Chapter 52 – Azaria #3
Zeph let out a low whistle, equal parts impressed and uneasy. “Guess we’ll all be on our best behavior, then.”
Kael smirked. “Or at least try. Can you tell who’s nervous in a room just by walking in?”
Kalias inclined his head, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “Sometimes, yes. It depends on how honest you are with yourselves.”
That earned a round of laughter, though I noticed the steadiness in Thorne’s expression, the thoughtful quiet in Quin’s.
I stepped a little closer. “Thank you for answering, Kalias. My squad—we’re a curious bunch.”
His eyes came back to me, unhurried. “I do not mind questions. Curiosity is welcome. It keeps the world honest.”
I shifted my weight, debating whether to press further. But the question rose anyway. “Kalias… I know you came to Kareth searching for someone. Can you tell us more about who you’re looking for?”
He studied me, gaze unblinking, before countering with his own question. “Why do you wish to know that?”
“You mentioned they were from the east,” I said carefully. “You’re aware that the east has long been under Malphyr Draeven’s forces?”
“Yes,” Kalias replied. “I am aware. But I do not feel the necessity of giving you anything more than I have already answered before your council.”
I swallowed my disappointment and inclined my head. “I understand. I don’t mean to force you. I only wanted to understand your position better.”
Kalias studied me again. “Is there anything else you wish to know?”
I glanced around at my squad before turning back to him. “Before you go... would you shift for us? It would be an honor—for me, and for them—to meet your other form, if you’re willing.”
He tilted his head in that animalistic way again, quiet for a long moment. Then, finally: “I am willing to do that.”
Kalias took off his shirt. I hadn’t meant to stare, but gods. His back alone told a thousand stories.
Tattoos stretched down from his shoulders, curling over his ribs and arms like ancient runes made of fang and claw.
They weren’t like the magical marks we bore.
Ours were bold, sharp-edged, bound to elements.
His looked runic and alive. Shifter magic, no doubt.
Etched in silver-gray ink that shimmered faintly in the light, they pulsed like quiet breaths, as though they weren’t ink at all but a part of his blood.
I’d never seen tattoos like that. I don’t think any of us had.
His body was lean and strong; muscles carved by necessity, not vanity. He wasn’t built for brute force. His power was tighter, coiled, like a drawn bow, full of tension and readiness. Finally, he moved his hands behind his head, cracked his neck, and the air shifted.
“Stand back,” he said, calm as ever.
And then Kalias shimmered.
Light moved across his skin like rippling water. Bones didn’t snap, but slid. His body folded in on itself like mist curling through trees. There was no screaming or pain, just power. Silver light burst outward, and where the man stood, now loomed a beast.
Tall and majestic. Coated in thick silver fur that caught every glint of daylight. Massive paws pressed into the ground with weight and silence all at once. His eyes—still that same steel-blue and silver—scanned the group, calm but ancient.
A wolf.
His head reached my shoulder with ease. I’d never seen one so large.
The training ring had gone completely still. All I could hear was breathing—theirs and mine. I should have been afraid. Should have stepped back.
But I didn’t.
I stepped forward carefully, drawn by something I couldn’t name. His sharp, intelligent eyes followed my every move, but he didn’t growl, didn’t threaten. He only watched. Waited.
I reached out, fingers sinking into the thick fur along his neck.
It was warm, soft, and strong, like it had been crafted by the forest itself.
My hand glided down slowly, feeling the steady thrum of life beneath.
My heart beat too fast. My breath hitched, not from fear, but from something else entirely.
Connection—deep and wordless and completely beyond my understanding.
I lifted my hand to scratch behind his ear, and the wolf leaned into it. Not just tolerated it; he welcomed it. Then he sat back on his haunches right in front of me, his massive head level with my chest. A small sound slipped out of me before I could stop it.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured. “Did anyone ever tell you that?”
He huffed, a low breath through his nose that rippled his shoulders. And I swear to the gods, it sounded like pride.
Something inside me shifted, like a door I’d never noticed was there had opened just a crack, and warmth was spilling through it.
I didn’t understand it. Couldn’t name it.
But standing there with my hand buried in silver fur, his weight leaning gently into my side, I felt more settled than I had any right to feel with a creature I’d known for hours.
The others were still staring, slack-jawed and silent, as the silver wolf sat calmly beside me, towering and proud, his fur brushing against my waist.
