I lie tangled in Kieran's arms, my body still humming—every nerve awake, every breath too aware of him. The sheets are warm, heavy with the evidence of what he'd just done to me, and I feel… undone. Not in a frightening way. In a way that feels terrifyingly right.
My head rests on his chest, the steady rhythm of his heart grounding me as his fingers trail lazily through my hair. Every so often, he presses a soft kiss to the crown of my head, unthinking, instinctive. Like this is where I belong. Like he's done this a thousand times before and will do it a thousand more.
What has this man done to me?
'He rocked your world, that's what,' Emma drawls, smug and far too pleased with herself.
Heat floods my face. 'That's not what I meant,' I whisper back. I mean…
The thought won't finish forming. It's too big. Too fragile.
'I know, Sam. I know,' she says gently now, curling onto her belly in my mind, chin propped on her paws. There's a softness to her voice I don't hear often. 'I feel it too.'
My throat tightens. 'How long has it even been since we met them? Why does it feel like—'
'Like you're in love?' she interrupts.
I shudder.
'I can't be,' I argue weakly. 'There's too much uncertainty. The Elders. Seraphina—'
'Did you not hear a single word he said tonight?' Emma cuts in, unimpressed.
I swallow hard. 'This will ruin me, Em. If this goes wrong… I can't go back to who I was before… him. I don't think I'd survive it.'
She snorts. 'You really saying all this while you're lying naked on top of him? While his arms are still wrapped around you like he'll fall apart if he lets go, as if your juices aren't still fresh on his face?' She pauses, then adds sweetly, 'Also—don't pretend that didn't just turn you on again.'
My eyes widen in horror. 'Emma!'
'Oh stop,' she huffs. 'Goddess, you're exhausting. Stop lying to yourself. You love him. I know you do—because I do.'
The truth hits me like a clean, devastating blow.
She's right.
Fuck. She's right.
I do love him.
"Little wolf?" Kieran murmurs, his voice low and rough with sleep and something deeper. His hand stills briefly in my hair. "What's wrong?"
My chest tightens. I draw in a shaky breath. "I—I think…"
A sharp knock interrupts me.
"Well," Cameran's voice calls through the door, muffled but far too cheerful, "since I don't hear any squeaking or dramatic screaming, it's either Kieran's a dud or you're both ready for the run."
Kieran growls beneath me, the sound vibrating against my cheek. "Can we just… throw her away?"
I laugh despite myself.
"Careful," I sing. "Are you ready to lose Enoch?"
Kieran mutters under his breath, "No."
"Great!" I say brightly. "Then let's go."
I smile into his chest, warmth spreading through me that has nothing to do with the bed or the sheets or what we just shared.
It's for this moment, this happiness.
—------------
The night air feels different when we step outside—cooler, sharper, alive in a way that makes my skin prickle. The forest stretches out behind the pack house, endless shadows and moonlight threading through the trees. It should feel peaceful.
Instead, my chest tightens.
This is it.
The others spread out naturally. Dawson and David murmur something low to Kieran before giving me space. Cameran hovers closer than usual, her humor toned down, eyes sharp and watchful. Mayla stands a little apart, calm and steady, like she's already anchoring the moment.
And Kieran—Kieran never lets go of my hand.
"You don't have to do this," he says quietly, thumb brushing over my knuckles. "Not tonight. Not ever, if you're not ready."
I swallow hard. The truth is, I don't know if I'll ever be ready. But I know I don't want fear deciding this for me.
"I want to try," I whisper. "I can't keep running from it."
'You're not alone,' Emma says, her presence solid and unwavering. 'I'm right here. I won't let it take you.'
We step deeper into the trees, until the sounds of the pack house fade and the forest opens into a wide clearing. Moonlight spills down, silver and bright, bathing the ground like a blessing.
Kieran turns to face me fully now. His hands slide up my arms, warm, grounding. "Look at me," he murmurs. "Breathe. Follow me."
I do. Inhale. Exhale.
The first wave hits slowly—a tightening beneath my skin, like my body is remembering something it hasn't done in years. My bones ache, a deep, spreading pressure that makes my teeth clench.
Then pain.
