Page 56 of Destined to the Lycan (The Shadow Realms #3)

Amara

I emerged from the most wonderful slumber of my life.

An unusual energy coursed through me. I felt strong, incredibly rested, and rejuvenated.

The intense brightness that stabbed at my eyes forced me to blink a few times before they adjusted.

Although I’d lived in this house for well over a month before I set off on this most improbable adventure, it felt as if I was seeing it for the first time.

The world looked brighter, the colors more vivid with shades I never noticed before.

Every detail stood out even more to me, from the patterns of the wood on the floor, to the delicate texture of the plaster on the molding around the corners of the ceiling.

The acuity of my hearing also blew me away like picking up the gentle rustling for the sheer curtains swaying to the barely noticeable draft seeping in through the window and the quickly approaching footsteps outside the room, muffled though the sound was.

But the biggest difference had to be how I could now detect the subtle nuances of every scent. And right now, the most beloved of all scents wafted to me through the closed door, revealing the identity of the newcomer before he even entered the room.

After a discreet knock, the door opened on Remus. The wave of emotion that crashed over me got my throat too constricted to speak.

“My Flame!” Remus whispered.

His face constricted in a way that made it hard to tell whether he wanted to smile or cry.

But in a couple of long strides, Remus rushed to my side and pulled me into his embrace.

He crushed my lips with a desperate kiss into which he poured all the love, distress, sorrow, hope, and joy he had endured over the past few weeks.

I held him tightly, responding in kind with all the love and devotion he inspired me.

Right here, right now, in this man’s arms, I felt home.

He broke the kiss, and I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his scent deeply.

Nine Hells! He was so intoxicating. It went beyond the pleasant spicy aroma.

It was the emotion that smelling him invoked in me, the way one felt when being wrapped in a warm blanket, devouring a cinnamon roll freshly out of the oven, or coming home during a winter storm to a hot cup of cocoa.

Remus embodied warmth, comfort, safety, and love.

He gently leaned back to be able to look at me, tenderness with a hint of worry on his handsome face.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Amazing!” I said with enthusiasm before suddenly feeling self-conscious. “How do I look?”

“Breathtaking, as always,” Remus replied, the sincerity undeniable in his voice.

While reassured, I couldn’t resist hopping off the bed to go to the standing mirror in the corner of the room.

A mere glimpse in the mirror confirmed the truth of his words.

I did look breathtaking, even though I technically remained ‘identical’ to the original Amara.

However, there was something more to me now.

My skin had reclaimed its dark complexion without the gray undertone that had tainted it in the last stages of my illness.

It had a mesmerizing glow, as if sun-kissed with golden highlights.

A silver ring now surrounded my irises, giving me an otherworldly look.

My breasts seemed a bit fuller, but definitely perkier as they stood proudly under the thin fabric of my nightgown.

My waist looked narrower and my hips rounder, blessing me with the perfect hourglass figure that would have any woman drooling with envy.

Although my body remained utterly feminine, the muscles of my arms and legs were a lot more defined and hinted at far greater power than my otherwise delicate appearance would suggest.

I brushed my curly hair back—which was longer and fuller than before—to expose my ears.

I didn’t know how I felt about finding them still almost entirely human.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the rounded tip was slightly pointier than before.

However, it remained subtle enough that no one would suspect that I was now a werewolf.

Thankfully, my transformation didn’t make me hairy.

I wouldn’t have been too keen on that part.

“I do look good,” I said timidly.

“More than good, my love,” Remus said tenderly, wrapping his arms around me, his broad chest pressing against my back. “Over the next few days, we’ll have to teach you how to use your new talents.”

“Actually, we should start now. I feel incredibly restless, like I’m bursting at the seams.”

Remus laughed.

“Our pups are like that, always overflowing with energy and running all over creation. It gets exhausting just looking at them.”

“I can imagine,” I said with a chuckle before freeing myself from his embrace to face him. “If they feel anything like what I’m feeling right now, they must be wild.”

