Chapter 79 When the Wolf Remembers

Chapter 79 When the Wolf Remembers
The forest became a blur of green and brown shadows.
Shax, in his massive black wolf form, no longer ran with the fluid grace of a predator. He charged through the undergrowth in uneven bursts, his heavy paws slamming against the earth with jarring force. His breath came in ragged bursts, hot steam spilling into the damp forest air. His tongue lolled from his jaws, still tasting the metallic tang of his enemies’ blood clinging stubbornly to his fangs.
His broad shoulder slammed into the trunk of a sturdy oak.
The impact hurled him sideways, sending his huge body crashing into a tangle of thorny undergrowth.
A low groan escaped him, more like a sob than a growl.
He forced himself back to his feet, ignoring the thorns tearing at his hide, and staggered forward into another run. He was chasing something he couldn’t see, a phantom in the mist. The echo of Michelle seemed to call to him from somewhere deep within the forest.
The wolf's return after so long locked behind a wall of amnesia brought no relief. The power coursing through his body felt like poison seeping into his bones. Every muscle screamed in protest. The savage energy he had unleashed while slaughtering Theo’s men now recoiled violently against his own mind.
His head spun violently, his world tilting as if the ground beneath his feet were shaking violently.
Shax let out a long howl at the sky, obscured by the tree canopy. It was a howl of agony, an internal battle between his wolfish instincts thirsting for his mate and his soul shattered by guilt.
"This can't be," he thought in a pained groan. "I rejected her years ago, why do I still feel this way?"
He kept running until he found himself at the edge of a steep cliff. His feet slipped, gravel tumbling into the dark depths. Shax braked harshly, his claws digging deep into the ground until he came to a stop just inches from death.
Damn it. Damn it.
He couldn't stand any longer. His heavy wolfish body slumped, fell to the ground, and then lay helplessly on the cold ground. His labored breathing slowed as he stared up at the sky. There, through the gaps in the leaves, the nearly full moon shone with a cold silver light, a silent witness to all the sins he had committed.
And in that moment, the dam of memories in his head burst completely.
Flashes of memory surged into his mind cruelly, without warning. Shax closed his eyes, whimpering as images of the past flooded back.
Several years ago... the day he first noticed that sweet scent. The scent of wildflowers and morning dew that only a wolf could feel for their fated mate.
Michelle...
He remembered how happy he had been that day. Michelle was his brightest world. In Shax's eyes, she was so beautiful, so sincere, and so caring that he had never experienced from anyone else in the Black Fang.
They were united in a beautiful bond, and Shax was ready to risk it all. He was ready to fight all the pack elders who would surely oppose him making an unknown servant his mate. He didn't care who Michelle was. To him, Michelle was everything.
But the memory had changed color. Black and bitter.
He remembered the night he'd stood in the shadow of the door, overhearing Michelle and Bertha's conversation.
"I'm more interested in Sylas... the other man is just my way of staying close to power. He's easily manipulated," Michelle's voice, heard that night, echoed in his ears.
"Sure, just seduce my husband so I could quickly out him, ugh." Bertha added.
An overwhelming sense of disgust and disappointment washed over Shax. He felt betrayed by the only person he'd ever wanted to trust, Michelle, and Bertha, his childhood friend. Their conversation that felt so disgusting.
From that moment on, the love in his heart had frozen into a sharp hatred.
That was why he'd rejected Michelle so cruelly and contemptuously. He wanted her to feel the same pain, if not more.
But after that rejection, Shax's life had become empty. He'd tried to fill that void with Kate, forging a relationship that felt plastic and fake. Michelle's image never truly left; she lingered in the dark corners of his mind like a wound that refused to heal.
Now, in his wolf form, Shax had also discovered something he'd never known before. A channel of communication had opened between his wolf and Michelle during his amnesia. The knowledge flooded in, shattering all the lies he had believed for years.
“Skai…”
Shax gasped violently, his wolf body trembling on the ground. Tears began to wet the black fur around his eyes. He remembered how Michelle had protected the baby, how she had called Skai the light of her life. Shax had learned the truth from the remnants of his wolf consciousness: Skai was not Sylas and Bertha's son.
Skai was his son. His own flesh and blood, whom he had neglected and left stranded in danger.
The knowledge struck him like lightning, ripping through his soul.
"Skai... is my child?" he cried, a human voice caught in his wolfish throat.
Crying and lying helpless on the ground, Shax suddenly pricked up his ears. His predatory instincts picked up the sound of rustling leaves and rapid, steady footsteps.
Shax tried to assume a ready stance, though his body still felt weak and trembling. From the darkness of the forest, a pack of black wolves emerged, surrounding him with tactical maneuvers.
The lead wolf stepped forward. In a graceful yet authoritative movement, he shifted back into human form.
A woman stood there. Her hair was long, black, and her eyes stared at him with a mixture of surprise, triumph, and deep longing.
"Shax?" Kate's voice broke the silence of the forest, trembling at the mention of his name. "Is that... really you?"
Shax could only stare at her with golden eyes still wet with tears, knowing that his escape was over, but his battle had only just begun.
"Kate... you found me."