Chapter 99 Run - Amelia’s POV
I didn't hesitate. With a yip of excitement, I sprang after him, my powerful legs propelling me through the underbrush with effortless speed. We raced through the forest, two shadows flowing over earth and stone, weaving between ancient trees whose branches reached toward the star-filled sky above.
Running as a wolf was nothing like running as a human. Every muscle worked in perfect harmony, power flowing through my body with each bound. The forest floor seemed to rise up to meet my paws, guiding my steps, welcoming me home. Skoll stayed just ahead, glancing back occasionally to make sure I kept pace, leading me deeper into his territory.
'Free,' Kaela sang in our shared consciousness. 'Finally free!'
We ran until my sides heaved with exertion, until joy had burned away every lingering trace of fear and doubt. When we finally slowed, we'd reached a small clearing where a stream cut through the forest floor, water gurgling over smooth stones. I lowered my head to drink, the cool water sweet on my tongue.
Skoll watched me for a moment, then nudged my side with his muzzle. 'Wait here,' his thought came, tinged with pride and something like mischief. 'Gift for mate.'
He disappeared into the undergrowth, moving with remarkable silence despite his size. I settled onto my haunches, content to wait, my senses exploring this new domain that would now be partly mine as Aleksandr's mate and queen.
Minutes later, Skoll returned, something small and furry dangling from his jaws. He dropped the freshly caught rabbit at my feet, chest puffed out with obvious pride at his offering. It was such a primal gesture,mate providing for mate, that I felt Kaela surge forward with pleasure.
'First hunt,' Skoll explained, nudging the rabbit closer. 'For you.'
Rather than taking it for myself, I lowered my head and took a small bite, then pushed the rest back toward him with my nose. 'Share,' I insisted, the concept flowing between us more as feeling than words. 'Mates share.'
His eyes seemed to glow with approval as he settled beside me, our massive bodies pressing together as we shared the small meal. It wasn't about hunger, neither of us truly needed the food, but about connection, about honouring ancient rituals that predated human memory.
When we'd finished, we made our way to the stream's edge. Skoll stretched out on a flat rock beside the water, and I joined him, our fur mingling black on black where our bodies touched. Above us, the moon sailed through scattered clouds, bathing the forest in silver light. The weight of the castle, the curse, the kingdom's politics, all seemed distant here, unable to reach us in this perfect sanctuary.
'Happy?' Skoll's question brushed against my mind, gentle and curious.
I turned my head to look at him, my wolf eyes meeting his in perfect understanding. 'Complete,' I answered, the word carrying all the meaning our human halves might have struggled to express. Not just happiness, but wholeness. Rightness. The feeling of puzzle pieces finally settling into their proper places.
We stayed by the stream for what might have been hours, time losing meaning as we existed simply as wolves, as mates. Sometimes communicating through our bond, sometimes just being, our sides rising and falling in matched rhythm as we breathed the forest air.
Eventually, reluctantly, Skoll rose to his feet, stretching his massive body. 'Should return,' he suggested, though I could feel his reluctance. 'Mate needs rest. Mate tired.'
He was right. Beneath the exhilaration, exhaustion was creeping in, bone-deep weariness from the emotional and physical demands of the day. The mating, the shift, the run, all had taken their toll on a body still recovering.
We made our way back toward the castle at a more leisurely pace, savouring these last moments of freedom before returning to our responsibilities. As the trees thinned and the castle came into view, rising stark and imposing against the night sky, I felt a brief flicker of resistance. Part of me, the wild part, the wolf part, wanted to turn and run back into the depths of the forest, to stay in this form forever.
But the castle wasn't just stone anymore. It was home now, in a way it hadn't been before. Home because Aleksandr was there. Because we were bound now, not just by politics or convenience or trauma, but by something ancient and unbreakable.
As we reached the edge of the trees where we'd left our discarded robes, I felt Kaela's presence settle deeper into our shared consciousness, no longer fighting to stay at the surface. 'Always here now,' she promised. 'No more walls. No more separation.'
And for the first time in my life, I truly believed it. The curse that had kept us apart had finally been broken, not through violence or desperation, but through love and trust and the oldest magic our kind knew, the bond between mates, unbreakable and eternal.