Outside Skylar's hibernation, Vincencio did his usual routine around their old house. He cleaned everything that was filled with dirt, but by the time for his rest, he checked his wife for a moment. He smiled with hope and encouraged me despite knowing Skylar won't be able to hear him.
"You'll do great. Just believe that you will, Wifey, because I do. Always." Vincencio muttered, smiling, and went to their small gym to exercise a little, but something just happened.
Vincencio might have started his workout, but somewhere in the middle of his rounds, his knees suddenly gave up, followed by a groan. He started groaning, trying to ease the sudden increase in his heart rate. He gritted his teeth, which became fangs, and when he slammed his hands on the ground, he noticed his sharp claws came out. He was puzzled, but the sudden pain spread through his body choked his voice. He just growled.
"I have to get into a more spacious room…" Through gritted teeth and panting, he thought, but his body was pinned.
He tried to move, but his bones began shattering painfully, which at first was bearable, but when he tried to move again, everything snapped like a twig. He roared, but not in pain; it was something that he needed to face in facing something new. Then he morphed.
His wolf was still the same as the night sky, but his size became enormous, and there was a bloody strike marked down on his right eye, like it was a fresh wound, but it wasn't. It was Skylar's mark and he could feel it down to his bone, making him howl for the first time ever since they got married.
"Seriously, what just happened?" Vincencio panted, asking the sudden morph that he could not control before calling his wolf, demanding an answer, "Vin, care to tell me about this morph. I'm twice as big as any usual alpha wolf."
'Remember what the Immortal Bloods told you before. This is the reason why you need to be beside her. You have to keep up with her changes and be a strong pillar you needed to be.'
"And this morph will show that?" He asked sarcastically, making Vin, his wolf, scoff, agreeing with him before responding to him.
'No, because it will be up to you.'
"Thought so." He sighed, letting his morphed body rest comfortably on his spot. He didn't want to destroy their gym, or else it would be added to his punishment for later. Then he focused on the subject, asking, "Do you know anything about this type of morph?"
'You didn't have to ask, of course, I know about it. It's a part of me you hadn't seen before because this side has a mate, and it's Rose.'
"Rose? You mean Skylar's Rose? The vampire?" He tried to make sure, only to earn a glare from his wolf.
'Who else?'
"Just clearing that up." He said, admitting, making his wolf sigh.
'Anyway, Rose and I's souls had been entwined long before we knew about it. We're from the century generation, a pair of old souls that fatedly made for each other. But ever since Rose was sealed, I had no idea that I already met her, but the attraction I – we had for Skylar was undeniably stronger than what we felt for anyone. It was rooted deeply inside, and getting to know her, I sensed it, but didn't tell you because you had been facing a lot lately. I decided to let it bloom and let you feel it instead of me directing you to her.'
"So all alone…it's my feelings for Skylar that drove you and Rose's bond to flourish deeper." He guessed, making his wolf chuckle softly.
'Yes, I'm very grateful for that, and now that she's awakening, we have to keep up with them. I don't want to miss a thing and grow apart from her again.'
"Did something happen before?" he wondered.
'A lot, but the last vessel took her powers for granted, and it backfired – well, to be exact, Rose killed her vessel for using her wrongly.'
"That's…" he was about to say something awful, but his wolf sensed it and stopped him from finishing it.
'Don't finish it, Vince. Rose's ability is a Blood Curse, and you know what it means to be blessed by a curse.'
"It's always two ways. One for the receiver of the curse and the other is for the person who curses." He understood what his wolf tried to say about Rose's reason for killing a vessel.
'Exactly, and using Rose's ability in the wrong way, that will be the return favor. It will kill the vessel, which I think Skylar already knew about, because if not, they won't reach this part.'
"You knew this would happen?" he guessed, but his wolf shook its head, sighing.
'Not entirely, since it will depend on the person themselves. It's only a matter of time for the fate to be shifted into a different course, and I didn't feel this one coming.'
"Then maybe you don't know Rose that well." He commented without ill intention.
'Well, we've been apart for decades or a century already, so I already expect that.'
"Then what now? What should I do to this morph?" he asked, looking at his bigger form, making Vin slap his head with his tail through their connected minds.
'Move and be with her. You need to secure her, stupid.'
"Hey, I just need clarification." He defended quickly, making Vin chuckle teasingly.
'Just admit it.'
"Whatever." He rolled his eyes, dismissing the joke before sighing hopefully, "I hope my wife won't be mad at this."
Vincencio moved carefully around the gym and got out. But it was very hard since everything was small on his enormous side that almost fitted the house. He stopped mid-way, thinking how to pass the hall without ruining the displays along the way. He let his mind go to the work before sighing in defeat and crouching down before crawling. He moved slowly but carefully, not to break things in the way, until he made it to the living area. He sighs, but at the back of his mind, Vin was not even trying to suppress his laughter.
"STOP LAUGHING!" Vincencio growled, trying to stop his wolf, but it was not listening.
