CHAPTER 92: YOU DID IT

Kaya

It’s a good thing Rana is so restless—her constant energy fuels me like a second heartbeat, the surge of power she lends making the run to the heart of the forest almost effortless.

Magnus returns to the packhouse tonight, and that can only mean one thing—we finally get to hunt together again. I’m not sure if my racing pulse is because I’ll get to see him or because I’ll have another chance to embrace Rana’s raw, untamed strength.

Trust me—it’s the first one, Rana teases, her voice curling smugly in the back of my mind. I only sigh, because I don’t want to admit—to her or to myself—that she’s right.

When I reach our meeting point deep in the forest, Magnus is already there. His massive black wolf form blends so perfectly into the darkness that he might have been a shadow itself—if not for those piercing amber eyes, glowing like molten gold, and that intoxicating scent rolling off him in slow, invisible waves.

He greets me with a single, silent nod. I waste no time, shifting into my wolf form. But when my paws touch the frozen earth, a shiver runs through me, and I need a moment to steady myself.

’I haven’t shifted that many times before,’ I explain when Magnus nudges my side, his touch surprisingly gentle for a creature his size. ’It still takes a toll on me.’

’That’s fine,’ his voice rumbles through the mind link, warm and sure. ’Soon, it will be as easy as changing clothes.’

I nod, though I’m not entirely convinced.

’Let’s go,’ Magnus commands, his deep voice thrumming through the mind link like a war drum. His massive paws strike the earth with a force that makes the frozen ground tremble, and in the next heartbeat, he’s leaping forward.

I follow, matching his pace stride for stride, though I swear it’s not his rhythm I’m keeping—it’s the pounding of my own heart, driving every movement.

I want to ask him—about Cecilia, about his meeting with the King, about everything that gnaws at me in the quiet hours. But I know it isn’t my place. So I swallow the questions and pour all that restless frustration into my body, letting my muscles burn as I run harder, faster.

’Stop.’ Magnus’s voice cuts clean through the rush of wind in my ears, pulling me to a halt. My ears flatten as my gaze sharpens, scanning the shadows.

’A badger,’ he says, his tone low. ’Are you ready for this one?’

I swallow, my throat tight, and squint into the darkness until my eyes catch movement—a hunched, bristling form nosing through the frost.

That’s when Rana’s instincts surge through me, hot and electric, drowning out every other thought. My human mind slips to the edges, and something deeper, fiercer, takes over. In the space of a breath, I am no longer the same being.

The darkness dissipates, the wind turns into a visible matter, the branches sway like silent witnesses to my hunt. My paws press into the cold earth, the night air sharp in my lungs with every shallow breath I take to ground myself.

Every sound is amplified—the whisper of wind through dry leaves, the faint scurrying in the underbrush ahead. Somewhere out there, the badger waits. I can’t see it, but I can sense it, because I can already feel my blood sing to the killing tune.

Anxiety spikes. My pulse drums in my ears because I’m both frightened and excited at the same time.

’Steady, Kaya.’ Magnus’s voice threads through the mind link, deep and calm, grounding me even further. ’Listen to its breathing, not your fear.’

But my pulse continues to hammer, my wolf snapping at the edges of my control, urging me to let go, to sink into the raw, wild, beastly instinct. The last time I felt this way, I... no. I can’t let my mind go there. I have to focus on the present.

’Eyes forward.’ Magnus’s tone shifts, firmer now, almost demanding. ’You’re not going to lose yourself. Not with me here.’

Through the trees, I catch a slight movement—a stocky shadow, low to the ground. The badger’s musk drifts on the breeze, sharp and earthy. My ears swivel toward the sound, every muscle coiled with anticipation. I lower myself, belly grazing the cold soil, and inch forward.

The badger freezes, nose twitching.

’Now!’ Magnus urges, and I spring.

Branches whip past, snow-frosted leaves scattering under my paws. The badger bolts, zigzagging through the undergrowth, but I’m faster. Goddess, what a thrill.

I feel it all––all at once. The tension, the speed, the climax of the action itself.

My fear spikes, the rush of the hunt blurring my thoughts—Rana howling for blood—until Magnus’s voice slices through the haze like a guiding beacon.

’Breathe. Focus on the ground under your paws. Hear my voice. Embrace it all.’

I do. I force myself to listen. I force myself to stay aware.

The steady rhythm of my paws, the beat of my heart syncing with his calm presence in my mind. The badger darts left, but I’m already there, cutting it off. My jaws snap, teeth finding fur and flesh. The struggle is short, my bite decisive. The taste of his blood is bitter, yet somehow, I still enjoy it. I fucking enjoy it.

I stand there, the copper tang of blood thick in my mouth, waiting for the rush of mindless rage that usually follows a kill.

’Kaya,’ Magnus’s voice snaps through the haze again, low and firm. ’You’re still here. Feel the earth under you. Hear your own breath. You are in control.’

I dig my claws into the cold dirt, anchoring myself. Breath in. Breath out. The wolf inside me growls, but her hunger no longer drowns me—it pulses in rhythm with my own heartbeat. I’m in control.

Madness doesn’t come. My mind is clear. My heart is steady.

’Perfect,’ Magnus’s voice is warm now, filled with approval that spreads through me like firelight. ’Just perfect, Moonlight.’

I release the dead body and step back, letting the night’s air wash over me. Then, the forest goes still. Somewhere between the silence of the trees, a soft white flake drifts past my muzzle. Another follows. And another.

The first snow of the season falls in gentle spirals, settling on my fur like tiny, cold stars.

Magnus pads to my side, his massive shadow pressing close. ’You did it, Kaya,’ he says, his head nudging my side in a gentle approval.

I want to feel proud, to bask in the glory of my first victory over my beastly nature, but I can’t. Because all I want right now is to embrace the peace, so I do exactly that––I press my forehead against Magnus’s, closing my eyes to let his warmth seep through my fur.

’Thank you.’