He chuckled. “They can be. But we should feed you first. You’ve been sick for days and haven’t eaten or drunk anything in forever. You must be famished!”

I paused to assess myself for a moment, then almost immediately shook my head. Sure, I wouldn’t mind a bite, but I couldn’t say I was hungry.

“Honestly, what I really need right now is to move. I’m feeling so incredibly antsy, I might start climbing the walls,” I said sheepishly before realizing I was shifting restlessly on my feet. “It seems like being reborn reset the hunger meter.”

Remus hesitated for another second before bowing his head in concession.

“Alright, my Flame. Let’s go burn that excess energy of yours,” he said with indulgence.

I squealed, and all but raced him down the stairs before shooting outside.

In passing, I absentmindedly noticed that the dresser in my room had been replaced, and that parts of the door frame and staircase’s railing seemed to be made of newer wood.

I could imagine what might have caused the need to make these changes, but there would be time later to discuss it.

For now, I wanted to embrace this new body and how it would allow me to experience the world in a completely different way.

I almost leapt down the stairs of the front porch and took a few steps forward then stopped on the pavement leading to the bridge.

Arms spread wide, my face lifted towards the warm caress of the late morning sun, I inhaled deeply.

It felt like breathing life itself into my lungs, saturating every cell in my body with an energy that borderline the divine.

Even the cold stones beneath my bare feet seemed to want to communicate with me.

For the first time in my life, I sensed a form of communion with the natural world around me in a way that transcended the physical realm.

Then, for no apparent reason, I started running towards the woods surrounding the estate.

I should be wincing at every step as my bare feet pounded the ground covered in grass, fallen branches, and rocks.

Yet it felt like running in the most comfortable hiking shoes.

The short skirt of my light nightgown whipped around my thighs as I ran like the wind.

Footsteps behind me quickly caught up as Remus ran by my side, also barefoot, wearing nothing more than a pair of pants.

The air of pure joy on his face reflected the one that filled my heart to bursting.

I was healed, free, and sharing a unique experience as I embraced my awakening to my new true self.

Trees flew by us at dizzying speed as we raced through the forest. Before long, my mate’s attitude changed in a subtle fashion.

It took me a moment to realize that he was no longer running after me but actually chasing me.

I immediately joined the game, loving the fact that I was now his prey.

A very willing prey who wanted to be caught, but that he needed to earn.

Something shifted inside of me. Adrenaline pumping, I redoubled the speed at which I ran, weaving around the trees, random mounds, and boulders in our path to make it harder for him.

To my shock, claws jutted out of my toes and fingertips.

They dug into the ground, propelling me further with each step.

A small voice at the back of my head screamed that I was moving too fast, and that I would soon end up crashing into a tree or otherwise hurting myself.

But I couldn’t stop. My body seemed to know instinctively what to do.

More than once, Remus almost caught me, his hand brushing against my hip or arm.

Each time, it gave me an instant burst of energy that had me dashing ahead even faster.

To my shock, as he was closing in on me too fast for me to have a chance of circling around a massive tree, I caught myself leaping onto it instead.

My claws clung to the bark, but I didn’t hang in there.

Instead I used the sole of my feet to kick myself off the trunk, and backflipped over Remus half a beat before he would have nabbed me.

I twisted my body midair so that I would face the ground and landed on my hands.

I pushed forward to go into a run on all fours.

However, my movements were awkward, and I found myself flopping on my belly.

My body knew that I could do it but was simply doing it wrong. Sadly, I didn’t know how to fix it yet.

Before I could get back to my feet to resume my escape, my mate’s warm body settled on top of me, pinning me to the ground.

I tried to knock him off, but his teeth closing on my nape felt like lightning struck my spine.

It hadn’t actually done so or caused any pain, but my body immediately went limp with an all-consuming need to submit to my alpha’s dominance.

A whining whimper rose from my throat with a will of its own.

It felt odd, but I understood that some wolf traits were now an integral part of me and we’re instinctively kicking in.