Haven't Seen The Light In A While

Chapter Twenty-Eight

But I—frozen in fur and panic—could only stare.

She smiled softly. "Melody."

The sound of her voice melted through my bones. A song. A promise. A memory I'd never known I carried.

"You have endured," she said, floating closer, her fingers barely brushing the air. "Pain that would break even the strongest of hearts. But you held on."

I blinked slowly. My breath shuddered.

"You are not cursed, little one. You are chosen."

She raised her hand, palm glowing silver, and the ground seemed to pulse. "From the ashes of cruelty, I have made you anew. Your true wolf has awakened—not only because of your bond, but also your strength. You are more than Luna now. You are a bridge between worlds. A healer of shadows."

Her fingers extended toward me, hovering just above my fur. "You will see truths others cannot. Lies will wilt beneath your eyes. Pain will speak its name to you, and you will know how to mend what others thought forever broken."

Then, she leaned down, her forehead gently pressing to mine.

And my world exploded in light.

A surge of warmth—not painful, not overwhelming, but divine—rushed through every inch of my body. I whimpered, my paws trembling, but I didn't pull away. I couldn't.

I felt the drugs leave me. Like they'd been scrubbed from my blood. My panic eased. My breath steadied. And then... deeper. Deeper still. A warmth I hadn't felt in years sparked to life low in my belly.

She was healing me, I think. But she said nothing about it, only whispered to me.

"The garden once salted may bloom again,
when tended by love and kissed by rain."

My breath caught.

She smiled again, brushing her hand down the length of my muzzle. "You will be able to shift back. Your new power must settle. But you are safe. You are seen. You are sacred."

With a final glance at my mates—still stunned, still silent—she turned back toward the sky.

As the glowing figure of the Moon Goddess faded into the night sky, a heavy, sacred silence settled over us. My mates stood close, eyes wide, absorbing the miraculous scene they'd just witnessed. I could feel their silent concern ripple through our mind link, their questions unspoken but clear.

"I'm okay," I sent out weakly, my voice echoing in their minds. "I think she healed me. I feel... great. Better than I've ever felt."

A strange warmth lingered deep inside me, centered low, where pain and darkness had long lived. The sensation was unfamiliar—soft and weird and almost comforting. It fluttered like a whisper, but its meaning was still out of reach, a secret tucked beneath my awareness.

Rory's voice came, sharp with curiosity and concern. "What did she say at the end? That riddle... what does it mean?"

I blinked slowly, trying to grasp the elusive words she'd spoken—a cryptic puzzle meant to unlock truths I hadn't yet understood.

"The garden once salted may bloom again,
when tended by love and kissed by rain."

Vince's tone was cautious but hopeful. "Healing beyond the physical, then. Not just your body, Mel. Your soul, maybe."

Sam's steady presence came through with gentle reassurance. "We'll figure it out together. For now, focus on the strength she gave you to shift back."

I closed my eyes in wolf form, breathing deep through the cool night air. Despite the dizzying confusion, I felt an undeniable surge of power beneath my fur and skin—a power tied to something far greater than myself.

I stayed still for a moment longer, my wolf body rooted in the grass, the earth beneath me humming with quiet energy. My mates stood close, forming a protective circle, waiting patiently. I could still feel the riddle echoing in my head—the garden, once salted, may bloom again—but I pushed it aside for now. 

"I think... I'm going to try shifting again," I said softly through the mind-link, my ears still pinned back. "Something feels different. I feel like I can do it now."

Odin's voice came gently, steady as ever. "Take your time, baby. We've got you."

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, centering myself. The rush of power inside me wasn't chaotic anymore. It pulsed steadily, calmly, and sure, almost like it was waiting for me to reach for it. I imagined my body reshaping, bones pulling back into place, fur giving way to skin, and paws becoming fingers. I visualized myself as Melody and called myself back.

It wasn't as easy as it used to be. My wolf didn't want to leave, not entirely. It liked the strength, the safety, the clarity. But it was mine. It obeyed me.

Heat shimmered along my spine, magic flickering across my fur—and then I felt the change begin.

It hurt a little. Not like before, not like the tearing pain of an uncontrolled shift. It was slower, more deliberate. My body stretched and collapsed in on itself, fur pulling into skin, bones reshaping. I collapsed to my knees in the grass, naked and trembling, breathing hard as the world spun.

Strong hands caught me—Odin's, steady and warm. Sam was there too, wrapping his coat around my shoulders. Vince knelt before me, his brows drawn tight, and Rory hovered just behind him, eyes wide with awe.

"I did it," I whispered hoarsely. "I did it."

"You did," Sam said softly, brushing a sweaty strand of hair from my forehead. "You're incredible."

I looked down at my hands, flexing them slowly. They still tingled. My body felt lighter and stronger. Deep inside, that strange warmth still lingered in my lower stomach, like a bloom waiting to open.

I shivered, but not from the cold.

That riddle swirled in my head again.

"The garden once salted may bloom again..."

Something had changed. Something important. I didn't know what yet.