Page 56 of Sun's Roar

Sol’s lips moved to hers, capturing her in a deep, lingering kiss as they both came down from the high. When he finally pulled back, his eyes were soft, filled with a warmth that made Helena’s chest ache.

“You’re all mine. Now and forever,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.

Helena melted against Sol’s body, savoring the weight of him pressing her into the moss, the delicious ache between her thighs, and the lingering pleasure still rippling through her. The bite mark on her shoulder throbbed with a strange, pulsing heat that seemed to spread through her entire body.

“And you’re mine,” she whispered back, brushing her fingers along his jaw.

Then it hit her—a wave of sensation so intense, it stole her breath. Heat bloomed from the mate mark, racing through her veins like liquid fire. Her skin tightened, muscles clenching involuntarily.

“Sol—“ Her voice caught, panic fluttering in her chest. “Something’s happening.”

Sol’s eyes widened with understanding. He rolled to her side, keeping one strong arm wrapped around her. “It’s all right, Helena. Your wolf is waking.”

Helena’s body arched as another spasm gripped her. Her bones felt too large beneath her skin, her senses suddenly overwhelmed. The scent of moss and earth and Sol intensified until she could distinguish each individual note. The stars above seemed impossibly bright, and the slight breeze against her skin almost unbearable.

“I don’t—I can’t—“ Her words dissolved into a gasp. “Am I dying?”

“No.” Sol’s voice was firm and commanding. His hand stroked her hair, anchoring her. “You’re becoming. Your wolf has always been inside you, sleeping. My mate mark woke her.”

Helena’s heart pounded so hard she feared it might burst from her chest. Something wild and ancient stirred beneath her skin, stretching, pushing against her human form. Not painfulexactly but terrifying in its unfamiliarity—like her body belonged to someone else.

“I don’t know if I can control it,” she whispered, trembling.

Sol rested his forehead against hers, his green eyes steady. “You don’t need to control it yet. Just feel it. Welcome her.”

“What if she doesn’t like me?” The question slipped out, revealing her deepest fear.

Sol’s laugh was low and rich. “She is you, Helena. The fiercest part of you that’s been waiting to emerge.” His thumb stroked her cheek. “And she’s going to be magnificent.”

TWENTY-ONE

SOL

Sol watched Helena’s body quiver on the moss beneath them. The moonlight caressed her naked form as the transformation took hold. Her pale skin rippled with an inner energy that called to something primal within him. He had witnessed countless transformations over his centuries of existence, but nothing had prepared him for the raw beauty of watching his Luna embrace her true nature for the first time.

“Just let go, Helena,” he murmured, sliding his hand through her fiery hair as she clenched her jaw against the change. “Don’t fight what’s meant to be.”

Her hazel eyes widened with a mixture of wonder and terror. “It feels like I’m being torn apart and put back together.”

“Your body is reshaping itself to accommodate your wolf.” Sol’s thumb traced the curve of her cheek, his touch deliberately firm and grounding. “She’s always been there waiting for this day.”

Helena’s spine arched suddenly, a gasp escaping her lips as her limbs began to elongate and reshape. Sol’s wolf howled inside him, desperate to join her, to guide her through this sacred transformation.

“My bones—“ she choked out.

“Are adapting to your true form.” Sol’s voice remained steady despite the range of emotions battering his heart. Pride. Desire. Fierce protectiveness. “Breathe into it.”

The first patches of fur emerged—not the common gray or brown he might have expected, but a vibrant reddish-brown that shone in the moonlight like living flames. His chest swelled with satisfaction. Of course, his fiery Luna would have a coat that matched her spirit.

“That’s it,” he encouraged, shifting to give her space as her form continued to change. “Your wolf knows what to do even if you don’t.”

Helena’s eyes flashed with momentary panic as her face began to elongate. Sol recognized that moment—the point when human consciousness struggled against the animal emerging.

“I’m here.” He pressed his forehead gently against hers while he still could. “I’ll always be here.”

A soft whimper escaped her transforming throat, not quite human anymore but not yet fully wolf.

“Don’t be afraid of her strength,” Sol whispered. “Your wolf is the part of your soul that survived centuries of dormancy just to find me. The part that knew how to wield fire before your mind understood what was happening.”

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