112- The Hunt Beneath the Snow
POV Lunara Grimwald:
God, it was a marvel. Not only did our friends know we’d spent the last few days fucking like animals, locked inside the house, but the entire pack knew it too.
“Any problems in the meantime? No invasions?” Andrei shook his head.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. We still haven’t found out who our traitor is—no one acted suspiciously.”
Edric exhaled.
“I doubt they’ll make another move, at least not anytime soon. Whoever it is knows we’re aware of their existence. If they’re smart, they won’t risk it.”
“I think the same as you,” Anton agreed, nodding. “I believe we’ll have some peace for a while.”
“I’m going to kill Alessio before he even thinks about attacking us again,” Edric declared. “He can’t and won’t be a threat for the rest of our lives.”
I swallowed hard.
“You… you’re going after him?” I whispered, feeling my insides tighten with fear.
It wasn’t fear of Alessio’s death—I wanted that—it was fear for Edric, for his safety. I couldn’t even imagine it.
He pulled me closer into his arms, as if he could sense my fear.
“Yes, and I’ll bring his head back as a gift for you.”
“How romantic,” Lyris mocked. “A lovely and entirely natural mating gift.”
Andrei laughed.
“Very Edric style.”
I still wasn’t fully convinced; the fear clung to my insides. Alessio was a demon—a bastard, a cursed traitor. He had already taken so much from me; I wouldn’t allow him to take more. Edric and the wolves of Eldoria were my family.
The alpha pulled me away from them, toward the forest.
“Lunara and I are going for a walk.” He looked at Nicoleta. “The house is yours. Just don’t go into my room, no matter how messy it is. Lunara made a nest in there, and we don’t yet know how she might react if someone disturbs it.”
I frowned, realizing how ridiculous that sounded.
“I think it’s best if she stays away,” I murmured.
The desire didn’t come from me, but from my soul—from my wolf. She still had a certain… obsession with that mess, with the nest she had built. If Nicoleta touched the bed, I wasn’t sure how she’d react. Heads might roll—and we didn’t want that.
Lyris laughed.
“It’s been a while since I’ve heard about she-wolves building nests.”
“Same here,” Andrei agreed.
“I’ll stay away from the room, as you wish,” Nicoleta said, nodding before heading toward the house.
“And you two, keep an eye on the village and everything happening,” Edric ordered the others.
I heard their laughter as we walked away, still teasing about the damned nest I’d built. I ignored the jokes—and the fact that the entire pack knew what I’d been doing for the last few days.
We walked in silence through the forest, far enough to have some privacy. The heads of Alessio’s wolves, impaled on stakes, were frozen now, their stench no longer unbearable. We crossed the borders of Eldoria’s lands.
“Where are the guards?” I asked, hearing no one, smelling no one.
“I ordered them to stay away for a while,” he murmured, kicking at the snow. “To give us privacy—I thought you’d prefer it that way.”
I glanced at him and smiled.
“Yes, I do.”
It had been so long since I’d transformed, and having some privacy to enjoy the moment felt good. I was glad Edric understood that—and had thought of everything.
He stopped and turned to me.
“This spot’s good,” he said, lowering his pants. “I’ll hunt too. I don’t know why, but my wolf feels the need to hunt something to feed you.”
“Must still be something related to the heat,” I said as he nodded and finished undressing.
I took a few steps back, giving him space, and watched. His body trembled, eyes flickering as they turned golden. His nails became claws. A layer of gray fur spread across his skin. The sound of cracking bones filled the air. He fell to his knees in the snow, grunting as his spine retracted and reshaped beneath the skin of his back. His arms and legs bent, distorted. His face elongated, teeth turning into sharp fangs.
The first transformation always hurt—it felt like dying. The others became somewhat easier, but none were ever painless.
I stared, enthralled, as his body became that of a beast. A massive dark-gray wolf rose before me, like a creature straight out of a fairy tale. I could feel his power radiating, crackling around us—the power of a mighty alpha male.
He fixed his golden eyes on me and approached. I reached out, brushing my fingers against his soft, warm fur, gasping.
“Your wolf is beautiful,” I whispered, rubbing him without looking away, mesmerized by the creature he’d become.
Edric stuck out his tongue and licked my hand, as if approving my compliment.
He was truly enormous—the biggest wolf I’d ever seen. Much larger than my father’s wolf, or Alessio’s, or Kellan’s—who were alphas as well.
I stroked his entire head, scratching behind his ear. His long gray fur gleamed against the white snow. His golden eyes shone like beacons. His black muzzle sniffed the air, scenting me and letting out a deep rumble. His huge paws crushed the snow beneath them, leaving heavy marks.
“I think it’s my turn,” I murmured, stepping away from him.
Edric sat on his haunches and waited, golden eyes never leaving me. His ears twitched at every faint sound, suspicious that there might be more intruders.
I closed my eyes and let my wild nature take over. Heat spread through my body—it started lightly, then grew into something intense, nearly unbearable. My bones bent, twisting into new positions. The clothes I wore shredded at my sides. I fell to my knees, pain surging through me like lightning.
My hearing sharpened, my sense of smell detected scents I’d never noticed before, and I could even see the tiny insects buzzing through the forest.
A strangled cry escaped me as my spine curled and reshaped. Everything in me hurt—every inch of skin.
I took a deep breath, my heart pounding fast, erratic in my chest. Then the pain vanished—gone completely, as if it had never been there.
I blinked and looked down at my paws, studying the white and beige fur covering me. I lifted my head, gazing at the forest. I bounced, running back and forth, feeling free—fulfilled.
You’re beautiful, little wolf.
Edric’s voice echoed in my mind.
Wolves could only communicate in this form—and only with members of their own pack. I had become an Eldoria the moment I mated with him, no ritual required, severing my bond with the Crepúsculo or Eclipse wolves.
I turned to him, purring softly.
I didn’t know I’d missed shifting this much, I replied.
It’s in our nature. We’ll always need—or want—to transform. We can’t keep this part of ourselves caged.
I trotted through the forest, playing with the soft, cold snow beneath my paws, like a pup rediscovering a joy long denied.
The scent of eucalyptus floated around me, mingling with the snow and the traces of animals that had passed earlier. I looked at the trees, admiring the frost droplets decorating their leaves.
Edric rubbed against me, nudging my ribs with his head in affection. He was much larger than I was. I rubbed back, licking his head.
Do you know how to hunt? he asked.
No, I don’t know how to hunt.
Come, I’ll catch something for us to eat, he said, walking ahead of me. His paws were silent—like those of a true predator.