Whom she bonds with is Frankie’s choice, as is whether or not she wants a pack. My mother never thought she could handle more than one mate. My father? He was terrified of not having more.

It wasn’t until I was older that I understood why. People like Valerie—those utterly dead inside—are the reason. It should be enough that we’re a dying race, but it never is. Life’s funny that way.

I shift slightly, trying not to disturb Frankie. I want to know every part of her. What’s her favorite color? Which songs make her smile? Those books she gets lost in for hours… and her mind—God, how it works. Those quiet moments when she thinks no one’s watching… What goes through her head then?

It’s not just about satisfying my curiosity or deepening our bond. It’s about protection. The more I know about her, the better equipped I’ll be to keep her safe. Know thy ally as well as thy enemy, as they say.

Frankie stirs, her grip tightening on my shirt. Even in her sleep, she seeks comfort from me. It fills me with a warmth I haven’t felt in a long time. I want to be her anchor, her safe harbor in the storm that’s coming.

I brush a strand of hair from her face, marveling at the contrast between her soft features and the fierce spirit I know lies within. She’s a puzzle I’m eager to solve piece by agonizing piece.

As the sun rises higher, casting a golden glow over the room, I feel a sense of peace settle over me. Holding Frankie like this feels right. It feels like home. We have a long road ahead of us, filled with blood and shadows and pain, but I’m ready to face it all as long as she’s by my side.

I press a kiss to the crown of her head, breathing in her intoxicating scent. “You’re my gem,” I murmur. “Beautifully polished by hell itself. You don’t need me, you may not even want me, but I will never fail you again.”

I mean every fucking word.

I close my eyes, intent on just lying here for as long as she needs, when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Shifting slightly, I tug it free and see my mother’s face flash across the screen. I should let it go to voicemail because I don’t want to wake Frankie, but I know my mother. She’ll worry and eventually show up here just to make sure I’m alive. Swiping to answer, I press the phone to my ear and whisper, “Hello.”

“Matteo,” my mama replies, relief and worry tangled in that single word. I can almost see her furrowed brow and the way she’d be gripping the phone too tightly.

“Yeah, I’m here,” I murmur, freezing as Frankie stirs against me. Her warmth seeps into my side, a reminder of everything I stand to lose. I wait until her breathing evens out before asking, “You okay, Ma?”

She grunts, and I can hear her moving through the house. “I’m fine, don’t you worry. The eclipse was… well, it was lovely. Your father and I just ran and ran until—” She pauses, and I can almost see her shaking her head. “But then we woke up to all this talk about your college town. They are calling it a mishap. A mishap!”

I snort. “Who called what happened a mishap?”

“Well, that was Leo’s eldest sister, Lenora,” my mother says in that motherly tone that holds a note of worry. Lenora is known to be a gossip. Great, just what we need. “But it was enough for your father to call his contacts in the guild.”

I repress a groan. The guild is the guardians of our kind, at least that’s what they call themselves. They are more like a bunch of bureaucrats playing at being heroes if you ask me. “And?” I prompt, curious to know how close to the truth they are or if everything got blown to hell and back.

“A shadow beast got through the veil,” she states matter-of-factly.

“Correct,” I confirm, my mind already racing with the implications. If they know this much, then what else do they know?

She sighs sadly. “Their attacks are increasing, Matteo. I don’t like it. How are they getting through? They are nothing more than beasts that should exist in the shadow realm, and yet as our world dies, sightings of them are increasing all over the world,” she says in one long breath.

“I know.” The one at the game was not the first, and it won’t be the last. They never are. It’s like trying to plug a dam with your fingers—eventually, you run out of fingers.

“Stay diligent,” Mom orders, “and send Leo my love.”

“I will,” I promise. “Love you, Mom.”

“Love you,” she whispers back before hanging up.

As I hang up, Frankie stirs, her face scrunching up as if she’s fighting off a nightmare. I press another gentle kiss to her forehead, pouring all my unspoken promises into that simple gesture—promises to protect her and stand by her side as she faces the darkness that’s coming for us all.

I carefully extricate myself from her embrace, every cell in my body screaming in protest. I don’t want to leave, but I have responsibilities, information to gather, and threats to assess.

“I’ll be back,” I whisper, knowing she can’t hear me. “I won’t be far.” Never far, not when it comes to you.

I slip out of the room, each step away from her feeling like a small betrayal. The cold morning air hits me as I step outside, the last traces of the eclipse fading into dawn. I scan my surroundings, cataloging potential dangers. Old habits die hard, and in times like these, they might keep us alive.

I roll my shoulders, feeling the familiar pull of my muscles as I prepare to shift. The air around me darkens as shadows coalesce. It’s a heady feeling, one that never gets old. As I melt into my panther form, sleek black fur rippling across my skin, determination fills me.

There’s so much at stake, and I’ll do everything in my power to protect us. For now, the darkness might be closing in, but as long as I have breath in my body, I’ll keep fighting. Each silent step is a promise to Frankie, to my people, and to myself.

As I prowl through the shadows, my tactical mind kicks into overdrive—gather intel, fortify defenses, and prepare for the worst while hoping for the best. With Frankie in the equation, the stakes have never been higher.

I circle back toward the home where she sleeps, noting potential weaknesses in our security. Mental notes are made, and plans begin to form. We’ll need to address these issues, and soon.

For now, my mission is clear. Simple objectives with complex execution. Just another day in the life of a shadow shifter.

As I move through the darkness toward the fading night, one thought echoes in my mind, a mantra that keeps me focused.

I’ll always find my way back to Frankie, no matter the cost. Our world is nothing more than shadows and beasts, and she’s become my light.

I’ll be damned if I let that light go out.