Where The Ice Gives Way (Charlotte and Blake) novel Chapter 259

Chapter 259 Beautiful

Charlie

Mate.

VPNE

Shakti stands in front of us, white fur bright against the snow, her paws planted too wide and her whole body trembling with the shock o

existing in a shape she has never worn before. Her cars flick at every sound. Her nose lifts, drops, then lifts again, as if she has not

worked out which piece to smell first.

But her eyes stay on us. On Titan, and me.

Titan keeps his body low, even though every instinct in him wants to surge forward and bury his face in her fur.

Shakti takes one step toward us, and stumbles.

Her front paw lands too close together, her back legs scramble to catch up, and she lets out a tiny huff that makes something in my chest

burst wide open.

Titan’s tail thumps once against the snow, and Shakti freezes.

Then her ears tilt back slightly, like she is insulted by the fact that we saw that.

If I had a human mouth, I would laugh.

Instead, Titan lowers his head all the way to his paws and goes still, making himself smaller for her. He does not move when she takes

another step. Or the next. Even when her legs wobble, and her shoulder dips like gravity has betrayed her.

She reaches us with a little snort, then leans forward and presses her nose to Titan’s muzzle.

Everything in me goes quiet.

Her scent is different now, warm vanilla and coffee threaded with snow and wolf.

Titan breathes her in, slow and careful, and Shakti rubs her cheek against his.

The touch is clumsy, too hard at first, and she nearly falls right into him. Titan shifts just enough to catch her weight, and she makes another irritated sound, nipping lightly near his ear like this is somehow his fault.

Behind us, someone gives a quiet, wet laugh, but I don’t look. I can’t.

Because Shakti is brushing along Titan’s neck now, dragging her new body against his as if she is trying to understand him through fur

11:48 Sat, Aug 1

Chapter 259 Beautiful

holding back.

Then Shakti’s head turns.

VPN

73

Charlotte is kneeling in the snow a few steps away, tears frozen bright on her cheeks. Shanti presses behind her eyes, and I feel the pull

in the air a heartbeat before Charlotte shifts.

White fur spills through moonlight and snow, and then Shanti steps forward. Her coat almost glows beside Shakti’s newer, trembling one.

Shakti stares, and Shanti lowers her head as the two meet in the middle.

Shakti presses her nose to Shanti’s cheek, then rubs against her neck with a soft, searching sound. Shanti closes her eyes and leans into

it, and something strange passes between them again. I don’t know what it is. I only know both white wolves go still for a second, as if

they have found something they’ve been missing.

Blake shifts next.

Lex comes out black and huge, shaking snow from his fur before moving to Shanti’s side. He greets Shakti with careful respect, head

lowered, nose brushing hers once before he steps back.

Then Theo appears near the back door with Emily beside him, both of them half-dressed and wide awake.

“Are we doing this?” Theo asks.

Gareth looks around the yard, taking in Shakti, Titan, Shanti and Lex. His mouth curves slightly.

“Well,” he says, voice rough with something warm underneath it. “It looks like she needs her first pack run.”

Emily smiles before she shifts, Sasha stepping into the snow with soft brown fur and gentle eyes. Theo follows, Yelen bounding out a

second later with far too much enthusiasm for this hour of the night.

Shakti startles, and Titan bares his teeth, proudly protective.

Yelen immediately drops flat to the ground, chin in the snow, tail wagging like an idiot.

Shakti tilts her head.

Then sneezes.

Yelen sneezes back.

A laugh breaks from somewhere behind us, and even Gareth’s shoulders shake.

The fear in the yard eases, and Titan steps forward at last, slowly, and when he nudges Shakti’s shoulder, she leans into him.

2/4

11:48 Sat, Aug 1

Chapter 259 Beautiful

I move toward the tree line, just a few careful steps, then look back.

Come on.

I cannot mind-link her yet, so 1 lower my head, step once, then pause. Showing her. Asking.

VPN: 73

Shakti takes one wobbly step after another, and Titan keeps pace beside her as we move across the yard. Shanti falls in on her other side.

Lex beside her. Sasha stays close behind, and Yelen prances around us like a fool until Lex snaps once in warning and sends him into a

more reasonable trot.

We run in a careful lope through the snow, slow enough for Shakti’s new legs to keep up. She stumbles twice, skids once, and nearly

plants her face into a drift when her back legs move faster than her front.

Titan nudges her upright each time. The third time, she nips his shoulder, and I feel Titan’s joy burst bright inside me.

Shakti’s confidence grows with every stride. Her paws find rhythm. Her head lifts. Her tail comes up a fraction.

Then she runs.

Only for a few seconds, but she does it.

Shakti breaks ahead, white fur flashing over the snow, and Titan follows with his heart in his throat.

When we circle back toward the house, the adults are still waiting near the fire.

Dr Hale hurries into the yard with his medical bag in one hand and his coat half buttoned. He stops when he sees six wolves trotting back

through the snow, Shakti at the front beside Titan.

“Well,” he says, breathless. “I see I arrived a little late.”

One by one, the others shift back, and I wait until Shakti looks at me.

I let Titan go, shifting back into human skin. Mara tosses me a blanket without even looking, and then I wait for Shakti to bring less back

to herself.

11:48 Sat, Aug 1

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify