For Fox's Sake (#3, Completed)

38. Marshmallow

For the first time, fear and uncertainty gripped me, but I shoved them aside. I had to be strong because I wasn't just fighting for my life, I was fighting for hers.

"Come back to me, Natalia." Her name was a desperate plea. "Please. I need you."

Suddenly, Ciara lunged, her teeth sinking into my shoulder. I was knocked off balance, crashing to the ground with her weight on top of me. Pain exploded where she had bitten me, but I forced it to the back of my mind. My focus narrowed down to one single thing—to bring her back, and the pain was just a distraction.

It was all or nothing now... and so far, I couldn't get through to her, no matter what I did or said.

There was still one final thing I hoped would work. My last hope.

Through the pain, I mustered all the strength I had left. Ciara was bearing down on me, her gaze wild and lost, her claws at my throat. But I also knew that Natalia was there, trapped and scared and fighting to break free. My heart ached, not from the physical pain that the wolf was inflicting on me, but from the torment that my mate was enduring. I had to act.

"I submit, Ciara," I gasped out. I let my body relax beneath her, my hands dropping away from her arms to fall limp at my sides. My eyes closed halfway, showing her my submission, my surrender.

For a moment my mate's wolf went still, the fight bleeding out of her, hesitation flickering in her gaze.

It was still Ciara in control, but there was a glimmer of Natalia, a spark of recognition that told me my words were having an effect. I breathed a sigh of relief, joy and hope and love welling in my chest because she was back—

But it was short-lived as the wolf bore down on me again, fully consumed by frenzy. The next moment blurred—a roar, a flash of teeth, searing pain once more. 

All I could do was force out the one word that was ours. That could reach through to her. "Marshmallow."

The growling ceased instantly. Ciara flinched, as if struck by a physical blow, and her grip on me slackened. I saw the conflict in her while my mate and her wolf fought the feralness.

For a moment, everything was silent. The ferocity in the wolf's eyes softened, the snarl on her lips eased into a frown of confusion. Natalia was breaking through, but it was still not enough.

"I love you, little wolf." I murmured.

Ciara's claws gradually withdrew from my skin and I felt the warm trickle of blood, the sting as oxygen reached the fresh wounds. But that pain was grounding.

"Come back to me, Lili." The desperation lingered in the air, heavy and palpable, even as my words faded. "I know you're in there. I need you to fight. For us. Come back so that I can love you and worship you the way I always should have."

With a final shuddering growl, Ciara's body convulsed, every muscle rippling under her coarse fur. I held my breath, feeling the thud of my heart reverberate against my ribcage as I witnessed Ciara's wild gaze melt away to be replaced by confusion and a hint of the familiar blue I knew so well.

Time seemed to stand still, each second an eternity, as her form started to shift. Clawed paws retracting into slender fingers, fur melting into skin. I had seen shifters change a million times in my life, but it had never been this beautiful in its essence. This was not just any shift—it was my mate returning to me.