Chapter 70

Violet

I shook off the haze and blinked at the empty space beside me. The faint warmth in the sheets was the only evidence that Theodore had been there at all. The unease from my dream lingered, a nagging sensation curling in my chest. Something felt off.

Slipping out of bed, I padded toward the bathroom, the wooden floor cool beneath my feet. The cabin was silent, save for the faint crackle of the fire, but the quiet didn’t soothe me. My pulse quickened as I caught my reflection in the mirror.

My breath hitched. They were glowing.

I drew closer, wondering if it was just a trick of the low light in the room, but now. the light in my eyes was back.

The wolf light, unmistakable and vibrant, glowed faintly in the dim bathroom. I leaned closer to the mirror, a squeal of excitement and happiness swelled up in my chest. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It had been gone for so long, and the longer I stared, the closer I could feel my power. Like I could reach out just a little further and it was all come rushing back.

My gaze dropped to my wrist. I turned it over. The faint mark that marred my skin—the mark of the unwanted— was still there, but lighter than it had been before. Faded enough to make it almost indistinguishable. It could have been ink. It could have been anything.

Where was Theodore?

Without thinking, I turned and bolted for the door, the cool night air biting at my skin as I stepped outside. My feet carried me to the lake. I could just barely smell him on the wind. He wasn’t far. I ran down the path at full speed.

“Theo’!” I cried, giggling. “Theo’!”

I found Theodore coming out of the lake, his broad shoulders silhouetted and glistening in the moonlight. He looked up at the sound of my approach as I slipped and skidded down the incline towards him. His expression shifting from calm to curious and amused as I raced down to him.

“Slept well?” He asked and chuckled. “Or did you just miss—”

I launched myself at him. He stumbled, but caught me as I twined myself around him. His face turned bright red and his hands fell to my ass to keep me against him. I stared into his eyes, leaning until we were practically sharing air.

“Is it real?”

He blinked, frowned, then his eyes widened. I could see the light reflected in his eyes. I bounced, squealing and shaking him.

“It’s real! It’s real! I can see it on your face, I’m not imagining it!”

He laughed, swaying as I rocked us back and forth.

“Violet– Shit!”

I laughed, as he slipped and took us both into the shallows of the lake. The water was cold, but not frigid. I could feel my body warming in response to it.

My wolf was inching back to me. He sat up, shifting me into his lap, laughing.

“I’m glad you’re so excited.”

“Aren’t you?” I asked. “We could…”

His gaze locked onto mine, and I saw the exact moment he realized. His lips parted, surprise and something warmer—hope, maybe—spreading across his features.

“Violet…”

I sank back, resting my wait on his thighs. “Unless… you’ve change your mind?”

He shook his head. His eyes filling with light, the band of moonlight on his forehead glowing like a another moon. He kissed me briefly.

“Never.”

I cleared my throat, dropping my eyes to my wrist. He reached for my wrist, his thumb brushing over the faded mark there.

“The mark is mostly gone,” he murmured, his tone thoughtful. His eyes met mine again, and the joy in them stole my breath. “Try to shift.”

I swallowed. My gut jolting with a tangle of emotions I couldn’t name, but the look in his eyes said so much.

“I want to see you. I want to see her.”

I hesitated, the fear of disappointment clawing at the edges of my mind. “What if I can’t?”

“We won’t know until you try,” he said firmly, lifting us out of the water and carrying us to the bank. He swayed with me in his arms. A cold wind blew, but I hardly felt it. He cupped my face with one hand. His thumb brushed over my cheek, his gaze steady and unwavering. “But I think you can, and I’d love to meet you properly…” He pressed our foreheads together. “I’d love for you to meet me properly.”

The conviction in his voice was enough to push back the doubt, if only a little. I took a deep breath and slipped out of his arms. He let me go, and I closed my eyes, reaching inward, pushing, and searching for that spark that had once felt as easy as breathing.

Please, I thought, willing the connection to spark. Please come back.

The faintest flicker of warmth answered, tentative and fragile but undeniably there. My pulse quickened, hope surging through me as I reached for it, coaxing it forward like a flame in the dark.

And then…

A whisper of power surged through me, faint but real, and I felt the first stirrings of a shift. The warmth I felt grew stronger, like a long-forgotten ember reigniting inside me. My skin prickled, and a shiver ran down my spine. I breathed through it. it felt different, not as smooth as it had once been, but there and growing stronger, growing smoother, until I felt the rush of magic slipping and sliding just beneath my skin like silk. I opened my eyes, but my vision was full of moonlight.

It was almost like the first time I’d shifted all over again. The moonlight tingled and danced on my skin. The warmth flared brighter as I willed the shift to come. It slipped through my fingertips, almost teasing me. But it came slowly, hesitant, stuttering like a flame fighting against the wind. But then I leaned into it, pushing aside the fear and self-doubt.

And then it happened.

The change rippled through me, my muscles stretching and bones reshaping. The flickers of pain and discomfort I remembered weren’t there. In its place was a euphoria I swear was lifting me up to fly. The sensation was both exhilarating and disorienting, a flood of instincts and heightened senses rushing to the surface. When I opened my eyes, the world was sharper, clearer—full of life in ways I’d nearly forgotten. I looked up at Theodore who looked down at me with breathless awe.

“Goddess, Violet…”

The air stirred around him, shimmering a burst of light and moonlight. I went still. Amazed. I’d seen others shift before and no one’s shift looked like that…

At least no one from this country. Suddenly, Theodore stood before me in his wolf form, his dark fur glinting under the moonlight, and his amber-red eyes alight with pride, a burning red-gold like ancient currency beneath the circle of glowing light right between his eyes. It was like looking at an ancient tapestry depicting the first alpha king.

He rumbled and drew closer, nuzzled my neck, his warm breath brushing against my fur as a soft growl rumbled in his chest. I leaned into the touch, nuzzling him back. We circled each other, looking at each other from every angle. I couldn’t say if he was more awe-struck or I was.

Theodore was nothing like the wolves of this country. He was bigger. Standing eye to eye with me on all fours, and that wasn’t normal. I rarely shifted outside of battles on the border because of my size.

You seem surprised. Theodore said, his voice a low whisper at the back of my mind.

The brush of his mind, his spirit, his magic, and his wolf like this made me shiver.

I felt like I had come home though I had never known what home felt like. I felt nothing but pure, unrestrained joy.

I am… Most wolves aren’t anywhere as big as I am…

He blinked and looked down. His fur rippled and suddenly he’d grown a bit broader, bigger. I had to lift my eyes a bit.

Do you usually cast illusions on yourself?

I scared Dahlia during an incident with my size. She’s the only one besides you who’s seen my full size.

I let out a bark of laughter before nudging him with my nose, burying my face in the thick fur around his neck.

The fact that you can manage even that much with not training is amazing. Illusions are hard. I rumbled at him, nuzzling him. You never cease to amaze me. You don’t frighten me, you know?

If anything, …

I pulled back, baring my teeth in what was meant to be more of a grin, but probably didn’t come across well. I felt his confusion.

Then, I surged forward. I nipped Theodore’s shoulder, a teasing gesture that made him jerk back in surprise. I let out a mischievous growl at him and turned.

Catch me if you can.