Chapter 15%
The night breeze was cool against my skin as Julian and I walked side by side down the moonlit street. The alcohol had left me a little tipsy, making my steps feel light, almost as if I could float away with the wind.
Seth chuckled beside me, his voice deep and warm. “Want to take a walk by the sea? The breeze will help sober us up.”
I nodded silently, the heels of my boots clicking softly against the cobblestone path as we turned toward the seaside promenade. The faint silver glow of the moon rippled over the water, quiet and endless.
I didn’t realize how alive the night felt until we stepped onto the boardwalk. My senses, dulled for so long, were suddenly attuned to everything–the soft lapping of the waves, the distant strumming of a street musician’s guitar, the crisp scent of sea salt mixed with the musky undertone of spring earth.%
It had been months since my last shift
Not because I couldn’t.
Because I wouldn’t
But tonight, the wolf in me stirred quietly under my skin–not with rage or agony, but a strange kind of peace. Contentment. Or maybe it was just the wine.
We turned a corner–and then I heard it. A soft whine. Faint. Desperate.
My head snapped toward the sound before I even realized it. Heightened hearing–a curse and a gift
A man with a weathered face and kind eyes sat cross–legged beside a couple of cardboard boxes. One of them was lined with an old fleece blanket, and nestled inside it was a small, trembling puppy.
“Rescue mutts,” the man said with a smile. “This one was the runt. Nobody wants her.“%
My feet froze in place.
The puppy was tiny–maybe eight weeks old at most. Light brown fur with a splash of white across her nose and one floppy ear that wouldn’t stay up. Her eyes were wide, bright, and impossibly trusting.
She looked up at me and let out a soft whimper.
And just like that, I couldn’t breathe.W
Memories surged like a tidal wave, crashing through the carefully sealed door in my mind.%
And all of a sudden, I wasn’t here–not by the ocean, not under the stars.
I was back in the ruins of the Blackthorn Pack House. The night of my most powerful shift. When I had finally lost control, and the earth cracked open beneath me, flames rose from shattered stone. My rage had shaken the whole pack house. My pain had burned everything down.
Trapped beneath the weight of it all, bleeding and broken, my wolf had abandoned me. She had gone silent. Gone still.
And then… she came.
A mangy little stray, ribs visible through her fur, had limped into the wreckage. She had curled beside me, licking my fingers with her rough tongue, pressing her warmth into my frozen skin. I had cried–screamed–while clutching that tiny creature like a lifeline.
“Ella?” Seth’s gentle voice snapped me back to reality. His hand on my shoulder, steadying. “Are you okay?“Z
I blinked hard. I hadn’t realized I was shaking.
With effort, I crouched down and reached for the puppy. She sniffed my hand, then crawled into my palm like she belonged there.
“She looks just like…” My voice cracked. “The stray I left behind. The one I gave to Freya. I don’t even know if she survived.”
Seth crouched beside me, his presence solid, grounding. Pine and cinnamon–his scent. Familiar. Safe.
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. He had been there. Seth was the one I had called that night. He knew about the dog. The one who comforted me in the fire and blood. The one I had entrusted to Freya, praying she’d be safe.}
I wanted to bring her with me, but I couldn’t; I had to leave the stray dog behind because she’d been too close to giving birth.
“Do you want her?” Seth asked softly.W
I hesitated. “Our apartment doesn’t allow pets…”
“Who says?” he grinned, already pulling out his wallet. “I talked to the landlord last week. He said yes.”}
I stared at him. “You… did this for me?“W
He scratched the back of his neck, a little sheepish. “You always stop in front of the shelter window. I figured maybe… You were waiting for a reason to reach again. For something alive to hold.”
Before I could protest, the puppy wobbled to the edge of the box and planted her paws on my leg, tail wagging weakly, eyes pleading, as if telling me-
Take me. Please, take me.”
I was undone.
“She likes you,” Seth said quietly, handing over the cash.
The man offered a leash and a secondhand carrier, but the puppy wouldn’t go in. She whined and wriggled and twisted until I picked her up again She immediately nestled into my chest, a soft ball of warmth and heartbeat.#
“She chose you,” Seth said gently. “That’s how we know it’s real. Our kind knows.”
allwart har “Our kind?”
30
I swallowed hard. “Our kind?”
He met my eyes. Amber flared in his gaze–faint but undeniable. The wolf.
“You’ve buried her long enough, Ella,” he said. “It’s time you let her rise.”
I looked down at the small bundle in my arms. She was so small. But so brave.”
“What’s her name?” Seth asked as we walked side by side, the man slipping us a bag of food and a chew toy.”
I ran my fingers over the puppy’s soft fur. She licked my wrist.
“Solace,” I whispered. “Her name is Solace.”
Seth smiled. “Solace…”
“She’s the comfort I never thought I’d feel again,” I said. “The calm after the chaos.”
He touched her head gently. “Welcome home, Solace.”
The sea wind blew wild through my hair, smelling of salt and moonlight. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled, low, haunting, beautiful.
My blood hummed in response. And for the first time in years, I didn’t flinch. I was a wolf, still. I had always been one. But maybe, just maybe, I didn’t need to run anymore.
With this warm, living thing pressed to my chest and Seth beside me, the pain of the past didn’t feel like a chain anymore.
It felt like the beginning of something new.
Something wild.
Something free.
Something whole.
