77. Leo

77. Leo
I held her close to me, gently rocking us back and forth. I whispered soothing words in her ear, peppering soft kisses in her hair. She'd already grown a little more restless, and it's been mere moments since he'd left our side.
She let out another whimper, and I pressed another soft kiss, whispering gently, "Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. I'm right here with you,"
She settled down a little, and her head turned slightly away from me, burying her nose in the crook of my arm. I was so grateful to see that the bond was still working its magic; that it was still there, even as strained as it was. It allowed me to reach out to her and offer her at least a small dose of comfort. I knew that it wasn't enough, and that it wasn't going to do much within the following moments, but it was still better than nothing.
I exhaled a long sigh, turning my head in the direction where Athos had left merely minutes ago. I couldn't see him anymore, but I could feel that he was still close. Maybe way too close. I could still feel his pain as if it were my own. And I knew that she could feel it too.
I gathered her closer to me, bracing for what was to follow. And soon enough, that powerful growl echoed throughout the forest, making it vibrate from the force of it. Calla mewled in my arms in reply, her body tensing. And then, the pain followed.
She screamed, long and deafening, and my beast thrashed from within, clawing at those mental walls around him. Fuck. I held fast, steady.
Another wave followed. Quick. Merciless. She screamed and jolted in my arms, her back arching. I held her tighter against me, fighting my beast tooth and nail.
A pause. A small reprieve. It allowed me to breathe, and focus on reaching out to her through the bond, let her know that I was there for her. She opened up for me so effortlessly, and I dared to get a feel of her emotions. She was scared. Worried.
Another wave of pain. She screamed and thrashed, and I let out a tortured groan as the pain that she felt combined with his went right through me. Fuck. Another wave. She screamed and I groaned again as that blinding pain seized me, but I refused to let go. I refused to tap out of our shared connection. I couldn't let them endure this by themselves.
I held steady as another wave followed, this one lasting longer than the other ones. She screamed and thrashed again, and when the pain subsided, she was breathing fast and hard, her whole body shaking. I could feel that she was exhausted already, and that he was too.
And after that last wave wracked through them, that invisible tether between us started to fade slowly.
What? Wait! No no no no! My eyes snapped wide open, and I glanced from Calla to that certain spot where I knew that Athos was, as panic started to sink in. No no no no, oh Goddess, please no. I looked around helplessly as I held Calla, torn between wanting to stay with her or go to my brother, as the bonds continued to weaken, little by little. One of them was dying slowly, and I couldn't even tell which one was.
"Fuck!" I swore out loud, breathing faster as I continued to hold Calla in between my arms, bringing her closer to me.
"No no no no, please, Holy Mother, don't take them away from me!" I said as I looked up at the pinkish skies, gently rocking back and forth. I looked down at Calla's peaceful features once again and started to caress her temple with my fingers, pressing a kiss on her forehead.
"Please...don't leave me..." I begged, big fat tears starting to roll down my face as I could hear her pulse weakening.
"Please..." I uttered softly, my blurry gaze turning in the direction where Athos was. Please...brother...stay with me...
The bonds continued to fade, and I let out a choked sob, feeling those cracks that started to take place in my heart.
"No...No, no, no, no..." I cried quietly, drowning in tears as I gathered her close and laid her in my lap, pressing her against me.
I looked down at her, and another sob wracked through me. I held her body tighter against mine, burying my nose in her hair. No...
"Please...I will do anything...I will let her go if I have to, but please, don't take them away from me..." I begged our Holy Mother, pressing another kiss on the top of Calla's head.
That's when I felt it. Her breath...it...stopped. Just like that.
My beast shoved his way out with blunt force, tearing at those clothes on my body with his massive size as he shifted smoothly.
He held Calla higher in his arms, and then he raised his snout to the sky, letting out a mournful howl as our heart broke so deeply.
A gasp.
We froze, listening to the sounds of an accelerating heartbeat.
Crack!
We looked down quickly, just in time to notice her body twitch. Our eyes widened.
Another crack. She jolted in our arms, letting out a small whimper. We blinked away those tears, tuning in to the bond quickly. There was nothing at first, only silence. Darkness. We held our breath, refusing to give up.
Slowly, tentatively, a small and delicate being made her presence known from her end. She stepped into the light, and my beast purred lovingly.
"Mate..."
She responded with a small whine, and Calla's back arched once again, breathing faster. She was trying to get out. She was attempting a shift!
Quick! I urged my beast, guiding him to remove that dress from her. She needed space to move. So he used his claw to create a rip in the middle, careful not to scratch her delicate skin, and then we peeled it off her with gentle, careful moves.
We laid her down on the soft grass, and soon enough, another crack resounded. She let out a pained mewl, and my beast rushed to comfort her, licking at her face gently. Her taste invaded our tongue, and we shivered with delight.