Then, in a rush of movement that was still impossibly graceful, he stepped back. A shimmer—like moonlight on water—and Kalias stood before me, silver hair tousled, eyes glowing faintly with magic.
Still shirtless, still composed.
Tallis made a strangled sound under his breath. “That,” he said softly, half to himself, “is the biggest godsdamned wolf I’ve ever seen.”
“It looks like my wolf likes you,” Kalias said, a strange, half-smile curling at his lips.
I blinked. “Your wolf?”
He shrugged one shoulder, unbothered. “He is stubborn. Rarely warms to anyone. But you?” His eyes flicked to where my hand had been buried in his fur. “He leaned into your touch like he had known you since he was a pup.”
My chest tightened. “I—he just felt familiar.”
Kalias tilted his head, watching me with quiet interest. “Yeah. That is how he looked at you, too.”
Around us, the squad slowly stirred, voices returning in hushed murmurs and disbelieving swears.
Zeph muttered, “What kind of wolf is that?” under his breath.
Quin hadn’t spoken at all, but I could feel his eyes on me, heavy and unmoving.
I stepped back, pulling my hand away. My fingers still tingled.
“Is that normal?” I asked quietly. “For your wolf to just decide something like that?”
He glanced toward the window where faint light streamed in. “He is an animal. He does not overthink things. He feels. He chooses.” His eyes met mine again. “And he chose you.”
“Chose her?” Dain’s voice cut through, level but edged. He stepped forward, arms crossed tight over his chest. “What do you mean?”
Kalias met Dain’s stare with that same calm he wore like armor. “I mean exactly that,” he said evenly. “My wolf does not trust easily. He is territorial. Instinctual. He does not let strangers touch him, let alone scratch behind his ears like they have known him for a lifetime.”
Heat crawled up my neck. “It wasn’t—I didn’t mean to?—“
“You did not force it,” Kalias said, his voice gentler now as his eyes found mine. “He went to you. You responded. That is how it works.”
“That doesn’t answer the question,” Dain replied, eyes narrowing. “What does it mean when your wolf chooses someone?”
Kalias was quiet for a breath, then said, “It means they matter. Maybe more than I understand right now.”
The room stilled. Even Kael’s muttered sarcasm couldn’t break the weight of that word. Mattered. Why did it land so heavily inside my chest?
Beside me, Quin’s presence was steady, unmoving, but I didn’t turn to him. Couldn’t. My gaze stayed on Kalias.
Dain shifted forward again, half between us now. His voice had softened, but the steel remained. “Azaria’s not someone to toss instincts at, Kalias. If there’s more to this—if you’re holding something back—say it now.”
Kalias met his stare without blinking. “I already told you. I do not understand it yet.”
Dain didn’t let it go. “You said you were looking for someone. Who?”
Kalias’s expression stayed composed, but something flickered in his eyes, guarded now. “My father told me of a prophecy long ago. It has become little more than a story told to children, but he believes it true. He believes the one it speaks of is here, on this continent, somewhere in the east.”
Quin stepped forward, arms crossed, his jaw hard. “And you were going to march into Dravareth to find them?”
Kalias nodded once. “That was the plan.”
Quin scoffed. “That’s suicide.”
“I have dealt with worse,” Kalias said coolly.
“This isn’t just worse,” Quin said, his voice low and heated. “They’ll find you. And when they realize what you are, they’ll rip you apart piece by piece. You think they’ll let a shifter live inside Dravareth?”
The tension in the room spiked, thick enough to taste.
Dain stepped in, calm but unyielding. “Quin’s right. You wouldn’t last a week beyond the border. Not alone. Not with what you are.”
Kalias looked at both of them, then back at me. “Then maybe I need a different plan.”
I looked at Kalias. At Dain. At Quin, whose jaw was still tight, whose silence said more than his words.
“Kalias, listen.” I stepped in, breaking the weight of the silence.
“You’re free. You’re not a prisoner—you can do what you wish.
But Quin is right. Marching into Dravareth alone, no matter how strong you are, is dangerous.
” I nodded toward my squad, the weight of their eyes still fixed on us.
“I have a few geniuses here. We can pour over this prophecy of yours, see what we can piece together. That way you’re not wandering this continent alone and aimless. ”
Kalias tilted his head, studying me with that predatory patience again. “What would you have me do?”
I glanced at Dain, a smile tugging at my lips despite the heaviness in the room. “What would you say about joining my squad, Kalias Fenwynd?”