The Gate of Shadows

The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself in a bed. Someone searched around the room for something I had no awareness of. My vision seemed more precise than before, allowing me to see it wasn’t someone I knew.

Fenris held me close, asleep beside me. However, the intruder had my full attention. Lifting myself from the bed, I saw it was a female sun elf with blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.

Yet she appeared younger than most elves I had seen and wore a Cerberus uniform. Grumbling to herself, she picked up a kit and placed it on the table before noticing I was closely watching her.

"Oh, you’re up; that’s good," the sun elf said, closing the gap between us and carrying her kit.

She instinctively reached for my head, only for me to slap her hand away. I didn’t know this woman or trust her, especially after Cora; I didn’t know who to believe in anymore.

"Ah... sorry. I have a nasty habit of acting before introducing myself." She apologized, clasping onto the hand.

A groggy Fenris slowly rose from his slumber thanks to the sudden jerk since his arms were around my waist. However, instead of being surprised by the intruder, he knew her.

"Oh... Amara, what are you doing?" He yawned, wiping his eyes.

She turned to him, cheeks puffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm Checking on my patients! What else do you think? No one told me she was awake until a day later, even though I was the first to tend to her! The nerve of these people!" Amara huffed, glancing back at me with those blue eyes of hers.

I’m your patient. You’re the reason I’m feeling better?

My head throbbed, but not as bad as the day before. Sun and moon elves both possessed the ability to heal with their magic. Although they couldn’t do miracles, they could save lives if they got there in time.

"Does your father know you’re still here?" Fenris asked, shifting my gaze onto him.

The poor wolf still had dark circles under his eyes but appeared much better than the previous day. However, something else caught my attention.

You sound familiar… How do you know her?

"He has nothing to do with what I want to do! I chose my patients, and I picked her!" Amara grumbled, grabbing a stone from her kit and handing it to me.

Huh? Just who are you?

"You’re a medic?" I asked, trying to fill in the blanks in my mind.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name’s Amara," she announced, smiling at me.

However, I could only feel distrust towards anyone new, even though it wasn’t her fault.

"She’s also Ryker's beloved youngest daughter," Fenris informed, yawning again.

She huffed at him again, not pleased by his revelation. It was almost as if she didn’t want anyone to know her connection to him.

"Don’t tell her that! She doesn’t need to know that to be treated!" the beautiful elf pouted, turning back to me and grabbing my hands. "Treat me like you would another medic, and let my skills do the talking!"

Ah… I see. You don’t want to be linked to your father because you’ve fought for your merits and don’t want to be in anyone’s shadow.

I could relate to that since the shadow I tried to avoid was Stella’s, which cast a darker side to me more than anything else.

"Well... at least you aren’t like him," I mumbled.

She appeared more likable and more expressive than her father, though I wasn’t willing to fully trust her yet.

"Nor do I want to be. Although no one’s better than me in this field," she boasted, full of herself.

Ah… never mind. There is the sun elf ego.

Fenris rolled his eyes. "You just started not too long ago. If anything, you’re a novice."

It looked like they were old friends. She pouted at his tone of disapproval.

"I’m the best there is! Now stop hugging my attention, and let me work!" Amara huffed, returning to me and speaking in a language I didn’t understand.

I was unfamiliar with the elf tongue. The transparent stone she handed me glowed yellow before shimmering in different colors as she read the lights and interpreted the results.

"Hm... it seems I healed most of the damage, but you should rest. Oh, and..." she trailed off, glancing around before shaking her head.

"Never mind; it’s probably nothing," she concluded, grabbing the stone and returning it to her kit.

"What?" I mumbled.

Instead of answering me, she changed the subject slightly.

"Although I need to ask you. The maid who changed your clothes last night reported something that intrigued me. I want to know how your body changed from what we have in the medical records." Amara informed.

I hadn’t noticed that I wasn’t wearing the garments I came with. Instead, I had a long-sleeve shirt that was big on me and baggy pants. Her words triggered something in my wolf before I could answer Amara's question.

He grabbed my shoulder, pulling me down onto the bed beside him. It was the first time I saw his face clearly since everything began. Though he was after something else when Shade jumped onto his head as he undid the buttons on my blouse.

After opening my shirt, he reached his hand into my blouse. Amara sat there, stunned by his action. When he touched my skin, his eyes widened before he glanced at the elf, whose cheeks were deep red.

