{ Mia }
The world was a blur of heat and hunger.
I could feel it the raw, untamed force surging beneath my skin, pressing outward, clawing to be free. My nails lengthened, digging deeper into his throat. His pulse pounded beneath my grip, fast and uneven. Fear. I could taste it in the air.
Ash growled in my mind. " Finish this!"
My arm moved before I could think, claws slicing through the air toward his face.
No!
I wrenched my own hand back at the last second, my breath ragged. The hunger roared in protest, but I dug my heels in, forcing it down. This wasn't me.
I wasn't a monster.
The captor's eyes widened not in terror, but in something else. Amusement. Understanding.
"You're fighting it," he murmured, voice hoarse from my grip. "How… fascinating."
Ash snarled. "Stop hesitating! "
I flinched as a sharp pain flared in my skull. My own body wasn't fully my own anymore. Ash was pushing. Hard.
I clenched my jaw. "Get out of my head!"
The force pressing against me wavered just for a moment but it was enough. I shoved away from the captor, my body shaking as I stumbled back. My breath came fast and heavy.
The shadows around us pulsed, curling toward him protectively.
He chuckled, rubbing his throat. "You don't even know what you are yet, do you?"
I swallowed hard, my hands trembling, my nails still sharp but no longer claws. My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
Ash's voice came softer this time. "Mia, why did you stop?"
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know.
I just stood up brushing the dust off myself. " Don't follow me." I snarled, walking away.
Just then, the man grabbed my wrist firmly. " You can't leave just yet sweetheart. You have something I need..."
Ash calmly whispered. " Let me Mia."
" Promise m you won't hurt him."
" But—"
" No buts Ash it's either this or nothing."
" Fine!" She growled.
I closed my eyes and surrendered myself to the power swirling deep inside me.
The moment I let go, the world shifted.
A firestorm of energy surged through me, burning and exhilarating all at once. My breath hitched as my muscles tensed, something deep inside stretching, awakening.
Ash growled in satisfaction." Yes, Mia. Just like that. "
I gasped as my body changed. My skin prickled with heat, my bones humming with raw power. My nails lengthened again sharper, stronger. The cave lights flickered, reacting to me.
No.
To us.
A deep, primal instinct clawed its way to the surface, filling every inch of me. My senses sharpened the scent of stone, the pulse of magic in the air, the faintest tremor of the man's heartbeat beneath his skin.
He still had my wrist in his grip.
Big mistake.
I snapped my head up, locking eyes with him. His smirk was gone. He felt it now.
The shift. The awakening.
I grinned, baring my teeth only they weren't teeth anymore. Too sharp. Too predatory.
His fingers twitched around my wrist, hesitating.
Good.
I moved.
Faster than before.
One second, he had me. The next, I had him.
I wrenched my arm free, spinning behind him in a blur. My movements were effortless, like I'd done this a thousand times before. My instincts knew what to do, even if I didn't.
Ash purred in my mind." Stronger, faster…"
My captor turned, shadows curling around him like armor. "Impressive," he mused. "But you're still holding back."
I flexed my fingers, watching as razor-sharp claws glinted in the dim light. Holding back? Maybe.
I tilted my head, feeling the primal hunger simmering beneath the surface. The urge to tear, to strike.
Ash's voice was soft but firm. "No more hesitation, Mia. You were meant for this."
My breath came slow, steady. "I'm not afraid of you," I said.
He smirked again. "You should be."
I launched forward, ready to attack but suddenly the man smirked and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
" See you very soon sweetheart..." He whispered, sending shivers down my spine.
" Let's go." Ash growled. My body instinctively followed orders like it didn't belong to me anymore.
" Where are we going?" I whispered.
" To show you something."
I stalked through the trees, my claws sinking into the damp earth with every step. The night air was thick, heavy with the scent of pine and fresh rain, but all I could focus on was the voice in my head.
"You're being ridiculous," Ash huffed.
I growled low in my throat. "I am ridiculous?! You just hijacked my body and nearly turned me into a damn monster!"
"A monster?" Ash scoffed. "That 'monster' just saved your life, sweetheart. You should be thanking me."
I bared my teeth, snapping at nothing but air. "I didn't ask for this!"
"Didn't you?" Ash's voice curled through my mind, smooth, knowing. "You wanted power. You needed it. And now that you have it, you're scared."
I let out a frustrated snarl and kicked a rock, sending it flying through the underbrush. My muscles still felt too tight, too strong, like they weren't my own. The weight of this body, this form, was wrong.
I shouldn't be walking on all fours. My hands no, paws shouldn't be clawing into the ground. My ears twitched, catching sounds I'd never noticed before the distant rustle of an owl's wings, the heartbeat of a rabbit hiding in the brush.
It was overwhelming.
And Ash wasn't helping.
"Just shut up," I muttered. "I need to get back to camp."
"No."
I stopped, my hackles rising. "No?"
"Not yet," Ash said, "You need to see."
"See what?" I snapped.
There was no answer, just a tug in my chest like an invisible thread pulling me forward. I snarled, resisting, but my paws moved on their own, leading me away from camp.
"Where the hell are we going?"
"You'll see soon enough."
I growled under my breath but didn't fight it. The trees thinned, giving way to a clearing. A pool of water stretched out before me, its surface dark and still beneath the moonlight.
I hesitated.
A deep feeling curled in my stomach, a warning.
"Look."
I swallowed hard, my ears flattening as I stepped toward the edge. Slowly, hesitantly, I peered into the water.
And the breath left my lungs.
A wolf stared back at me.
Not just any wolf.
Me.
Large, sleek, powerful my fur was snowy white , my eyes glowing gold in the moonlight. My claws, long and sharp. My fangs, glinting as my reflection bared its teeth in shock.
I took a step back, heart hammering. "No…"
"Yes." Ash's voice was softer now. "This is who you are, Mia. Who you were always meant to be."
I turned away from the water, shaking my head. "No. I-I can't be—"
"You already are."
I squeezed my eyes shut, willing my body to change back. Willing myself to wake up from whatever nightmare this was.
But nothing happened.
I was still a wolf.
I was still me.