A Will Strong Enough
“Shifting?” I looked between the brothers, my tears drying up. “What’s that?”
“When we reach a certain age,” Kross answered, his hand still on my face, “we go through something called a shift. The shift is the brutal awakening of our true nature, when our human body breaks, twists, and reshapes to make way for the beast inside.”
“Axel was a late bloomer,” Kade continued, his voice filled with sadness. “He shifted at the age of twelve, when the age we were meant to shift was eight.”
“Is that why he’s this way?” I asked softly.
Kross shook his head. “He’s this way because he doesn’t have a tether.”
“You already know the meaning of tether,” Kade took over. “A tether in our world means a bond with us and a human. That human keeps us grounded when we shift. They keep us from giving in completely to the beast. They keep our sanity intact. And it can’t just be anybody. It has to be someone the wolf has a deep connection with.”
“Our mother was that person to us,” Kross whispered, looking at Axel with his eyes filled with sadness.” But she couldn’t be that person for Axel, because she was… dead before he shifted.”
They fell silent after that. I looked over at Axel to see him still biting into the chains, growling now.
“But if your mother is dead, how is it that you still have a tether?” I asked softly, not taking my eyes off him.
“She’s dead in the flesh,” Kade answered softly, “not in the spirit.”
“When we shift, we can almost feel her,” Kross muttered. “Like she’s still here. Still keeping us grounded and telling us not to cross to the other side. Every full night, Axel struggles not to cross to the other side of just being a full monster. He fights not to give in fully to the beast. And you’re not meant to fight the beast. You’re both supposed to coexist peacefully. When the beast comes out, let it out, and when it’s time it’ll go back in. But that’s only that easy when you have a tether.”
“Axel doesn’t have that,” Kade said, his voice breaking. “So every full moon this is how he is. Both man and beast are in pain because they’re both fighting.
>>
My tears came out again, flowing heavily, and silently. I could only watch Axel being in pain, and I’m unable to do anything. If the cases were reversed, I knew Axel wouldn’t just sit still. He would find a way to make it right, but now I couldn’t even go near him.
“I want to help him,” I whispered, my voice sounding choked with tears.
“Rosette, you can’t-”
“Please!” I screamed and the beast’s head snapped to me, and he roared, but the sound didn’t carry as much thunder as it had earlier. “Please let me help him. Any way possible. Let me just help.‘
})
“You could be his tether,” Kade suggested and Kross and I looked at him with our eyes wide.
“I can?” I asked at the same time Kross yelled, “Are you stupid?!”
Kade glared at his brother. “We have to try, Kross.” He pointed at Axel without taking his eyes off Kross. “Is
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A Will Strong Enough
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this how he’s going to live his life? Dreading every full moon? Do you think he can fully be happy that way?”
“And you think I want him to live this way?” Kross shouted back, and both brothers stood head to head, still naked. “You think I want him to be in so much pain? He’s my brother too, Kade, and I want what’s best for him too! But a tether at this age…?”
“What’s wrong with his age?” I asked, still on the floor and looking up at them.
Kross sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We’ve only heard of people who got a tether in their first shift. It has never been recorded as a second or third shift. Only the first. And after so many years? So many shifts? Who knows what could go wrong?”
“But we have to try!” Kade shouted, his body vibrating.
“What about her?” Kross yelled, pointing at me. “Don’t you know the tether might also be at risk to her? What will happen when Axel wakes up in the morning and sees something wrong with her? How do you think he’ll feel?”
Kade fell silent then, his shoulders dropping.
“What about me?” I asked, getting on
feet. “Why aren’t you asking what I want?”
Kross gave me a patient look. “This is dangerous. None of us knows what might happen.”
“So we’re just going to leave him this way?” I asked. “Like Kade said, do you think he’ll ever be happy? He might be happy, but not fully. Axel would have done the same for me. He would have taken the risks without thinking! If I can’t do the same for him, can I really say I love him? What kind of love would that be?” I stood up and walked to them, holding both their hands. “Let me help him. Please. Nothing will happen with me, because I know I wouldn’t want to leave him. There are lots of things a will can do. I want to be there for him, that’s the will, and that will is great.”
They looked at each other, Kade pleading with his eyes, and finally, Kross sighed. “I really hope your will is strong enough to keep nothing from happening to you. I won’t be able to face Axel in the morning.”
I smiled softly, dropping their hands. “What do I need to do?”
Kross sighed again, looking tired all of a sudden. “You’ll need to touch him. Hold him. Physical touch is the way, since the bond is born from connection.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
