Make Me Break
[story and art by Fin]

The forest floor felt wrong under Maika's boots. Not dangerous, just wrong. Like a song he'd heard a thousand times but played in a different key. The trees were too thick, the shadows too deep, and the air carried a scent that made the hair on his arms stand up.

Aiden walked ahead, pushing through branches that Maika barely had to duck under. The werewolf moved with a predator's grace despite his bulk, his long blond hair tied back at the nape of his neck, the tattoos winding down his arms shifting as he moved. Maika had seen Aiden shift enough times to recognize the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw kept working like he was chewing over words he hadn't said yet.

"Stop," Aiden said suddenly, raising a hand.

Maika halted, his hand drifting to the hilt of his sword by instinct. "What is it?"

Aiden turned, his eyes already flickering toward gold. "This place. I know it."

"You've been here before?"

"Long time ago. Before..." Aiden shook his head. "Come on. There's something I need to check."

They followed a narrow trail that wound through the dense forest, the trees giving way to scrubby underbrush and then to a dirt road. Maika could smell woodsmoke and roasting meat, the unmistakable signs of civilization. Aiden's pace quickened, and Maika had to lengthen his stride to keep up.

The pub appeared around a bend in the road, a low timber building with a sign that creaked in the wind. The paint was peeling, and the windows glowed with warm light. Aiden stopped at the door, his hand resting on the handle, and Maika saw his throat work as he swallowed.

"Coming in?" Maika asked.

"Yeah. Just..." Aiden's eyes darted to Maika, then back to the door. "Just stay close to me."

"Always."

Aiden pulled the door open and stepped inside. Maika followed, the warmth of the pub washing over him. The room was crowded, the air thick with the smell of ale and sweat and roasting meat. Conversations died as they entered, heads turning to stare at the newcomers. Aiden ignored them, striding toward the bar like he owned the place.

The barkeep was a massive man with arms like tree trunks and a beard that reached his chest. He was polishing a tankard, his movements practiced and efficient. When Aiden reached the bar, the man looked up, and his eyes widened.

"Well, I'll be damned," the barkeep said, setting the tankard down with a heavy thud. "Aiden. The prodigal returns."

Aiden leaned against the bar, a smirk playing on his lips. "Still alive, Gorm. Still ugly as ever, I see."

Gorm barked a laugh. "And still a smartass. Where the hell have you been?"

"Around." Aiden glanced at Maika, then back to Gorm. "Two ales, and whatever's hot in the kitchen."

"Coming up." Gorm turned to fill two tankards, then hesitated, his eyes fixing on Maika. "What about your friend? Something for him?"

"He'll have the same," Aiden said.

Gorm pulled the tap, filling the tankards with dark amber liquid, but his eyes never left Maika. When he set them down, he didn't push them across the bar. "We don't serve his kind here."

Maika felt the words like a physical blow, sharp and sudden. He'd heard worse, plenty of times, but that didn't make it sting any less. He straightened his spine, his hand tightening on his sword hilt, but Aiden spoke before he could draw.

"He's with me," Aiden snarled, the words coming out as a growl that made the hairs on Maika's arms stand up. "He's my mate."

The pub had gone quiet. Every eye in the room was fixed on them, watching, waiting. Gorm stared at Aiden, his brow furrowed, like he was trying to work out a puzzle that didn't make sense.

"Your mate?" Gorm repeated. "I'd have expected you to take up with another wolf. Someone who understands what you are."

Aiden's jaw tightened, a muscle jumping in his cheek. "Yeah, well, life's full of disappointments, isn't it?"

He grabbed the tankards and turned away from the bar, steering Maika toward a empty table in the corner. Maika followed, his heart pounding in his chest, his senses straining for any sign of trouble. The pub felt hostile now, the air thick with unspoken threats. He could feel eyes on them, watching, judging, hating.

They sat, and Aiden pushed one of the tankards across the table. "Drink. We'll eat, we'll get out of here."

Maika took the tankard, his fingers cold around the metal. "You didn't tell me about him."

"About who?"

"The barkeep. You've been here before."

"Yeah." Aiden took a long drink, his eyes scanning the room. "Long time ago. Before..." He trailed off, his gaze dropping to the table.

"Before the curse. Grovomil."

Aiden let out a breath that was half sigh, half snarl. "Yeah. That piece of shit. Cursed my pack. Said we were too proud, too wild. Said we needed to learn what it meant to be hunted." He took another drink, his hand tightening around the tankard. "He was right about one thing. I learned plenty about being hunted."

"Is that why you're the only one left?"

Aiden's eyes met his, and Maika saw a depth of pain there that made his chest ache. "Yeah. I'm the only one. The rest of them are dead. Some by the curse, some by the hunters who came after us. I survived because I was too stubborn to die."

Maika reached across the table, covering Aiden's hand with his own. "You survived because you're strong."

"Strong." Aiden let out a short, bitter laugh. "I was lucky. That's all."

