Chapter 28 Claws, Crystals, and Chicken Feet
CLAWS, CRYSTALS, AND CHICKEN FEET
“Little light, when the world forgets its name, find the wind that sings for you, follow the leaves. They will remember me. And when you do . . . I’ll be blooming in the roots.”
—A.
Theron
“Noel!” I roar. My chest tightens as I see her collapse, and my body moves before I can think. I’m at her side in moments, my crystals flaring bright blue. They always glow like this when my emotions spike, but this time, the light feels blinding. She doesn’t even stir when it shines on her.
Vólkins crowd closer, their eyes wide and concerned.
“Step back!” I bark, my voice cutting through their murmurs. My heart pounds so hard it feels like it might break free of my chest. My claws flex, my fangs are bared. “No one comes close!”
The vólkins obey, instead forming a wide circle.
I kneel and pull Noel into my arms. Her body feels .
. . wrong. Too limp. When her head tilts back, I catch it with my paw.
Her hair falls over my arm, her hand dangles lifelessly against the grass, and her face—goddesses, her face—is paler than I’ve ever seen it.
“Noel,” I say, as I brush the strands of her hair away.
Elder A?na steps closer. “Goddesses, we need your guidance,” she whispers, her gaze fixed on the sacred stone.
The air weighs on me, thick with energy. A light begins to form, and a rough wind stirs the leaves, whipping around us hard enough I have to shut my eyes. If I weren’t so heavy, I’d lose my balance.
The flames of the bonfire suddenly rise wild. The heat brushes against my fur, and I feel it standing on end.
Three figures materialize before us, their presence so powerful it brings the vólkins to their knees, heads bowed low.
Vodínaya, the goddess of healing and endurance, steps forward first, her gaze vast like the ocean’s depths. Beside her is Du?ava, her hair flowing like ivy, the goddess of forests and fertility. Zárya stands tall, her aura blazing with the power of light and fire.
Vodínaya’s voice rolls out. “Her Majesty is undergoing a spiritual awakening.”
Du?ava’s tone is softer. “She has endured too much in too short a time. Her spirit is overwhelmed.”
Zárya’s piercing eyes meet mine, the fire around her turns brighter as she speaks. “Her Majesty is not yet ready. Her body, spirit, and mind are not in harmony.”
I grip Noel tighter. “What must I do to help her?”
Vodínaya steals my gaze. “She must perform the bonding ritual to awaken her full power.”
“We still have around two phases to go before the full moon.” I clench my jaw, tugging Noel closer. “What can we do until then?”
Du?ava tilts her head and narrows her eyes. “Something else is trying to connect with her. It clouds her spirit, weighs on her mind, and adds to her burden.”
Zárya nods. “She needs rest. Time to heal and reflect. Only then will she regain the strength she needs.”
My throat tightens, but I agree. “I will ensure she rests.”
The three goddesses exchange a glance before speaking in unison, their voices reverberating deep in my chest. “Trust in your bond, noble guardian. Guide her and prepare for the ritual. The fate of this world depends on it.”
Each goddess focuses sharply on me as their final words echo in the air. “We cannot allow failure this time.”
As quickly as they appeared, the goddesses fade, their light dimming until the flames of the bonfire sputter out. The wind stills, and a heavy silence settles over ávera.
I look down at Noel in my arms. Her face is pale, her skin clammy with sweat.
“No one will harm you,” I murmur, nuzzling her cheek. “No one.”
There’s a scent on her, a male’s scent. It’s weak, but it’s there.
My fur bristles, and my breaths come heavier with every inhale. My mate smells like another. My claws dig into the furs beneath us as I lean over her still, unconscious body nestled in our nest-bed. Rage simmers beneath my fur.
Who dared come near her? I do not recognize this scent, but it is vólkin.
I lower my snout, my nose brushing her hair as I breathe in. The scent isn’t there. Not her hair. My nose trails lower, past her jawline, closer to her face. The trace is stronger now, but not its source. My teeth bare in a snarl, a growl rumbling low in my chest.
I smell it—the vólkin crystal. The pendant resting against her chest, barely glowing. The scent of another male clings to it. It’s not her scent. It’s foreign. It’s unwelcome.
Who gave her this? Who thought they had the right?
My growl deepens, reverberating through the room. My jaw tightens, and my body coils as every muscle screams to hunt and destroy.
I lower my face to hers, watching the way the light from the pendant glimmers against her pale skin and the sweat on her brow. My tongue darts out to trace the droplets on her cheek. Sweet and intoxicating. My cock pushes past my fur, hardens further when her lips part at my touch.
Her face is so small beneath me. Even my claws look massive beside the curve of her cheek. The need to protect her, to shield her from the world, wars with the fury that burns in my veins. Someone dared to touch what is mine.
My erection presses against the furs beneath me. My claws grip tighter, curling into the nest. Every instinct I have demands action. Vólkin or human, it doesn’t matter. Whoever it is, they dared to touch my Noel.
With my nose brushing against her jaw, her scent overpowers everything else. My breaths are heavy, my chest rising and falling as I fight to control the chaos inside me.
So small. So beautiful. So completely mine.
The scent of the male clings to the crystal, but it will not stay for long—
“Theron!” Aeson’s voice cuts through my haze.
“Come in,” I command, rising from the nest to place myself between Noel and the door. Aeson enters, his usual calm masking the urgency in his steps. His white pelt gleams in the light of the crystals around us. He looks over at Noel, then back at me.
“We found a house,” he says, “four hours’ run from the border. I think you should see it.”
