Chapter 239: Get off Rhydor

Rhydor’s POV

I stood in the center of the quiet, smoky courtyard, my mind spinning as I stared at the magnificent white creature resting on the grass.

Only one person calls me a jerk.

The familiar tone of her voice still echoed inside my head, instantly shattering the heavy wall of grief that had consumed my life for weeks.

"Pumpkin," I stammered out, my voice raspy and trembling as the word slipped past my lips.

The white creature lifted her sleek head, her sharp fox ears twitching as her ocean-blue eyes narrowed at me in pure irritation.

"Seriously, Rhydor?" Her voice rang clearly inside my mind, her tone thick with annoyance.

"All the other men in this world call their women sweet things like angel, my love, my honey, my star, or my beauty... and you decided to call me the one vegetable I hate the most?"

My legs finally remembered how to move. I pushed myself up off the dirt, walking toward her with slow, hesitant steps as a watery laugh escaped my throat.

"Pumpkin is actually a fruit, not a vegetable," I corrected gently, coming to a halt right beside her massive white shoulder.

She tilted her head to the side, giving me a flat, sarcastic look.

"Oh, fantastic," she projected back smoothly. "Now you want to stand here in front of everybody and announce to the entire pack that I am dumb?"

A loud laugh burst from my chest. Without hesitation, I threw my body forward, wrapping both arms tightly around her thick, white, furry neck.

I buried my face deep into her soft coat, inhaling the sweet, unmistakable scent of rain and mountain air that belonged entirely to her.

"I missed you so much," I sobbed openly, my tears soaking into her fur as my entire body shook.

"I missed you so much, Pumpkin. I genuinely thought I was never going to see your face again."

I pressed my lips against her furry neck, pecking her continuously in desperate, rapid succession, completely uncaring of who was watching.

The white creature huffed, raising her head and projecting her voice so loudly into the mind link that every single warrior standing nearby could hear her clearly.

"Can someone please come over here and peel this man off me before he gets me pregnant in public?" she announced with dramatic exasperation. "Right here in front of the entire army?"

A sudden wave of quiet laughter broke out among the surrounding warriors. Across the field, our guards were already tying up the remaining enemy soldiers who had surrendered after their leader fled through the portal.

Silas stepped through the thinning gray smoke, his sword held loosely at his side as his eyes went wide as saucers.

"Azura?" Silas gasped, stopping dead in his tracks and staring at her form in sheer disbelief.

She turned her large white head to face him, her eyes brightening as her long jaw parted slightly, showing off her sharp teeth in a playful wolfish grin.

"Hey there, Silas," she projected cheerfully. "Long time no see."

Silas kept staring, his brow pulling down in utter confusion.

"Your wolf... looks incredibly weird, Azura."

The white creature’s ears flattened instantly against her skull.

"You know what?" she projected back in a completely flat tone. "Fuck you, Silas."

Silas burst into a genuine chuckle, shaking his head as he wiped blood from his forehead.

I loosened my grip slightly, pulling my head back just enough to look into her bright blue eyes.

"I missed you so deeply. How on earth could I not even tell it was you standing right in front of me?"

"Because you are a confirmed jerk," she smirked in my head, flicking her ears.

I tightened my arms around her neck again, burying my face back into her warmth.

"I missed you so much, Pumpkin. Please do not leave me. Promise me you will never leave my side again."

Your men are all still standing around watching us, she pointed out, her tone turning slightly awkward as she shifted beneath my weight.

You are literally crying like a baby right in front of your entire army.

"I do not care about any of them," I said firmly, shaking my head against her neck as more tears spilled down my cheeks.

"I do not care who sees me. I just want you right here with me. Just do not leave me again."

"Seriously, Rhydor, you actually have to let go of me right now," she grunted, her white shoulders wriggling as she tried to nudge me away with her snout.

"You are being incredibly weird. Leave me alone for a second."

A sudden, sharp groan of pain echoed from the far side of the clearing.

We both turned our heads toward the sound. Axel was lying near the forest line, slowly trying to push his upper body off the bloody grass.

Silas rushed over instantly, wrapping a steady arm around his shoulders to help him sit upright.

Azura stood up fully, her nine white tails swaying through the air. I kept my arms locked around her neck, practically being dragged upward with her movement.