They fell silent as a serving girl brought their food. Roast beef with vegetables, crusty bread, a slab of cheese that smelled sharp and pungent. Maika's stomach rumbled, reminding him that they hadn't eaten in far too long. They ate in silence, the food disappearing quickly, the ale washing it down.

But Maika couldn't relax. His senses were on high alert, every sound, every movement, every shift in the air making his muscles tense. He kept glancing around the room, watching for threats, his hand never far from his sword hilt. The barkeep's words echoed in his head, over and over.

We don't serve your kind here.

How many times had he heard that? How many times had he been turned away, driven out, attacked simply for being what he was? And now, here they were, back in their own timeline, and the prejudice was still the same. He wondered if others of his kind had passed through this place, if they'd been welcomed or driven away, if any of them were still alive.

"What's wrong?" Aiden asked, his voice low.

"Nothing." Maika took another bite of bread, chewing slowly. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About this place. About whether there have been others like me here."

"Elves?"

"Yeah." Maika took a drink, the ale cold against his throat. "I was wondering if any of them passed through, if they were welcomed or if they were treated like me."

Aiden's brow furrowed. "Treated like you? What do you mean?"

"Like I don't belong. Like I'm not welcome here." Maika met his eyes, his voice dropping. "It's not the first time, Aiden. You know that."

"I know." Aiden reached across the table, his fingers brushing Maika's. "But you're with me now. That changes things."

"Does it?"

"It should." Aiden's jaw tightened. "Anyone who has a problem with you has a problem with me."

Maika managed a small smile. "I know. I've seen you in a fight."

Aiden smirked. "You've seen me win a fight. There's a difference."

Before Maika could respond, movement caught his eye. A man had just entered the pub, pushing through the crowd with the easy confidence of someone who owned the place. He was a huge hulk of a man, enormously tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair cropped close to his skull and a face that had seen too many fights. He scanned the room, his eyes moving from face to face, and when they landed on Maika, Maika felt his blood run cold.

He knew that face. He'd seen it in his nightmares for centuries.

"What?" Aiden asked, following his gaze.

"Nothing." Maika forced himself to look away, to focus on his food. "Just someone I thought I recognized."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter." Maika took another bite, his stomach suddenly churning. "Just someone from a long time ago."

Aiden studied him for a moment, then turned to look at the newcomer. "Him?"

"Yeah."

"Who is he?"

Maika swallowed hard, forcing the food down. "His name is Justus. At least, that's what he called himself when he bought me."

"Bought you?" Aiden's voice dropped. "What do you mean, bought you?"

"I mean bought me." Maika took a long drink, his hand shaking around the tankard. "When I was a sellsword..." He took another drink, the ale burning his throat. "One of my assignments went wrong. I was captured, sold into slavery. Justus was the one who bought me."

Aiden was silent for a moment, processing. "What kind of slavery?"

"Every kind." Maika's voice dropped to a whisper. "He liked that I was pretty. He said pretty things were worth more." He took another drink, his fingers white around the tankard.

Aiden's jaw tightened, a muscle jumping in his cheek. "How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long were you a slave?"

"Three years. Four if you count..." Maika's voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "Three years of working, of being used, of..." He trailed off, unable to say the words. "And then a year of fighting, sold to a gladiator ring. I won my freedom in the arena, twenty battles. After the final one, I killed the champion, and the crowd went wild. They threw coins at my feet, and I walked out with my life and my weapon and nothing else."

Aiden was silent for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was rough. "You're keyed up. You're expecting trouble, and your mind is playing tricks on you. It's probably not even him."

Maika looked up, meeting Aiden's eyes. "I know what I saw."

"Maybe you do. But maybe you're just seeing ghosts." Aiden reached across the table, covering Maika's hand with his own. "Finish your drink. We'll get out of here, find somewhere else to stay."

They finished their meal in silence, the food tasting like ash in Maika's mouth. When they were done, Aiden stood and walked to the bar, reaching for his coin purse. He counted out a handful of coins, and set them on the scarred wooden table. The barkeep picked them up, turned them over in his thick fingers, and frowned.

"Foreign," he grunted. "Won't take them here. We use real money, not whatever this is."

Aiden stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "This is silver. This is gold. Real silver, real gold. What more do you want?"

"Local coin," the barkeep said, dropping the money back onto the table with a clatter. "Or you wash dishes. Your choice."

Maika watched Aiden's jaw work, the muscle jumping beneath his beard. He could practically hear the werewolf's temper fraying. Aiden hated being made a fool of, and he hated being dismissed even more. The barkeep's attitude - the way he'd looked at Maika, the way he was looking at Aiden now like he was some kind of bumpkin who didn't know the value of money - was wearing thin.

"I can pay," Maika said, reaching across the table to rest his hand on Aiden's forearm. Aiden's skin was hot, his pulse racing. "Let me handle this."

Aiden looked at him, then back at the barkeep, and finally nodded once. "Fine."

