Chapter 28

S carlet woke with a big stretch, smiling as she felt the weight of Wulfric's arm and leg over her. She shivered and realized the fire had died. She eased out from under him and added more logs to the coals. Her legs were shaky and her center of balance felt off. She smiled at the soreness as she cleaned the evidence of their mating with a rag she'd found beside the bed.

Her body felt off, but she wasn't sure what it was. Dizziness swarmed her, and her stomach growled with hunger. Her nose twitched, and the need to hunt, to run filled her.

She felt different, but not like she'd been before with the giant antlers. Remembering how she'd felt this disoriented when she'd first been cursed by the king, she bit her lip as apprehension crept up her spine. Tentatively she reached up to touch her antlers, but her hand froze halfway up. The light caught her arm, her hand. A soft layer of fur covered her, a pale red with spots. It was thicker than what it'd been before.

She found a pitcher of water and poured a drink with a shaky hand. When she tried to drink, it spilled down her jaw, making her jump. She swiped at her jaw and froze. Then her world tilted, jarring her into action.

"What the fuck?" The cup dropped, spilling on the rug as she touched her mouth with both hands. Her heart raced, and she almost jumped toward the door just to have a reason for it to go that fast.

Wulfric leaped off the bed and landed in a crouch, his head swiveling. "What? What is it?"

She stroked her elongated jaw and stepped closer to him on wobbly legs. "What the fuck? Fuck, fuck, fuck."

Wulfric turned to her and his eyes widened. Panic raced up her spine, and her breathing shallow. "Wulfric?" The note of fear in her voice must have shaken him from his reverie because he straightened and stepped toward her.

Hand outstretched, he said softly, "Breathe, bunny, it's alright. You're shifting."

Her hands went wide as she balanced precariously. "How? Why?"

No sooner had she asked the question than her stomach felt like it was being ripped open from the inside out. She fell to her knees and threw her head back, screaming as pain streaked through every cell of her body. The pain and magic twisted her body and bones cracked. Her scream softened to panting and moaning.

When the flashing magic and pain faded, she blinked. Her vision was sharper but there were more grays and blues. The reds and yellows of the rugs and blankets were now monochrome.

Wulfric stood tall, still in his human form with his jaw dropped in surprise. "Scarlet? By the gods, you're beautiful."

The reverence in his voice softened some of her panic, and she looked down. She had red fur, big paws. A flick of her hips, and she looked behind her. The Growler tail she'd had for six months finally matched the rest of her.

She frowned and sat on her haunches. Reaching up with a front paw, she scratched at her ear. Her heart raced as she jumped. "Antlers?"

Her voice was breathless and a little garbled, a little deeper, but she didn't care as long as he understood her.

Wulfric grinned and shook his head. "Nope. They're gone. You look like every other Growler, except for the color of your fur. I've not seen that particular red in any of the five tribes."

"I—I need to run. Hunt. Eat."

He nodded. "Let me shift, and we can join the pack. There's probably some of them still out there."

He glanced at the hole in the ceiling and then shifted. A sliver of moon was barely visible. She looked back at him, and his Growler form prowled toward her. She was still smaller than him like in their human forms, but there was something irresistible about this. To be dwarfed by his wolf size, larger than the other Growlers she'd met about camp. Her new body recognized him as the alpha. She wanted to roll onto her back and submit to him. Instead, she nuzzled under his neck, and he put his head on her back.

"By the gods," he murmured the prayer reverently, a prayer of thanksgiving to the , the goddess, to whoever had made this happen.

It was a logical observation, as she was disconnected from her emotions in this form. She wasn't anxious about being a Growler. Right now, in this moment, all she wanted was to run, hunt, and eat. Maybe fuck a little too.

Gods, was this why the Growlers were known as mindless creatures who just wanted to fight or fuck?

He turned and slinked to the tent flap. "Come on then. Let's see how you hunt in this new body of yours. Don't be surprised if it takes a while to get the hang of it. It took me months before I caught my first deer."

