Page 104 of The Alpha's Fallen Spell
This was definitely a mistake. But as he holds the door open for me, his eyes warm with anticipation, I find I don’t care.
Erik drives us through winding country roads I’ve never seen before, the headlights cutting through the gathering dusk. We’ve been silent for most of the twenty-minute journey, but it’s not uncomfortable—more like the anticipation before a storm.
“Where exactly are we going?” I ask as he turns onto what looks more like a hiking trail than a proper road.
“You’ll see.” He glances at me, that maddening half-smile playing at his lips. “Patience, Fiona.”
The car bumps along the rough path for another few minutes before Erik parks in a small clearing surrounded by towering pines. The silence when he cuts the engine is profound—no traffic, no city sounds, just the whisper of wind through branches.
I climb out, wrapping my jacket tighter around myself. The air is crisp and clean, carrying scents of earth and pine and something wilder. Something that makes my wolf—dormant though she is—stir restlessly beneath my skin.
“This way.” Erik appears beside me, a small backpack that I hadn’t noticed before slung over his shoulder. He takes my hand without asking, his fingers warm and sure around mine.
He leads me down a narrow path that seems to exist more by instinct than design. Branches catch at my clothes, and twice I stumble over roots in the dim light, but Erik’s grip keeps me steady.
“Erik, I can’t see anything,” I protest after the third near-fall.
He stops, turning to face me. Even in the darkness, his eyes seem to glow with an inner light. “Do you trust me?”
The question catches me off guard. After everything—the rejection, the year of separation, the careful dance we’ve been doing since he found me again—trust seems like a dangerous thing to offer.
But looking at him now, seeing the way he’s watching me with such careful attention, I realize I do trust him. At least with this.
“Yes,” I whisper.
His smile is radiant. “Good. Because you’re going to love this.”
Without warning, he steps back and strips off his shirt. My mouth goes dry as moonlight plays across the planes of his chest, highlighting old scars and the defined muscles beneath them.
“What are you doing?” My voice comes out higher than I like.
“Shifting.” He kicks off his boots, then starts on his jeans. “Since you enjoy exhilarating activities, I thought we’d try something different.”
Understanding dawns as his clothes hit the forest floor. “You want me to ride on your back? As a wolf?”
He just grins at me.
“But why are you taking your clothes off? I thought you can shift with them on. Aren’t these the special clothes—”
“Hold on tight,” he says, ignoring my question as the air around him starts to shimmer.
I’ve seen Erik shift before, but it’s no less breathtaking now. His form blurs and reshapes, bones realigning, muscle flowing like water. Within seconds, a massive, dark wolf stands where Erik had been, easily twice the size of any natural wolf.
He looks at me with his golden eyes, intelligent and patient. Then, he lowers himself slightly, an obvious invitation.
“This is insane,” I mutter, but I’m already moving toward him. “If you drop me, I’m haunting you for eternity.”
The wolf makes a sound that could be construed as laughter. Up close, his fur is thick and soft, dark gray shot through with silver. I swing one leg over his broad back, gripping handfuls of fur, and he rises smoothly to his feet.
“Okay,” I breathe, my heart hammering with anticipation and terror. “I’m ready.”
The first step nearly unseats me, but then I find my balance, leaning forward against his neck. He starts slow, a gentle lope that lets me adjust to the rhythm of his movement.
When he picks up speed, the world becomes a blur of dark trees and silver moonlight. Wind whips through my hair, coldand sharp and utterly exhilarating. Erik moves with fluid grace between the trees, powerful muscles bunching and releasing beneath me with each bound.
I can’t help it—I throw back my head and laugh, the sound wild and free in the night air. This is better than skydiving, better than any adrenaline rush I’ve ever experienced. It’s like flying, but grounded, connected to something primal and ancient.
My wolf stirs more strongly than she has in months, responding to the pack connection, to the wild freedom of the run. For a moment, I almost feel her trying to surface, drawn by Erik’s presence and the intoxicating wildness of this moment.
