Heart of a Beast

Chapter 30 | Tiberius

The shift was excruciating.

Tiberius' knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground as pain shot through his skull. He cried out in a roar as he clutched his head. His bones snapped and cracked as his muscles turned to jello and shifted position to accommodate the transformation from beast to man.

He could sense Crystal there with her mother at her side to keep her grounded and pull her out of arm's length as he thrashed about on the ground, howling in agony.

It was almost as bad as his first shift, and after an hour, he fell still, lying weak and breathless and coated in dirt.

When the pain subsided, warmth engulfed him. He pried open his heavy eyes and blinked several times before the world came back into focus.

His head was in her lap, her fingers brushing through his hair, and a blanket covering him from the shoulders down. Rhonda had disappeared. It was just him and his mate out there with a few birds singing off in the distance.

"Hey there, cowboy. You're a lot hairier than I thought you'd be."

His tongue swiped out to lick his dry lips as he grinned. "I reckon that'll happen after not shaving for a few years."

His voice was hoarse, but it didn't surprise him. He hadn't been able to use his vocal cords in a year.

Looking up, he beheld the most beautiful sight he would ever gaze upon and would have the joy of gazing upon for the rest of his life.

There was love, pride, and joy shining in those blue-green gemstones.

He couldn't believe it. She said those three little words and finally broke the curse.

He thought he heard her wrong. When he didn't immediately shift, his heart broke. She didn't love him. Couldn't love him. He'd be stuck like this until the day they died—unable to touch her with human hands, unable to kiss her, unable to make love to her, unable to seal the matebond, and unable to have pups and a life together forever.

But it happened. The moment she chased after him and went to comfort him, he saw it in her eyes.

She felt it. She felt their bond and gasped when his eyes met hers and a second later, the first bolt of pain struck through his skull and the shift began.

His muscles were hardening now, but he was still weak and tired from the exertion of shifting. Despite that, he reached up, fighting against the pull of gravity, and brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hey, Beautiful."

Her cheeks lit up like he knew they would. It would take some time for her to accept and get used to it, but that meant more blushes that would warm his heart.

Besides, it was true. She was beautiful. She couldn't see it yet, but someday, she would. He'd make sure of it.

"You had me worried there," he confessed. "I thought you said the magic words without meaning them."

Her brows furrowed. "How could I..."

She trailed off as warmth flooded over her face again as she put the puzzle pieces together. She leaned into his palm and closed her eyes as he pressed it to her burning cheek. Her heart was dancing an ecstatic rhythm, matching his own in pace and tempo.

"We did it, Beautiful. You did it. The curse is broken. I couldn't tell you how to break it because those three little words had to come from your heart." He grinned. "Now I can finally claim what's mine."

He pushed himself up and captured her lips.

She froze as fireworks exploded within him. His heart burst, the shockwaves reaching out to his fingertips and down to his toes. Her lips were soft, the kiss chaste, and she relaxed a couple of seconds later as her heart thundered in his ears.