He didn't expect to be stunned by the sight of her shifting. He'd seen hundreds of wolves shift in his lifetime. But never her.
Nova's form shimmered in silver light. She shifted, but not like other wolves. She vanished behind light and then a glowing white wolf stood where she once was. For a heartbeat, Finric forgot to breathe.
His wolf Xeon surged, primal and instinctive. His voice came unbidden, raw and unrelenting. More forceful than before.
Xeon: Mate. Mine.
Before Finric could brace himself, his own bones cracked and fur rippled across his body. The shift took over — sudden, powerful — his wolf launching after her, driven by that call.
She was already moving, nose to the ground, tracking. Focused. Beautiful.
He followed, eyes not leaving her. After running for awhile she stopped.
He slowed as he approached her, careful not to startle her. Her golden eyes lifted, locking onto his. They stared at each other in silence — wolf to wolf — and something deep inside him ached.
Xeon: She still doesn't know we're her mate. Her wolf is sad.
Her white fur shimmered faintly, almost glowing. He'd never seen anything like it.
He wanted to touch her. Nuzzle her. Curl around her and never let her go. She was made for him. Every inch of his soul knew it.
He padded forward without thinking.
One foot away — and he stopped.
Her ears perked. A shift in the wind.
Jax.
They both caught the scent at the same moment.
And then they were running — fast, fluid, synchronized. She didn't follow him. She ran beside him. Like she belonged there. Like she always had.
His wolf had never felt more at peace… or more alive.
They slowed as the scent led them to a brook. Jax was there. Human. Disoriented, still dangerous.
Fin: Stay back out of sight. I'll try to talk to him.
She disappeared into the trees behind him. He saw her climb the rocky slope of a nearby cliff and curl up near the top, her white form still and quiet. Watching.
Fin shifted. The training suit Aeron had enchanted shimmered back into place, clean and whole.
He stepped toward Jax slowly, hands up.
Jax's head snapped up.
"Hey, buddy…" Fin said gently, voice even. "Do you remember me yet?"
Jax's expression didn't change. His eyes burned.
"Leave," he said coldly.
Fin's smile faded. "We've all been worried sick about you. What's going on?"
Jax didn't say anything at first. Just stared at Fin like he was the reason the world burned.
"You shouldn't have brought her." he said finally, his voice low and sharp.
Fin's jaw tensed. "Do you know where you are? I need to understand what is going on with you."
Jax looked away, muscles clenching. His silence said everything. His fury was palpable — and so was his pain.
Fin waited. Gave him time.
But Jax turned his back.
"Leave," he said again, more final this time.
Fin didn't argue. He nodded once and walked away, calm on the surface, tension simmering under his skin.
He shifted the second he was out of sight — his wolf eager to return to the only source of peace tonight.
Nova.
Her scent tugged him like a tether through the forest and up the rocky incline. He padded silently up the hillside until he saw her.
She was curled near the cliff's edge, white fur billowing gently in the wind like a forgotten ghost. Still. Quiet. The moonlight kissed her back, and for a second, he didn't move either — just watched.
His wolf rumbled deep in his chest.
Xeon: She is beautiful.
Fin: Yes. She is.
He let his wolf forward, not fighting the instinct this time.
He padded up beside her and gently nudged her side with his snout. Her silver eyes opened, startled, wide — she hadn't sensed him until now.
He nuzzled her again, softer this time. She didn't pull away. Didn't flinch.
Then… a sound. Not a growl, not a whimper.
A laugh. Or at least the wolf equivalent.
His wolf purred inside him, triumphant.
Xeon: See? She needed this.
He nudged her again, licking her muzzle, brushing his body against hers to wipe his scent over her fur.
She let him.
And then he darted back, his tail flicking.
Fin: Run. Let's see if I can keep up with that speed of yours.
She didn't answer.
She ran.
Fast.
He grinned internally. Good.
He chased her through the woods — weaving between trees, leaping over boulders, until he caught up and tackled her gently into a pile of moss and soft leaves. Another playful lick to her cheek before he let her up again.
She took off without hesitation.
Again. And again. For over an hour.
And with every lap, every lunge, every playful bump of shoulder to shoulder — he felt her emotions rise and lighten. The weight she'd been carrying these last few days… it wasn't gone, but it wasn't crushing her anymore.
Not tonight.
This was mate play. She didn't realize it. But he did. And he didn't care. Not if it helped her feel less alone.
His voice slid into her mind.
Fin: Let's go back. Follow me.
She did.
They ran in silence beneath the stars, until the castle came into view.
They shifted in the courtyard — and walked the last few steps side by side.
She stopped before the doors.
Her voice was soft, almost swallowed by the wind.
"Thanks for coming with me."
He looked at her. Took in the shadows under her eyes, the flush in her cheeks, the lingering sadness that hadn't quite left.
"Anytime," he said. And meant it.
Jax might've walked away.
But he wasn't going anywhere. Never again.