Aspen County

My first thought is that Louve is dead.

Her body thrashed against her restraints and seemed to struggle for freedom. And then I had watched as she transformed, her body still bucking. And now she's back in a human body with her long auburn hair flowing out around her, but she's covered in fur with some of her wolf features still on her. I stroke her furry cheek with only the side of my pointer finger, relieved that at least her chest still rises and falls steadily, if slightly too slowly.

I untie her and scoop her up into my arms. I glance over my shoulder at Keene who's gazing down at Lovett, also unconscious. As if he can feel my eyes on him, he looks at me over his shoulder, and unshed tears sit in the eyes of the usually collected Shaman-to-be. I shift Louve in my arms, awkwardly clap my hand on his back, and carry Louve out of the dome with Keene following silently, pushing Lovett along on the cot as if it's a stretcher.

Curious villagers gaze on in concern and awe as we pass. They whisper anxiously to each other, many of them speaking in hushed tones about Louve's foreign appearance, and Keene catches up to me, placing his hand on my shoulder comfortingly. I glance at him, desperate to get Louve back to Egeria where I will be sure that she's okay.

"They want us to say something," he whispers awkwardly. "Louve and Lovett can't speak for themselves right now, but the villagers want to know what occurred. They know of most of the Prophecy." I bite my lip, and Keene squeezes my shoulder understandingly and turns to face the crowd.

"People of Aspen County: in the past two months, our Chosen Two have returned to us. Upon this New Moon, they have done what only they can do: gained control of Death. They shall go down in history as the true masters of Fate and Destiny. Despite his concern for Lovett and anxiety to get away from the crowd," Keene's voice booms powerfully, and the crowd responds enthusiastically. They cheer as he continues. "They are the protectors of our race and our people! They have secured our grace and favor in the eyes of Death!"

He holds his fist in the air like Bender from The Breakfast Club, and everyone erupts with cheers and applause and kneels down, bowing for Louve and Lovett. It's like a scene out of a movie, and I would be more admiring if I wasn't so concerned for Louve's well-being.

I step up next to him and lean in close to him, whispering, "Keene, we need to go. They need to see your grandmother. Like, now."

He nods and steps closer to Lovett, inching the cot away from the crowd by increments. "While our great Chosen Two would no doubt be grateful and humbly accepting of your admiration, they must rest now. Thank you all!" He bows his head, and we hurry away, the sounds of the crowd’s cheers echoing behind us. "They will be celebrating for days. Today will be marked down in our history as the day that your Mate and mine conquered Death and breached the gap between the living world and that of the dead to do it."

"But that's not what happened," I argue half-heartedly, glancing down at Louve.

"No, it isn't. But it is what Grandmother, Louve, Lovett, and I agreed to tell them. Half the truth. A truth to be known to all and a secret to be kept by the family and the Shamans who follow in my footsteps."

"Who's going to be the Shaman after you?" I ask, concerned about how the family line will be kept since Keene and Lovett have mated.

He chuckles lightly. "You haven't met Redell, huh?"

"Who?"

"My nephew. My sister died just a few months ago, and he has lived with my grandmother. He's only just over one, but he will one day be our people's leader."

"That's a lot of responsibility for a 1-year-old."

"I was Chosen before I was born."

With no comment for that, I focus on the house which is growing closer and closer. Eyulf and Zeeva wait outside with Egeria standing in the doorway. My friends' eyes flash with shock at Louve's appearance, but that's the only sign they show of their lack of expectation at Louve's appearance. Zeeva quickly disappears into the house, and Eyulf hurries over to us. I follow Egeria inside as Keene and Eyulf lift Lovett's cot and roll him inside and into his room. Egeria leads me into Louve’s room where a baby sits in the corner playing with a whittled wolf.

I ignore him, assuming that he must be Redell, and gently place Louve's furry body on the bed. Egeria gestures politely for me to back away, and I reluctantly do, knowing that I'm useless here. I have no clue what to do.

The elderly woman kneels by Louve's side and begins whispering in some foreign, strange language. I try deciphering what she's saying, but it only gives me a headache. Deciding to let her focus, I check up on Lovett in case when—if—Louve wakes up she asks how he is. When I glance into the room, Keene is sitting by Lovett’s side, holding his limp hand and stroking his hair off of his forehead as Zeeva dips a rag into a bowl of water, strains it, and dabs Lovett's face, neck, and chest lightly.

"What's that smell?" I whisper to Eyulf who's standing in the back of the room in case anyone asks him for anything.

"Egeria made an herb mixture that will help soothe Lovett's body and speed along the healing process. She says he should be up and about within the next week, sooner if he gets a sponge bath in it daily."

I nod. "And did she say anything about Louve?" I ask hesitantly.

He gulps and shakes his head. "She didn't. No one knows what’ll happen to Louve—not even Egeria. This is no longer something that can be predicted. It's a battle between Louve and her body. She and Lovett made sure that Monique can now only exist within Louve's mind and won't control her, but it's going to be a big transition."

"Why didn't she tell me any of this?" I ask, feeling a bit hurt.

"Because you and Keene were doing exactly what was expected of you. Zeeva and I helped Egeria get everything ready here, and you and Keene watched over Louve and Lovett and protected them from any of the villagers interfering with what they're doing, and that's all that Egeria wanted you two to do."

