ELENA
The embers of the children’s Bondfire still glowed behind us, pulsing warm and steady like the heartbeat of the pack.
Alden had long since been swept off by one of the older cousins, yawning mid–sentence and Insisting he wasn’t tired. I’d kissed the top of his head before he vanished Into the house with the other kids, already halfway to sleep.
Now, the courtyard had changed.
The noise was quieter. More reverent. There was no music, no speeches, no clinking glasses. Only the shifting of bodies, the rustle of leaves, the rise and fall of breath.
It was midnight.
Time for the Moonlit Shift.
The moment every wolf waited for.
The full moon hung above us like a pearl, casting everything in silver and shadow. The scent of pine, dew, and woodsmoke wrapped around us, thick and intoxicating. Lanterns had been extinguished. Only the moon lit out
way now,
I took a breath and let it settle in my lungs, This–this part of the festival–had always been my favorite.
No performances. No politics. No alliances.
Just fur and paws and wind and the rhythm of the earth.
A single low note rang out from the ceremonial hom, echoing through the hills.
Silence followed
And then the shifting began.
Across the courtyard, wolves began undressing quietly, reverently. No shame, no embarrassment–just ceremony. Ritual. Intimacy with the earth. With the moon.
I stood still, letting the cool night air kiss my skin as I undressed, folding each layer with care before stepping barefoot onto the grass.
All around me, wolves shifted one by one. Bodies rippling, bones snapping and reforming in that fluid, holy way. Magic crackled in the air, thick and electric. The first howls were soft, low, building slowly like an orchestra tuning before the crescendo.
I saw Derek across the field, shirtless, barefoot, the gash on his arm now bandaged but fresh. He was watching the trees, not the crowd, quiet and composed as always.
I couldn’t look away.
Then his body rippled and twisted and melted into fur–black as shadow, save for that one bright white ear.
Erebus.
His wolf form was larger than most, his coat sleek, his eyes luminous in the moonlight. He shook once, and when his gaze lifted, it landed right on me.
Chapter 170.
+25 BONUS
I didn’t hesitate.
let go.
Bones broke. Skin stretched. The pain was quick, then gone replaced by something deeper. Something right.
When I opened my eyes, I was Nox again–my copper fur höght amongst the greys and blacks of the other wolves, breath steaming from my snout.
And I was staring at him.
And Goddess help me, in this form, with everything stripped away, my instincts howled for him.
Not just desire. Something older. Wilder. That bone–deep recognition I could never unlearn.
The horn blew again–louder this time, urgent.
And then Zeus–my father’s great wolf–burst forward with a bark that cracked the night open.
He leapt into the trees.
And the rest of us followed.
The run was chaos. Glorious, unfiltered chaos.
Wolves streamed across the lawn, paws pounding, jaws open with joy. Fur blurred in every direction–brown, grey, white, black, gold. Some darted in pairs. Some ran alone. Some looped back just to chase again.
I surged into the trees with the pack behind me, breath tearing from my lungs, heart thundering. Every root, every shadow, every flicker of starlight sharpened into clarity. The forest became a pulse, a blur of movement and scent and instinct.
I felt fast.
I felt free.
I felt whole.
The full moon hung above like a blessing, drenching everything in silver. I ran beneath it like I was born to, every
chest. stride pulling something fierce and ancient from deep in
This was the part of being a wolf they could never explain in words. This was why we still honored the old ways.
This was sacred.
I pushed faster. Passed three wolves. Nipped at Mason’s heels. Twisted through a stand of birch with the wind singing at my sides. The pack was still behind me–but I wasn’t racing them.
I was racing myself.
And then, without thinking, I veered off the path.
My feet carried me before my mind caught up, but I knew where I was going.
Something inside me–memory, instinct, magic–was pulling me toward a place I hadn’t seen since my last session with Dr. Voss. A place from childhood, lost to time until it had come back like a dream in moonlight.
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I darted left, then right, clearing a fallen log and sliding between two trees that parted like they remembered me
And then I found it.
The grotto.
A hidden clearing, encircled by mossy stone. At its heart, a waterfall rushed over worn rocks into a shallow pool, the surface gleaming like glass.
Moonlight pooled across it, illuminating every leaf and ripple in silver and pearl.
I slowed. Stepped to the edge.
Shifted.
My human skin returned in a blink, breath catching in my throat as the cold air kissed my bare body. I wrapped my arms around myself–not from modesty, but from awe.
I rentembered this place.
I remembered the first time I’d found it.
I remembered sitting here in silence, my legs dangling into the water.
I remembered kissing someone here, once. Young. Nervous. A different life.
“Beautiful,” came a voice behind me.
I turned sharply.
Erebus stepped from the trees. Derek’s wolf eyes glowing like embers.
Then, in a shimmer of air, he shifted–shoulders rolling, chest rising, fur melting into skin.
And suddenly Derek stood there. Fully human. Fully himself
And fully naked.
I flushed instantly.
He didn’t look away. Just took a step closer, careful, respectful.
“This is beautiful,” he said again, quieter.
“It is,” I said, my voice softer now.
I stared back at the pool. “I used to come here as a girl. I had my first kiss here.”
He blinked, “You remember…?”
“I do,” I said. I turned to him, expression softening. “Thank you. For Dr. Voss.”
Something flickered across his face. Not pride. Something quieter. Relief, maybe. Peace.
“I’m happy for you,” he said. “Truly.”
I nodded, heart thudding.
The moment stretched between us
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+25 BONUS
Then I stepped forward.
My fingers brushed the bandage on his arm.
“I
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
He looked at me. “For what?”
“For what Logan did to you.”
Derek gave a crooked smile. “You going to have a talk with your flancé?”
“He’s not my fiancé.”
His brow arched slightly. “He’s…not?‘
“Not really, I suppose to the public we’re still engaged. But that was just…”
I took a breath.
“Logan’s a friend. That’s all he’ll ever be. I’m sorry he hurt you.”
My fingers still hovered just over his skin. My body was painfully aware of every inch of distance between us and every inch that wasn’t.
He looked down at my hand.
Then up at me.
“Does it hurt?” I asked, brushing the cut lightly.
His eyes darkened.
He didn’t answer with words.
The air shifted.
Tightened.
The pull between us–never fully gone–flared hot and sharp like a match struck in the dark.
1 looked up at him, pulse thrumming in my throat.
And he leaned down.
Our lips were almost touching.
Breathless.
Close enough to feel it-
Chapter 1
