We’re ready for this,she says confidently.
Easy for you to say,I mutter.I’ve been a wolf for five minutes, and last time I checked, my cardio was limited to climbing three flights of stairs without dying.
Well, that might be a lie. I don’t remember being worn out after trying to run from NightShade the other night.
Her answering chuckle moves through me, wild and delighted.Trust me. This is what we were made for.
Before I can panic further, Cade’s body starts to glow, and he crouches low.
I want to look away because I remember how badly this hurt, how it felt like I was going to turn to ash, but I’m captivated by him as his shift begins.
The sound is brutal—bones breaking, tendons snapping, a ripple of muscle tearing before reforming—but somehow, I sense his peace, and more than that, it’s over in heartbeats. In his place stands a massive wolf, dark russet fur gleaming, eyes the same molten gold as his human ones.
The sight steals my breath. He’s terrifyingly beautiful. So much so that I’m not sure what to do with myself.
His wolf brushes past me, his flank warm against mine, and nudges my shoulder with his massive head. A challenge. A dare. A promise. All wrapped up into that first initial touch.
My wolf doesn’t hesitate. She bolts forward, claws tearing up earth, lungs expanding with wild air. For a terrifying second, I think I’ll stumble. But it doesn’t take long for everything to click. This new form finds its rhythm, all four legs stretching farther than I thought possible, paws eating the ground like I was born to this.
The forest starts to blur past. The wind lashes against my face, cool and sharp, and I feel unstoppable. Invincible. Free.
Cade is at my side in an instant, his stride effortless, his presence steady as a heartbeat. He nudges me again mid-run, and instead of faltering, I surge faster, exhilaration bursting through me.
See?my wolf crows, triumphant.This is who we’re meant to be.
I would have never agreed before, but damn, if I can deny it now.
Deciding to stay, to face whatever is coming, just might be the best decision I’ve ever made.
Because with Cade keeping pace beside me and the night wrapped around us like a secret, I’ve never felt more alive.
Chapter 16
CADE
Rowan’s wolf runs just ahead of me, all raw power and moonlit beauty, her fur glinting like silver threaded through the clouds. My paws strike the earth in a steady rhythm, lungs burning with the kind of exertion that feels more like worship than labor. Every time I glance her way, something restless claws through my chest, fierce and undeniable.
She’s glorious. More than I ever could have imagined when I came barreling toward NightShade with only death on my mind.
Her presence is magnetizing. The need to be closer to her essence grows stronger the longer we’re out under the stars, and I’m beginning to think that’s only partially because of the bond.
My wolf bounds with a lightness I’m not sure we’ve ever known. His tail is high and ears forward as we chase after her.
Our mate, he practically sings.Finally free.
The bitterness that usually gnaws at me is silencedhere, running at her side. In this form, with the night around us and no council breathing down my neck, I don’t want to be anything but this.
Though our bubble can only last for so long. The sensible part of me knows that by being out here, with her energy radiating the way it is, we’re asking for trouble.
So, when the ground softens and the trees thin, I start to slow. Rowan’s wolf does the same until we come to a full stop, closer to the manor.
She shakes out her coat, still glowing in moonlight, and I’m consumed with a need so significant, I nearly forget how to function. Even my wolf bows toward her, overwhelmed by her strength and beauty.
She’s going to change the world, but not how they expect, he says, and I hope like hell he’s right.
But it doesn’t matter.
I know right now, regardless of which choices she makes, I’d follow her into the light or the darkness. Right or wrong no longer mean what they used to before I found her.