“A house?” My brows furrow as I stride toward him. My balls ache from the strain, the friction between my thighs doing nothing to ease the tightness in my chest. “Humans built a house on our lands?”
Aeson shakes his head, crossing his arms. “No. A vólkin house, grown from the trees and land nearby.”
A vólkin house? On the edge of our territory?
My jaw tightens as I tilt my head, narrowing my eyes in thought.
That doesn’t make sense. No vólkin would grow a house without my knowledge or my permission.
No vólkin would go beyond the border. It’s not even possible to grow a whole home in such a short amount of time.
The barrier fell just a few days ago. Unless this vólkin is not from ávera.
I inhale slowly, forcing myself to focus, to think.
“Call Mina and the others,” I say, my tone leaving no room for discussion.
“My mate will not stay alone in this state.” My claws flex at my sides as the memory of that scent burns in my mind.
“And add two more guards to the entrance.” My tone drops, a low growl lacing every word. “No male comes near this home.”
Aeson nods. “It will be done.”
I watch him leave, my body still thrumming with energy as my gaze shifts back to Noel resting in the nest. Mine. Always mine. Whatever this house means, whoever left their mark on her crystal, I will get all the answers.
We sprint through the forest, our paws flying over the ground as we cross beyond where the barrier once stood.
It’s like stepping into a world abandoned by life itself.
The grass beneath us is dark, its color sickly and unnatural.
The trees are no better, lifeless things that seem to sag under their own decay.
This is what happens when the balance is disrupted.
Elder A?na’s words echo in my mind, a grim reminder of the world we inherited.
She spoke of how, long before the barrier appeared—when even she was just a youngling—the earth began to cry out in pain.
Its beauty faded. The fruits grew smaller and weaker.
The soil became barren, the rivers slower, and the forests less vibrant.
The land itself bore the scars of imbalance.
Generations ago, long before my parents were even born, the world was different.
Vólkins and human females lived as mates, their union bringing harmony.
Together, they ignored the greed of human males who sought power and control.
The greed of those males twisted the world as they oppressed their own females and ignored the balance of nature.
The vólkins of ávera—their claws and hearts bound by peace—did nothing to stop it. And then it was too late.
And so it was. Before we could restore the balance, the barrier rose, sealing us off from the outside world. We could do nothing, powerless to reverse the damage.
But no more.
My mate will stand strong. We will bond, our souls will be tied together, and we will restore this balance.
I will never let anyone destroy this land again. My pups, our pups, will be born into a world renewed. They will grow up running through healthy forests, breathing clean air, tasting the sweetness of fat deer. They will know the joy of a land in harmony.
The thought fuels my strides, my claws flexing as the trees blur past us. No one will stand in our way.
Kael freezes in his tracks, his eyes wide and unblinking. His entire posture stiffens as though he’s seen a female.
I stop beside him, my fur bristling with irritation. “What is it now, Kael?”
Aeson and Zephyr skid to a halt behind me, both rising onto their hind paws, their gazes sharp and scanning for danger.
Kael turns to me. “I have NEVER in my LIFE seen . . . chicken feet this huge!”
I blink. “Chicken feet?”
“What are you talking about?” Aeson says, crouching as he scans the forest floor.
Zephyr strides forward. “Kael, stop being dramatic. There’s no—” His eyes drop to the ground.
I step closer, my patience stretched thin, ready to berate them both. “Kael, where did you even—”
And then I see it.
Deep grooves in the earth, the unmistakable imprints of giant talons. Massive, clawed prints stretch across the forest floor, each one as large as a vólkin’s home. My jaw tightens as my gaze follows the trail of absurdly large tracks disappearing into the dense forest ahead.
“What the . . .” Aeson mutters, inspecting the marks. “These are fresh.”
Zephyr’s ears flick back. “Are we . . . are we seriously looking at chicken feet this size?”
Kael, no longer worried about being reprimanded, gestures wildly at the prints. “GINORMOUS chicken feet! Look at them! How is this even possible?”
I stare at the tracks. “These aren’t . . . chickens,” I growl, my voice wary. “Something’s wrong. No creature with claws like this belongs in this forest. Not naturally.”
Aeson straightens, his brows furrowed. “Theron, these tracks . . . they lead straight toward the vólkin house.”
“Let’s get going then,” I say as I cast one last look at the strange, enormous tracks. “We’re dealing with something far beyond what we’ve ever faced.”
Kael grumbles under his breath, “Something far beyond a giant chicken, apparently . . .”
“Kael,” I growl with a glare. “Focus.”
He nods quickly, falling silent. We cautiously follow the markings on the ground. They’re consistent, which means the creature was walking in a specific direction. No change of pace, no deviation. It knew exactly where it was going.
My nose twitches, and a knot forms in my stomach. Something about this feels off.
“We’re almost there,” Aeson says.
I give a curt nod, my focus on the path ahead.
After a few strides, the house comes into view.
It’s well constructed, the work of an experienced vólkin.
The energy transfer is skillful. The shape, size, and the way it’s grown from the surrounding trees mirror the structures in ávera.
Whoever built this was one of us. There’s no mistaking it.
I take a few steps closer, scanning the area. No sign of the creature. The massive tracks are gone, vanishing without explanation. My jaw tightens. What is happening here?
Then I catch it—a scent. It’s familiar.
I turn toward it, my muscles tensing as I follow the trail. My steps quicken as the scent grows stronger. I round the house, and then I’m rooted in place.
Goddesses above.