"Leave," Fenris ordered.

“What I—” She tried to talk, only for him to growl.

That was when she finally received the message and ran out of the room, promising to return later to check on me. His gaze returned to me when the door closed behind the startled elf. All I could do was wait for him to undo my blouse fully, exposing my upper body to him.

His eyes studied every part of his view, tracing my newly formed skin with his fingertips.

It was all a new territory for him. He didn’t recognize my body anymore. The moment his crimson orbs met with mine once again, all I could do was try to glance away.

He climbed over me, tugging me by my chin to face him. There was no running away.

"I..." I began.

Words were short, though, even though I had so much to say the day before. Fenris licked his lips, not knowing what to say to me. But it wasn’t long until he broke his silence. He collected his thoughts, trying to remember the night when he lost control.

"Liam had made me think I was going crazy. The moon played a trick on me, but that night was real. You really came to me during the crimson moon." My wolf traced his fingers through my bosom, assessing their new volume and tendency to jiggle.

It was embarrassing and new to me, but I didn’t mind if it came from him.

"Y-Yes..." I mumbled, trying to keep my nerves in check.

Shade jumped onto Fenris's back, essentially making him her bed.

"Why would you do something so stupid?" Fenris growled, cupping my right breast in his hand, squishing it slightly.

His touch made me get jittery. Even though he appeared bothered, a soft smile rose on his lips. I didn’t have any volume or form to them before. My body was horrendous before our encounter. However, perhaps the reason he was teasing me was more to get back at me like a punishment of sorts.

After all, I was always beautiful in his eyes, or at least he always told me so, even though I didn’t fully believe him. It wasn’t like the change would allow me to compete with those who surrounded him.

I still had every mark, yet it was in a different shape.

"Because I wanted to help Melody." I breathed.

Fenris tilted his head, “What?”

Ah… Liam didn’t tell you anything about her? I… guess it wasn’t his story to tell.

The tilt of Fenris's ears, though, was rather cute. I wanted to reach up and grab them. Slowly, I was becoming bolder with my desire.

Maybe I can grab them...

"Help her? What do you mean?" my little wolf echoed my words.

However, that was an issue that I gladly and easily filled him in with. It was just one of the many things I had to tell him, but all in sweet time. I didn’t want to overwhelm him with all the information, either. After hearing about it, he understood why I acted that way.

Fenris's eyes twitched as a soft growl left his lips, "Even so... you could’ve been hurt, or worse," before placing the hand that was caressing my chest next to my head.

He held himself above me while Shade was still on his back. Again, he didn’t mind her using him as her bed. Taking the opportunity, he studied me. I reached over to his shoulders, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Fenris... you didn’t hurt me. Instead, you did this to me." I simpered, trying to reassure him.

He healed me in a way we never expected.

"Wait, I did this to your body?" he questioned, glancing down again to inspect me.

"Yes... you did." I slowly nodded.

He bit his lip again, gazing back at me with those red eyes I wasn’t entirely used to.

"How?" he asked, a question I didn’t know how to answer.

Even so, I would try to explain to him what I thought it could be. Although...

"I don’t know, but it seems the red moon gifted you with some unique abilities—ones only accessible to Lycans born during it. To some extent, they allow you to control magical energies, including my own." I replied, yet I didn’t know the first thing about his new power.

The only one who did was looking forward to killing him—another thing I had to tell him in due time.

"I don’t know how to do anything like that. Even when you lost control last time, I just wanted to save you." Fenris mumbled, wincing, probably overwhelmed.

It was hard to believe that his immunity to most magic had developed so that he could control it at a whim. Everything that happened was a lot to take in for me. I couldn’t imagine how he felt.

"I know, but we’ll figure it out. Together." I nuzzled my nose into his.

My action triggered him to kiss me before separating and smiling playfully.

"I guess I have to make you mine all over again." Fenris purred.

Shade took the note in his tone to jump off his back and onto the bed, laying down on the pillow where he rested before. She wanted no part in what was about to follow.

"Make me yours again?" I whispered, tugging him down for another kiss.

It was a short one since I pulled away before he could respond.

"Silly, I’ve always been yours. I love you, Fenris. From the moment I saw you. I’ve been smitten by you for who knows how long." I professed my love for him.

Yes… and I’ll be for an eternity to come.