Maika stood up, smoothing his tunic, and walked to the small raised platform at the far end of the room. A few heads turned - more curiosity than anything, though he felt the barkeep's eyes on him like a physical weight. The pub had quieted somewhat since they'd entered, the patrons nursing their drinks and casting glances their way. An elf in their midst was novelty enough, but an elf who intended to perform?

He didn't have his harp. That was gone, stolen by a thief who'd probably sold it for a fraction of its worth, and he hadn't had the heart to replace it. But he had his voice, and he had the songs his mother had taught him, and the ones he'd learned in the courts of his grandfather before everything fell apart. The ones he'd sung in gladiator pits, the ones that had kept him sane when he'd been nothing more than property.

The platform was empty save for a stool. Maika didn't sit. He stood straight, shoulders back, and let the silence stretch until every eye in the room was fixed on him. Then he began to sing.

It started soft, a melody that wove through the smoky air like light through water. His voice was clear and true, carrying the weight of centuries in every note. He sang of starlight on silver leaves, of the forge-fire's heat and the hammer's song, of loss that ran deeper than the ocean and hope that burned brighter than the sun. He sang in the High Tongue of the Noldor, then in the Sindarin his mother had whispered to him at bedtime, then in the common tongue so they could understand the words.

He saw the barkeep's expression change from dismissal to grudging respect. He saw the patrons lean in, their drinks forgotten. Even Aiden, watching from their table, had gone still, his green eyes fixed on Maika with that intensity that made Maika's skin prickle.

The song built to a climax, his voice soaring, and then he brought it down to a whisper, a single sustained note that faded into silence.

For a moment, no one moved. Then the barkeep cleared his throat and nodded. "That'll do."

Maika bowed shallowly - not too deep, never too deep - and returned to the table. Aiden was grinning, crooked and fierce, and he reached out to squeeze Maika's thigh beneath the table.

"You're showing off," he murmured.

"Is it working?"

"Always works."

The barkeep came over, scooping up the foreign coins and pocketing them without another word. "Paid in full. You two can go whenever you're ready."

Aiden stood up, stretching his arms over his head, his spine cracking. "Time to get out of here before I change my mind about leaving this place standing."

They made their way to the door, Maika slightly ahead, Aiden a warm presence at his back. The pub had gone quiet again, watching them leave. Maika could feel eyes on him, weighing, measuring. He kept his head high, his steps measured, but his senses were straining for any sign of trouble.

They were almost at the door when a figure stepped out from the shadows near the entrance, blocking their path.

"Well, well, well," a voice rumbled, deep and gravelly, like stones grinding together. "I'd know that pretty voice - and pretty face - anywhere."

Maika stopped, his heart seizing in his chest. He knew that voice. He'd never forget it, not if he lived another thousand years. Slowly, he turned.

The man was enormous, a towering brute of a creature with shoulders like a yoke of oxen and hands that could crush a skull. His face was scarred, one eye milky and blind, the other dark and malicious. He wore a leather apron stained with old blood, and his grin revealed teeth that had been filed to points.

"Justus," Maika heard himself say, the name tasting like ash in his mouth.

Justus threw his head back and laughed. "You remember me! I'm touched, truly. I always wondered what happened to my prettiest acquisition. Sold you off for a pretty penny, I did. Best investment I ever made, until you went and got yourself free."

He stepped closer, and Maika forced himself not to flinch. He could smell Justus - sweat and stale ale and old blood, the scent of the slave pens, the scent of chains and hopelessness. It made his stomach turn.

"Always knew you were trouble," Justus continued, circling them like a wolf sizing up prey. "Too pretty for your own good. Too spirited. Should have broken you properly when I had the chance. Maybe I'll get a second shot at it now."

Aiden moved, placing himself between Maika and Justus. He didn't say anything, just growled low in his throat, a sound that made the hair on Maika's arms stand up. His body was already shifting, the half-form rippling beneath his skin, claws extending from his fingertips, his teeth lengthening into fangs.

"Who's this?" Justus asked, tilting his head. "Your new master? Or just another pet you've picked up?"

"He's with me," Aiden snarled, his voice distorted by the change. "And if you ever want to use that eye again, you'll back the fuck off."

Justus laughed again, but there was an edge to it now. "Big words from a dog. I've killed dogs before. I've killed a lot of things. What makes you think you're any different?"

Aiden didn't answer. He just lunged.

It happened so fast Maika barely had time to process it. One moment Aiden was standing there, the next he was on Justus, his claws raking across the bigger man's face. Justus roared, a sound of pure rage, and swung a massive fist that connected with Aiden's ribs. Maika heard bone crack, but Aiden didn't falter. He sank his teeth into Justus's shoulder, tearing through leather and flesh, and Justus howled.

The pub erupted into chaos. Patrons scrambled for cover, tables overturned, drinks spilled. Maika drew his knife - a simple blade he'd picked up gods knew where - but he didn't know where to strike. Aiden and Justus were a whirlwind of violence, crashing into tables, smashing chairs, leaving destruction in their wake.