Her mouth watered, and for the first time in months, she actually wanted the taste of venison. They went through the doorway and into the cold night, snow falling softly. The sounds of camp were muted, as most of the pack had already returned from their run.

The guards nearby straightened as they went toward the edge of the woods. "Alpha," one of them gasped, staring at Scarlet.

Her lip pulled back in a small snarl as Wulfric nudged her shoulder with his. "And the new Luna," he said proudly.

Both guards held a fist to their chest and nodded. "Luna," they said in unison, surprise and delight evident on their faces.

They reached the woods, and their paws were nearly silent on the soft crunch of snow. She let him lead as he knew these woods better than she, but her nose picked up intoxicating scents left and right. She could smell birds in the trees above, the paths other Growlers had taken over the past few hours, and more that she couldn't identify yet.

They ran past the inner and outer perimeters before they caught the scent of a boar. No words were needed. As one, they followed the scent to a small depression with a dense cluster of trees. Mushrooms grew in abundance, and there at the base of one, a large boar nuzzled noisily.

It obviously didn't hear them approach, and the wind was blowing toward them. Wulfric looked at her and jerked his head to the left. She nodded and followed his silent instruction, slinking on silent paws. She paused before she drew closer and looked back at Wulfric. He crouched low to the ground, but kept glancing between her and the boar. When he met her gaze, he nodded his head, but didn't move forward.

The first emotion in this form filled her. He was letting her take point on this kill. He was proud of her, believed in her, and supported her. The nuzzling sound paused, and she looked back at the boar. It was turning its head to the right. Heart racing with anticipation, she attacked, taking off in a sprint and leaping on its back.

It screeched and bucked, but her claws were already deep in its tough hide. She felt the warmth of its hairy body, as it squirmed. Her jaw tensed, her teeth too big for her mouth and saliva making her tongue thick.

Finish him.

She didn't think. Her incisors pierced the skin of its neck, and hot sticky liquid filled her mouth. It should've disgusted her, but her eyes rolled as it cried out and jerked. It slammed its back into a tree, and she saw stars behind her eyelids. She didn't let go, but instead bit down harder. A snap in her mouth as its neck broke, and it crumpled to the forest floor. The pulse under her claws and in her mouth slowed.

"Well done, love. That was quite impressive for your first shift. Can't say I've seen that in the past ten years of being a Growler. You can let go now," Wulfric said, stepping into her field of vision.

Slowly, she unhinged her jaw and sat back, panting. Wulfric stared at her, assessing but with pride obvious even on his wolf's face.

"How do you feel?"

She blinked, catching her breath. Her stomach was jumping around in giddiness. She wanted to laugh and jump and play. Instead, she just grinned and said, "I feel really fucking good."

Wulfric chuckled and nodded at the boar, muddy snow turning red beneath it. "How do you feel about eating fresh? Do you want to drag it back to camp to roast?"

She licked her lips, the tangy taste of blood still making her tongue thick. She didn't answer, but just bent down and tore into the shoulder. It took a few angle adjustments before she could pull the chunk away.

She sat back on her haunches while Wulfric nodded in approval and tore into the back flank. They ate in silence, slowly but surely working their way down one side. A scent floated past her, and she turned her head back to the trees to the west.

Three auras angled toward them, Growlers by the size and sight of their distinct double auras. They'd soon merge with the three. She licked her lips, her stomach twisting as she waited for the Growlers to connect. For the first time in months, she didn't have even a hint of fear in her chest or stomach.

When the brown and two black Growlers met them, their wolf heads bobbed low. "Alpha," they said.

Scarlet recognized them and grinned. "Sasha, Todd, ma'am."

The smaller black one gasped, "Luna Scarlet?"

Wulfric nuzzled her neck and grinned. Scarlet didn't even care that he'd just gotten blood all over her. It was kind of hot actually, and she shuffled her back feet to apply friction to her core as she looked at Wulfric.

Even in this form, his smile made her stomach flip. "Aye, my Luna is gorgeous, isn't she? The mate bond worked incredible magic tonight."

