Page 172 of Chased By My Grumpy Alpha
The transformation takes longer than I expected. Lucian warned me that the first shift is always the hardest, the most painful. But as my spine elongates and my limbs reshape, as myhuman consciousness melds with something wild and primal, I understand why wolves crave this freedom.
When it’s complete, I’m on four paws instead of two feet, looking out at the world from an entirely different perspective. Everything is sharper, brighter. I can smell things I’ve never noticed before—the jasmine blooming in the gardens, the scent of other wolves from the palace, the crisp autumn air carrying promises of winter.
Lucian kneels in front of me, his eyes bright with pride and awe. “Beautiful,” he breathes, his fingers running through my fur. “Absolutely beautiful.”
I catch my reflection in the fountain beside us and gasp—or I try to. What comes out is a soft whine of surprise. My wolf form is sleek and elegant, with brown fur so dark it’s almost black, but it’s the white, star-shaped marking on my temple that makes my heart race. It’s exactly like the birthmark I have in my human form, only brighter, more pronounced.
Mine, Lucian’s wolf rumbles through our bond, and heat spreads through me at the possessive approval I can sense from him.
“My turn,” he says, standing up and beginning to strip off his clothes. I should probably look away, give him privacy, but I can’t. Even after months of being together, seeing Lucian naked never gets old.
His transformation is fluid, practiced, breathtaking. One moment he’s the blue-eyed man I love, the next he’s the massive silver and black wolf who commands respect from every shifter in the kingdom. He’s beautiful and terrifying and completely mine.
Run with me, he says through our bond, his wolf’s voice a dark purr that makes my newly awakened instincts sing.
I don’t need to be asked twice.
We bolt from the garden together, racing through the palace grounds with an abandon I’ve never felt before. My paws eat up the ground, powerful muscles propelling me forward faster than I ever imagined possible. The night air streams through my fur, and for the first time in my life, I understand what true freedom feels like.
Lucian keeps pace beside me easily, occasionally nipping playfully at my shoulder or herding me toward interesting scents. His presence makes everything better, safer. With him, I’m not just a new shifter stumbling through her first transformation; I’m a part of something larger. Part of a pack of two.
We run until my muscles burn and my lungs ache, but I don’t want to stop. I want to run forever, to explore every corner of this territory that will someday be ours to protect. When we finally slow to a trot, then a walk, I’m panting but exhilarated.
How do you feel? Lucian asks as we pause beside a stream.
The question requires thought. How do I feel? Powerful. Connected. Like I’ve finally found the missing piece of myself I didn’t even know was lost.
Free, I answer finally. For the first time in my life, I feel completely free.
His wolf radiates satisfaction and a love so intense, it nearly brings tears to my eyes. Through our bond, I can feel his happiness at sharing this with me, his pride in what I’ve become.
We make our way back to the palace as the moon begins to set, our pace leisurely now. I’m reluctant to shift back, to return to the complex world of politics and protocol. But as we reach the gardens where we started, Lucian nudges me gently with his muzzle.
Time to go back, he says. But we can run again tomorrow night. And every night after.
The promise makes my wolf settle contentedly. This isn’t the end; it’s the beginning.
The shift back to human form is easier than the first transformation, though still draining. When I’m myself again, naked and shivering in the cool night air, Lucian is already there with my dress in one hand and a soft blanket that he wraps around me.
“How was it?” he asks, though I know he can feel my emotions through our bond.
“Perfect,” I breathe, leaning against him. “Better than I dreamed.”
He lifts me easily and carries me toward the palace. “Good. Because you’re going to need that strength for what’s coming."
I know what he means. Our mating ceremony is in three months, when winter arrives. I’ll officially become the crown princess and eventually the queen. The responsibilities that come with that title still terrify me, but tonight—tonight I feel like maybe I can manage them.
Maybe I’m stronger than I ever imagined.
As Lucian carries me through the corridors toward our chambers, I catch glimpses of myself in the polished surfaces we pass. I look different somehow. More confident. The scared girl who ran from the Silver Stone Pack is gone, replaced by someone who belongs here.
I’m still not remarkable in my own eyes—just a healer’s daughter who got extraordinarily lucky. But as I look up at the man carrying me, as I feel the steady warmth of our bond, I realize that maybe remarkable isn’t what matters.
What matters is that I’m loved. Completely, utterly, forever loved by this incredible man who chose me when he could have had anyone. What matters is that I have a new family who accepts me, a purpose that gives my life meaning, abilities that can help protect the people I care about.
“I love you,” I whisper against his throat as he sets me down in our chambers. Still wrapped in the blanket, I look up at him, my body humming from the run and the bond between us.
“My queen. My mate. My everything,” he murmurs, brushing his lips over mine in a kiss that’s slow and reverent, like he’s savoring the taste of me.