Aiden was fast, impossibly fast, but Justus was stronger than anything Maika had ever faced. Justus grabbed Aiden by the throat, lifting him off his feet, and slammed him into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster. Aiden gasped, kicking out, his claws scoring deep gouges in Justus's arms, but Justus didn't seem to feel it.

"Fucking die," Justus gritted out, and pulled a knife from his belt - a long, curved blade that glinted in the firelight.

He drove it into Aiden's side, twisting as he thrust. Aiden made a sound that was more animal than man, a ragged scream of pain, and finally, finally, Justus dropped him.

Aiden hit the floor hard, blood pooling beneath him. Justus loomed over him, knife raised, and Maika saw it all playing out - saw Aiden dying, saw himself alone again, saw the chains closing around him once more.

He couldn't let that happen.

Maika launched himself at Justus, knife leading, but Justus was ready. He backhanded Maika with enough force to send him sprawling, and the world spun sickeningly. When his vision cleared, Justus was standing over him, grinning.

"Cute," he said. "Very cute. I'll break you both, starting with the loud one."

He raised his knife again, but before he could strike, Aiden was there. Not standing - he couldn't stand, not anymore - but crawling, dragging himself across the floor, leaving a trail of blood. He grabbed Justus's ankle, sank his claws in deep, and yanked.

Justus stumbled, and that was all the opening Aiden needed. He surged upward, his good hand clawing at Justus's face, and Maika saw the moment his fingers found their mark. Aiden hooked his claws into Justus's eyes and pulled.

Justus screamed, a raw, broken sound, as his eyes were torn from their sockets. Blood streamed down his face, thick and dark, and he thrashed blindly, knocking over another table. Aiden didn't stop. He kept clawing, tearing, until Justus collapsed, moaning, clutching his ruined face.

"We need to go," Maika said, grabbing Aiden's arm and hauling him up. "Now."

Aiden leaned heavily against him, his breathing ragged. "Fucker got me good."

"I can see that. Can you run?"

"Not run. Move. Maybe."

They stumbled out of the pub, into the cool night air. Maika could hear shouts from inside, people organizing, someone yelling about fetching the guards. They didn't have much time.

"This way," Aiden said, pointing toward the forest. "There's a cave I know. Old den, nobody uses it anymore."

"Lead the way."

They moved as fast as Aiden could manage, which wasn't fast enough. Maika could hear pursuit behind them - shouts, dogs barking, the crackle of torches. But the forest was dense, and Aiden knew it, even after all these years. He led them through deer paths and hidden trails, over streams and through thickets, until the sounds of pursuit faded into the distance. Maika followed, trusting the werewolf's nose and instincts more than his own elven sight in the gloom.

The cave was exactly where Aiden said it would be, a narrow fissure in a limestone cliff, half-hidden by ferns and ivy. It was dry inside, and deep enough that they could build a small fire without being seen from outside.

Aiden collapsed onto the stone floor with a groan that was half pain, half exhaustion. Blood soaked his side, dark and slick against his skin, and his breathing came in shallow ragged gasps.

"Fucking hell," he muttered, pressing a hand to his ribs. "That giant bastard hits like a fucking siege engine."

Maika was already moving, stripping off his pack and digging for their meager supplies. "Let me see."

Aiden peeled back his torn shirt with a grimace, and Maika hissed at what he found. The stab wound was deep, jagged where Justus's blade had twisted on its way out. Not fatal, not with Aiden's healing, but bad enough.

"Hold still," Maika said, uncorking a flask of spirits. "This is going to hurt like a son of a bitch."

"Everything hurts like a son of a bitch today." Aiden grabbed a folded blanket and jammed it between his teeth. "Do it."

Maika poured the alcohol over the wound, and Aiden's whole body jerked, a muffled scream tearing through the gag. His back arched off the stone, muscles corded with pain, and Maika worked quickly to clean the wound before he could pass out. He stitched it with needle and gut thread, his hands steady despite the way his own heart was hammering in his chest.

When it was done, Aiden slumped back against the wall, sweat beading on his forehead, his face pale beneath the tattoos. "Fuck. That was worse than the actual stab."

"You'll live." Maika bandaged the wound and sat back on his heels. "Probably."

"Comforting as always, elf." Aiden closed his eyes, his breathing slowly evening out. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

They fell silent, and that was when Maika's thoughts started turning. He couldn't stop them, couldn't shut his brain off no matter how hard he tried.

He thought about the fight - about Aiden, half-shifted and snarling, throwing himself at a man twice his size without hesitation. He thought about how close it had been, how easily Aiden could have died. And he thought about himself, standing there with his knife in his hand, useless while his mate bled for him.

Maika had been trained as a sellsword. He'd spent centuries fighting for coin, killing men who deserved it and plenty who didn't. He was fast, skilled with a blade, and he knew how to end a fight before it started.

