Chapter 23 Taming the Wild Heart
TAMING THE WILD HEART
“Let the soul-bound wither where they kneel. Let the ash of love silence the land. What once howled beneath the moon shall sleep beneath our seal.”
—Council of Crown
Theron
Ilead my hunting party deeper into the forest, but my mind is not here. It’s with Noel. Every memory of her wakes the beast inside me, a need to protect, to provide, to claim.
To take what’s mine.
The moment in the stream replays endlessly in my mind. Her voice, the softness of her moans, the way she leaned into my touch, it’s maddening. I ache for her in ways that words cannot describe. I am becoming obsessive.
Last night, I ran until the stars faded.
My body demanded it, the need was too much to contain.
I pushed myself hard, leaping through the trees, the burn of muscle and the pounding of my heart barely dulling the fire inside me.
When morning came, I started the hunt alone.
Providing for her—it’s all I could think about.
She deserves the best that this forest can offer.
But even as I hunted, I couldn’t escape her. So I gave in to my need more than once, unable to silence her moans in my mind. I sought release over and over, for hours.
Now, my warriors follow close behind, their movements quiet, but the tension is hard to miss. They’ve sensed my mood.
They’ve said nothing. Yet. They understand that today’s hunt is different. It’s not just for survival or for ávera. It’s for her. To show her that I am the best male, her best choice.
“Stay alert,” I command. Zephyr and Kael nod, their ears pricked and their gazes scanning the shadows. Every step we take is calculated, every sound in the forest noted.
“Will you tell us what happened?” Kael finally speaks up.
Well that didn’t take too long.
“Theron, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Zephyr adds. His respect is clear, but I can see the question in his eyes too.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” I answer, keeping my focus on the trail.
“Nothing to worry about?” Kael snorts, his voice rising. “You snapped, Theron. You—”
“Enough,” Zephyr cuts him off with a stern look. “It’s between him and his mate.”
I glance at Zephyr, grateful for his understanding. What happens between Noel and me is ours. It’s not something to be dissected or discussed. Her victories, I’ll share with pride. But our struggles? They’re private.
Even so, this struggle is mine. All mine. I can’t stop wondering what might have happened if I’d stayed with her. Would she have accepted me? Would she have leaned into the bond? Let it pull her the way I feel it pulling at me? Or would I have scared her away?
I force the thoughts aside. It’s too soon. She’s learning me, testing the waters of what we are.
We move in silence after that, the forest alive with its usual sounds. The rustle of leaves, the faint tread of paws, the calls of distant creatures—it all grounds me, reminds me of who I am and what I’m here to do.
“We should split up,” I say. “We’ll cover more ground that way.”
Kael and Zephyr nod without question, fanning out as we go farther into the forest. I catch sight of fresh tracks, a deer, judging by the size and pattern. It’s a good sign. My movements are silent as I follow the trail.
Soon, I spot it. A large buck grazing in the clearing. It’s the perfect catch for the feast. My muscles coil, my claws readying to strike.
“Theron.”
I freeze, lowering my arms. I turn toward the shadows, and there she is, her silver fur glinting in the light filtering through the leaves above.
“Elder A?na,” I greet her, my tone respectful as I step back from the hunt.
“I didn’t want to wait until you returned,”
My muscles tense instantly, and I move closer to her. “Tell me.”
“Theron, the barrier’s fall is not only a gift. It’s a warning.”
This new world—this life beyond the barrier—is a test for me. Leading the vólkins behind the shield of the barrier was one thing. It was safe. Now with it gone, every decision, every instinct carries the weight of survival. One wrong move and I risk not only my people but Noel too.
A low growl rumbles in my throat. “What did you find?”
“The magic tied to it, it’s dangerous. Old. And it lingers still.”
I narrow my gaze, the tension crawling under my fur.
She exhales, her ears flicking back. “The campfire’s embers seem fresh, but they are not. Those who were there left in a hurry, but not before completing a ritual. The stones they used were arranged in patterns I’ve only seen in the darkest of practices. A summoning, perhaps. Or a binding.”
Fresh but not . . . That can only mean one thing.
“There’s more,” she says. “The air around the site was heavy with pain. The forest remembers what was done there. And the blood the warriors scented . . .” She pauses, her pale eyes sharpening. “It was sacrificial.”
A growl rises in my throat. My claws flex, itching for something to strike. “A sacrifice?”
She nods. “The ritual wasn’t a harmless spell, it was fueled by suffering. Death. Whatever they did, it wasn’t ordinary magic.”
I bare my teeth. “The barrier.”
“Perhaps,” she replies. “Or something tied to it. Whatever their intent, they failed. The barrier is gone, but their purpose remains. They’ll come back, Theron.”
