I lay there in the silence, gasping for air. I finally looked down and stared at my palms, watching the last faint threads of violet light sink beneath my skin until they vanished completely. My hands were shaking so violently I had to tuck them against my chest. The silence of the woods felt heavy now, broken only by the ragged, hitched sound of my own breathing.
I pulled my knees to my chest, trying to cover myself as much as possible in the dirt. My leggings were ruined, my skin was scraped and stinging, and the metallic tang of blood from my torn cheek was thick in the air.
Why? I whispered into the dark of my mind. Why are we so weak? Why didn't you help me?
My wolf didn’t answer. She was a silent, shivering weight, more terrified than I was. But if she hadn’t done that... what had