"Ew..." she projected, squirming under my grip. "You are going to make me turn around and run away into the woods if you keep clinging to me like a needy parasite."

I quickly straightened my posture, stepping back on the grass and holding my hands up in defeat.

"I am sorry. I am so sorry."

She lowered her head slightly, studying my face with a look of genuine surprise.

"I never knew you were capable of smiling like that."

I dropped my eyes for a brief second, feeling a warm heat rise to my cheeks, before looking right back at her.

"You are the most beautiful wolf I have ever seen in my life."

She tilted her head, her white ears twitching as if she were contemplating a deep philosophical question.

"I do not actually think I am a regular wolf," she replied thoughtfully. "I honestly cannot tell what kind of creature I am right now. But if I were given the choice to name my own species... I would name myself the Queen of Beauty."

A soft chuckle escaped my lips.

"You are indeed the Queen of Beauty, Pumpkin."

"So..." she asked, looking down at her four white paws with sudden realization, "...how exactly do I transform back into a human?"

I blinked at her in total confusion.

"You do not know how to shift back? Then how did you manage to transform into this magnificent form in the first place?"

"I literally just woke up like this," she said, shrugging her white furry shoulders in a surprisingly human gesture. "I have no idea how to change back. Wait... am I stuck like a giant furry beast forever?"

"Calm down," I said softly, stepping closer and speaking in a steady, reassuring tone.

"It is very simple. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and focus entirely on the image of your human body. Your wolf will do the rest."

Azura closed her eyes tightly, her long white snout pointing toward the sky.

"Okay," she said after two seconds of silence. "Am I back to normal yet?"

"No," I chuckled warmly, shaking my head.

"Just take a slow, deep breath first. Do not rush it."

She drew a massive breath of fresh air into her lungs, holding it for a second before opening her blue eyes again.

"Am I back now?" she asked hopefully.

She was still standing firmly on four paws in her giant white wolf form.

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her impatience.

"Calm down, Pumpkin. Just relax your mind."

Before the words fully left my mouth, a sudden loud POOF echoed through the air.

Unlike standard werewolf shifts that involved the loud cracking of bones and the slow rearranging of muscles, a thick cloud of sparkling white smoke erupted around her body.

The smoke cleared in a split second, revealing her human form standing on the grass.

She was entirely human, breathtakingly beautiful, with her silky hair falling around her shoulders. But something was completely wrong.

All nine fluffy white tails were still attached to her lower back, swaying gently in the breeze.

Azura opened her eyes, letting out a happy sigh.

"Yes! I am finally back!"

As she shifted her shoulders, she felt a soft, heavy weight brush against the back of her neck. She turned her head around, her eyes catching sight of the nine white tails brushing against her ankles.

"Ah!" she shrieked out loud, her human voice ringing through the courtyard as she began spinning in fast circles, desperately trying to grab her own tails to pull them off.

"Ah! I have tails! Why do I still have tails?!"

I stood there watching her frantic, adorable panic, unable to laugh. A fresh wave of hot tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision as the sheer reality of her presence sank deep into my soul.

I rushed forward, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist and pulling her small body flush against my chest. I buried my face into the crook of her neck, letting my tears fall freely onto her skin.

"Do not ever scare me like that again," I sobbed quietly into her neck, holding her so tight she could barely move. "Please, never do that to me again."

Azura stopped her frantic spinning instantly, her arms hanging loosely at her sides as she felt my entire frame trembling against her.

"Did you really miss me that much?" she asked quietly, her soft voice laced with genuine confusion.

"I honestly thought you would heal quickly and move on with your life."

"Do not ever say something like that," I said firmly, pulling back just enough to look straight into her face.

"I missed you every single second of every single day. I could not stop thinking about you. My heart was broken without you."

She looked up at me, her soft grey eyes searching mine. A tiny, mischievous smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"I would not go so far as to say I missed you..." she said softly, her voice filled with quiet playfulness, "...but I suppose I kind of did. A little bit. Just a tiny, mini amount."

A wet laugh escaped my throat as I pulled her back into a fierce embrace, holding her against my heart as if she might vanish if I let go.

"I do not care how small it was," I whispered tearfully into her hair.

"I just want you to know that mine was larger than the entire ocean."

I leaned down and pressed a long, gentle kiss against her forehead, holding her securely in my arms while the sun finally broke through the fading battle smoke.