The other Growlers yipped and several bounced around her in a circle, laughing.

"Call me Muddia. Welcome to the family. I'm so happy for you both. Congratulations," said Todd's mate.

She felt their giddiness in the air, and Scarlet yipped in reply.

Wulfric grinned. "Thank you both for the warm welcome. It does not go unnoticed."

Scarlet felt his joy and the weight of responsibility roll off of her shoulders, and she threw her head back and howled. The others joined in, then Todd pounced on Sasha. Muddia laughed and pounced on Todd. Then the three of them rolled and played, laughter randomly breaking out.

This was a side of Growlers she never would've known existed if she hadn't experienced it herself. If the rest of the forest or Busparia knew how… normal it all was. They weren't mindless monsters, but families trying to teach their kids the only way they knew how.

She nuzzled Wulfric, gratitude filling her yet not having the words to explain it. He licked her face, and she reared back. "Ugh, that's disgusting. Is that how Growlers kiss?"

He laughed and then tackled her into the snow. She shrieked at the suddenness of it, but surprisingly, it didn't feel cold at all. She was warm and for the first time in more than her six months of being cursed… she had fun.

Wulfric nudged her, then jumped away, turning to put his ass in the air, head on the ground between his paws. The look in his eye was so playful, even with his jaws covered in blood. It was so similar to that morning outside the cottage when Grandma had left with Knox. Had it really been less than a week ago?

She nipped at Wulfric's back leg, and he jumped, his tail between his legs. She laughed but ran around the thick copse of trees when he turned to chase her. She panted, her heart racing but from exertion instead of the constant fear she'd lived with for the past six months.

Wulfric tackled, knocking her near to Sasha, who nudged her back up. Scarlet laughed at the irony. This little Growler was helping her up when back in Vidrland, no one even wanted to get within touching distance of her.

Muddia panted beside her and asked, "Are you going to finish the boar?"

Wulfric waited for Scarlet to answer so she shook her head. "No, it's all yours, if you want the other half. Enjoy."

Muddia pranced happily to the corpse. "Oh thank you, Luna, thank you. I'm starving."

Todd snorted and followed with Sasha. "You're always hungry."

Muddia glared, but was too busy picking at the carcass to sass her mate.

Wulfric nudged Scarlet, nuzzling under her jaw. She tipped her chin up, submitting her jugular to him. She trusted him, this mate of hers that she didn't see coming. He'd blown into her life like a blizzard, and now everything was different but in a good way. Not like six months ago.

The reminder of her curse brought a chill and she shivered. She still had a responsibility to seeing the curse reversed for the rest of Knox's people. The thought made some of her lighthearted joy dissipate. She turned into Wulfric's chest and tried to burrow closer, suddenly so cold.

"You alright, love?" His voice vibrated his chest, and she hummed an answer. She was content and not quite ready to go back to camp. What if this shift into a Growler wasn't permanent? Was it the mate bond that had changed her?

There were so many questions, and each one made her feel heavier and colder. She took a deep breath and leaned back to answer him, but some strange scent came through her nostrils. The noise of the others eating stopped, and all was still.

She stepped back and looked around. Wulfric's silver and black fur stood on end as his hackles rose.

"What is it?" Her voice was a whisper, but she wasn't afraid. Not in this form.

Todd growled, "That's no animal I know."

"Sh, let the alpha lead us, as is his right." Muddia scolded, and all three of them turned to Wulfric, looking at him for guidance. Scarlet waited, nerves making her jittery for the first time as a Growler.

Wulfric snorted softly, scenting the creature. "It's moving toward camp. We can't let it get even as close as the outer perimeter guards. Flanking maneuver: Midnight 3. Sasha, you stay three leaps back. Watch how we handle this, as you're not done with training. Scarlet is with me."

The three others spread to the left, Sasha flanking behind her parents.

Wulfric turned to her. "Stick to my side. We're going to find out what that is."

"I hope I can eat it," she said. He chuckled and led the two of them to the right. She lost sight of the others but could still see the soft glow of their auras through the trees.