The Subaru Outback was a sturdy beast, but it wasn't built for speed. It was built for endurance, which suited William and Violet just fine. They weren't running away; they were running toward.
It had been three days since graduation. Three days of diners, motels, and the endless, hypnotic rhythm of the highway. They had crossed the state line into Wyoming, leaving the flat plains of the Dakotas behind for the rising peaks of the Rockies.
Violet sat in the passenger seat, her feet on the dashboard (a habit Wynona hated, but William found endearing). She was navigating the old-fashioned way, with a paper atlas spread across her lap.
"There's a campground near Devil's Tower," she said, tracing a line with her finger. "It's off-season. Should be quiet."
"Quiet is good," William agreed, his hand resting comfortably on the gear shift. "Though I think we might need to restock the cooler. I ate the last of the beef jerky in Rapid City."
Violet laughed. "Wolf appetite. I should have packed a whole cow."
They pulled into the campground just as the sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in bruised purples and fiery oranges. The towering igneous rock formation of Devil's Tower loomed in the distance, an ancient sentinel watching over the plains.
They set up camp with practiced efficiency. The tent went up in minutes. The fire was lit with a single, controlled spark of William's will—no matches needed.
As they sat by the fire, roasting hot dogs, Violet leaned against William's shoulder.
"It feels... different," she murmured. "Without the Pack. Without the Council."
"Better?" William asked.
"Lighter," she decided. "Like gravity just gave up."
William smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Happy Birthday, by the way."
Violet blinked, looking up at him. "What?"
"It's past midnight," William said, checking his watch. "Technically, it's your birthday."
"I completely forgot," she admitted. "With graduation and the move..."
"I didn't," William said softly. "Close your eyes."
"Will, we agreed no gifts until we got settled," she protested, but she closed her eyes anyway.
She heard him move. She heard the rustle of leaves, the snap of a twig. And then, a low, humming vibration that she felt in her bones—the song of the forest responding to its King.
"Open," he whispered.
She opened her eyes.
William was kneeling before her. In his hands, he held a single, perfect rose. But it wasn't red or white. It was a deep, impossible sapphire blue.
The petals shimmered in the firelight, glowing with a faint, inner luminescence. It smelled of rain, ozone, and wild magic.
"How...?" Violet breathed, reaching out to touch the velvet petals.
"I asked the earth," William said simply. "I told it about you. About how you saved me. About how you carry the night sky in your eyes. And the earth... it wanted to give you something to match."
"You grew this?" she asked, awestruck. "Just now?"
"Accelerated growth," William shrugged, a boyish grin on his face. "It's a neat trick. But the color... that was the soil. It listened."
He tucked the rose behind her ear. "It won't fade. As long as I'm near you, it will bloom."
Violet felt tears prick her eyes. It wasn't a diamond necklace or a fancy car. It was a piece of the world, bent to his will, just to make her smile.
"It's perfect," she whispered. "Thank you."
She kissed him, tasting the smoke and the sweetness of the moment. The kiss deepened, the fire crackling beside them, the ancient rock watching from above.
Later, as they lay in the tent, listening to the wind, Violet's mind drifted back.
Flashback - Two Weeks Ago
They were in the Solarium, packing the last of the rare herbs. Wynona was supervising, her face grim.
"You know they'll look for you," Wynona said. "The Owens. The stragglers of the Shadow Council. Even the good guys. Power like yours draws attention."
"We know," William said, sealing a box of Wolfsbane seeds. "That's why we're not leaving a trail."
"And if they find you?" Wynona pressed.
William looked at Violet. "Then we remind them why they should be afraid."
He picked up a withered vine from the floor—a casualty of the packing process. He held it in his palm. Green light flared, and the vine not only revived but burst into flower, twisting around his wrist like a living bracelet.
"I'm not just a Wolf anymore, Wynona," William said quietly. "I am the Garden. And Violet is the Gate. They can try to enter, but they won't like what they find."
End Flashback
Violet touched the blue rose, now resting in a cup of water by her sleeping bag.
"Will?" she whispered.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think we're safe?"
William shifted, wrapping his arm tighter around her. "I think safety is a myth. But we're strong. And we're together."
He paused, his breathing shifting. "Someone's here."
Violet sat up instantly, her senses expanding. She felt it too—a faint, scratching presence at the edge of the campground. Not a threat, exactly. A nuisance.
"A scout?" she asked.
"Lower," William said. "A scavenger. Probably a minor spirit attracted to the magic of the rose."
He didn't move to get his axe. He didn't shift. He just... expanded.
Violet felt his consciousness push out, rolling over the campground like a wave of heavy fog. He connected with the roots of the trees surrounding their site.
Leave, the Forest God commanded.
The trees groaned. The wind picked up, swirling aggressively around the intruder. Roots burst from the ground, not to trap, but to shove.
There was a squeak of surprise from the darkness, followed by the sound of rapid, retreating footsteps.
"Gone," William said, settling back down.
"Show off," Violet teased, lying back down.
"Just gardening," he murmured, kissing her shoulder. "Go to sleep, birthday girl. Tomorrow, we see the mountains."
Violet closed her eyes, surrounded by the scent of pine, the warmth of her mate, and the magic of a blue rose that would never die. The road was long, but for the first time in her life, she wasn't looking over her shoulder. She was looking ahead.
❖✜❖
Full book available on amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GBW7V1L3