Denderick’s POV
My heart thundered in my chest as I cradled Aria’s fragile body. I couldn’t lose her, not like this. Not after everything we had survived. I closed my eyes, praying desperately to the Moon Goddess for guidance.
Suddenly, an idea hit me with startling clarity.
Of course. Her wolf.
I looked down at her, watching her shallow breaths and the way her body trembled in my arms. She needed to shift into her wolf to heal. Her wolf form could mend what her human form couldn’t.
I gently pried Edward from her grasp, his tiny body still wriggling and crying in my arms. “It’s okay, little one,” I whispered softly, rocking him in my arms for a moment before placing him on the ground next to us, where he nestled into the leaves. His cries softened as he lay in the protective glow of his mother’s wolf spirit, but I didn’t have time to linger on the comfort it brought. I needed to save Aria.
“Aria, listen to me,” I urged, leaning closer to her ear. “You have to change. You need to morph into your wolf form, love. It’s the only way you’ll heal.”
She didn’t respond immediately. Her eyes remained closed, and her breathing was shallow. I could feel the panic rising inside me again, but I pushed it down, focusing on her.
“Please,” I whispered, gently brushing her hair out of her face. “Aria, you’re strong. You can do this. Change, love, please.”
I held her close, waiting, praying she’d hear me. Her skin was cold, far too cold for comfort.
For what felt like an eternity, there was nothing. No movement, no sound from her, just the slow, labored rise and fall of her chest.
Then, slowly, painfully, her eyes fluttered open. She looked at me through a haze of pain.
“Denderick…” she rasped.
“Yes,” I whispered, nodding frantically. “I’m here. You have to morph, Aria. Please.”
The confusion in Aria’s eyes cleared, and she nodded once. She knew what she had to do now.
Her face contorted in pain, and she clenched her jaw, her body trembling violently as she tried to respond. I stepped back, giving her space, urging her silently to tap into her wolf.
For a few agonizing moments, I watched her struggle. Her body convulsed with the effort, and I could hear her strained breaths as she fought to shift. She was strong, but I knew the pain was overwhelming, tearing through her as she attempted to summon her wolf.
Then, with a pained scream that tore through the forest, her body began to change.
The cracking of bones echoed in the forest as her form shifted. Sleek white fur erupted on her skin. Her muscles stretched and contorted, her limbs elongating as she transformed. She screamed again, her voice filled with agony, but she didn’t stop. She pushed through the pain, her body breaking and reshaping itself.
I stepped back even further, watching in awe as her wolf form slowly emerged.
A massive, magnificent white wolf stood before me, her fur glowing faintly in the moonlight. She was breathtaking!
Her wolf form was larger and more powerful than I had ever seen before, radiating a soft light as if the Moon Goddess herself was blessing her. Her wounds began to close almost instantly. The blood on her fur evaporated, and the twisted angles of her broken bones mended themselves with a snap and pop. Her breathing became steady, stronger.
I stood frozen, holding my breath as I watched her heal. The magic, the sheer power of it, left me speechless.
When the transformation was complete, Aria let out a long breath, and her wolf blinked at me. She was whole again.
After a few moments, she shifted back into her human form, collapsing to her knees in exhaustion. Her body, now unbroken, was shining with sweat. I rushed forward, catching her before she could fall completely.
“Aria!” I gasped, wrapping her in my arms. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, my heart swelling with relief as I held her close. “You did it. You’re okay.”
She was shaking, her body still weak from the ordeal, but she managed a small, exhausted smile.
I kissed her again, this time fully on the lips, pulling her closer. My entire body trembled with relief, and I silently thanked the Moon Goddess for healing my mate. I kissed her like it was the last time, like I was terrified she might slip away again.
“You did good,” I whispered, pressing my forehead against hers. “You did so good.”
She rested against me for a few moments, catching her breath. Then, with a shaky voice, she asked, “What happened to Erinne?”
I pulled away from her. “She must’ve died when the treehouse collapsed,” I said, though there was a small part of me that wondered if she had truly perished in the chaos.
“And Logan?” Aria whispered. “Where is he? What happened to him?”
Logan.
I had forgotten about him entirely in the panic to save Aria and Edward. My head jerked up, and I glanced over Aria’s shoulder, where Logan had been lying unconscious just moments ago.
But the ground where he had been was empty.
“Dammit,” I growled. He was gone. Logan had escaped.
Anger made me grip Aria’s shoulders instinctively. That bastard had slipped away again, and who knew what destruction he’d cause next? He never intended for us to leave here alive-none of us. He would have killed us all if he could.
“I have to go after him,” I muttered as I turned back to my mate. I didn’t want to leave Aria, not again, but if Logan was free… if he was out there plotting something worse…
“I don’t want to leave you and Edward,” I murmured. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”
But Aria placed a gentle hand on my cheek. “Go,” she whispered. “I’ll be okay. I’ll head back to the pack house with Edward.”
I shook my head, but I knew she was right. I had to stop Logan before he could cause more harm.
With one last, lingering kiss, I turned away from her.
I glanced at the forest around us, where Logan had surely fled. Then slowly, I shifted into my wolf form and bolted into the trees.