Chapter Forty-One

ASH

~“I did it!”~ Keyara’s triumphant voice rang out in his mind, her wolf form standing in front of him proudly.

It was the exact tone and expression she had used when she caught the fish, seemingly a lifetime ago. Ash couldn’t help but laugh, relief making him giddy, a low rumble sounding from his throat.

He closed the distance between them, needing to touch her, and buried his face into her neck. She nuzzled him back, her satisfied huff letting out a puff of air that ruffled his fur.

They stood that way for a moment, breathing each other in, the relief that she had made it through the transformation buzzing between them, before Ash turned to the rest of the wolves that still circled them respectfully.

~“Luna Keyara has joined the pack!”~

At his announcement, the wolves threw back their heads and howled their greeting to their luna in unison, Ash joining them with his own deep voice.

It rang through the night, and he felt Key shiver at the sound, swishing her tail nervously.

~“I have the first shift, Alpha,” ~Luca announced after the echoing howl had died down.

The other wolves each tipped their heads in a respectful bow at the alpha and his mate before departing into the woods to enjoy the night.

Luca was the last one to disappear, moving to his position for his shift as sentinel, ready to warn the pack at any approach of danger.

Ash turned back to his mate, finally able to study her fully. Her wolf was smaller than his, but that was to be expected. Her fur was a rich brown, a bit darker than her human hair.

It faded into a slightly lighter shade at the tip of her tail and at her paws. Her face was the same lighter shade, highlighting her blue eyes that were focused intently on him.

She watched him apprehensively, taking in his reaction to her. He buried his face into her neck again, nipping lightly at her with affection. She gave an appreciative hum at the contact, leaning into him.

~“How do you feel?”~ he asked her, stepping back.

She stretched out at his question, seeming to test her muscles, getting a feel for her new form. “~Great,”~ came the response.

~“Then let’s run,”~ he told her.

He took in the sparkle of her eyes before he launched himself into the forest, his paws digging into the earth with his steps. He could hear the pounding of her feet right behind him, keeping up with his pace.

He wove through the trees, running nowhere in particular, just letting her get a feel for moving through the night on four paws.

He could feel her excitement, and it spurred his own, as he suddenly remembered what it was like to experience his wolf form for the first time, before it had become second nature to him.

After a long while he began to slow, coming to rest at the lake they had fished in as humans, where the events that led to her current form began.

~“Take a look at yourself, Luna,”~ he said, pointing his nose at the surface of the water.

KEYARA

She approached the water slowly, forcing her paws to move forward, suddenly nervous at what she would see when she got there.

She leaned over the edge of the bank, taking in the large brown wolf that was staring back at her from the reflection of the water.

She took an involuntary step back in surprise before catching herself, making herself look again.

Her blue eyes gazed back at her from the wolf’s face, and she could recognize herself in them despite the drastic change in her overall form. She swung her face back to Ash, huffing in surprise.

~“I sort of look like myself,”~ she told him incredulously, turning back to the water to look once more.

Ash suddenly came into view beside her, close enough that she could feel his fur brush against hers, and she looked at the two wolves side by side appreciatively.

His white fur stood out against the dark water, standing half a head taller than her.

~“We look good together,”~ she said proudly.

Ash let out a deep rumble, clearly agreeing with her. He turned and nipped at her once again, gaining her attention. ~“Come on,”~ he said, turning to run again.

Her feet flew across the grass, right on his heels, following his white form in the moonlight. She felt as if she could run forever and never tire, and there was a freedom in it she had never felt before.

***

ASH

As the sun broke in the morning sky, he awoke to find himself tangled around Keyara, their naked human limbs intertwined.

They were back in the clearing where they had shifted, where their wolf forms had finally settled in for the night. Key was still asleep, her face smudged with dirt.

He smiled at the sight, keeping still so as not to wake her while reflecting on their night together. They had run until they could not run anymore, exploring the forest for miles.

