Chapter 84
Taughed, the sound bursting out of me belair Frould contain it “What?
Francesco grinned, barefoot and shirtless, standing on the halonny tailing of our room–the third floor of the west wing of the estate – his golden bro hak truded by the wind
eyes sparkled with wild mischiet, a rare lightness replacing his usual brooding intensity.
“Let’s go. Jump!” he
he said, holding out his hand to me like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
blinked, “Francesco….. we’re three floors up?
He chuckled. “Exactly. Come on, Ellaine”
stared at him, my heart thudding. Not out of fear. But out of wonder.
It was nearly dawn, the sky beginning to pale at the edges, stars winking out one by one. The estate slept in silence–except for the night guards pacing the grounds, and a few warriors stretching before their morning run.
The last thing they probably expected was to see their Alpha and Luna standing on a balcony looking like they were about to do something completely unhinged
Francesco, my mate, the terrifying and revered Alpha Lycan of this territory, was grinning like a boy who’d just stolen a pie from a window.
I crossed
“No,” he s
my arms, eyeing him. “Is this your idea of fun?”
d with a wink it’s my idea of freedom”
I laughed again despite myself.
I knew what he was doing. I hadn’t been the same since the nightmare. Even after the comfort of his arms, the warmth of his words, something inside me still felt… wound tight. Restless. I just had able to shifted, so I don’t know if I able to do that. My body itched with suppressed energy, like lightning trying
to break through skin.
Francesco knew. He always knew. And this–this insane leap of faith was his way of breaking the tension. Of setting me free.
I stepped closer to him, until I could feel the heat radiating off his skin.
“You’re crazy”
He beamed. “For you, amore mio. Always”
Below us, I heard one of the guards murmur, “Is that… is that the Alpha?”
I turned slightly, and sure enough, a few of the night guards had stopped patrolling and were now looking up, wide–eyed and confused. A couple of warriors on the eastern wall leaned over, their mouths slightly open.
We were not being subtle
Francesco noticed too. “You think they’ve ever seen me like this?”
“Like what?” asked
He turned to me, eyes softer now. “Happy, free
I felt the words cattle deep inside my chest.
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11:16 Mon. 14:30)
Chapter 84)
The wind brushed between us.
Then, with a laugh that was almost a mar, Francesco jumped.
My heart stopped
He plummeted from the balcony like a filling star- and then, midair, his body blurred with light and motion, in an effortless, breathtaking shit, he transformed into his Lycan form: massive, humed, and beautiful in a way that defied explanation, Gold and Gray shadow rippled across his fur, His limbs lengthened, paws slamming into the grass below with perfect control.
He landed like a force of nature.
I gasped, gripping the railing as I watched him tuin his great head upward.
Then he howled
Not a call of warning. Not a command
sounded like laughter.
Joyful, wild, fre
covered my mouth as tears sprang to my eyes–not of fear, but something far more overwhelming
Love!
Gods, how could anyone look at him and not fall to their knees?
Around the courtyard, warriors were now fully alert, though none moved to stop him. Some were grinning. A few looked stunned.
A howl answered him from the western tower. Then another from the trees. Then more–dozens–rising together in the early morning like a
And still Francesco looked at me.
“Come on,” his eyes said.
But I hesitated
I’d never done a midair shift before. I’d just shift recently. During moments of danger or necessity. But never for the pure joy of it. Never like this..
What if I fell? What if I couldn’t do it in time?
Then, clear as day, Mika spoke.
“Let’s try.”
I sucked in a breath.
Her voice–warm, eady, sure–echoed through my soul like an embrace.
And I nodded.
I trust you, Mika.
So I took three steps back, gripped the robe around me tighter, and without pving myself time to second–guess, Iran.
And jumped.
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Chapter 84
For a
ra split second, I was falling.
They
wind tone at my hair, the sky spun, the ground rothed to meet
cand then Mika turged forward with a triumphant howt
White light exploded around me
My bones stretched, shaped, every cell humming with power and light. Fur cascaded dont my limbs like a cloak of snow. By heart thundered–not with fear, but with freedom.
When Handed, paws first, I skidded slightly stinss the soft grass, then stood fall.
Gasps tippled through the gathered guards and wains
Francesco’s Lycan form approached me slowly, severred
My white moon woll stood nearly as tall as he did–slinturer, more graceful, glowing faintly in the breaking dawn. The
lover’s kiss
Francesco lowered his head, pressing his snout to mine in a silent vow.
And I leaned in, touching his jaw gently with mine.
Then he threw back his head and howled again–louder, deeper–and this time, I joined him.
Our
voices mingled in the sky, echoing across the mountains and forests. The guards bowed their heads. The warnors howled in return
And then, without warning, Francesco took off.
He rain–fast, wild, powerful,
I laughed in my mind, my paws digging into the earth as I chased him.
We ran together, cutting through the outer courtyard, racing past startled birds and rustling trees. Our bodies moved in rhythm, two shadows twining across the landscapi
I felt alive.
No fear. No doubt. No nightmares.
Only the thundering of our paws, the wind in my fur, the exhilaration of running beside the one who made my soul feel whole.
We reached the edge of the forest and plunged in.
Francesco slowed slightly to let me run ahead, nipping playfully at my side as I passed him.
I swerved between trees, leapt over roots, skidded through moss and leaves. Every part of me sang. Mikroared with joy inside me, her presence fully alive and whole for the first time in what felt like years
We weren’t Luna and Alpha.
Not here.
We were wolf and mate. Soul and soul
Francesco caught up and nudged my shoulder gently, I slowed, breathing hard but smiling wide inside
The forest opened up into a meadow drenched in dew and early light.
We stopped there, side by side, panting, chests heaving. He turned to me, nuzzling my neck, his golden eyes fierce and soft all at once.
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Chapter 84
“You were magnifice
“enu always believe in me”
tento the soft grass, and i followed we curled together, tangled in warmth and breath and bond, watching as the first rays of weight
The pack would speak of this for days.
How their Alpha and Luna leapt from a balcony and ran together under the fading moon.
But for me, it wasn’t about the spectacle
about this
The shi The leap. The farth
Thad truded
And I had
And I had trusted him.
The shadows.ef
nightmare still lingered. The prophecy still loomed. The Council, the past, Anastasia–none of it had
nished
But they couldn’t take this from me.
This wild, unshakable love.
France licked the side of my muzzle, making me huff softly in mock offense.
“Let’s do it again tomorrow,” he teased.
Thuffed louder, nudging him playfully.
sed loudar,
But the answer was already in my heart
AD
