Commander Lexa De Wolfie

    The wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves in a familiar melody, but it was not the same. Not without her wolf.

    It had been six months since Lexa had died saving them. Six months since Clarke had knelt in the dirt, cradling the lifeless body of the wolf who had been more than a guardian—more than a friend. She had buried her with shaking hands, whispered words of love and gratitude into the cold night air, and waited.

    Waited for the bark that never came.

    Waited for the heavy thump of paws against the earth, for the reassuring nudge of a wet nose against her palm.

    Waited for her.

    And still, she came to this place every night, sitting on the fallen tree where they had spent so many evenings together. The stars above had witnessed her grief, the forest had swallowed her sobs, and the earth beneath her feet had absorbed her silent pleas.

    She missed her so much it ached.

    And then—

    Rustling leaves.

    A snapped twig.

    A muffled curse.

    Clarke tensed. No one came this deep into the forest this late. Hand gripping the knife at her belt, she turned toward the noise—

    And froze.

    A woman stepped forward, emerging from the shadows like something out of a dream.

    Tall. Strong. Her dark brown hair was tousled, her sharp jawline kissed by moonlight, and her eyes—those eyes.

    Green, wise, gentle. Familiar in a way that made Clarke’s breath catch in her throat.

    The woman walked toward her with a strange, nervous energy, as if she wanted to run but forced herself to move slowly. Clarke’s pulse pounded. Her mind scrambled for an explanation, but her body—her soul—already knew.

    The woman stopped in front of her, hesitant but sure, and spoke.

    "Hello, Klark."

    Clarke’s world tilted.

    That voice.

    Low, steady, laced with warmth and something unbreakable.

    Who—?

    What—?

    Before she could even form a thought, another voice called out from behind the woman.

    "Damn it, Lexa! You're going to scare her! Great, she's too stunned to even speak."

    Another woman stepped into view, followed by an older one, both looking uncannily alike.

    Clarke barely registered them. Her mind was still stuck on one thing.

    Lexa.

    She had called her Lexa.

    But—Lexa was—

    "It's me," the woman said, voice thick with emotion. "Commander Lexa de Wolfie."

    A watery smile. Green eyes brimming with tears.

    Clarke’s heart skipped a beat.

    No, no, it couldn’t be.

    Lexa was gone.

    She had died in her arms.

    She had buried her with her own hands.

    But—

    The warmth in those familiar eyes.

    The scent that was brought by the wind.

    The same undeniable presence that had always wrapped around her like a protective shield.

    Her body moved before her mind caught up.

    Clarke surged forward, throwing herself into Lexa’s arms. The moment their bodies collided, the last six months of sorrow, of waiting, of aching loss crashed down on her.

    She sobbed into Lexa’s shoulder, gripping her like she might vanish again.

    Lexa’s arms wound around her just as tightly, her fingers threading through Clarke’s hair, grounding her, holding her together.

    Her scent, her warmth—it was all the same.

    Clarke gasped for breath between sobs. "I don't care if I’m losing my mind. I don’t care if this is a dream or if I’m dying—"

    A soft chuckle rumbled through Lexa’s chest.

    "Klark," she murmured, pressing her cheek against Clarke’s hair. "You're not crazy, you're not dreaming, and you’re certainly not dying."

    Clarke clung to her, afraid to let go.

    Lexa pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes, her hands cradling Clarke’s face with infinite tenderness.

    "I'm real. I'm here. Gaia gave me and my family another chance to live." Her thumbs brushed away Clarke’s tears. "And all I wanted—more than anything—was to find you. To hold you. To keep you safe, my sweet girl."

    Clarke let out a choked laugh between sobs. "I said all of that out loud, didn’t I?"

    Lexa smiled, her own eyes wet with unshed tears. "You did."

    Clarke didn’t care.

    Didn’t care how or why Lexa was here.

    Didn’t care if it made no sense, if the world had broken its own rules.

