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His muscles kept straining against his skin, pulling, ripping, bleeding. It was hard to believe that this creature had been human mere minutes ago. It was also hard to believe that it would somehow become a wolf.
My stomach lurched at the gruesome sight. My heart raced, pounding in my chest as if to escape the horror before me. Involuntarily, I moved closer to Lana, seeking comfort in her presence despite knowing she needed it much more than I did.
We clung to each other as we kept vigil over this horrible scene. I could only hope that it was almost done.
As Travis continued to change, he began to grow larger, losing his humanity completely as he transformed into a wild beast. His pants ripped, falling off his body in strips.
The moon was high overhead, casting its eerie light upon the scene as if approving of the ghastly spectacle before us. The world around us seemed to fall silent as we held our breath again, our hearts racing in our chests. Time seemed to slow as we waited for the agonizing process to finally end.
Then, it happened. Some critical point in the process was achieved, and Travis’s body started to heal itself. His skin was still covered in blood, but his wounds began to stitch themselves together. His blond hair expanded down the back of his neck, his rearranged shoulders, and the curve of his spine before elongating into a beautiful, fluffy tail. Between one blink and the next, his hands transformed into massive paws covered in that same golden hair. Finally, the fur bloomed over his brow and nose—no, his snout.
Travis raised his head to the moon and let out a sorrowful, melodic howl. It was like a croon, an offering to the moon and to all that she offered him back. A plaintive plea and expression of gratitude all at once.
I looked over at Lana. Her hand was cupped over her mouth, tears spilling out of her eyes onto her cheeks and rolling over her fingers. She looked like she was experiencing a multitude of different feelings, too. Fear, sadness, pride, love—all mixed in her eyes as she looked at Travis’s golden form.
I smiled, my heart aching for her. “He’s beautiful,” I murmured with awe.
She dropped her hand and glanced at me, her pale blond hair almost luminescent in the moonlight. “He is,” she said on a sob. “He’s beautiful, and he’s mine. And—and he’s...he’s one of us.”
I nodded, trying not to feel the ache of longing in my chest. I blinked out a couple of sympathetic tears. “You should go to him,” I said. “As your wolf.”
She blinked as if she hadn’t considered it, but quickly wiped the wetness off her face as she sniffed. “You’re right,” she said, shouldering off her coat.
She shifted in seconds, revealing a gorgeous white wolf with a silvery stripe down her back. She approached Travis in his new form, and they brushed their noses together before curling around each other, their heads finding a spot on the other’s upper back like a sweet embrace of reunification. I couldn’t help but think that they looked like the sun and the moon—one wolf pale as moonlight, the other golden like the sun. It was gloriously beautiful.
They were perfect together. The moonlight reflected off their fur, making them seem ethereal. They danced around each other, their movements as fluid and graceful as water flowing over rocks. Their howls were a harmonious and melodic duet, filling the night air with a sense of peace and belonging.
The others around me shifted and joined in, their voices echoing through the forest and creating a chorus of joy and celebration. The sound was hauntingly beautiful, a symphony of nature and power.
I stood nearby, watching them, admiration and envy warring inside me. I wanted to shift with them, to experience that connection with someone else. To know that kind of bond, that level of trust and understanding.
Then, as if led by instinct, all the shifted wolves came together and started to race toward the tree line. We didn’t even have to announce anything; they just did it, like they all felt the mood of this huge victory and needed to feel the dirt under their feet and the breeze through their coats.
Cole looked back at me with slight worry, but I gave him an encouraging smile. “Go on ahead,” I said. “I’ll hold down the fort here. Have fun.”
He smiled back at me and shifted into his own lupine form. He brushed his muzzle against the palm of my left hand. I pet him a bit before holding his massive head in my hands and leaning forward to nuzzle my forehead against the bridge of his nose.
“I love you,” I said softly.
He gave a low throaty sound, contented and sweet, before finally peeling out and sprinting to catch up with the others.
All who remained at the site were me, Jack, and a few other human friends and family of the pack members who had all torn off into the forest.
Jack stopped recording and took the camera off its perch on his shoulder. He looked over at me and pulled me into a caring side hug. “All right, Mopey Marmalade, let’s get you a glass of champagne to celebrate your engagement and cool off that burn of being left out of something beautiful like that.”
I blinked. “I didn’t say—”
“Mar, I’m your brother. I know you very well,” he said. “Come on.”
I thought about fighting him on the matter, but decided against it. Cole wasn’t here to feel guilty about it, and none of the pack members would know if I moped a little. And it sure as hell would give me plenty of time to process that pining ache of wanting to be included in these pivotal moments.
So, I allowed Jack to lead me over to the table, my thoughts swirling in the wake of the crazy night. There had been so many ups and downs, so much love and joy and fear and sadness. The moments all muddled up inside me.
Upon reaching the table, Jack grabbed a bottle of unopened sparkling wine. He popped the cork and poured us each a tall glass. He clinked his glass with mine and smiled. “I mean, it’s not Chandon, but it works,” he teased. “Congrats, Marmalade. You got engaged before your big brother did.”
“Honestly, I was half-expecting you to question me for saying yes,” I said. “It is a pretty quick engagement.”
“You guys have been through three years’ worth of drama and struggle in about three months,” he said. “The whole reason you date before getting engaged is to make sure you can handle the ups and downs, and you guys already know that you can. Besides, divorce is always an option if it doesn’t work out.”
