Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
VICTORIA
Dawn arrived with mist on the ground and the kind of light that meant the sun wasn’t up yet but was considering it. I dressed in practical clothes, gathering my things and checking that everything was in order.
Feral watched me with an expression I’d come to recognize as affectionate tolerance.
“You realize this is a ritual, not a research expedition,” he said as I tucked a second notebook into my pocket, plus three vials.
“Every ritual is a research expedition if you’re paying attention.”
He couldn’t argue with that.
After breakfast, a quick meal in the main hall, we made our way to the primary seal site on foot, following Bastian and several of his pack through forest that grew quieter the closer we got to our destination.
The other two alphas were waiting when we arrived, one male and one female.
Kirk stood among the witnesses, his expression serious but hopeful. Several other wolf shifters from both packs had gathered to watch a respectful distance.
The bear shifter was there too, standing near pots of duskburst. He gave me a nod before placing each one carefully, checking the soil and sun exposure before moving to the next point.
I surveyed the setup with my professional eye. The site formed a rough circle, five points evenly spaced. The duskburst placement would be correct this time. The soil composition looked appropriate, and the drainage appeared adequate.
Acorn sat on my shoulder, yawning periodically.
I pulled out my documentation, cross-referencing positions with the diagrams I’d made from Bastian’s descriptions and my grandmother’s notes, while the alphas moved into position.
Bastian’s spot at his anchor point felt slightly off, angled toward the center, as if he was trying to compensate for years of being the only one holding this together.
I walked over to him. “You’re trying to do everyone’s job again. Stand at your point.”
He opened his mouth but shook his head. Then adjusted his stance.
Arana caught my eye from her position across the circle. The look that passed between us didn’t need words. She winked at Bastian, who blushed.
I continued around the outside, checking each person’s position.
The western pack alpha, the male I hadn’t met, asked a question about timing. His tone carried the slightest edge of dismissal.
Arana’s voice cut across before I could answer. “I’d suggest listening. She’s the reason we’re all here instead of continuing to make things worse.”
His face darkened, but he listened after that.
They started speaking, each saying one line from the papers Bastian had handed out. He’d recited them all himself in the past.
Feral spoke too fast.
I walked over to stand beside him. “You’re rushing. The binding words pace the magic. Match Bastian.”
His eyes met mine. “I’m the king of this territory.”
“And I’m the supervisor of this ritual. Match Bastian.”
From his witness position, Kirk turned his face away, his shoulders shaking.
Feral flexed his arms but adjusted his timing.
I completed my rounds and nodded to Bastian. “The positions are correct. You can begin again when you’re ready.”
Bastian spoke the first phrase in old pack language. The words were rhythmic and dignified, and carried weight that had nothing to do with volume.
The rest of the alphas spoke in turn.
A faint glow spread from each duskburst plant outward, purple and white light that looked almost like bioluminescence but felt different. Older, perhaps. The magic distributed between the points instead of pooling in the center the way it must have when Bastian tried the ritual alone.
Acorn’s tail rose, his small body going rigid with attention.
When the final phrase had been spoken, all five voices completing the sequence at the same time, something settled in the earth. It wasn’t a sound. More like a vibration below hearing. The forest holding its breath and then releasing it.
Silence stretched across the clearing.
Kirk pressed his hand against his chest, amazement blooming on his face. “It’s gone.”
Everyone looked at him.
“The hollow feeling is gone.” His voice came out rough. “I can feel my wolf clearly now, like before.” His jaw worked as he met Feral’s eyes. “It’s… fixed.”
The second female alpha grinned.
The bear shifter sat in the grass at the circle’s edge, exhaling slowly.
I found Feral’s gaze across the site.
Theory confirmed. Packs saved. Everything I came here to do, done.
He strode toward me, and I met him halfway. He took my face in both hands, looking at me the way he did his territory. Like I was worth defending with everything he had.
The bond hummed between us the way the seal now hummed beneath the ground.
The witch who measured everything at last, Acorn said from my shoulder, finds what cannot be measured, and keeps it.
I laughed against Feral’s chest.
The ceremony dissolved into something that sounded like a real beginning.
I looked up at Feral. “Your wolf is satisfied?”
“My wolf is insufferably smug.” He paused. “So am I.”
I took his hand, weaving our fingers together.
While we shared silly smiles, Acorn hopped down from my shoulder and scampered over to investigate the duskburst, chittering observations I’d translate later.
I’d come here as a fourth piece of a political puzzle, but found the one variable I’d never thought to include in my models. Someone who’d choose me, again and again, no matter what a ceremony said.
This had always been here, waiting for both of us to find.
I leaned against his side, watching the other alphas talk. Plans were already forming for maintaining the seals going forward.
Bastian approached after a few minutes, Arana at his side. “The ritual worked better than I expected.”
“That’s because you followed instructions this time,” I said.
His laugh sounded light. Real. “I’ll try to make that a habit.”
“See that you do.”
Arana smiled. “We’re organizing a council meeting for next week. All the regional alphas are invited to formalize maintenance schedules and set up proper communication channels.” She paused. “Your presence would be valuable. Both of you.”
“We’ll be there,” Feral said.
They left us at the seal site, the morning sun climbing higher and burning off the last of the mist.
Kirk joined us after the alphas had gone, his expression lighter than I’d seen since the shifting sickness began affecting our pack.
“I’m so glad you figured it out,” he told me.
“Thank Acorn. He’s the one who kept pointing me in the right direction.”
The squirrel looked up from his examination of the duskburst, his whiskers twitching.
Kirk nodded to him with what looked like genuine respect. “Thank you, Acorn.”
A squirrel who saves a kingdom wide, deserves respect and nuts beside.
I shared what he’d said.
Kirk’s mouth twitched. “I’ll see what I can arrange.” He left us, heading back toward our pack.
Feral and I stood alone in the clearing, the duskburst still glowing near our feet.
“We did it,” I said.
“We did.” He pulled me against his side, his arm settling around my waist.
I rested my head on his chest and let myself feel the thrill of what we’d accomplished.
The sun climbed higher, warming the grass around us. Acorn continued his inspection of the area, occasionally chittering observations that would probably require translation later.
Feral’s hand moved to my hip, squeezing gently. “Ready to go home?”
“Yes,” I said. “Let’s go home.”
Everything I’d measured and documented had led me to this forest and this wolf.
I hadn’t included him in my models.
I should’ve known he’d be the most significant finding.