I nod and prepare to head back to Louve's side, but Eyulf reaches out and grabs my arm. "Ryder, you know that no matter what happens and no matter what will happen in the future, I love Louve like a sister, and I really do hope that she pulls through okay, right? I'm eternally in hers and Lovett's debt for what they did for me all those years ago. There are no words to describe how wonderful they are."

I struggle to muster up a smile and fail, so I just offer another slight nod, glance back at Lovett—Keene is kissing his hand when I look at them, and I truly pity him, remembering Louve's first true battle with Monique—and quietly leave the room. When I return, Egeria has stopped whispering and is rubbing a bundle of herbs up and down Louve's body. She is still semi-human, semi-wolf.

"Ryder, I trust that Eyulf has informed you of what is currently occurring."

I don't bother questioning how she heard my silent approach. Redell glances up at me with wise, sympathetic eyes that seem to pierce into my soul, and it's almost like when Keene looks at me. "Yes, he has. But I still don't understand why she's like this."

"Ah, her True Form. Lovett would be able to summon this form as well should he so desire, and any child born to her that possesses her power of free Transformation would likewise have this capability. It signifies the change occurring within her."

"But how?" My voice is desperate, and I stride to them, dropping to my knees by the bedside, clutching Louve's hand, and burying my face into her side.

"It is simply her next Phase," Egeria explains, continuing to rub the herbs up and down Louve's body as she gently rubs the back of my head. "Don't fret, young one. This is just a temporary Transformation within your Mate. The True Form is the body that she shares with Death’s representative. During the battle, a change occurred within Louve that forced her to revert back into this form. I've no doubt that not only was she born like this, but her brother was as well. I don't believe she will die—that is what this signifies."

"What is it? Is she being reborn or something?" I look up at Egeria, and in my periphery, I can see Redell shove himself up from the floor and totter up to me. Egeria and I pause and watch him, and as he gets closer, he reaches out, and I kneel obligingly. He touches my face gently, and I immediately feel calmer and more level headed.

Egeria steps away from Louve's body, placing the potent herb bundle on the nightstand. She pulls my arm, and I stand. "Pick her up," she commands softly. I immediately obey, gently lifting Louve off of the bed, afraid of breaking her. Egeria pulls the covers back, and I lay Louve down. She reminds me of a werewolf version of Snow White—if only a kiss could wake her up. I would give her a thousand kisses just to see her open her beautiful green eyes once more.

"You are tired, young one. Rest with your Mate. Your presence will aid her in the healing process; I promise. She is not being reborn, simply…reestablished or recreated, if one were to place a label upon it. When she wakes up from this seemingly endless sleep, she will be, once again, the beautiful young werewolf who you met almost three years ago; she will be, once again, the girl with whom you fell in love."

Egeria smiles and backs out of the room. Redell, noticing his grandmother's departure, follows her out of the room. I'm shocked that he's so independent at only the age of one, but Keene, who's only about as old as Lovett, acts two or three times his age at times, so I shouldn't be too surprised that they're related.

I notice the wooden wolf in the corner and, vowing to return it to Keene or Egeria eventually, I pick it up and place it on the night stand. I close the door while I'm up before taking off my shirt and shoes, sitting beside Louve on the bed in only my jeans. She looks so small, and I begin worrying that she'll never be okay again. Taking a deep breath, I remind myself what Egeria said and lay by Louve's side. I pull the blanket up to cover us both and wrap my arms around her, not caring about all of the excess fur. Snuggling her against my body, I eventually give in to my exhaustion and drift into a deep, dreamless sleep.
* * * * *
When I wake up again, I feel skin rather than fur pressed against me, and I look down, relieved to see Louve back to normal, curled up in my arms. Her eyelids struggle to open before drooping closed and opening once more. She glances up at me, confused about what’s going on. For a second, I truly believe that she's okay. And then her face contorts in agony, and her body curls up tighter.

She opens her mouth, but the pain is too all-consuming for her to even scream. Tears begin running down her cheeks, and I patiently wipe them all away. She finally manages to swallow and calm her tense body somewhat. She sniffles and looks up at me again, her face still a mask of agony, but I can see her fighting back against it. I continue wiping the tears away as they flow out of her eyes, and she finally manages to take a few calming breaths. Her body loosens up almost completely, and I gently caress her cheek as the worst of the pain subsides.

"Are you okay?" I whisper, smoothing her messy, tangled hair.

"Yes," she croaks. I kiss her forehead, and she swallows again, willing her voice to be normal. "It wasn't her, Ryder," she whispers with a weak grin, her voice less cracked.

I struggle to understand what she means, but I come up blank. "What are you talking about?"

She clears her throat and tries again. "She didn't make me sleep with you. I did it because I wanted to. It wasn't her. It was me."

I blink in surprise and hold her tighter, kissing the top of her head again. I'm so relieved to know that what Louve and I have really is just her and I—it's not artificial and it's not what anybody else wants. It's just us.

She falls asleep quickly again, still exhausted and drained, but I stay up a little longer, thinking about how much I love her and how everything really will be okay for us.