    All that mattered was that Lexa—her Lexa—was home.

---

    Clarke led the three women back to her family’s house, her heart pounding with every step.

    She didn’t know how this was possible.

    Didn’t know how her Lexa—once a massive, noble wolf—had returned after six months, now in human form.

    But she wasn’t going to question it.

    Not yet.

    The how could wait.

    Because right now, all she cared about was that Lexa was here.

    Alive.

    Back with her.

    When they reached the house, the porch lights cast a warm glow on Jake and Abby, who stood at the door, worried expressions on their faces. Clarke had been out longer than usual, and they had been about to go looking for her.

    Raven had just arrived, having rushed over when Abby called, worried sick that Clarke hadn’t come home on time.

    Then Clarke dropped the biggest bombshell of the century.

    "Guys, this is Becca, Anya, and… Lexa."

    She gestured first to the older woman—Lexa’s mother, then to the sharp-eyed brunette—Lexa’s sister.

    And finally, to her.

    Lexa.

    Lexa, who had died protecting her.

    Lexa, who now stood beside her, human and very much alive.

    Jake, Abby, and Raven stared at her like she had finally lost her mind.

    Jake blinked. "Clarke… did you eat some wild mushrooms out there? Or strange berries? Because you’re making no sense."

    Jake rubbed his temples, "why would you call a complete stranger Lexa? That was your wolf. Your dead wolf. This isn’t funny."

    Meanwhile, Abby looked at Lexa, observing.

    Raven, however, was in full panic mode. "Oh no. No way am I losing my best friend to madness. Nope. Lexa de Wolfie would haunt me if she knew I let Clarke go crazy on my watch. Damn it, Clarke!"

    She ran both hands through her hair, pacing. "You—You must have hit your head, or—No, wait! Maybe this is a test! Yeah, Lexa’s ghost is testing me! Dammit, Wolfie, I’ll take care of her, okay? Just don’t haunt me!"

    But then—

    The woman in question, Lexa, chuckled.

    Low, warm, and unmistakably her.

    And Raven froze.

    Lexa smirked, looking directly at her. "Well, I am Lexa de Wolfie, Reivon. Clarke isn’t crazy."

    Silence.

    Raven’s jaw dropped.

    She slowly turned to Clarke, then to Lexa, then back to Clarke.

    Then she collapsed onto the couch, staring into the abyss. "So… all of you have lost your minds. That has to be it."

    She waved a hand. "Don’t mind me. I’m just going to sit here and process the actual madness happening this room."

    Clarke sighed, shaking her head. "I knew you were going to be dramatic about this."

    Raven pointed at her. "Dramatic?! Clarke, you just told me our dead wolf turned into a person. And you expect me to just nod and move on?"

    Lexa smirked again. "I’d expect nothing less from you, Reivon."

    Raven groaned. "Nope. Nope. I need a drink. And maybe an exorcism."

    Jake and Abby still looked stunned, but Clarke turned back to Lexa, heart swelling.

    Because no matter how impossible this was—

    No matter how much her family needed time to accept it—

    Lexa was here.

    Real.

    And Clarke wasn’t going to let her go.
---
    Lexa hadn’t realized she had been dead for six months.

    That her newfound family—her pack—had mourned her.

    That Clarke had been inconsolable.

    "She moped around, stared into the forest, and cried—like she’d lost a girlfriend, not just a big, fluffy wolf," Raven had muttered, arms crossed.

    Lexa’s chest ached.

    She had never wanted to cause Clarke pain.

    For three days now, she and her family—Becca and Anya—had stayed with the Griffins.

    Jake had no heart to send them back into the forest despite being unconviced of them being wolves.

    But something didn’t add up.

    He had asked them the simplest questions—ones any normal person should be able to answer.

    Their last name? They didn’t have one.

    Their job? They had lived in the forest their entire lives.

    Their home? Gone. Their pack was gone.

    No addresses. No paperwork. No jobs.