But Justus had beaten him. Not once, but many times. Every time Maika had tried to fight back, every time he'd tried to escape, the slaver had crushed him like he was nothing. Justus was a brute, yes, but he was also a skilled fighter in his own brutal way, and he'd taken pleasure in reminding Maika exactly who was stronger.

Maika had never been a match for him. Not even close.

And Aiden - Aiden, who was arguably the stronger, more feral of the two of them - had nearly been outmatched tonight. He'd won, but it had been close. Too close. If Justus had landed even one more solid blow, if his friends had been there to back him up, Aiden would be dead.

Maika looked at his own hands, long-fingered and calloused from sword and harp strings both. They were capable hands. But they weren't enough. Not for this life, not for the enemies they made, not for the world they traveled through.

If he were a werewolf, he could have helped. He could have fought beside Aiden instead of standing on the sidelines. Aiden wouldn't be lying here bleeding, wouldn't have almost died over him.

The thought settled in his mind and took root, growing with every passing minute.

He could be turned. Aiden could do it - Aiden was an alpha, and alphas could turn their mates. Maika had heard stories, knew the basics of how it worked. A bite, a sharing of blood and power, and then the agony of the first shift.

It would change everything. His body, his mind, his life. He would be something else entirely, something that lived half in the human world and half in something wilder and older.

But maybe that was what he needed. Maybe that was what they both needed.

Aiden's breathing had slowed into sleep, his face relaxed in unconsciousness. Maika watched him for a long moment, then quietly moved to the cave entrance to keep watch.

The forest was waking up around them - birds calling, small creatures scuttling through the undergrowth. It was peaceful, deceptive in its calm. Maika knew better. Justus would be coming. His people would be coming. They couldn't stay here forever.

But they could stay for a few days. Long enough for Aiden to heal, long enough for Maika to make up his mind.

Three days passed in a blur of tension and waiting. Maika hunted small game, gathered what he could from the surrounding forest, and spent hours sitting by Aiden's side watching the werewolf's slow but steady healing. The wound knit together, the fever broke, and by the third day Aiden was moving around the cave like nothing had happened.

Mostly.

"I smell like a dead thing that's been left out in the sun," Aiden announced on the morning of the third day, wrinkling his nose. "We need to find water. A lot of it."

"There's a stream about half a mile east," Maika said without looking up from the fire he was tending. "I found it yesterday."

"A stream isn't going to cut it. I need a proper bath. I need to scrub this filth off my skin before it becomes permanent." Aiden stretched, testing his side, and nodded approvingly when it didn't protest too much. "Come on. We're going hunting for a waterfall."

"I didn't know we were hunting waterfalls now."

"There's a lot you don't know, elf." Aiden grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder. "Come on. I can smell it from here."

The walk through the forest was tense but uneventful. Maika kept his eyes and ears open for any sign of pursuit, but the woods were quiet. Either Justus hadn't sent anyone after them yet, or they were being remarkably incompetent about it. Maika didn't trust either possibility.

They found the waterfall about an hour later, crashing down into a clear blue lagoon surrounded by smooth grey stones and thick green ferns. It was beautiful, the kind of place Maika would have lingered to appreciate in another life.

"Right then." Aiden started stripping off his clothes without hesitation, tossing them onto a rock with careless disregard. "Last one in is a coward."

"I'm already a coward," Maika said, but he started undressing too. "I'm the one who let you do all the fighting."

"Bullshit. You were ready to jump in if you had to." Aiden stepped into the water with a sigh of pure pleasure, ducking under the cascade and letting it pound over his shoulders. "Fuck, that's good. Get your ass in here."

Maika waded in more slowly, the cold water shocking against his skin. He watched Aiden scrub at the dried blood and dirt, watched the water run brown and pink down the werewolf's back. He looked good. Strong and alive and infuriatingly stubborn.

Everything Maika wasn't.

"What's on your mind?" Aiden asked, not turning around. "You've been quiet since we left the cave."

"Just thinking."

"About what?" Aiden turned to face him, water streaming from his hair and beard. "And don't give me that 'nothing' bullshit. I can practically hear your brain working from here."

Maika hesitated, then decided to hell with it. They were mates, for better or worse. If anyone was going to understand, it would be him.

"About the fight," he said. "About Justus."

Aiden's expression darkened. "What about him?"

"I was never a match for him." Maika said it flatly, without emotion. "I tried to fight him, back when he first took me. I tried to escape more times than I can count. He beat me every single time, and he enjoyed it."

"I know." Aiden moved closer through the water. "You told me."

"But I don't think you really understand." Maika looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "I'm a sellsword, Aiden. I've been fighting for centuries. I'm good at it. But against him? I was nothing. I couldn't win. I couldn't even hurt him."

"So?"

"So I'm thinking about what would have happened if you hadn't been there tonight. If you'd been somewhere else, or if you hadn't been with me at all." Maika took a breath. "I'd be dead. Or back in chains, and Eru knows I'd rather be dead."