He had shown her how to tune into her heightened wolf senses, tracking a rabbit through the woods by smell and sound. When the trail ended, she had declined the kill, not ready to eat raw in her wolf form.

Giving herself fully over to her animal instincts would take time, he had assured her.

The bunny had scampered away in fear when she barked at it, surviving another night.

They had finally come to rest in the clearing, curling around each other and listening to the peaceful sounds of the night before drifting off to sleep.

He savored this moment while he could, grateful his mate had not been lost to him, even knowing that meant they would soon face the judgment waiting for them back home.

Before long she began to stir, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She smiled at him when she noticed his gaze on her. He kissed her nose, rolling away from her.

He quickly bound his hair on top of his head and out of his face before gathering their discarded clothing from the night before a short distance away.

He pulled on his leather pants, leaving his chest bare, and helped Key to her feet, pulling the dress over her head. He kissed her softly.

The smell of the forest lingered on her pale skin, and her hair blew loose in the breeze, tickling his face.

“Good morning, Luna, Alpha.”

He broke off the kiss at Luca’s voice, frowning at the interruption.

“Good mor—” Keyara began, looking toward his voice, before her words cut off with a squeal, and she spun around away from him.

Ash raised an eyebrow at his beta, who was standing at the edge of the clearing naked, his dark skin covered in a layer of dust.

“I just need to fetch my clothes,” Luca said with amusement, winking at Ash.

“I’m going to go get my boots,” said Keyara in a strangled voice, walking briskly away.

“You’ll get used to it, Luna!” Luca called after her, laughing.

Ash followed her, knowing she might not be able to find her way back to the rock where she had removed her boots the night before on her own.

Sure enough, she was veering off too far to the east. He caught up to her and took her hand, pulling her gently in the right direction.

She sat on the edge of the stone and tried to brush off the dirt that was caked on the bottom of her feet from the miles they had traveled over the forest floor before finally giving up and picking the boots up by their laces.

Ash pulled on the shirt that he had draped over his shoulder, then brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. He would never get tired of looking at her, he decided.

“What happens now?” she asked him, swinging her boots gently.

The weight of what greeted them at home hit him, and she frowned as the concern took over his thoughts.

He smiled gently, trying to soften his emotions, before answering her inquiry. “Now we go home,” he said softly, “and see what the council has to say.”

KEYARA

They walked back into the common area, Ash’s arm slung over her shoulder. She lowered herself into one of the chairs, braiding her wild hair.

The men began to slowly trickle in, returning from their run. The smell of dirt and leaves hung heavy in the room as the crowd grew.

Luca was already busy overseeing the plans to return back to their home, shutting down the guest quarters, anticipating a long absence before anyone returned. The men were all busy shuttering the windows and quenching the fires.

Ash had gone straight to the chest by the hearth when they entered, digging through the contents until he pulled out an odd leather pouch with long narrow straps and buckles.

He handed it to her, and she took it cautiously, turning it around in her hands and studying it, trying to discern its purpose.

“It’s for your clothes and belongings,” he explained to her, noticing the confusion in her eyes. “It will stay in place when you shift back and forth, and this way you will be able to dress when we arrive.

“We all wear them when we travel to the human territories. I’ll explain how to wear it before we leave.”

How to wear the pack was the least concerning part of everything he had just told her. “We will travel there as wolves?” she asked nervously.

He nodded, distracted by a question from one of the men, turning away.

She was growing alarmed.

No one had yet explained to her how to shift on purpose, and the memory of the immense pain of the forced shift from the night before was still fresh in her mind, filling her with dread at the idea of going through it again.

He must have felt her panic, because he turned back to her quickly, his eyes wide, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What is it?” he asked her, squeezing her shoulder gently.

“What if I can’t do it again?” she asked in a whisper. “Shift?”

He smiled at her reassuringly. “Don’t worry,” he said. “The first time is the worst. It will be much easier now. I will explain how, but it should come to you naturally.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat, trusting his words.