For Fox's Sake (#3, Completed)

39. Hero

NATALIA

Grunts and growls erupted around me, growing louder. Two amber eyes glowed from the shadows and I felt a shiver down my spine.

Despite my nerves humming with adrenaline, a calmness washed over me when I locked gaze with the feral wolf shifter.

"It's alright," I said softly as I approached him with caution, my palms turned upward to show I was harmless. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He snarled viciously at me, lips curled back to reveal razor-sharp teeth. His fur was matted and caked in dirt, his ribs were painfully visible beneath. How long had he been suffering like this?

"I promise you, I mean no harm."

Drawing deep within, I kept reaching out to him with my powers until I felt a connection form between us. The sheer force of his terror hit me; yet still I held on, cradling his panic in my mind, soothing it with my own calmness and determination. The more I clung to him, the more his fear, confusion, memories of his past life and the terrible anguish came flooding in through the threads of our connection, making my heart ache with sorrow. I had been him once, lost, afraid, alone. I knew the feeling too well, and it was something I never wanted anyone else to endure.

My body trembled while I focused on the bond between us, channelling warmth, strength, and an affirmation of safety through it. Little by little, his snarls softened until all that was left was a quiet whimper. My gaze never wavering from his, I inched closer and dived into his mind.

Chaos and despair swirled inside. Trails of his humanity were scattered throughout like broken glass, shattered fragments that slowly I started putting back together.

After what resembled an eternity, the rage in his eyes subsided, replaced by a dawning clarity, and a ripple of astonishment and disbelief crossed his features.

As our tether grew stronger, pulsating with an intense energy, his form began to shift. His fur receded and limbs lengthened, until a naked, trembling human stood before me. A middle-aged man with unkempt hair and a scruffy beard. Tears ran down his dirt-smudged cheeks as he looked at his hands, flexing his fingers.

James joined us in an instant, draping a blanket around the man's shoulders.

"Welcome back," my mate said gruffly.

The man blinked before he stumbled backwards in a daze. "What...what happened?"

"You were lost for a while," James replied. "But you're safe now."

His frantic gaze met mine before shifting to pure gratitude. "Thank you," he managed to croak. "Being like that...it was a living hell. But you brought me back."

Little did he know I understood all too well the fear and helplessness he had felt, but it didn't matter anyway. The important thing was that he was safe now.

A sense of satisfaction rose in my chest as I smiled at him. This was why I did what I did, to help those who had lost themselves.

"Ronan... he wanted to control us," the shifter rasped, his voice barely audible. "He said our territories would be his..."

"Don't worry about him. He can no longer hurt anyone," I reassured him as the guards appeared to take him to the medical wing.

As soon as they left, I swayed, drained from the effort of bringing the man back, my knees giving out beneath me. But James was there, his arm strong and steady at my waist. "Let's get you sitting down."

He guided me towards a nearby sofa and gently eased me onto the seat. Every use of my abilities to this extent exacted a heavy toll, but the elation of succeeding far outweighed that.