We kissed and I lost all sense of time.  It was like going somewhere new and coming home all at the same time. We kissed until we were both panting and I was shaky, but for once not from fear.

"I need to stop, Elise," he told me, pushing back from me.

I did not argue. We climbed up onto the rocky outcrop and I sat beside Matthias, our legs dangling over the edge.

Matthias held my hand in his and I marveled at how much bigger than me he had become.

I had always been a bit smaller than him, but this was ridiculous. Although I did not actually mind.

How had I been so blind as to what was right before me? It was so obvious now.

I wonder if my family was going to be surprised or if they had already suspected. They better not give me any irritatingly knowing looks, I thought. His family was going to be intolerable.

"So, how should we tell our parents?" I asked.

"Well, we open our mouths and use our vocal cords and tongues to—"

I gave him a shove with my free hand. "You open your mouth way too much, buddy," I teased.

"Buddy? Really? You can't think of anything better to call me? Besides, can you honestly say you haven't liked anything I said in the last few hours or so?" He pulled out his fake wolf pup eyes and I rolled mine at him.

"Seriously, though. Should I just text my dad? I don't know when I'll see my family and again in person. It would be nice if we were able to just go and see them together."

"Get him to bring you," Matthias suggested.

I cringed at the words. "I c-can't do that, h-he's as busy as dad is."

Matthias looked angry but quickly hid his reaction to my cowering. "Maybe you could just come with me now. We're already pretty close to the border."

I shook my head. "I wish, but you know I can't. I'm already surprised that I made it this far without breaking down."

"Wanted to see me that badly?" he teased.

I considered lying to tease him, but I decided to be nice. "Yes, but I think maybe it had more to do with the fact that I made my choice. I'm hoping. Or maybe time."

"That's a good sign that this might work," he commented.

I nodded, although the rest of my curse fear did not seem to have lessened.

"Oh," I said as what was really going on began to reveal itself in my mind.  It was not that I could go further from Serge at all.

Serge had followed me.

My stomach sank. It was just another layer of torture he piled on himself, trying to help me in whatever way he could.

The curse flared up and I could feel myself shaking.

"What is it?" Matthias asked. His brows were furrowed and his eyes were fixed on me.

"I just figured out why I was able to come this far. H-he followed me."

"He what?" Matthias said. The burning coals of his temper had just flared up into a roaring blaze.

I held on to Matthias's hand more tightly. "Not like that. He was probably trying to help me because he must have heard me leave and knew I was trying to get to you."

"But he—"

I cut him off before the fright consumed me at his words. "H-he's not an ogre, Matt. H-he wants this lifted more than anyone."

"I doubt that," Matthias said, but he relaxed against me.

I did not doubt my assessment. I sometimes worried about the extent Serge would be willing to go to break the magic off of me. He had gone so far as to be willing to promise me his future in some noble attempt to remove the magic.

I was willing to do nearly anything to escape the curse. My father and Matthias might have been willing to kill one who had harmed me for my sake, but I did not believe that they would kill Serge in cold blood.

Most of all, I feared that Serge was willing to die to free me and I did not want that to happen. What would he do if the time came when there was no longer the pressure of the eastern wolves still upon us? Would he simply give up and die?

Fear, both real and cursed, overwhelmed me at the thought.

"We're going to find a way," I whispered.

"We are," Matthias agreed.

I leaned over and kissed him again. This had to work because so much was riding on it. We had to bend the curse bond until it would finally break. "I've got to go."

He did not argue. He just kissed me again.

"I'll let my family know when I get back, you talk to yours," he said decisively.

"Okay, Matt," I agreed.

I slipped off into the trees and transformed again. Carrying my clothes between my jaws, I went back to Matthias who was already a wolf.

He put his head on me and I nuzzled his neck one last time, then we broke apart.

I did not want to go. I definitely liked where things were going and I delighted in the way the curse seemed muted when he was near me. I had assumed it had been a reaction to being around my old pack, but not all the members of my father's pack had that affect on me. Besides Matthias, just dad and Sean were able to chase enough of those nervous chills away for me to find real  momentary relief. Would my mother would have had the same effect if she were still here?

Now that Matthias and I were engaged, though I could scarcely fathom the word as a description for my state, his effect against the curse seemed even better. It gave me hope that there was something to the idea that a new bond of love might break the curse.

One way or another, I was anxious to try. Matthias and I would make it work. Moramay would probably be willing to set up our wedding since I was in no shape to handle it and the werewolves were all too busy.

But first, I had to find Serge.

With one last look at Matthias, I slipped out of the clearing and into the deeper depths of the trees and I searched for Serge.

It took a while, but it was not that hard, because he was ever the centre of the circle I could traverse without extra suffering. The crippling fear began to sweep over me when I got too far, so then I simply travelled a rough ninety degree angle back into the circle.

I could smell him before I reached him and I approached cautiously so that I would not startle him. Hopefully he was at least relaxing while he waited.

To my disappointment, I found him sitting at attention. He watched me as I approached and I felt sudden guilt that I did not speak to him about my choice before I went after Matthias. Not because he was more important, but because he was my pack leader in our twisted way. Because I could not help but empathize with him.

I hid my pity, because it would only make him feel worse. Prickles of fear ran down my neck, but I resisted the urge to cower before him.

He relaxed as I neared. I kept my head down and my tail tucked between my legs, but still I walked towards him.

He caught my eye and jerked his head to indicate that I should follow him. I nodded. I had hoped to talk to him right away, but I could not see any of his clothing around and I certainly was not up to speaking to him while he was nude.

Our conversation would be uncomfortable enough without that extra layer of embarrassment. It was a shame we could not communicate as readily when we were wolves. I would have appreciated my furry armour.

Instead, I had a long run back to anticipate my nerve wracking conversation with Serge. What was he was thinking and what was he was going to say?

Despite my anxiety, I was happy to run through the forest. Serge was letting me set the pace and I brushed aside the tendrils of fear that I was not acting as I should. The feeling of dodging trees and rocks was invigorating.

It did not take long to return to the clearing around Serge's house.

I ducked back into the trees where I was well out of sight. I shed my wolf form and dressed in my clothing again. I walked reluctantly out to see if I could spot Serge.

He was nowhere in sight, so I walked into the house. He would be back their soon if he was not inside already.

Denizen came out to greet me. He wagged his tail and got in my space like he was fond of doing. I scratched him. "How're the pups, boy?" I asked.

He panted and wagged his tail harder, almost as if he understood me, but his reaction was only pleasure at my attention, not real understanding. I knelt down beside him and kept up my ministrations on his fur.

Looking into his pale amber eyes—those first eyes that I had been able to meet in this new pack of mine—I whispered, "Denizen, I'm going to need you to take care of S-Serge for me, okay? I probably won't be with y-you guys forever and I'm worried how things will be for h-him if I'm gone."

I hoped I was wrong, but I feared what would happen someday if Serge no longer had all his duties to keep him moving forward.

I rubbed Denizen in exactly the way I had come to know he liked. His head lolled in pleasure.

He snapped to attention. The prickles on my neck announced Serge's return.

I stood up slowly and turned around to face him.