Chapter 23 The Awakening
Two weeks. That's all they had.
Amanda worked with Derek every night in the hidden room. Hours bleeding into each other. Her gift growing stronger with each session. The curse weakening layer by layer.
But it wasn't enough. Not yet.
Tonight felt different though. The air was charged. Electric. Amanda could feel it the moment Derek sat across from her.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Always."
The room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing. Candles burned low. Their flames bent toward Amanda as if drawn to her energy. Her palms hovered over Derek's chest. The faint golden glow of her birthmark pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
The air itself trembled, thick with power. The curse that usually resisted her touch now felt weaker, fraying at the edges. Amanda's eyes narrowed, focusing harder.
"Stay with me," she whispered.
Derek's body tensed beneath her hands. Muscles tight. Sweat glistening across his skin. "I'm here."
Amanda could feel it. His wolf stirring beneath the surface, pacing, clawing, desperate to be free. She pressed harder. Channeling everything she had into the energy between them. The golden light flared brighter than before. It wrapped around him, cutting through the shadows that bound his soul.
Then came the sound. Low, guttural, animal. Derek's body jerked violently. His back arched off the floor. His breath turned ragged. Amanda reached for him, but the power snapped through the air like a whip.
"Derek!"
His eyes flashed silver.
Amanda froze. For the first time, she saw it clearly. The reflection of his wolf behind those eyes. Alive. Furious. Freeing itself.
The veins in his forearms bulged. The skin shimmered, then tore, replaced by silver fur that rippled under the candlelight. His fingers twisted. Claws extended where human nails should have been. The sound of bone shifting filled the room.
Amanda's breath caught. "You're shifting. Oh my god."
Derek's growl deepened. Half human, half beast. He slammed his fist into the ground. The claws gouged into the stone floor. The light from her birthmark flared wildly, responding to his energy, feeding it.
For a heartbeat, he was magnificent. Caught between man and wolf. Power radiating from him like fire.
Then, as suddenly as it came, the magic snapped.
Derek's body convulsed. The silver fur vanished. His claws retracted, leaving only trembling hands. The curse slammed back into place with a force that sent Amanda stumbling backward.
"Derek!" She dropped beside him, grabbing his shoulders. "Breathe. Just breathe!"
He gasped for air. Chest rising and falling. The tension in his body slowly easing. For a long moment, neither spoke. Then Derek lifted his head.
And laughed.
It was a broken, breathless sound. But it was real.
Amanda blinked in disbelief. "You're laughing?"
"I..." He held up his shaking hands, staring at them like he didn't quite believe they were his. "I shifted. Amanda, I actually shifted."
Her heart swelled. "Not completely, but..."
"But it's a start." His eyes shone. "After three years... I felt him. Raze. He's still there."
Before she could respond, he reached for her. Instinctively, desperately. He pulled her into a fierce hug.
Amanda froze, then melted against him. The heat of his body pressed against hers. The scent of cedar and wild earth filled her senses. Electricity raced through her veins. She could feel his heartbeat pounding against her chest. Strong and alive.
When he finally pulled back, they were still too close. Their faces only inches apart.
The air between them shifted. Heavy. Charged.
Amanda's breath hitched. His gaze dropped to her lips, then rose slowly back to her eyes.
Neither moved. Neither wanted to.
"Derek..." she whispered.
He cupped her face with one hand. His thumb brushed her cheek. His touch was rough, reverent, trembling slightly. "You're doing it. You're really doing it."
Amanda's heart pounded. "We're doing it."
He smiled faintly, but the look in his eyes wasn't joy. It was hunger. Weeks of tension, of words unspoken, of nights spent too close and too aware, burned to the surface.
When he kissed her, it wasn't gentle.
It was raw. Desperate. Like a man who'd been holding his breath for years and had finally found air.
Amanda responded before she could think. Her hands slid up his shoulders, pulling him closer. The world narrowed to the heat of his mouth, the sound of their ragged breaths, the pulse of power between them. His fingers tangled in her hair, deepening the kiss until her thoughts dissolved completely.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathless. The room spun around them.
Derek pressed his forehead to hers. "We shouldn't..."
Amanda's voice trembled. "Why not?"
"Because if I start, I won't stop." His tone was rough. Honest. "And you deserve better than this. Better than me."
Her fingers brushed his jaw. "Stop deciding what I deserve."
He closed his eyes, struggling to steady himself. Every instinct screamed to pull her back in. To forget everything. The curse, the prophecy, the danger. Just her. But he forced himself to breathe.
"Amanda." His voice was raw with restraint. "You don't understand what you're doing to me."
"I think I do."
He looked at her then. His gaze lingered, seeing her as he never had before. Not as the quiet girl given to him in a political deal. Not as the healer trying to fix his curse. But as the woman who had stood by him even when he'd pushed her away.
The woman who was doing everything she could to bring his wolf back to life.
Words rose in his throat. But before he could speak, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.
Amanda jerked back. Derek's head snapped toward the door.
"Derek?"
Silas's voice.
Panic flickered across Amanda's face. She scrambled to her feet, straightening her clothes, brushing at her hair. Derek stood quickly. His body slid in front of hers without thinking, half shielding her from view.
The door opened.
Silas stepped inside. His eyes adjusted to the dim light. "I saw a light from the hall. Is everything..."
He stopped.
The words died in his throat.
Amanda's cheeks were flushed. The air still hummed with energy. The candles burned low, their scent heavy and intimate. Derek's stance was protective. Too close. Too telling.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Silas's gaze flicked between them. Derek's bare chest. Amanda's trembling hands. The faint golden glow still fading from her skin. His expression faltered. Just for a second.
Something dark flickered there.