Page 14 of Fated Wolf's Redemption

Then, I let go and my wolf rushes forward. The shift takes me fast. Energy pulses through my body, electricity surging through every nerve, the air ripping apart around me as the mist swirls thick. My human form dissolves into something more, something primal. The mist thickens, crackling with light, the sound of distant thunder rolling through my bones. Then—release, and the mist dissipates and all four paws hit the ground.

My wolf shakes itself out, powerful and steady, fur standing on end as my instincts sharpen to their highest edge. The world around me changes—sounds stretch, scents intensify, every detail clearer, crisper, closer.

My wolf takes off without hesitation, muscles bunching, paws kicking up dirt and leaves as I streak through the forest, leaping over fallen trees and other obstacles. The ground flies beneath me, trees blurring past in streaks of green and gold, my body moving with an effortless power that only comes in this form.

This is what I need. No expectations. No endless questions I don’t want to answer. Just the wild, the rhythm of my stride, the wind slicing through my fur as I push faster, harder, farther.

But even here, my thoughts won’t be quiet.

Sophia McKenna. Even her name unsettles something in me. She’s reckless. Arrogant. Stubborn as hell. She plays by her own rules, and worst of all—she doesn’t seem to care that she’s in my way. She challenges me, and my wolf likes it.

That’s the problem. My instincts have never betrayed me before. I’ve always known what’s right, what’s necessary. But now? I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do.

I push forward, my paws hitting stone as I move higher into the mountains, beyond the usual Nightshade borders. The air up here is colder, purer, the scent of pine strong enough to groundme, but my wolf isn’t searching for grounding. It’s searching for something else.

The unease tightens in my chest, an unfamiliar restlessness curling through my gut. What the hell am I looking for?

My claws scrape over the rock as I slow, my breathing steady, my ears pricked for any sign of movement. The forest is alive, full of quiet sounds—small creatures burrowing, birds shifting in the trees, the distant trickle of a stream.

But beneath all of it, there’s something off. A pulse, faint but steady, tugging at the edges of my awareness. I don’t like it. I don’t understand it. And yet, I follow it. I move deeper into the valley, further away from the lodge. My wolf is tracking something—something that shouldn’t feel like home.

The mountains stretch wide and endless around me, the ridgeline cutting through the sky like a jagged scar. The pull hasn’t lessened. If anything, it’s getting stronger, tugging at my instincts, making my muscles coil with a restless energy I can’t shake. The wind shifts, carrying something familiar.

Sophia—the scent of her, a mix of storm-laced air and wild earth, lingers on the wind. My wolf stops, ears pricking forward, instincts sharpening like the edge of a blade.

I don’t think. I lift my head and let out a howl—long, deep, ringing through the valley with a force that sends birds scattering from the treetops. It’s a call I shouldn’t have made, and yet, almost immediately, an answer rises from the other side of the ridge—Sophia.

Her howl differs from mine, higher, laced with a challenge, an edge of something almost teasing, almost daring. My wolf stills completely, listening, every instinct locked onto that single sound.

Then, I move. My paws hit the ground hard as I launch forward, tearing up the earth beneath me, racing toward the ridge, toward her. A vibrant rush of green and gold blurs past,the wind a roaring symphony in my ears as I ascend, primal urges overriding my conscious thoughts.

I crest the ridge just as she steps into the clearing below. Sophia’s wolf is smaller than mine but just as strong, built for speed and agility, her fur a sleek silver-gray that gleams under the moonlight. She moves with the kind of confidence that dares the world to try to stop her.

She knew I was coming. She is waiting for me. We stand at opposite ends of the clearing, watching, waiting.

The pull between us is undeniable, stronger in this form, more instinctive. Something ancient and unrelenting thrums beneath our standoff. I shake my head, trying to dispel the dizziness, the buzzing in my brain. It can’t be. I won’t let it be.

She moves first—a slow step forward, calculated, testing. I lower my head, eyes locked on hers, matching each of her steps with one of my own. We circle one another, wary but unable to walk away.

The wind shifts again, carrying our scents between us, mixing in the space we haven’t yet closed. They seem to swirl together, almost as if they are embracing. My wolf’s instincts scream to take control, to dominate, to make her yield.

I have a gut feeling that could hurt—one or both of us. I doubt she’s ever yielded to anyone. She moves closer, brushing the edge of my personal space, her tail flicking behind her, ears twitching in curiosity. It’s a test—one I refuse to fail.

I growl low, a warning. She huffs out a breath, amused, and then does something I don’t expect. She lunges. Not an attack, at least not entirely, but a push, a challenge. Her teeth snap at my shoulder, not drawing blood, but demanding a response.

Giving her one, I strike back, faster, stronger, knocking her off balance just enough to send her skidding slightly in the dirt. She recovers instantly, spinning back toward me, eyes flashing.

She’s not afraid; she’s enjoying this. The realization slams into me hard, shaking something loose in my chest. She’s playing with me. Testing me. Just like she does in human form.

And my wolf? It wants to play back.

She charges me again, this time faster, and I let her get closer before I make a countermove. We crash together in a blur of fur and snarls, a battle for dominance neither of us seems eager to win or lose. She’s fast. She’s smart. She moves like she’s been fighting her whole life, like she knows exactly how to adapt, how to keep up.

But I’m bigger, stronger. I use it to my advantage, catching her mid-lunge, pinning her briefly beneath me before she twists out of my grasp, escaping by the thinnest margin.

We break apart, panting, circling again.

Her eyes meet mine, burning with something I know I reflect in my gaze.

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