24. MAVERICK

24

MAVERICK

I’ve never felt anything like this.

The air rushes beneath my wings, lifting me higher and higher until the forest is nothing but a sea of dark green stretching far below. The magic inside me—wild, restless, unbearable for so long—finally has its release, pouring out of me in this form. A form that feels so right I could lose myself in it forever.

I tilt my wings, catching an updraft, and let the wind carry me higher. My feathers stretch wide—black as midnight, laced with faint streaks of silver that glimmer faintly when they catch the light. I’m weightless . Unbound. The pressure that’s been boiling beneath my skin, choking me, finally gone .

Below me, I see him. Mateo’s massive black wolf weaves through the forest with the kind of effortless power only he has. His crimson eyes flick upward every now and then, watching me, the dark fur of his coat rippling with every stride. He howls as he runs and something in my chest flares with satisfaction.

I answer him with a sharp caw that echoes through the morning air, and I swear I hear his laughter through the mindlink.

You’re fucking majestic, Maverick.

I let out another rough caw , dipping low for just a moment before I sweep back up into the sky, catching the golden edges of the rising sun. My eyes scan the horizon as the light spills across it, streaks of pink and orange bleeding into the sky. The earth wakes beneath me—birdsong filling the air, the sharp chirp of spring as it overtakes the quiet of winter.

For the first time in a long time, I let myself look at it. Really look.

The world feels so much bigger from up here. The packlands stretch far beyond what I imagined, the crystal forest shimmering faintly in the distance like it’s alive, humming with the same energy I feel crackling in my veins. The wind presses against me, filling my lungs with something that feels like peace.

Mateo’s voice filters through the mindlink again, softer this time. You’re free, Maverick.

Free.

The word echoes in my head, a faint tremor of disbelief shaking through me. I’ve spent so long fighting against the magic growing inside me, terrified of what it might turn me into. But up here, there’s no fear—no chaos, no walls closing in. Just sky and air and wind, and the rhythm of my wings pulling me forward.

And then I see it.

The darkness.

It’s subtle at first, a shadow lurking just beyond the boundary of the veil, far to the east. It seeps along the edge of the forest like an oil slick, clinging to the trees and choking out the sunlight as it spreads. My chest tightens, and I dip my wing, tilting to get a better look.

It’s wrong.

The sunlight doesn’t touch it, doesn’t pierce it. It’s like the light doesn’t want to go near it. I feel it even from up here—a gnawing, unnatural cold that makes my feathers bristle. The darkness slithers along the ground, pulsing faintly, as though alive.

Mateo. My voice cracks through the mindlink. The darkness. It’s moving. It’s…” I pause, trying to find the words to describe the wrongness curling through my senses. It’s growing.

I hover, beating my wings hard to keep myself steady as I look down at the darkness twisting beyond the veil. It’s like staring into something ancient—something that doesn’t belong in this world. It hates the magic of the veil; I can see it clawing at the edge, unable to cross, but it’s relentless.

It’s testing it,” I murmur through the link, my voice tight. It’s looking for a way through.”

I dip my wings again, gliding back toward Mateo, the air rushing past me in a steady rhythm. I don’t look back at the darkness. I don’t need to. It’s burned into my mind—the way it moved, the way it felt—alive and wrong, waiting for its chance to consume us. The thought makes my feathers bristle, my talons flexing in the air.

Mateo’s wolf emerges into a clearing, stopping dead center as he shifts back to human form in a fluid motion, sweat slicking his brow despite the cold air. I swoop low, landing hard on the ground just in front of him as the magic hums through me.

My form melts seamlessly back into my human body, the crow giving way to flesh and bone, but the shift isn’t as smooth as it should be. My body shudders, my knees buckling at the last second, Mateo rushing to catch me.

“Easy there,” he mutters, grabbing me by the arm as the world tilts slightly.

I snort, even as I lean on him for balance. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Just… give me a second.”

“Fine my ass,” Mateo says, steadying me until I find my footing again. “You nearly face-planted.”

I grin up at him, energy still pulsating through me. “That’s because shifting into a fucking crow is confusing as hell. Do you know what it feels like to suddenly have wings ?”

Mateo raises a brow, crossing his arms as he observes me. “No, Maverick. I don’t know what it’s like to have wings.”

I let out another laugh, one hand running through my hair as I take a shaky breath. “It’s a rush, though,” I admit, shaking my head. “Like I could just—” I lift my arms, mimicking the flap of wings. “Take off and leave everything behind.”

Mateo hangs onto me for another few seconds before kneeling by my feet, reaching for something on the ground. When he stands back up, he’s holding a black feather between his fingers, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Guess we’re cleaning up feathers now,” Mateo jokes, waving it lightly for emphasis.

A scowl plays at the edge of my tongue. “You’re fucking hilarious.” I swipe the feather, still unable to believe that I shifted and flew. “ One time, ” I mutter. “One shift and I’m already shedding.”

“The first few shifts are always confusing. A flurry of hair and chaos.” Mateo shrugs like it’s no big deal.

My scowl softens a little, but I’m not letting the Alpha off the hook that easily. “Yeah, well, most wolves don’t lose half their dignity in feathers, Mateo.”

Mateo barks out a laugh, shaking his head as he takes a step back, watching me pull myself together. There’s concern in his eyes, no doubt the exhaustion of a first full shift pulling at my expression. He steps closer again, supporting my weight. “You mentioned the darkness. What did you really see?”

“Almost like it’s fighting with the veil, trying to pass through it. I know the magic has returned to the packlands but I’m not sure it’s going to hold.” I hate saying it but that’s how I feel. As if we only just begun to do things that Mother Nature needs of us.

“This isn’t going to get easier,” Mateo muses as we start heading for the house. “But there is an end to this. I’m just hoping it’s sooner rather than later. I don’t want to bring our child into a world of chaos.”