    Just… wolves.

    So Jake let them stay in the small guest house behind the main house, since there was no space inside.

    And now, three days later, they all sat in the living room, trying to make sense of it all.

    Lexa told them about Gaia.

    Their goddess.

    The great white wolf.

    About their talk… and how she and Anya and Becca had been sent back.

    Thankfully, fully clothed.

---
Flashback

    One moment, there was warmth.

    A voice, echoing in her bones.

    Then the sensation of falling.

    Lexa hit the ground hard, but when she scrambled up, she realized—

    She was human.

    She looked over. So were Anya and Becca.

    Anya groaned, stretching fingers and limbs she hadn’t had in decades. "Well, at least we’re not naked."

    Becca exhaled in relief. "Gaia must have some mercy, after all."

    But then it hit Lexa—

    That feeling.

    The same pull she had always felt when Clarke would return from college.

    That invisible thread tying her to the girl she had followed for years.

    Clarke was close.

    Lexa ran.

    Or at least, she tried.

    Her new legs wobbled, and she hit the ground again, hard.

    "You absolute idiot," Anya groaned, dragging her up. "You’re not used to walking like this!"

    But Lexa barely heard her.

    Clarke was close.

    She could smell her.

    So she ran.

    And then—

    There she was.

    Sitting on a fallen tree just outside the treeline, golden hair gleaming in the fading sunlight.

    Anya cursed behind her. "Lexa, calm down! If it’s really her, you’ll scare—"

    But then Clarke turned.

    And the moment their eyes met—

    Everything else blurred.

    Lexa had been high on adrenaline, on the sheer joy of seeing Clarke again.

    But then her heart broke.

    Because her sweet girl…

    She was thinner.

    Eyes dimmer.

    Posture slouched, where once she had stood tall, confident.

    She hadn’t been okay.

    Because of her.

    So when Clarke rushed forward, arms flinging around her, sobbing into her shoulder—

    Lexa held her back, tight.

    She buried her face in golden hair and whispered a prayer of gratitude in her mind.

    Gaia, I love her. Thank you for giving me a second chance to love and protect her.

---
End of Flashback

    The room fell into silence.

    No one doubted it anymore.

    It was real.

    No one had lost their minds.

    And somehow… Abby took it the easiest despite her medical background.

    She exhaled, glancing at Jake before looking at the group. "This… isn’t as impossible as you might think."

    Jake frowned. "Abby—"

    "It’s time to tell my father’s story."

    That caught everyone’s attention.

    Abby leaned forward, voice steady. "He told me a tale once. Of a wolf, reborn as human—for love, and for a great deed."

    Jake’s eyes widened. "What—"

    She nodded. "My father was that wolf."

    Dead silence.

    Lexa blinked. "What?"

    Abby smiled softly. "My mother saved him when he was a wolf. And when he was given a second chance… he returned the favor. He guarded this ranch. It was my mom's family’s land, before they gave it to Jake and me after we married."

    Clarke sat up straight. "Wait—Grandpa? I thought he's gone?"

    Abby nodded. "He’s still alive. He and your grandma are traveling the world now. They wanted to enjoy the rest of their lives anonymously."

    Jake muttered something under his breath, shaking his head.

    Abby just smiled. "I’ll ask him to come home. Maybe we all can ask his advice."

    She turned to Lexa, eyes kind. "For now, you can stay here. I know Clarke won’t be letting you out of her sight anytime soon."

    Then she winked.

    Lexa smirked as Clarke groaned, face burning.

    Raven snorted. "Yeah, Clarke, be honest—were you mourning your pet, or your lost love?"

    Clarke whined. "I hate all of you."

    But Lexa just pulled her closer, warm and solid and here.

    Maybe Clarke's soul had fallen in love with the soul of her wolf without realizing.

    But honestly—

    Who wouldn’t, when they were constantly brought flowers and honeycombs by the most loyal creature in the world?