Euphemia
My aunt and uncle paid no mind to his constant hand in mine, and for the first time all day, I could breathe easy. Ranald struggled with my decision, but he kept his displeasure to himself—though I grew wary when he tore into a piece of roasted goose while fixing Thaddeus with a murderous stare.
The feast was like nothing I had ever witnessed, not even the one we’d shared at Hogmanay.
Morag had cooked everything the day before—roasted goose and beef with an array of vegetables.
Her potatoes were rich with goose fat and seasoned to perfection.
She’d also made mince pies and a spiced plum pudding, one I had never tasted before.
Everyone ate well, but my greatest joy came from watching Angus and Hamish’s wee faces when they first laid eyes on the dining table.
I squeezed Thaddeus’s thigh beneath it in silent gratitude. His eyes flickered from blue to gold between blinks before his hand covered mine.
My family were proud, stubborn people, but the warmth and generosity of the meal softened everyone—everyone except Ranald. That didn’t stop him from gorging on the food though. I couldn’t help but laugh at his disposition.
He was torn—my poor brother.
Thaddeus plied my aunt and uncle with brandy and mulled wine. It wasn’t until the meal had ended and we sat back to watch the children play that he casually suggested they stay the night—for the children, of course.
A devilish ploy we both approved of.
Madadh wasn’t ready to leave his side, and she quietened at once when my aunt agreed. The walk back to the croft was short, but Aunt Flora seemed far too merry for it by then.
Uncle Callum simply refilled his glass and said nothing.
Surprisingly, Ranald continued to play with Moire, offering no complaint at all.
Thaddeus threaded his fingers through mine, and I leaned my head against his shoulder.
At last, Madadh sighed and settled.
There was no fretting now—no ache, no restless pull toward our mate. Perhaps she, too, had been waiting for my family to accept us.
? ? ?
Madadh wasn’t usually this restless. She surged and paced in short, uneven beats that only grew stronger. I paused in the hallway.
Do you want to be outside? I asked.
She surged again.
With him. Our mate, she purred, playful and insistent.
I smiled, rubbing my chest. She wanted him to see us.
Thaddeus halted in the hallway, dressed only in a long nightshirt—clearly not prepared for the occasion he thought he was attending.
“Why are you—” he began, then stopped short when Madadh pressed into the bond. “Oh.”
A slow grin spread across his face as he stepped toward me.
“You’d best remove your clothes,” he said mildly, waggling his brows like a lecherous old man, “unless you fancy having them shredded.”
I shook my head at him.
“Will it hurt?” I asked, a flicker of nerves stirring—grateful now that Madadh had waited before wanting to be free in her wolf form.
“Only the first time,” he said after a moment, rubbing at his jaw as if considering it carefully. “It gets easier with each transition, until it feels as though it was always meant to be there.”
It was time to be brave.
? ? ?
I stood just inside the back entrance, bare feet on cold tile, shivering as the door creaked open. Winter air spilled in, sharp and bright, raising gooseflesh along my arms.
Thaddeus didn’t look back at me.
He stepped out into the night like he’d been waiting for it—then he leapt.
Not away from the house, but into the air itself, coat flaring, body stretching impossibly mid-arc. I gasped as bones shifted with a sound like deep thunder under skin. His silhouette broke apart and reformed before he ever touched the ground.
He landed softly in the snow.
Wulfric.
Massive. Black. Moonlight slid over his fur as if it belonged there. He shook himself once, then bounded forward, rolling and twirling through the powder with unapologetic delight, chuffing like a creature who had waited far too long to be free.
Madadh surged.
The force of her joy drove me forward so suddenly I barely had time to drop to my hands. My palms slapped against the cold tile as my body betrayed me.
Then it began.
My skin stretched tight, burning and itching as though it were being pulled over something too large to contain.
Bones cracked—sharp, brutal sounds that tore from my throat as my spine bowed and reshaped.
My jaw locked, teeth grinding as my face lengthened, pressure building until it felt like my skull might split apart.
I screamed—but it broke apart into something raw and animal before it ever left me.
Fur erupted along my arms, dark and coarse, crawling over skin that no longer felt like skin at all. My fingers fused, lengthened—claws scraping against stone as my hands became paws. My chest burned as my lungs expanded, then—
I panted.
Not through my mouth.
Through my nose.
Cold air rushed in, sharp and clean, filling me in a way breath never had before. I stood there, trembling, heart hammering, senses exploding outward until the world felt too big and impossibly vivid.
I sniffed.
Him.
Wulfric’s scent wrapped around me—pine, snow, heat, mate. He was spinning in the drifts ahead, pausing when he noticed the change in the air.
I lifted one paw.
Dark grey fur shimmered beneath the moonlight.
Madadh didn’t hesitate.
She launched us forward—down the short steps, snow spraying as we half-landed, half-collided with him. He went down with a surprised huff, then sprang back up immediately, circling me, nose pressed to my flank, my neck, my face.
Madadh didn't appreciate the sentiment, and neither did I.
I snapped my teeth at him—sharp, instinctive.
He froze.
Then lowered his head.
He pressed his face beneath my jaw, rubbing there slowly, reverently, scenting me back just as thoroughly. The contact sent a tremor through me so deep it felt like it reached my bones.
Love.
Possession.
Something ancient and unbreakable settling into place.
He pulled back suddenly, eyes flashing gold, then ran.
I didn’t think.
I followed.
Snow blurred beneath us as we tore along the loch’s edge, muscles singing, lungs burning with joy instead of pain. He glanced back once—just once—to be sure I was there.
I was.
We ran until the night itself seemed to open for us, until the ache in my body turned to exhilaration, until there was nothing left but motion and bond and moonlight.
We stopped together.
Heads lifted.
And we howled—two voices braided into one—rising into the cold sky beneath the watching moon.
Together.
At last.