Tangled

321 Ava: His Name

"Holy shit," Vanessa breathes, her eyes wide. "Is that-?"

I nod, unable to keep the smile off my face despite the gravity of the situation. It's her first time seeing my mate's new wolf form. "Yep, that's Lucas."

Vester takes in the sight of the massive golden wolf sprawled across my living room floor. "How... when did this happen?"

"A couple hours ago," I say, running my fingers through Lucas' thick fur. He leans into my touch, a low rumble of contentment vibrating through his chest. "The short version is that we finally tried to unlock his memories, and... well, this was the result. I'm not sure why he looks different now. Maybe Sister Miriam will know. Selene? Do you?" Hmm, is her nonresponse.

Vanessa takes a tentative step forward, her healer's instincts clearly kicking in. "Is he okay? I mean, physically and mentally?"

A slight shrug. "Physically, he seems fine. Maybe even better than before. But mentally..." I trail off, glancing at Selene for support.

He's disoriented, Selene supplies. The wolf is in control right now, but he's not feral. Just confused. Waiting for Lucas.

I relay this information to Vanessa and Vester, watching as they exchange worried glances.

"Can he shift back?" Vester asks, the surprise on his face now faded back to his usual stoic expression.

I shake my head. "I don't know. Probably not. His wolf is the one in control right now. Lucas is still healing."

Vanessa kneels beside Lucas, her hand hovering just above his fur. "May I?" she asks, looking to me for permission.

He lifts his head, surprisingly not growling or upset in any way. Then again, he was only irritated with Lisa; maybe it's the lack of pack bond that bothered him.

I nod, and Vanessa gently places her hands on Lucas' wolf body, checking him over with deft, professional movements. "He's much larger than before, but I'm not sensing any issues in his joints. It's hard to tell without a full check-up, but I'd say he might be stronger than before."

I turn to Selene. "You know, it's really weird to keep calling him 'Lucas' wolf' or just 'the wolf.' Doesn't he have a name?"

Selene's ears flatten against her head, and I can feel her reluctance through our bond. He did, once. But that was a long time ago.

"Come on," I prod gently. "What was it?"

Selene huffs, clearly uncomfortable. In our past life, when we were... closer, I called him Aurum.

11:28 0

Ava: His flame

The moment the name leaves my lips, the wolf's ears perk up. His golden eyes lock onto mine.

"Aurum," I repeat, more confidently this time. The wolf-Aurum-lets out a soft whine and nuzzles my hand.

"It seems like that name holds some significance, Vester observes.

"It's from his past life, apparently. The one he shared with Selene."

Vanessa's eyebrows shoot up. "Past life? Ava, what exactly happened when you tried to unlock his memories?"

"Oh, no. That's not from... No." Pressing a hand to my forehead, all the tidbits of information in my head take a minute to reorganize. I can't remember who knows what anymore. "Selene has memories of her past life, and she and Aurum were mates then." "But how is this possible?" Vanessa steps away from Lucas-Aurum-now that her examination is over, taking a chair at the table. "How can someone remember their past life?"

Glancing at Selene and how her ears don't even perk up for this conversation, I realize she has no interest in clarifying things. Even to our friend.

So I hedge. "It's just part of what makes her so special."

"Aurum," Vester muses, standing beside his wife as he leans against the dining table, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "That's Latin for gold, isn't it? Seems pretty appropriate, considering his new color."

Is it? I'm not familiar with Latin. They stopped teaching it in school in my parents' generation, from what I heard.

Glancing at Aurum and his gorgeous golden fur, I point my thoughts to Selene. Is this what he looked like in your past life?

Yes, she says shortly.

Why didn't you tell me?

But she goes stubbornly silent, leaving me frustrated and answerless.

"But why would his shifted form change?" Vanessa wonders. "I don't know how the pack is going to feel about this,"

"They'll all be able to sense he's Alpha," Vester says, reaching out to brush some hair from her face. "Don't be too worried. Can't you feel it? How strong he's become?"

"Of course I can, but-" The healer motions in Aurum's direction, sounding frustrated. "He's still not present in the pack bond. I tried greeting him when we walked in. Silence."

She will hear him soon, Selene says, proving she's listening and present, just unwilling to answer my question. She even pads over to Vanessa to rest her furry husky head against the healer's knee in a comforting gesture. Aurum, for his part, snuggles even further against me, whining a little as he glances in his mate's direction. He's distraught by Selene's lack of affection, but I have no idea how to help him.

11:25 TO

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321 Ava. His Name

Sorry, buddy. She's still holding grudges from your past. My thoughts are aimed in his direction, but of course he can't hear me.

It's Selene who responds in my mind, with a derisive snort.

Grimoire pipes up then. She's hard to get along with. It's going to be a long road for that poor wolf.

"Yeah, it really-wait a second."

I sit bolt upright, my eyes darting around the room until they land on the familiar leather-bound tome resting innocently on the dining table.

Not in my lap.

I'm not touching it at all.

And his voice is in my head.

"How are you talking to me right now?"

Really? You're just now noticing? His voice echoes in my head, tinged with amusement. We've grown stronger. Our bond.

Slowly tapping my finger against my knee, I ask, "And... you weren't going to tell me?"

You never asked, comes his cheeky reply.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Of course, he'd have a smart-ass answer like that.

Love at World's End-Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.