Inheritance of Shadows

5. Two Alphas Meet

The knock came just after noon.

Hermione paused mid-stir of Teddy's soup, her magic prickling along her skin in warning and curiosity. Someone was at the door-someone powerful, though not quite magically so. The air itself seemed to still.

Teddy squealed, hair turning warm gold as he crawled toward the door.

"Who could that be?" Hermione murmured.

She wiped her hands on a towel, took a steadying breath, before walking over and opened the door.

A man filled the doorway-broad-shouldered, tall, presence far larger than the space allowed. He looked carved from the forest itself: earth-warm skin, dark eyes, expression carefully neutral.

For a heartbeat, Hermione sensed the wolf beneath his skin.

But he froze as soon as their eyes met.

His breath hitched.

His eyes widened-not in fear, but in... shock.

He inhaled sharply, like something invisible had slammed into him.

Hermione blinked, confused. "Hello...?"

His jaw clenched. He straightened abruptly, forcing his face into stillness-but something flickered behind his eyes. Something raw. Something he was trying very, very hard to suppress.

His voice came out tight, too formal.

"Sorry to bother you. I'm... Sam Uley. I live in the area. Wanted to check on our new neighbor."

Hermione's instincts roared.

He wasn't lying.
But he wasn't telling the whole truth either.

Teddy wiggled between her legs, peering around her skirt.

Teddy stared up at Sam with bright blue eyes and bubblegum-pink hair.

Sam's entire demeanor shifted.

Just slightly.

His shoulders loosened. His breath softened. Warmth-uncontrolled and instinctive-touched his face.

Teddy lifted pudgy arms toward him.

"Oh," Hermione whispered, surprised. "He... likes you."

Sam swallowed. "He's... a good kid."

His voice cracked on good.

Hermione filed the reaction away for later.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Uley?"

"Sam," he corrected instantly.
Then winced, as if the word escaped him on instinct.

Hermione nodded slowly. "Sam."

He shifted his weight, eyes scanning the house-not invasive, but concerned. Protective, even. Hermione felt her shadows rise subtly, tasting the air around him.

Sam's nostrils flared.

He felt it.

Yet he didn't step back.

"You settled in alright?" he asked.

"As well as can be expected."

"The forest can be dangerous," he said carefully. "A lot of wildlife around here."

Hermione offered a thin smile. "I've noticed. But we're quite comfortable."

Sam's gaze lingered on her just a moment too long, unreadable.

Teddy tugged Sam's pant leg.

Sam melted.

Hermione nearly laughed.

"So what brings you out here?" Sam asked, voice gentler now.

Hermione lifted her chin. She had practiced this story. It still felt flimsy.

"I'm... an herbalist," she said. After all until he told her what he was, she couldn't do the same.

It sounded like a question.

Sam raised a brow. But he only nodded slowly.
"That so?"

"Yes." Hermione forced a smile. "I, ah... study plants."

Sam's mouth twitched.

"In the forest."

"Yes."

"The deep forest."

"...Yes."

Sam hummed. A polite sound.
A deeply unconvinced one.

"Interesting profession."

Hermione exhaled sharply. "I didn't come here to cause trouble, if that's what you're worried about."

Sam's expression softened.

"No. I don't think you did."

That wasn't what he was worried about at all.

His heart hammered in his chest at a rhythm he couldn't control.

He stepped back from the doorway, reluctantly. Every movement looked strained, like his body wanted to stay rooted there.

Hermione watched him with quiet intelligence.

Sam avoided her eyes.

"Welcome to La Push," he said softly. "If you need anything... anything at all... I'm nearby."

Teddy waved at him. "Bye-bye!"

Sam swallowed hard, nodding once before he turned.

He walked down the front path stiffly.

By the time he reached the treeline, he could barely breathe.

The imprint's pull tightened like a lasso around his ribs-warm, magnetic, inevitable. A connection thrumming through every nerve.

He braced a hand against a tree, chest heaving.

"No," he muttered.

Not when he knew nothing about her.
Not when she might be dangerous.
Not when she held the kind of power that made the earth itself vibrate.

But the bond didn't care.

It knew her.

Claimed her.

Accepted her without hesitation.

And Sam Uley-Alpha, protector, realist-closed his eyes as a single truth crashed over him:

He had imprinted on Hermione Granger.
And there was no fighting it.