No people hurt, the wolf assures me, sensing my concern. Far enough.
I'm not completely convinced, but there's no going back now.
Must move.
And then we do. We run.
The forest blurs around us, trees flashing by as we move with supernatural speed. The sensation is incredible. Power and freedom unlike anything I've experienced before. Part of me, the human part, is terrified. But another part, the wolf, it feels nothing but joy.
Scents flood my awareness. Water. Prey. Predators long passed. And something else. Something familiar yet not. Something that smells like… home.
The word blindsides me, my human mind struggling to process the wolf's interpretation of this scent. Home? The wolf recognizes it instantly, but my human side is reeling, trying to rationalize this certainty that we've found our north star.
Fucking ridiculous. I've known the man for what—weeks? And most of that time I spent either fighting him or fighting alongside him. There's no logical reason his scent should register as safety, as belonging, as mine.
But it does. With every inhalation, the sensation grows stronger and the woman who died and came back... she just wants to follow this thread to its source.
The wolf swerves, following the scent without hesitation. I let it lead, trusting its instincts in a way I never could have imagined even an hour ago. The trail is faint but unmistakable.
Fen.
CHAPTER 38
Come Back To Me
* * *
Astrid Mathieson
My paws dig into the mountain soil as I climb higher, following the scent that grows stronger with every breath. This wolf body moves with an ability that's almost intoxicating after a lifetime of human limitations, leaping over fallen logs and navigating rocky terrain like it’s a paved pathway in a park.
The forest thickens around me, ancient pines stretching toward a sky that's beginning to bleed from blue to orange. I've been tracking him for what seems like hours, climbing steadily since leaving the golden city behind. My muscles should be screaming, but this wolf form seems built for endurance. At least that's one perk of my unwanted roommate.
Close now, the wolf thinks. Not a separate voice anymore, but merged with me in a way I still find deeply unsettling. Like having someone else's thoughts running alongside my own. Someone wild and primal who sees the world in terms of scents and instincts.
Mate near. Water-place ahead.
The distant sound of falling water reaches my ears, sharper and clearer than they ever were when I was just human. I slow down, approaching the edge of a small clearing with caution. Frigga's warning echoes in my mind: "He may not believe it is truly you at first."
No shit. He watched me die. I wouldn’t believe me either, but the stubborn part of me hopes that whatever this connection between us is, it'll be enough to convince him.
My wolf senses pick up every detail. The moist earth beneath my paws, the scent of pine sap and wildflowers, the cool mist hanging in the air. A waterfall cascades down moss-covered rocks into a clear pool, catching the last golden rays of daylight that slice through the trees like spotlights.
I hesitate at the clearing's edge, suddenly uncertain. What if this connection, this "mate bond" the wolf keeps insisting on, isn't enough? What if he sees me as nothing but another cruel trick of this realm?
I push the doubt away. I didn't come back from death to lose my nerve now.
And there he is—a massive black and silver wolf standing atop the waterfall like some figurehead on a ship. He's enormous, the size of a small truck. His fur gleams with subtle silver highlights where the fading sunlight catches it.
The electrical sensation I've grown familiar with buzzes beneath my fur like I've touched a live wire.
My heart lurches painfully in my chest, a complicated tangle of relief, fear, and something deeper I'm not ready to name.
I hate how much I've missed him, how desperate I've been to find him again. The wolf inside me howls with triumph and recognition, but the human part feels suddenly vulnerable.
Fen's wolf looks down at me, his golden eyes glowing with heat and pain. There's no recognition in that gaze—only the wild, wounded stare of a predator who's been running too long from something it can't escape. He snarls and snaps, showing his mouth full of giant teeth, a warning that needs no translation.
Stay back.
