Pain.
Blinding, searing, all-consuming.
Lyra's body convulsed as the transformation overtook her, fire igniting in her veins, her bones shifting beneath her skin. The agony wasn't just physical—it was something deeper, something ancient unraveling inside her, rewriting her very existence.
The world spun.
She couldn't focus, couldn't breathe. Shadows bled into her vision, the towering trees twisting into distorted shapes. The moon above burned like a silver eye watching her descent into madness.
A scream ripped from her throat—except it wasn't a scream at all.
It was a snarl.
Raw. Primal.
Her fingers curled against the dirt, but they were no longer fingers. Claws.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, a wild and erratic rhythm. But it wasn't just hers. She could hear everything.
The sharp crunch of leaves beneath Kaidën's massive paws as he fought.
The distant heartbeat of a deer frozen in the underbrush.
The steady breathing of unseen figures lurking in the darkness.
She wasn't alone.
Predators.
Hunters.
And she was one of them.
The thought sent a jolt of fear through her, sharp and paralyzing.
No. No, this isn't happening.
Panic surged in her chest, but the more she resisted, the stronger the transformation became.
A shadow moved in the corner of her vision.
Too late.
A heavy force slammed into her side, sending her sprawling into the underbrush. She crashed against the damp earth, the breath knocked from her lungs. Her ribs ached from the impact, but something deep inside her welcomed the pain.
She rolled, her new limbs responding with eerie familiarity, as if she had always known how to move like this.
Then—
A growl.
Low. Deep.
Powerful.
Her head snapped up.
Kaidën stood between her and her attacker, his wolf form bristling with rage. His golden eyes burned like molten fire, his body coiled with lethal intent.
The enemy—another wolf, its fur the color of blood—hesitated.
That was all Kaidën needed.
In a blur, he lunged.
The impact sent both wolves tumbling into the undergrowth, their snarls tearing through the night. Claws raked, jaws snapped, and bodies collided with brutal force.
Lyra's breath hitched. She tried to stand, but her limbs still felt foreign. She was too disoriented, too weak—
Move, damn it!
A sharp growl to her left made her spin.
Another wolf emerged from the darkness, its eyes gleaming with hunger.
Its gaze locked onto her.
She knew that look.
A predator stalking its prey.
Her heartbeat slammed against her ribs. She wasn't ready. She didn't even know what she was.
But the predator didn't care.
It lunged.
And Lyra moved.
The instinct wasn't hers. It was something deeper, something buried in her bones, awakening for the first time.
She ducked.
The attacker's claws missed her by inches.
She turned, muscles coiling—
And then she leaped.
Her body responded effortlessly as if she had done this a hundred times before. She collided with the wolf in mid-air, their bodies crashing together. They rolled through the dirt, a mess of claws and tangled limbs.
She could smell its fear.
The realization hit her like a blow.
It wasn't just her instincts taking over.
She was enjoying this.
The thought barely registered before her teeth snapped toward its throat.
And then—
"Lyra!"
Kaidën's voice cut through the haze.
Lyra froze.
The world sharpened.
The wolf beneath her whimpered, scrambling away the moment she loosened her grip.
She stumbled back, her breath coming in ragged bursts.
What… what had she just done?
Kaidën, still in his wolf form, padded toward her. His golden eyes met hers, something unreadable flickering beneath the surface.
Then, slowly, he shifted.
The transformation was seamless—his body stretched, bones realigning, dark fur retreating. Within seconds, Kaidën stood before her once more, bare-chested, his breathing heavy. A faint scratch marred his collarbone, but otherwise, he looked unharmed.
"Lyra," he said, his voice softer now. "Breathe."
She tried. She really did. But her body wasn't hers anymore.
Everything was too sharp, too overwhelming.
The scent of blood. The rustle of leaves. The wind shifting against her fur—
Fur.
Her stomach dropped.
She wasn't human.
Not anymore.
Kaidën reached for her.
"Stay back," she rasped, her own voice unrecognizable.
"Lyra—"
"Stay back!"
She turned and ran.
—
The forest swallowed her whole.
The moment her paws hit the ground, her body knew what to do. She moved, faster than she ever had before, the wind cutting against her skin—no, against her fur.
Her breath came in sharp bursts. She needed to get away. Needed to—
From what?
Herself?
The question lodged in her mind, twisting like a knife.
She had changed.
Not figuratively. Not metaphorically. Literally.
She had shifted.
Like them.
Like Kaidën.
Her chest heaved as she tore through the underbrush. But no matter how far she ran, the truth followed.
She wasn't normal.
She never had been.
And she had felt it. The power, the instincts, the hunger.
It had felt right.
Panic clawed at her throat.
She reached a clearing, the moon looming above her. The sight made her slow, her body instinctively pulling toward it.
The full moon.
Silver light bathed her fur. A tremor ran through her—something deep, something that whispered her name like a long-forgotten lullaby.
This was where she belonged.
Her breath hitched.
No.
No, she couldn't accept that.
She needed to go back. Needed to—
A rustle behind her.
Her ears twitched before she even processed the sound.
Then—
"You shouldn't have run."
Lyra whirled.
Kaidën stood at the edge of the clearing, watching her.
He hadn't made a sound, but somehow, she had felt him approaching.
Her claws dug into the dirt.
"Don't," she warned.
Kaidën didn't move.
"You're scared," he said, voice calm. "I get it."
"You don't get it," she snapped.
"Really?" His gaze softened. "You think I don't remember my first shift? The fear? The confusion? The way my own body felt like a cage I couldn't escape?"
Her breath caught.
She wanted to argue. To tell him he couldn't possibly understand.
But the way he looked at her—steady, patient—made her hesitate.
"I don't want this," she whispered.
Kaidën exhaled, stepping closer. "You don't have a choice."
She squeezed her eyes shut. "What happens now?"
A beat of silence.
Then—
"You learn," he said.
Lyra opened her eyes.
Kaidën's expression was unreadable. "And you fight."
She swallowed hard.
The night stretched around them, thick with secrets.
And for the first time, Lyra wasn't sure she wanted to know the answers.