Page 112 of Empowering the Wolf's Heart

A surge of power went through the tent and knocked me back. When I scrambled to my feet, Shen was laughing.Laughing, the dolt. It was choked and it was hoarse, but he wasalive.

“I am free,” he whispered. He turned to the werewolves. He slowly rose to his knees and bowed his head to them. “Thank you.”

“None of that. Ye saved us first, sir. We’re just here to return the favor,” Daisy said, lifting Shen’s chin and gently patting his cheek with a soft smile on her tanned, slightly wrinkled face. Tears trailed from her eyes and dropped from her chin.

Shen bowed his head as if struggling to reign in his emotions. He slowly stood and stared at those who had come to supporthim. They bared their necks to him, each and every one smiling with gratitude to the one who had earned their loyalty.

This was my Shen. A compassionate leader. A worthy Alpha. Akindman.

He turned to me. There was a warmth so deep in his eyes it made them sparkle. “Thank you,” he said, reaching out a hand.

But then, a hint of moonlight touched his boot. He winced and a wry smile crossed his face. “We will talk later,” he said, crouching over as the moon brought forth his wolven side. The rest of the werewolves in human form did the same.

I winced as his bones cracked, as fur sprouted along his skin, and as his nose elongated. A split second later, he was there. His wolf was the size of a bear, his head a little higher than my eye level. If he stood on his back legs, he’d likely be seven to ten feet tall.

His silken fur was the black of rich earth with hints of amber. His eyes were nearly pure gold and glistened in the moonlight. When they met mine, his tail slowly slapped against his sides as his tongue lolled from the corner of his mouth.

And then I understood why he never let me see his wolven form. His tail was tipped in white and there was a heart-shaped white spot on his hip—Hood’s calling card.

I walked over to him. My heart pounded an erratic beat within my chest, but fear was not why. He was intimidating, yes. He was magnificent beyond comparison, also yes. But the man I knew was still the werewolf; they were one. I rested my hand on his cheek, his breath washing over me, nearly causing me to gag. His breath was worse than Fenbutt’s. Then he sighed.

“You’re beautiful,” I whispered, kissing his nose. It twitched and his hind end wiggled in happiness. He licked my nose.

His eyes was asking me for something, but I couldn’t tell what.

I blinked at him and my eyebrows furrowing with confusion. He laid down before me and gestured to his back with his nose. I blinked and blinked again, my nose wrinkling, unsure he meant what I thought he meant.

Just get on already!Ran groused, pushing me forward with her snout on my behind, smoke curling around her nostrils.

I slowly eased my leg over his broad back and settled just behind his shoulder. I pulled my hood up and snapped my cowl into place. Shen patiently waited until I gently patted his shoulder, then he rose. He lifted his head and howled. It was long and haunting and ended in a deep growl. The werewolves in the tent lifted their muzzles. A werewolf responded in the distance. Another howled from outside the tent and others from miles away. That was not merely a howl. It was a war cry from those who weren’t close enough to make it, but who had chosen their Alpha.

Pride swelled in my chest. Shen was a beautiful, caring soul in a dangerous package.

He glanced back and whined, his nose twitching at the blood tricking from the wound in my side. His eyes were a mixture of self-loathing and hatred. I had never seen such emotion in an animal before.

I pulled back my cloak to look at it. The wound wasn’t deep and the bleeding had mostly stopped. I put a yarrow and sap mixture on it, which would seal it until my body healed naturally.

I booped his nose with my finger, making his nose twitch as I grinned. “It’s fine, Wolfie. A mere scratch.”

He snorted in what sounded like disagreement. His eyes met mine as if trying to convey something. Then he turned forward and walked into the dawning of a new day.

I glanced back to see Fen and the rest following us. I realized now how I had mistaken Fen for Hood. He had the white-tippedtail and a spot of white on his flank, but it wasn’t heart-shaped like on Shen’s werewolf. It was almost a half-moon shape.

I chuckled at myself for having missed such a minute detail. I would’ve never forgiven myself if I had killed Fen. It would have eventually killed my soul. I would be forever grateful that Shen was Hood for that one saving grace.

Shen kept his first steps gentle, but I had become good at riding due to a crazy unicorn-dragon with a penchant for trying to throw me in ice-cold rivers. Ran’s wingtip smacked me on the back of the head as she tottered out the door ahead of us. I snarled low in my throat and then paused when the sound nearly scared me off Shen’s back. What the heck was that?

You’ve been hanging around a werewolf too much, that’s what,Ran said, amusement coating her voice.

I ignored her. Shen glanced back at me, his eyes searching me from head to toe. I leaned forward and rubbed his ears. “Let’s go,” I said, smiling. “I need to pay a visit to a little friend and rescue my nieces.”

He cocked his head, interest in his eyes. His freedom inspired me. I was Matriarch of the Reds but had been tiptoeing around my sister’s husband for weeks, trying to keep him away from Anna and the kids, afraid he would use what he knew against us. It was time that stopped. “Take me to the shop that smells of candles and lye.”

He gave a light yip and increased his pace, the werewolves yipping behind us as they joined in a run with us as the spearhead.

I wrapped my hands in Shen’s thick fur and held on with my legs. His gait was much different than that of a unicorn. It was rolling and nearly smooth, but with a tiny quirk. When he’d speed up, there was a slight lag before the rest of his body caught up. But it was nothing like what Ran put me through, so it wasquite easy to sit. We passed my villagers, and they stopped to stare.

“What… is that…”

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