A cold rage simmers beneath my fur. The idea of those responsible returning, bringing darkness into ávera, is enough to make my blood burn. “If they come back,” I say, “we’ll make sure they won’t return.”
“If they come back, they’ll bring with them the same magic that created the barrier. And they’ll be more desperate, more dangerous. We must prepare. For ourselves. For ávera. And most of all, for her.”
Noel. She’s not just my mate, she’s everything. Our future, our balance. The thought of her in danger twists my anger.
“Nothing will touch her,” I snarl. “Or ávera. Not while I breathe.”
A?na’s gaze softens, but her voice remains firm. “Theron, this is a new beginning. Beginnings are fragile. One misstep, and everything we’ve fought to protect will crumble.”
“We’ll be ready,” I say, my voice low and final.
She studies me before nodding. “Then let us see it done.” I dip my chin, and she places a paw on my shoulder. “The goddesses are with you.”
With that, she disappears into the forest, leaving me with my thoughts.
Noel has suffered more than anyone should—losing her mother, facing the cruelty of men who sought to crush her. Yet she stood against it all, unbroken and fierce. But strength shouldn’t come from such pain. It shouldn’t come at the cost of her peace.
And she’s never known true safety. Anyone who dares to harm her, who even dreams of bringing her pain, will answer to me. They will face my claws and my fangs. They will face their end. The same as that weird-looking human male did.
We must find the six, restore the balance, and reshape this land into something worthy of my mate. I will not fail her.
Zephyr and Kael join me, carrying their game.
“Let’s finish this hunt,” I say, turning to face them. “We have a feast to prepare and a leader to feed.”
After a while, we take a brief rest. I lean against an ancient tree while Zephyr holds Kael’s legs so he can try to clean the blood from his torso without dipping fully into the water.
Sometimes he does things I don’t understand, but I’ve stopped asking. If he wants to clean only half his body, so be it.
After Kael falls into the stream and splashes water everywhere, including all over Zephyr, they both walk away shaking their soaked fur.
And I watch them.
“Why do I go along with your ideas, Kael?” Zephyr sighs, squeezing his braid and twisting his paws in different directions. “Always making the same mistake.”
“His mate will have to deal with a lot,” I say with a laugh.
“I can’t stop thinking about her,” Kael says, shaking off the water once more. “What will she be like? Will she accept me?”
Zephyr chuckles. “You worry too much, Kael. But I wonder about mine too. What if she doesn’t like the way we live? What if she can’t adjust?”
“Humans are more adaptable than you think. Look at Noel. She knew how to make a nest and almost didn’t let me make one for her.”
Kael sighs. “In the human-lore lessons, there were so many things I couldn’t believe. But now, after seeing a real human, I feel like I need to go through everything again. I’m not sure I know everything about them.”
“You should’ve listened to Elder A?na’s lessons,” I say.
Kael scratches his mane, humming in thought. “When do the cubs have their lessons with her again? Maybe I should sit in with them.”
“You’d better catch up quickly before your mate arrives and finds you studying with the young ones,” Zephyr adds, smirking. “I can’t imagine anything more embarrassing than that.”
Kael stretches, then leans back on his elbows. He hasn’t even dried yet. “There’s just so much to learn,” he groans, shooting us a pleading look as Zephyr licks the remaining blood from his wrist. “How am I supposed to sit still and study?”
“It’s about understanding them, respecting their differences,” I say. “Noel is strong, but she still needs reassurance. She needs to feel safe. It’s a balance. You show strength, but you temper it with gentleness. That’s what they need.”
Zephyr nods. “I suppose it’s not so different from how we care for our own, just . . . more delicate?”
“Exactly,” I reply, leaning back against the tree trunk, the bark rough against my fur.
“Humans aren’t like us. They express things differently.
They need words, gestures, and small acts of care.
They’re not built like we are—they’re smaller, more fragile.
They don’t have fur to shield them, and their skin tears at the slightest scrape of a branch.
You have to pay attention to their needs.
When you do, you’ll find a way to connect. ”
Kael rolls over to Zephyr and me. “I just hope I can make my mate happy.”
“You will,” I say with confidence. “But it takes time. Noel was terrified of me at first. She thought I was some kind of monster. It wasn’t until she saw the truth—that I would never harm her—that she began to trust me.
” I grin. “The first time we met, she pointed a weapon at me. Fierce little thing.”
Kael lets out a laugh, his fangs flashing. “That’s adorable.”
My chest swells with pride. “It is. Everything about her is.”
Pushing off the tree, I stretch and motion for them to follow. “Let’s head back. I’m curious to see how she’s doing with Mina.”