"But I was there. And you're not in chains." Aiden reached out to touch his face, wet fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that I can't keep doing this." Maika leaned into the touch. "I can't keep being the one who needs protecting. I can't keep standing on the sidelines while you bleed for me."

"You think this is about you being weak?"

"I think it's about me being not strong enough. Not for this life, not for the enemies we make." Maika hesitated, then said it before he could lose his nerve. "I want you to turn me."

Aiden's hand stilled against his face. "Turn you?"

"Make me a werewolf. Like you."

Aiden stared at him for a long moment, like he was waiting for the punchline. When Maika didn't say anything else, he let out a short sharp laugh. "You're serious."

"Deadly."

"Fuck." Aiden ran a hand through his wet hair, sending water flying. "You have any idea what you're asking for?"

"I think so."

"You don't." Aiden's voice was rough now, almost angry. "You think you do, but you don't have the first fucking clue."

"Then explain it to me."

Aiden turned away, pacing through the shallow water. "Fine. You want to know what it's like? It's not just getting stronger, Maika. It's not just being able to shift into a wolf. It's losing yourself. It's having something else inside you, something wild and hungry and fucking relentless, and it doesn't give a shit what you want. It wants what it wants, and you'll spend the rest of your life trying to keep it from eating you alive."

He turned back to face Maika, his eyes burning. "And that's just the start. If I turn you, you're pack. My pack. That means you're my omega, and I'm your alpha. It's not just a word, it's a biological imperative. You'll be bound to me in ways you can't even imagine. You'll feel what I feel, want what I want, and there won't be a damn thing you can do about it."

"I'm already bound to you."

"Not like this." Aiden stepped closer, invading Maika's space. "You'll have heats, Maika. Cycles where your body demands things you might not be ready to give. Where you'll be so desperate to be filled, to be claimed, that you won't be able to think straight. And you'll need me to get you through it. Every single time."

"I can handle that."

"Can you?" Aiden's voice dropped, low and dangerous. "You think you can handle your body not being your own anymore? You think you can handle the pain of the first shift? Because let me tell you, it's not like stubbing your toe. It's like every bone in your body is being broken and re-knitted, like your skin is being ripped off and grown back new. It hurts like nothing you've ever felt, and it goes on for hours."

He was close now, close enough that Maika could feel the heat radiating off his body. "And when it's over, you're not you anymore. You're something else. Something that sees the world differently, feels things differently. The person you were? He's gone. And he's never coming back."

Maika listened to all of it, took it all in, and felt something settle in his chest. Something like certainty.

"Good," he said.

Aiden blinked. "Good?"

"Good." Maika met his eyes, held them. "I don't want to be who I was. I don't want to be the person who was too weak to fight back. I want to be something else. Something stronger."

"Even if it breaks you?"

"Especially if it breaks me." Maika reached up and curled his hand around the back of Aiden's neck, pulling him closer. "Make me break."

Aiden stared at him for a long moment, searching his face like he was looking for any sign of hesitation. When he didn't find any, something in his expression shifted - something hungry and fierce and possessive.

"Your funeral, elf."

He closed the distance between them and kissed Maika, hard and demanding. It wasn't gentle, wasn't sweet. It was teeth and tongue and desperation, a claiming that had nothing to do with words and everything to do with the way Aiden's hands gripped his hips, pulling him flush against his body.

Maika kissed him back just as hard, just as desperate. He'd never wanted anything more in his life.

The water was cold around them, but their bodies were hot, pressed together from chest to thigh. Maika could feel Aiden's hardness against his own, could feel the way his heart hammered against his ribs, matching the frantic rhythm of his own pulse.

Aiden's mouth found his again, hungry and demanding, and Maika opened to him without hesitation. There was no gentleness left in either of them, not tonight. Just this desperate need to touch and take and be taken in return.

Maika's hands slid down Aiden's back, fingers digging into the muscles there, feeling the scars that mapped his mate's history like a roadmap of violence and survival. He traced the line of Aiden's spine, down to the curve of his ass, pulling him closer until their hips ground together.

"Fuck," Aiden groaned against his mouth. "You feel good, elf."

"So do you."

Aiden laughed, low and rough, and captured Maika's bottom lip between his teeth, biting just hard enough to make him gasp. "Bet I taste better too."

"Arrogant bastard."

"You love it."

Maika couldn't deny it. He did love it - loved the way Aiden took what he wanted without apology, loved the way his big hands moved over Maika's body like he owned every inch of it. Maybe he did. Maybe that was part of what made this feel so right, so inevitable.

Aiden's hand closed around both their cocks, wrapping calloused fingers around their lengths and stroking them together. The friction was delicious, slick water and hard flesh, and Maika threw his head back, exposing his throat without thinking.

Aiden took the invitation, his mouth trailing down the line of Maika's jaw, nipping at the sensitive skin of his neck, tasting the salt on his skin. "I could get you off just from this."

