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Overjoyed by the feeling, another wave of power moved through me like it was begging to be freed. To feel the rush it once loved.
Giving in to that craving, I let the shift consume me, and for the first time in a while, I saw the world through a different lens.
Instead of hands, I saw paws. Fur lined my body, and I huffed out a big breath through my snout. Feeling the ground beneath me, I couldn’t wait a moment more.
Leaving my motorcycle behind, I dashed into the woods and didn’t look back.
Somehow, some way, my wolf had awakened again. He was back, and it felt like the greatest gift.
Cutting through the trees like I was in pursuit of big game, I soaked in the crisp scents around me. From the undisturbed grass to the moss that coated rocks, the dampness that lingered in the air from the night, and even the smells of nearby wolves.
All of it felt so surreal, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
I ran as fast as my body would allow, intermingling with the other side of me I feared would never return. That relief was unparalleled, finally easing that prolonged ache I had endured for far too long.
As the wind tousled my fur, I saw a flash of Willow in my mind.
A flood of feeling coursed through me and nearly stopped me in my tracks. It was so strong, so intense that I felt my heart threatening to burst. Like I was lighter than air itself, that kernel of hope for our bond had grown into something wild and flourishing.
Nurtured from our night together, I felt that tether and pulled on it, wondering if she could feel it from the other end. I marveled at how good it made me think and how powerful it was.
It was no longer fractured or slumbering, but alive and thriving.
After how I discarded our bond before, I didn’t think it would ever be possible to mend it. While it still needed some work, considering how new it all was, I was ecstatic to know it even still had a fighting chance.
But the reminder of Willow and what conspired between us seemed to click everything into place. Even if it didn’t make sense to me, I had the feeling it must’ve been a result of that connection. The reason why I could shift again.
Whether it came from being fated mates or from Willow’s power alone, I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to dwell on it. I felt fulfilled in more ways than one, and I wouldn’t take it for granted.
Regaining more control over myself again after giving my wolf the chance to take the reins, I remembered the meeting and backtracked. I needed to hear what Kai had to say and try to figure out how to help the rest of my men.
Once I reached the treeline and regretfully shifted back, I was relieved to see no one on the road as I used my motorcycle as a shield and pulled out some spare clothes from my saddlebag.
Dressed and back on the road again, I couldn’t stop smiling. Aside from beginning to patch things with Willow, I couldn’t remember being quite so happy.
But now that I had access to my wolf again, I didn’t know if I should let Kai and the others know. Or if I was better off hiding it as best as I could.
I had the feeling they would smell it on me eventually, but for now, I didn’t want to get into it.
By the time I arrived at the community building, the others were already there. Kai, Finn, Willow, and a handful of shifters waited inside while they stood around various tables and chairs.
When Kai noticed me, he offered a look of recognition and greeting, but Finn threw me a disappointed glance. Willow pulled a small, encouraging smile, even if the room’s energy seemed to fall the moment I arrived.
“I hope I’m not too late,” I said, strolling in with my hands tucked in my pockets.
Finn scoffed, but Kai was quick to save face, even if there was still some reluctance in his tone. “Not at all. We were just about to get started,”
It was evident that most of the shifters in the room didn’t want to include me, but I couldn’t let it stop me. I couldn’t let it get in the way of what needed to be done and how we needed to find a solution to the problem at hand.
Even if I could feel my wolf's presence no matter how quietly it seemed to exist there, the others still needed theirs awakened again.
Ignoring the lingering stares, I grinned. “Perfect.”
Regardless of how uncomfortable it was to be in the room with people whom my group once opposed, aware that they were letting me in on what was happening only for the sake of getting us out of their hair, I had to remind myself that it was all bigger than me and what the people of Rose Valley thought of me.
I had to set aside that discomfort and remember that lives could be at stake if Willow’s visions truly were predictions and if the dark figure had the ability to somehow cause damage.
And as I mentioned to Kai before, there was still a chance that their powers could be taken away, too, even if we still didn’t know the cause.
