The trees stretch tall around us, their thick trunks etched with age old scars and memories. The air hums with the scent of moss and moonlight, and my bare feet sink softly into the earth as we come to a stop in a clearing hidden deep within the forest.
Jack pulls off his shirt with one fluid motion, tossing it onto a branch. “You’re not undressing?” he asks, quirking a brow at me, that usual cocky smirk playing on his lips.
I just cross my arms and smirk right back. “Watch and learn, future king.”
Before he can blink, I close my eyes and reach inward—searching know she’s alive… because I feel complete. And it’s not just because I’ve completed the mating process with Jack.
Even though part of me still fears I may never feel her again, I call to her–and a powerful howl rises from deep within me. Then, just like that, she answers. Her triumphant roar vibrates through my bones and blood. There’s strength in her voice. Hunger. Purpose.
“Mating with Jack… it helped. His mark, his love, gave me strength” she says. “But the real spark–the thing that truly brought me back–was the power in our veins. The blood of our father… the Alpha King.”
I don’t speak or say anything to her words as I feel her rage, her joy, her fire–and her promise.
We are whole again. And fuck, it feels good to have her back.
She tears forward like a storm loosed from its cage. My limbs stretch, spine bending with a satisfying crack as obsidian fur bursts across my skin–sleek and glistening under the moonlight. Silvery streaks race along my back, glowing faintly like ancient runes etched by the Goddess herself. My claws dig into the forest floor, and when I stand fully shifted, I tower nearly to the lowest branches of the massive oak behind us.
I open my glowing eyes and turn to look at Jack. He stares, mouth parted slightly, eyes wide in disbelief. “Holy shit.”
I pad closer, my massive paws leaving deep imprints in the soft soil. I expect him to flinch, to step back in fear like so many others had when they saw my true form. But Jack doesn’t and he slowly lifts a hand and brushes his fingers through the fur along my cheek.
A deep, pleased rumble vibrates from my chest.
She likes that.
“You can change without your clothes ripping?” he asks through our mindlink, awe bleeding into every word.
I chuckle through the bond. ” Told you–my wolf is one of a kind.”
He nods, still touching me gently, almost reverently. “She’s… stunning, Kali. Beautiful. Powerful. Like a goddess dressed in shadows.”
I huff softly, brushing my massive head against his chest in thanks “Now stop gawking and change, Let’s run.”
He hesitates. Not out of fear–but I feel it. That flicker of hesitation The quiet sting to his pride, knowing my wolf might be bigger than his.
I nudge him gently with my nose, understanding.
His Alpha ego is smarting a little.
“You’re nervous,” I tease, baring a wolfish grin full of sharp teeth
He scoffs. “No, I’m not-”
Tinterrupt him with a wide, wet lick across his chest.
He bursts into laughter. “Okay, okay! I’m going!”
1/4
I back away to give him space, settling on my haunches.
Jack drops his briefs in one quick motion, and then–his transformation begins.
Bones snap and stretch, his frame twisting and rising, muscles thickening and reforming until his wolf bursts forth with a brilliant flash of light.
And my jaw–if I had one in this form–would drop.
He’s enormous.
Twice the size of any wolf I’ve ever seen… even mine. Which should be impossible. I’m the largest wolf I know. Always have been.
Impossible, right?
His fur is deep midnight with streaks of gold shimmering down his spine like rays of sunlight breaking through darkness. His eyes blaze a molten silver, his presence radiating authority–like royal beast risen straight from the earth. Majestic. Commanding.
He stares down at me in shock, his tail swishing behind him.
“How the hell am I bigger than you?” he blurts through the mindlink, disbelief thick in his voice. “I swear my wolf was never this big.”
I bark a laugh–literally–and begin circling him, admiring his hulking new form.
“I think it’s because we completed the mate bond,” I reply, pride and affection swirling in my voice. “I carry the Alpha King’s blood… and as my mate, your wolf takes on what’s needed to match. You’re more than an Alpha now, Jack.”
He turns his massive head toward me, eyes shining.” So I’m a future king, huh?”
“Obviously,” I tease. “And damn… you wear it well.”
“Fuck,” he breathes, voice low and reverent. “This really makes me believe you’re royal. I mean–look at me. Look at you. I’m so fucking lucky you’re mine.”
My heart flutters–stupidly, wildly. Even in this form, heat rises under my fur.
“You’re such a sap,” I murmur, nipping gently at his thick coat.
And proud of it.
We stare at each other a moment longer. Then-
He bolts.
I roar a playful growl and take off after him, thundering through the forest like two titans unleashed. Trees blur past as our wolves run side by side, our paws pounding in unison. We leap over fallen logs, splash through streams, nip and circle each other in a blur of laughter and heat.
We are fire and shadow, moonlight and storm. Until finally, breathless and tangled in wildflowers and pine needles, we shift back near a spring, collapsing side by side beneath the open sky.
The stars blink above us, and our fingers brush as we lie there.
Jack turns his head toward me, that stupid smirk back on his lips.
“I still can’t believe I’m bigger than you,” he says.
I roll my eyes and laugh, letting my head rest on his shoulder. “You’re still second place where it matters.”
He groans, “Kali…”
2/4
And I grin.
Because right now–there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be