Sharp. Sudden.
I gasp, dropping to my knees as heat and cold clash inside me. My vision blurs.
Fire.
For half a second, I smell it—smoke, burning wood—
'No,' I snarl internally. Not now.
'Push it away,' Emma urges. 'That was then. This is now.'
Hands grip my shoulders—Kieran's. I feel him crouch in front of me, forehead pressing to mine. "I've got you," he says fiercely. "You're safe. You're here. Stay with me."
I cling to his voice as the shift tears through me.
It hurts. Goddess, it hurts. My body stretches, reshapes, fabric ripping, every nerve screaming as if being reborn from the inside out. I cry out once—then the sound changes, breaks into something wild and unfamiliar.
And then—
Silence.
Cool air cuts through my fur, sharp and exhilarating. Power settles into my frame—solid, grounded, balanced—my body finally obeying instincts older than thought. I open my eyes and the world is no longer the same, it has been rewritten around me.
The forest is brighter now, sharper. I can hear everything—the distant heartbeat of the pack, the whisper of leaves, Kieran's breath catching in awe.
I look down.
White.
Not just pale—white. Like fresh snow under moonlight, glowing faintly silver at the edges. My body is powerful, solid, larger than most—but when Kieran steps into view, I realize I'm just slightly smaller than him.
But whiter.
"So beautiful," someone whispers. Cameran, maybe. I don't turn.
Kieran's wolf stands before me—massive, black as a moonless night, his fur swallowing the light around him. He is power made flesh, broad-shouldered and unyielding, eyes glowing with an intelligence that feels ancient and impossibly steady. There is no sound, no growl or bark—only presence. Cade lowers his head slowly, not in submission, but in acknowledgment, reverent and sure.
'There you are', Kieran's voice brushes my mind, calm and warm, layered with awe.
'I can hear you?' I was shocked.
'You are in wolf form, and I am king' He says smugly. 'I can mindlink with anyone in wolf form, despite the pack.'
Emma steps forward before I can stop her, her excitement spilling through me like sunlight breaking through clouds. About time, she thinks, sharp and delighted, her tail swishing as she nudges her head against Cade's chest. The contact sends a ripple through both of them—recognition, familiarity, something old clicking neatly into place.
Instinctively, I retreat, sinking back into the quiet space of my mind. I let Emma take the reins fully, watching from a safe distance as she stretches into herself, into this body that is finally hers. She circles Cade with playful confidence, shoulder-checking him, daring him without words. Run, she challenges.
They take off together.
And suddenly—I understand.
The forest explodes into sensation. Wind tears through our fur, cool and sharp, carrying a thousand scents I can finally decipher—pine, damp earth, moss, distant water, the fading traces of other wolves. Muscles bunch and release with effortless precision, paws striking the ground in a rhythm that feels like freedom itself. The earth blurs beneath us as trees streak past, and Emma laughs—pure joy echoing inside my head.
Cade keeps pace easily, his dark form a constant presence beside her. Sometimes he surges ahead, daring her to chase. Sometimes he drops back, letting her lead. They tumble together through clearings, rolling and snapping playfully, fur flashing black and white against the forest floor. He nips at her flank; she darts away, taunting, exhilarated. Their movements are fluid, instinctive, perfectly matched.
Time stops meaning anything.
Hours pass in heartbeats as we run—leap fallen logs, splash through shallow streams, race along ridgelines where the moon paints silver across the trees. I feel powerful. Whole. Like something broken has finally knit itself back together.
This is what I was missing.
This is what I was meant to be.
And for the first time since the fire, the forest doesn't feel like a place of loss.
It feels like home.
When we finally slow, the moon hangs lower in the sky. My limbs feel heavy now, a strange exhaustion seeping in.
Then—
Smoke.
The scent hits me like a blow.
My vision tilts. My chest tightens.
Fire.
The sound that leaves me isn't a howl—it's a fractured, desperate whine, pulled straight from panic and instinct. It echoes through the trees, too loud, too exposed.
I feel Kieran turn, feel his attention slam into me—
Then the smell hits.
Smoke. Heat. Ash.
The world spins, my legs give out, and darkness swallows me whole.