Another crack. Her body twisted, and we whined in sync with her, as we could feel her pain. Another crack. Another yelp. She panted harder, and we brought our body closer to hers, feeling so desperate to comfort her as much as we could. She whined again, and she unconsciously pushed herself closer into us, seeking our warmth as we curled around her protectively.
We lay there like that for another moment or two, listening to the sounds of her laboured breaths. Her thumping heart. She was catching her breath, preparing herself to continue. We let her take her time, breathing slowly next to her. Coaxing her to do the same.
"Easy, little wolf...Just breathe..." he whispered to her through the bond. Our ear turned, dividing a portion of our attention to our brother. Steady heartbeats resounded from that direction, accompanied by slow, rhythmic breaths. It eased some of our worries away, and we resumed our focus on her.
Another snap sounded, and she whimpered helplessly, squirming a little. We pushed our snout closer, licking at her damp temple again.
It happened slowly, her body adjusting little by little. We remained stuck by her side, waiting patiently for her wolf to emerge. My beast offered her comfort through the bond, affectionate licks, and words of encouragement. It reminded us a little of our mother, and our first shift. How she'd comforted us, and held us to her nurturing breast.
We were so happy that we could do this for Calla, and we felt so honoured, to be granted this special moment, by the Moon Goddess herself.
She writhed and whined for a while longer, her body twisting and contorting as her wolf struggled to make herself some space. And then, it finally happened.
Her cute little ears popped out first. Then the tail. Her skin pimpled with goosebumps, and soon, her fur started to emerge, covering the entirety of her body. Claws grew, her limbs realigning.
We watched, mesmerized as it happened. Smoothly. Magically.
Her snout was the last to form. And then she opened her eyes. They were glowing golden — a trait generally found only in the lycan kind.
We rose on four limbs and shuffled backwards a little to give her some space, and she rolled on her stomach and rose slowly, on shaky and unsteady limbs. We looked at her, expressing a soft purr of appreciation. She was...absolutely beautiful. Special. Unique.
Pure white, soft, and sleek fur covered her lithe body. Her legs were long, her body slim and muscled. She had a delicate aura about her, a sensual and tempting look in her eyes, framed by dark and long lashes. She shook her coat lightly. And then her gaze landed on us. We finally took notice of that crescent moon-shaped soft brown spot between her brows. Special indeed.
Her head tilted, blinking slowly as she observed us from head to toe. My beast puffed out his chest instinctively, trying to look as good as possible. He wanted to impress her, have her see how strong he was. Worthy. It saddened me a little, but I chose not to remind him about any of that. Of how unworthy I was, and all the crap I did to hurt her.
She took a step in our direction. Tentative. Slow. We held our breath. We did not dare move, for we feared that we could scare her away.
She took another step and we watched, waiting, with bated breath. Curious to see what she would do.
"Mate..." That feminine, soft, and breathy voice echoed inside our mind. We froze, staring back at her in utter shock.
"Yes..." My beast answered eventually, still staring back at her like a dumb fool, watching as she took another few steps, stopping right in front of us.
We inhaled, and her sweet scent hit us like a boulder atop the head. We immediately grew hazy with want, lust for her delicious taste. I reminded him not to react in any way, as we could risk scaring her. We needed to be gentle. Patient. Chivalrous. All those things that I wasn't during my time with her human side.
She raised her delicate snout, looking us in the eyes. Goddess, she was so small compared to us, so fragile, and so beautiful. We instantly grew even more enamoured with her. If that was even possible.
She sniffed us gently, her small nostrils twitching in a way that had my heart melting. Timidly, like a frightened doe. We held still, allowing her to do whatever she pleased to us.
At least she hadn't rejected us. Yet.
Her cute little ears suddenly twitched. She looked up at us, and we immediately sensed the worry that gripped her. The anguish.
She turned, fleeing away from us, and our legs carried us right after her before we could even try to stop. She moved fast, agile, and soon enough, Athos' beast form came into view. He was lying on the forest floor on his back, his eyes closed as he breathed slowly. He was still recovering from those silver bullets.
She approached him carefully, lowering her snout to sniff him.
"Creator...Ours..." We heard her through the bond, her voice small. Trembling.
"His blood...ours...We are his..." She turned to look at us. We watched quietly, noticing that her eyes had started to glisten. It struck a blow to our heart.
She turned to look at him again, and then she lowered and curled herself up right next to him, putting her snout on his chest.
"We heal..." She said quietly through the bond. We watched her curiously, her words making me wonder if it was actually possible. If she could...
"Mate?" she called out suddenly, and we watched her head raise, turning to look at us again.
"We heal...together...soulbonded yours..." she said softly in that adorably broken language of hers. We did not wait to be told a second time. We made our way right up to her, and then we lowered ourselves, curling up around her small and lithe body in a protective way. We pressed our snout closer to her neck, and we fell asleep eventually, with her sweet scent filling our nostrils with every breath that we took, and the soothing presence of our brother's beast.