"Prove it."

Aiden growled, slid his foreskin down over the head of Maika's cock, docking them together, and tightened his grip, stroking them faster, harder. The water splashed around them as they moved together, hips rocking in a rhythm that was rapidly growing desperate. Maika could feel the heat building in his belly, could feel his balls drawing up tight, and he knew he wasn't going to last.

Not like this. Not with Aiden's hand on him, Aiden's body pressed against him, Aiden's scent filling his head until there was nothing else, the silken heat of Aiden's foreskin kissing the head of his cock, their cockheads rubbing, cock fucking cock, so good...

"Aiden," he gasped, fingers digging into Aiden's shoulders. "I'm -"

"I know." Aiden's voice was rough, strained. "Me too."

They moved together faster, the water churning around them, and then Maika was coming, his body arching as he spilled into Aiden's foreskin, gushing so hard it poured out of where their cocks joined together. Aiden followed him over the edge a heartbeat later, his seed mixing with Maika's in the water between them.

For a long moment they just held each other, chests heaving, hearts racing. The waterfall roared in the background but Maika barely heard it. All he could hear was the sound of Aiden's breathing, the rush of blood in his own ears.

Then Aiden pulled back just enough to look at him, and his eyes were glowing gold in the fading light. Not human eyes anymore. Aiden didn't warn him. He just leaned in and fastened his teeth over the curve where Maika's neck met his shoulder, and bit down.

The pain was sharp and sudden, a white-hot flash that made Maika cry out. But beneath the pain was something else - a connection, a bond snapping into place between them like a physical thing. He could feel Aiden in his mind, could feel the wolf that lived inside him, and it was both terrifying and exhilarating.

Aiden held the bite until blood welled up around his teeth, hot and coppery on Maika's skin. Then he released him and licked the wound clean, his tongue rough against the sensitive flesh.

"There," he said, his voice thick with satisfaction. "Now you're mine."

Maika reached up to touch the bite marks, his fingers coming away sticky with his own blood. "Yours."

"Damn right." Aiden caught his hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the bloody fingertips. "Now we wait."

"For what?"

Aiden grinned, all teeth and predatory hunger. "For the fun part."

They moved to the grassy bank, stretching out together as the sky turned from gold to purple to deepening blue. The air was cooling now, but Maika didn't feel cold. He felt like he was burning from the inside out, like something was rewriting itself in his very cells.

He rested his head on Aiden's chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart, and let his eyes drift closed. He felt safe here, felt protected in a way he hadn't in centuries. Maybe ever.

"You okay?" Aiden asked after a while, his fingers combing through Maika's damp hair.

"Yeah." Maika shifted closer. "It feels... strange."

"Strange how?"

"Like something's changing. Inside me."

"That would be the wolf making itself at home." Aiden pressed a kiss to his forehead. "It's going to get worse before it gets better. Just so you know."

"I can handle it."

"We'll see." Aiden's voice was dry but not unkind. "You haven't felt your bones break and knit themselves back together yet. That's a whole new level of fun."

Maika smiled against his chest. "I'm sure you'll be there to hold my hand."

"Or laugh at you while you scream. Could go either way."

"Asshole."

"You love me."

"Yeah." Maika closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of him - pine and musk and something wild that he couldn't name but that made his wolf - his wolf, now, and wasn't that a thought - stir in recognition. "I really do."

"I love you too." Aiden took Maika's hand in his.

They lay together as the stars came out, scattered across the sky like diamonds on black velvet. The forest was quiet around them, the night creatures stirring but keeping their distance. Even the wolves were silent tonight, as if they knew better than to intrude on this particular territory.

Maika could feel the change happening, slow and inexorable. His senses were sharpening, the world coming into focus with a clarity he'd never experienced before. He could hear the heartbeat of small creatures in the underbrush, could smell the decay of fallen leaves and the musk of a fox somewhere nearby, could feel the pulse of the earth itself beneath him.

It was overwhelming and exhilarating all at once.

"How long?" he asked eventually.

"Before you shift?" Aiden considered. "Could be hours. Could be minutes. Depends on how strong the bite took, how receptive your body is to the change."

"And if it doesn't take?"

Aiden snorted. "It'll take. I'm not exactly a weakling, and neither are you. Our wolves are going to be fucking terrifying together."

Maika laughed softly. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"It's supposed to make you feel excited." Aiden shifted, rolling onto his side to look at him. "Because once you shift, once you feel what it's like to run on four legs and hunt with your own teeth and howl at the moon like you mean it... you're never going to want to go back to being just an elf again."

"I'm already not an elf," Maika said quietly. "Not really. I haven't been for a long time."

"You're whatever the fuck you want to be." Aiden leaned in and kissed him, slow and sweet. "But tonight, you're my omega. And tomorrow, you're going to be a wolf."

"Your wolf."

