Epilogue
Astra
“This is the final report on the Tashina estate.” Seth hands Lucian the paper while I sit impatiently, my eyes drifting to the windows. I glance back at Lucian, whose lips curve without him even looking at me.
“I’m nearly done, Astra.”
“You said that an hour ago,” I point out, though there’s no real irritation in my voice. Watching Lucian work has become one of my favorite pastimes. The way his brow furrows in concentration, how he absently runs his fingers through his dark hair when he’s thinking—it’s mesmerizing.
Seth looks between the two of us. “Plans?”
“We have to go somewhere,” I reply.
He looks amused and oddly relieved. “Well, I’m glad you two are getting along. I guess Lucian no longer needs me to beat him black and blue just to get your attention.”
I raise an eyebrow at Seth, feeling confused by that statement.
“Seth.” Lucian’s voice is deadly quiet, and when I look at him, he is glaring at his friend. “Get out.”
Seth winces, clearly understanding that he messed up, but before he can dart out the door, I block his path. “I don’t think so. What are you talking about?”
“Me?” Seth blinks innocently. “I was talking about…sparring practice…”
“I wasn’t born yesterday, Seth. You said Lucian got you to beat him black and blue to get my attention…” I trail off as a memory pops into my head. I whip around to face a guilty-looking Lucian. “The inn! When you got me all that herbalist equipment. You said you were jumped by four shifters!”
“I was—”
I cut off his frantic reply with a finger pointed at his chest. “Don’t you dare lie to me!”
“Sorry, Lucian. You’re on your own!” Seth escapes around me, leaving me alone with my mate, who is looking everywhere but at me.
“Lucian, did you really make Seth beat you up just to get in my good graces?” I ask menacingly.
He glances at me. “Well, it worked, didn’t it?”
The sly smile on his lips makes me want to punch him. “You’re shameless.”
“When it comes to you, yes, I am.” He walks around his desk and approaches me slowly.
I smack him in the chest as he pulls me into his arms. “Do you know how worried I was?!”
“I was trying to get you to take pity on me.”
I try to shove him away, but he refuses to let me go. “I knew it was strange that four shifters had managed to get the best of you. I knew there was something not right about your little story.”
He kisses me on the nose. “And yet, you bandaged me up and made it all better.”
“Jerk,” I say.
However, I’m laughing as I say it, and he grins. “You can’t leave me now, Astra. You and I are tied together for life.”
As he kisses me, I melt in his arms.
My hands shake as I stare at the moon, hanging full and bright above the palace gardens. We’re finally outside. Tonight feels different. Electric. Like something inside me is finally ready to break free after years of lying dormant.
“You’re nervous.” Lucian’s voice carries the familiar warmth that never fails to make my pulse quicken. He steps behind me, his arms circling my waist and pulling me back against the solid wall of his chest.
“Terrified,” I correct him, leaning into his embrace. Through our completed bond, I can feel his amusement mixing with his own anticipation. “What if I can’t do it? What if my wolf is too weak?”
His lips brush against my temple, right where I know my wolf’s mark will eventually appear. “She’s not weak, love. She has been sleeping, waiting for the right moment. And tonight feels right, doesn’t it?”
I nod because it’s true. Ever since we executed Harper and Gareth two weeks ago, ever since the last of the traitors were dealt with, something inside me has been stirring. Growing stronger. The Eclipse Born power that once felt foreign and terrifying now hums beneath my skin like a familiar song.
“I can feel her,” I whisper, closing my eyes. “She’s...restless.”
“Good.” Lucian’s hands slide down my arms, his touch sending sparks along my skin. “That means she’s ready.”
I turn in his arms, looking up into those blue eyes that still take my breath away. “Will you stay with me? When I shift?”
The question is stupid. Of course he’ll stay. But the vulnerability in my voice makes his expression soften, and he cups my face between his hands.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he murmurs, his thumb tracing across my cheekbone. “I’ll be right here. Always.”
The sincerity in his voice and the absolute certainty of his love make my heart clench.
Four months ago, I was nobody. A pack outcast running for my life.
Now, I’m the future queen of the Wolf Kingdom, mated to the most powerful man I’ve ever known, learning to use abilities I never dreamed I possessed.
Sometimes, it still doesn’t feel real.
“Astra.” Lucian’s voice draws me back to the present. “Stop overthinking. Trust your instincts.”
He’s right. I’ve been overthinking everything lately—the healing lessons with the royal physicians, the etiquette training that may never end, the political briefings that make my head spin. But this…This is supposed to be natural. Instinctual.
I close my eyes and reach for the restless energy inside me. It responds immediately, rising like a tide through my blood. My wolf. She has been quiet for so long, but she’s there. Waiting.
Ready? I ask her silently as I slip out of my dress.
The answer comes not in words but in sensation—a wild, joyous howl that echoes through my very bones.
“I think—” My voice catches in my throat as something inside me snaps. Pain explodes through my body, but it’s good pain. It feels right. Like breaking free from chains I’ve worn my entire life.
“That’s it,” Lucian encourages, his voice strained with his own wolf’s excitement. “Don’t fight it.”
My bones begin to shift and crack, the sound echoing through the garden. But instead of terror, I feel relief.
Finally.
Finally, this is happening.
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 my human 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.”