'Can't help it, but I bet Skylar will find it adorable.'
"Shut up. You're being annoying." He spat annoyingly, but Vin just laughed at him.
'That's me when having fun.'
"I hope Skylar can deal with your antics." He sighed, but Vin was amused, smirking.
'Well, she does.'
***
Vincencio, in his enormous wolf form, didn't feel the coldness wrapped around the area. Instead, he went to his wife's frozen state and wrapped himself around her. he was not making her warm or trying to melt the icy coffin, but he was trying to understand the sudden change in his wolf's form.
'Ask what's bothering you.'
He was snapped from staring at his wife's frozen state when his wolf's stern voice spoke to him. He sighed.
"I'm bothered by the meaning of this morph." He admitted what was bothering him before adding, "I mean, I knew it was for keeping up with her, but what power it held and what it does."
'This morph is reflecting how powerful those changes will take place in our lives with our wives. Rose is not just awakening a new power, but it's also changing Skylar's way of living. Remember when the Immortal Blood mentioned her travels, it had something to do with it. She was hibernating for it, and this morph must be her pillar, her strength. You have to be strong enough to carry not your world but hers as well, because your job is always to protect her and your family. That's what a husband would do for his family, not only to provide.'
"In terms of humans, yes, that's true, but between me and Skylar, Skylar is the provider, not just being the light of a home." He inserted a humorous comment, making his wolf chuckle, agreeing to it.
'True, but you understand what I'm trying to say. Your power is reflecting hers through defensive and offensive supporting tasks at her side.'
"Well, we're both fighting in close range, but in terms of supporting tasks, I'm more flexible when it comes to long range." He said, analyzing what they were good at.
'Exactly, your position as a knight is being her eyes and ears for navigation, then being her sword and shield when battle appears. That's how power works.'
"A knight. That's a perfect term of what I can do for my wife." He chuckled amusingly at the awakened power residing in his sudden morph.
'You're her protector, Mutualist Protector, and learning its power is already residing in how strong your will is. And based on how I know you and the way I witness your love for Skylar, it's something beyond compare. You have to keep that up because it will be useful when you need to be her protector when she does her task as a mediator.'
"That I'll do." He responded, smiling before adding his gratitude, "Thank you for the heads up."
'We lived in the same body and mind, so we're even.'
"Sure, we do." He chuckled when he remembered something before asking, "By the way, can I still do my usual mafia thing because there's an issue around the security in the city lately?"
'You can. You'll morph into your usual wolf form when you're on your night duty, but when Skylar's mediator task asks for you, you have to answer, regardless of where you were or what you were doing, because you don't want her to lose herself when doing her task. It will be bloody.'
"Damn, I want to witness that." Vincencio grinned mischievously, making his wolf sigh in disbelief.
'Right, I almost forgot, you two had weird excitement when it comes to your bloody night routine.'
"How can you forget the most exciting part of living with us?" He reacted, faking his offending tone, making Vin roll his eyes.
'Vince, I'm not always awake inside your head, or I'm having a quality time with Rose than being jealous of the two of you.'
"But kidding aside, do you know what's happening inside her? like what they were talking about or something?" Vincencio wondered while staring deeply into his wife's frozen state.
'I can't, but I felt it. Skylar is already practicing, readying herself for the upcoming awakening, while Rose is just setting a warning malice to keep nasty beings out of the village. And you, you can do the same, meditate.'
"How can I do that when I'm in this form?" He asked quickly, frowning since it was true. Whenever Vincencio shifted into his wolf form, he never sleeps in it, unless he's severely hurt or in a panicked state. Then continued, sharing his side, "I had never fully rested whenever I'm in my wolf form, and now that I felt enormous, I can't sleep on it."
'Oh, you will when you learn that she's waking up.'
"REALLY? SHE IS?! WHEN? NOW?!" He perked up, hitting his head on the ceiling, but didn't care and just looked around his wife, trying to see any sign of waking up, but sadly, there was nothing. He frowned, and his wolf laughed.
'Gotcha. Silly, she's just getting started, but…you made a mess.'
Vincencio looked around the living space and, with his simple, excited wolf moves, everything in the area was upside down. The ceiling had a dent, the center table and couches were either moved away or flipped, the fireplace ashes were scattered along with some burned wood, and the frames, luckily, survived from falling from the wall. He looked horrified.
"You made me create a mess." He said, blaming Vin, although it was his fault.
'A huge one in one space.'
"I'm doom." He was devastated, and his wolf just laughed at his doom.
'You're always doomed.'
"Shut up." He spat, and since he couldn't do anything or start cleaning it up, he went back to his spot, snuggled around his wife's frozen state.
'But kidding aside, based on how calm she looked right now, I think it won't be long before she does. So brace yourself, lover boy.'
"I never made a mess but because of you – argh, I don't want to talk about it." He sighed, groaning and completely ignoring his wolf's laughing voice in his head.