Chapter 290 The Ending

Chapter 290 The Ending
An hour later, frustration coursed through me as I stood at the edge of the training grounds, no closer to shifting than when we'd arrived.

"This isn't working," I huffed, pacing back and forth.

Dominic watched me from where he leaned against a tree, his expression thoughtful. "Let's try something else."

"Like what?"

"Anger," he said simply. "Get angry. Let rage guide you."

I shook my head. "I don't want to do it that way."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want anger to be my trigger. There has to be another way."

Dominic pushed off from the tree and approached me. Without warning, he shoved my shoulder, hard enough to make me stumble back.

"What the hell?" I glared at him.

"Get angry and shift!" He pushed me again. "If you want to shift, then get fucking angry."

His eyes began to brighten, his own wolf rising to the surface. He shoved me again, harder this time.

"Dominic, stop it!" I backed away from him.

"Goddamn it, get angry and shift!" His voice had lost all its warmth, becoming a growl.

He triggered something deep inside me. I felt her rising within me, pushing herself forward.

I stopped fighting, stopped trying to control my breathing, stopped overthinking the process. Instead, I let my wolf take over.

The shift happened faster than I expected. One moment I was standing on two legs, the next I was lunging at Dominic on four paws, knocking him to the ground.

Wow.

That exhilaration, that power filling my entire body. The strength inside me was thrilling. I wanted more.

"Teeth away, princess."

I eased the pressure but didn't move my paws from his chest. I was annoyed at how he'd provoked me, but simultaneously thrilled that I'd actually shifted.

Yes, he helped me transform, and that was the purpose of coming here, but I didn't want to accomplish it this way.

But maybe I was worrying needlessly. I had shifted. I should be happy about that.

"Let me up. I want to show you something."

I did as he asked, backing away slightly.

"Can you hear me?"

What?

I jerked back in surprise. How was he in my head?

Then I heard his laughter.

"We can communicate through the mental connection."

I started pacing nervously, my wolf form agitated. I didn't like the idea of anyone being inside my thoughts.

"You can block me out," he said aloud, sitting up slowly. "You can block everyone out. Our mental connection only opens when needed or when you want it to."

"Try shifting back," he suggested. "Close your eyes and picture your human form."

I stopped pacing, closed my eyes, and imagined my human shape.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying naked on the ground, my clothes in tatters around me. Dominic immediately shrugged off his leather jacket and draped it over me.

"Don't," I pushed his hand away, still angry. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Help you shift?"

"The whole point of coming here was for you to teach me, and you didn't teach me anything." I pulled his jacket tighter around myself.

Dominic ran a hand through his hair. "We tried, Riley, but it wasn't working well."

"Then maybe I'm just not cut out to be a werewolf," I said dejectedly.

I marched toward the car. He stepped in front of me.

"Don't always run away like this," he said.

"I'm not running away. I just want to go home."

"Like always," he muttered.

I tried to step around him, but he moved with me. "If you want to learn to shift, you need to keep trying."

"Alright," he had a point. Nothing comes easily. I needed to face the difficulty and overcome it.

The drive home was silent. When the car stopped at our front door, I voiced my request.

"I want to attend the pack meeting at the end of the month."

Dominic blinked, caught a bit off guard. "What?"

"I want to be there. I have as much right as anyone else."

He studied me for a long moment, then surprised me by saying, "Okay."

"Okay? Really?" I hadn't expected him to agree so easily.

"I think getting you more involved with the pack activities would be good for you," he said, his voice softening. "You should be part of this."

Emboldened by his agreement, I pushed further. "And I want to join the territory patrols."

Dominic considered this. "You can join the patrols. But not now, you still can't shift at will. More importantly, you have our child in your belly, you know, I don't want anything to happen to you."

Well, there was his protectiveness again. But he wasn't wrong. The baby was important, and I didn't want to lose my first child because of my stubbornness. But at least I could attend the meetings now, which finally gave me some sense of belonging, no longer being excluded.

"I haven't been very good to you lately, but that changes starting today," he continued, his voice low and sincere. "No more keeping you out or in the dark. You'll be by my side for every step, every decision."

"That's how it should have been from the beginning."

My throat tightened with emotion. This was exactly what I'd been wanting to hear.

"I love you," I said simply.

His smile was all the answer I needed.

---

Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, the day of my delivery had arrived.

The hospital corridor was crowded with anxious waiting family members. Dominic's parents, my grandmother, and my father were all there. Nina and Byron had also rushed over.

In the delivery room, it was just Dominic and me.

"One more push, Riley, I can see the head!" Dominic encouraged.

I gripped his hand tightly, almost hearing his bones protest, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he leaned down to whisper in my ear, "You're doing amazing, princess. Our baby is almost here."

"I can't..." I gasped, sweat soaking my forehead.

"You can. You're the strongest person I've ever known, Riley. One more time, for our baby."

I took a deep breath, concentrated all my strength, and pushed with my last ounce of energy.

A loud cry echoed through the room.

"It's a girl!" the doctor announced, placing our daughter on my chest.

Our daughter, her tiny fists clenched as if already prepared to face the world.

"She's perfect," Dominic whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. He gently touched his daughter's small hand, tears glistening in his eyes when her fingers instinctively gripped his.

"Aurora," I softly spoke the name we had chosen.

---

Hours later, when the hospital visitors had finally left and only Dominic, our sleeping daughter in her bassinet, and I remained, I leaned back against the pillows, reflecting on everything that had happened.

Nina and Byron, though they had left our pack, would return to visit us periodically. Nina had already designed an entire wardrobe of baby clothes, ready to make Aurora "the most fashionable wolf cub in history," as she put it.

Harper was no longer resistant to having children, and her relationship with Hunter continued to grow stronger. A few months ago, news came that she was pregnant. I was truly happy for her.

Mason was excelling in college, earning his professors' recognition. His future looked bright. In last week's phone call, he told me that things were going well with Julie, and they planned to marry right after graduation. They were planning to visit me after their vacation.

My relationship with my family had been repaired well. Grandmother, though not living with me, had Bryce by her side, so I didn't worry about her. My father had also re-entered my life. During my pregnancy, he constantly sent supplements and things I wanted.

Dominic's family had supported me throughout. His mother taught me everything about pregnancy, which made things much easier for me.

Integrating into the pack wasn't easy, but now that I could regularly participate in meetings, I felt a sense of belonging I'd never experienced before. I was part of them, just as they were part of me.

After Dominic's constant guidance and practice, I finally managed to control her transformation into a werewolf. I've already started looking forward to patrolling as a wolf, running freely through the forest.

Dominic gently took my hand, pulling me back from my thoughts. "What are you thinking about, baby?" he asked, his eyes full of tenderness.

"How lucky we are," I answered, looking toward the sleeping Aurora.

"Meeting you was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me," his voice was full of adoration.

When Aurora made a small whimpering sound in her sleep, we both couldn't help but smile. Though our time together had some misunderstandings and conflicts, we solved problems step by step, understanding each other, and our relationship became stronger through these difficulties.

I knew that more challenges awaited us in the future. But whatever lay ahead, we would face it together—as a family, as a pack, as soulmates.