I lunged. My body was a bolt of lightning streaking across the courtyard. Less than a second later, Melchom’s head was in my jaws. I didn’t hesitate. I tore it free, and the rest of Melchom’s body collapsed on the ground between my paws.
It was a quicker death than he deserved.
Silence filled the courtyard. I expected screams of horror to break out any second, but instead, the first sound was a light, airy laugh coming from my mate.
Sebastian smiled at me with an expression of relief. “Melchom already struck me twice earlier, and I would have died of embarrassment if a beta hit me thrice.”
I noticed now that a purplish bruise peeked out from the side of Sebastian’s face, and that a bright red mark flashed on the pale skin of his arm beneath torn fabric. Rage flared up inside me. If I’d known about his injuries earlier, I would’ve taken my sweet time ripping Melchom apart.
The King, realizing he had lost his most obedient henchman, pointed an accusatory finger at me. “Knights, seize that animal!”
They shifted on their steel boots but didn’t charge towards me. Seizing an alpha was one thing, but a giant wolf was a different story. It seemed that only a small number of knights were willing to obey the King’s every word, and now with Melchom dead, they were a lot more hesitant to bend over for him.
I turned my muzzle slowly towards Sebastian. I wanted to ask if he was okay, but this body was new to me and I didn’t quite know how it worked. My mate understood without words. He leaned forward and rested his forehead on the top of my snout.
“Thank you, Rourke,” Sebastian murmured.
My heart thundered with affection. A soft whine escaped me. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him and how sorry I was that I’d let him get hurt in the first place, but now wasn’t the time for that. I needed to free him from his chains. With a chuff of irritation, I bit at the shackles with my fangs. They broke apart like pieces of paper.
“No!” the King called. “Stop, beast!”
Bjorn ran over in one huge leap and did the same for his mate. Eugene wailed quietly and threw his arms around the huge wolf, soaking his fur with tears.
Sebastian stepped down from the pedestal. He had one hand on my furry shoulder, using it for support as he reached the center of the courtyard. He looked at the King with a disappointed expression.
“My father once tried to convince me that alphas, especially lower-caste alphas, are animals. Violent beasts whose lives are worth less than our own,” Sebastian said loudly. I watched in awe as his confidence, despite everything, fully captivated the crowd. “But I know now that he is wrong. The way we all think is wrong.”
Sebastian gazed up at me. I was used to being taller as a man, but as a wolf I towered over him. He wasn’t afraid at all. He ran his hand down my bloodstained jaw, through the thick brown fur of my chest.
“You know, you can change back at any time, Rourke,” he said mischievously. “Remember what I told you about the story?”
The memory flashed before my eyes. Sebastian had stood in this very spot before the fountain before saying,The God of Fertility could change his shape at will. He was not bound by the moon, as some people claim.
The reality of the myth hit me like a brick. The story wasn’t just a story after all. I gazed up at the bipedal statue looming over us. Unlike the God of Fertility, I wasn’t even a werewolf—or Therianthrope, to use Sebastian’s fancy word for it. I’d turned into a real fucking wolf, just a massive one.
And if that was all true, then…
I tried it. Closing my eyes, I channelled my thoughts and energy into changing my body. I visualized standing there in front of Sebastian as a man instead of a beast.
Just as I’d felt my bones and organs shift earlier, it happened again. It was a strange sensation that made me shudder, but it wasn’t painful, just a bit uncomfortable.
I gasped for air when it was over. My eyes shot open and I saw Sebastian smiling at me, this time a little closer to the ground. I’d returned to my human form. I looked down at my hands to confirm it.
Unfortunately, I was also naked.
A thought struck me. I wasn’t just nude—I felt like something was missing. My hands shot up to my neck and found it bare.
“My collar,” I said hoarsely. They were the first words I’d spoken since before my transformation.
Sebastian gave me a wry look. “It broke when you first shifted. The size of your wolf neck was too much for it to handle.”
“I, er… Sorry.”
He chuckled. “I can always buy another one, if you liked it that much.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Bjorn had changed back, too. He and Eugene were cuddled in a close embrace.
Sebastian stroked my cheek and I focused back on him. For a moment, it felt like Bjorn and Eugene, the King and the knights and the crowd weren’t even there. It was just me and Sebastian alone in the world.
