Chapter 35
1331 Words
Gwen
Cole stepped forward first, his smile warm and a little shy. He gave my hand a squeeze before he stepped back and shifted. His wolf, Asher, emerged in a shimmer of silver light—light grey and sleek, with bright, electric-blue eyes. He was the smallest of the three, but there was a clever sharpness in his gaze, like he missed nothing. Asher padded toward me and nuzzled my hand, his fur silky under my fingers. I felt a surge of calm.
Next came Cash. He grinned, already more confident, and shifted in one smooth motion. His wolf—Aero—was larger than Asher but not by much. Deep chocolate-brown fur covered his strong frame, shot through with streaks of silver around his shoulders. His eyes were soft grey and locked on mine with an intensity that stole my breath. When he stepped closer and lowered his head, I touched him without hesitation.
Then Cain stepped forward.
“There’s something I haven’t told you,” he said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “And I’m sorry I didn’t sooner.”
My heart stilled.
“I wasn’t just watching you at the packhouse,” he said. “I was with you. In a different way.”
Then he shifted. It was effortless—like the wolf was always right there, under his skin.
Achilles stood before me, massive, powerful. His fur was a blend of shadowy black and pale grey, and his golden eyes glowed like twin suns. He was regal, still, watching me.
I stepped back, overwhelmed. But not from fear.
From recognition.
Achilles lowered his head.
“Gwen,” his voice came not through my ears but in my mind. “Forgive us. We knew Akira was your wolf. But Cain… he didn’t want to risk pushing you before you were ready. I came to you because it was easier, safer.”
I blinked against the sudden tears stinging my eyes. Akira had always loved Achilles. Even when I couldn’t feel her clearly, I knew that much. Her pull toward him had been stronger than anything I could understand.
“Can you talk to her?” I whispered. “Can you try?”
Achilles nodded. He stepped forward and gently brushed his muzzle against my temple.
“Akira,” his voice echoed deep in my mind now. “I miss you. I need you. Please… come back to me. I’ll protect you. No one will ever hurt you again. Not while I breathe.”
Akira
I had been sleeping in the deepest part of Gwen’s soul, curled around the tattered pieces of myself. I was too tired to rise, too wounded to speak. The pain Justin caused echoed inside me, dull and relentless.
Then I felt her.
Selene.
The Moon Goddess appeared in a soft shimmer of starlight. She knelt beside me and touched my forehead.
“You’ve suffered greatly,” she whispered. “But now it’s time to rise.”
Her hand glowed, and warmth poured through me. A mark—the mark of her blessing—burned into my forehead: a crescent moon, glowing white.
“You are stronger than most,” Selene said. “You are no ordinary wolf, Akira. You are blessed. Protected. It’s time to wake up.”
She vanished like mist, and then I heard him.
Achilles. I could hear him calling to me.
“Please come back to me,” he said. “I love you.”
I moved. Slowly. Like dragging myself out of a grave. But I rose. I pushed through Gwen’s mind until I saw him—Achilles, massive and golden-eyed, waiting.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
Gwen
The instant she spoke, I felt her. Akira. Awake and warm and whole.
“Akira?” I gasped. "You’re here!"
“I’m here,” she said, her voice tired but stronger than before.
“Are you ready to shift?”
“Yes.”
I looked up at Achilles, tears on my cheeks. “She’s back,” I said. “She’s ready.”
The shift came easier than ever before. A rush of heat and light, and I was no longer in my human skin.
Akira was faster, sleeker, and stronger than I remembered. Her fur shimmered a pale silvery-white now, and a crescent moon glowed at the center of her forehead.
Achilles stepped closer. “You’re Moon Goddess–blessed,” he said softly.
“I am,” Akira replied. “And I am not afraid anymore.”
Then Aero and Asher stepped forward, both wolves gentle and welcoming. The four of us circled one another, touching noses, brushing fur, weaving the mate bond between all of us tighter, deeper.
Then we ran. Through the courtyard, down the slopes beyond the palace. We ran as one. And when we paused, breathless under the moonlight, we curled against each other—four wolves, bound in love, ready to face whatever came next.
Gwen
The four of us slowed at the edge of the woods, paws heavy but hearts soaring. Akira’s voice purred in the back of my mind, still humming with joy from the run. Her bond to Achilles, Aero, and Asher felt like a warm tether that pulsed in time with my heartbeat. For the first time in my life, I felt truly complete.
Then, without a word, we began to shift back.
The transformation was swift—fur to skin, bone to form, paws to fingers. I blinked into the silver-filtered night, my human senses returning as I stood in a loose circle with Cain, Cash, and Cole.
All three of them were... naked.
Of course they were. Shifting didn’t allow for modesty. And I’d grown up in a pack where nudity was normal after a run. But this was different. They weren’t just packmates. They were my mates.
And they were gorgeous.
Cain stood tall and broad, his dark hair tousled from the shift. Moonlight highlighted the swirls of silver marks flowing up his forearms and across his chest—etched into his skin like ancient symbols. Power radiated from him, raw and regal.
Cash was only a touch shorter, but his build made him look even more formidable. His muscles were thick and defined, like they’d been chiseled out of stone. His long dark hair fell in damp waves around his face, and his bright green eyes sparkled with mischief as he caught me looking.
Cole was leaner, but no less stunning. His frame was cut and athletic, muscles defined but not bulky. The shorter brown hair suited his sharp features, and his hazel eyes—almost blue in the low light—were impossibly clear.
I quickly tried to look away, but not before they noticed.
Cain’s lips curved into a knowing smirk. “See something you like, love?”
Cash chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re allowed to look. We’re yours, after all.”
Cole folded his arms and tilted his head. “Though, if we’re being fair... we’re still a little overdressed.”
My cheeks flamed. “Oh my god, I wasn’t staring!”
All three of them grinned, seeing through my lie.
Cain took a step closer, his voice low. “You don’t have to be shy with us, Gwen. We’re not ashamed of what we are.”
“And we like when you look,” Cash added with a wink.
Cole’s smile softened as he reached for the shirt one of them had tucked near the base of a tree. “Come on, let’s get dressed before someone else wanders by and dies of jealousy.”
I rolled my eyes and tried to hide my grin as I turned around to give them privacy—not that I really wanted to.
Akira stirred in the back of my mind. “You definitely liked what you saw.”
"Shut up", I whispered, biting my lip.
But I was smiling the whole walk back.
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