"Damn right." Aiden's eyes glowed in the darkness. "Now get some sleep. You're going to need it."

Maika closed his eyes and let himself drift, wrapped in Aiden's arms, the bite on his neck throbbing in time with his heart. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, didn't know if he'd wake up as the same person who'd fallen asleep.

But for the first time in a very long time, he didn't care.

The change came with the moonrise.

Maika woke to the sensation of his skin stretching, his bones shifting beneath the surface. It wasn't painful exactly, not yet - more like a deep ache that permeated every muscle, every joint. He lay still for a moment, listening to the night sounds around him, and realized he could hear more than he ever had before.

Aiden was already awake, watching him with eyes that gleamed in the moonlight. "It's starting."

"I can feel it."

"Good." Aiden sat up, stretching, and Maika could see the tension in his shoulders. "This is the hard part. The first time, your body fights it. It doesn't understand what's happening, so it tries to resist. You have to let it happen. You have to surrender to the wolf."

"I know." Maika pushed himself up, his muscles protesting. "I'm ready."

"Are you?" Aiden reached out, cupping his face in one broad palm. "Because this is going to hurt, Maika. It's going to hurt like nothing you've ever felt. Your bones are literally going to break and reform themselves. Your organs are going to shift. Your senses are going to overload until you can't think straight."

"I know."

"And when it's over, you're not going to be the same." Aiden's thumb traced the line of his jaw. "The person you were before tonight... that person is gone. You need to understand that."

Maika covered Aiden's hand with his own, holding it against his face. "I do understand. I want this. I want you. And if this is what it takes to be with you the way I need to be, then I'll pay the price."

Aiden's expression softened, just a fraction. "You really are a stubborn bastard."

"I've been called worse."

"Plenty of times." Aiden leaned in and kissed him, hard and brief. "Alright then. Let's do this."

The pain started in his spine, a deep grinding sensation that made him gasp. Maika fell forward onto his hands and knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps as his body began to reshape itself. He could feel his vertebrae shifting, could feel the muscles in his back tearing and knitting back together in new configurations.

"Breathe," Aiden said, his voice a steady anchor in the storm. "Just keep breathing. Don't fight it."

Maika tried, but it was hard to think, hard to do anything but endure as his body broke and remade itself. His shoulders cracked, widening, his arms lengthening, his hands curving into claws. He could feel fur sprouting across his skin, thick and silver-gray, the same color as the hair on his head.

The worst was his face. He could feel his jaw extending, his nose flattening, his teeth sharpening into fangs. It felt like his skull was being split open from the inside, and he couldn't hold back a cry that was more animal than human.

"I've got you," Aiden said, and Maika could feel his hands on his shoulders, grounding him. "I'm right here. Just let it happen."

Maika let go. He surrendered to the pain, to the change, to the wolf that was rising up to claim him. And as he did, the pain began to recede, replaced by a strange new sensation - power. Pure, primal power, coursing through his veins like liquid fire.

When it was over, he lay panting on the grass, his body strange and new and utterly right. He could hear everything - the wind in the trees, the heartbeat of a rabbit nearby, the distant call of an owl. He could smell everything - the earth beneath him, the musk of his mate, the scent of prey somewhere in the darkness.

He opened his eyes and saw the world differently, through eyes that could see in the dark as clearly as in the day. Everything was sharper, more vivid, more alive.

Aiden was crouched beside him, also in wolf form, a massive dark-furred beast with golden eyes that burned like molten metal. He looked at Maika and let out a low rumble of approval.

Maika tried to speak, to say something, but what came out was a whine, a sound of confusion and wonder.

Aiden nudged him with his wet nose, then threw his head back and howled.

The sound echoed through the forest, wild and free, and Maika felt something rise up in him in response. He threw his head back too, and howled, the sound tearing from his throat in a rush of joy and liberation.

This was who he was now. This was what he was meant to be.

Aiden bumped against him, playful and demanding, and Maika understood the invitation without words. Run.

He took off at a sprint, his new body moving with a grace and power he'd never known as an elf. He could run forever like this, could chase the moon itself across the sky. Aiden ran beside him, matching him stride for stride, and together they raced through the forest, dodging trees and leaping over fallen logs with effortless ease.

They ran until their lungs burned and their muscles screamed, until the forest blurred around them and there was nothing but the wind in their fur and the moon above and the pure joy of movement.

And then they ran through something else - a shimmer in the air, a doorway between worlds, and the forest fell away into something new and unknown.

But Maika didn't care. He was with his mate, he was a wolf, and he was finally, truly free.

---

​For Andy, my husband, my wolf, my co-conspirator in every world we fall into and claw our way out of. We started our relationship in February 2025, and somehow a year later you are still here, still choosing me, still daring me to be braver than I was the day before. This story is for our first year of breaking and remaking each other, of surviving old ghosts and building something feral and tender and entirely our own. Written in February 2026, with all the love, fire, and stubborn devotion I have for you, now and in every timeline.

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