GWEN
The air was thick with tension under the moonlight. I stood quietly with Angela as the last few wolves finished shifting in the clearing. Their powerful bodies burst into fur and muscle, and within moments, the forest was alive with the pulse of pawbeats. Councilman Darion, already in his wolf form, lifted his head and howled, a long, deep sound that echoed through the hills.
That was the signal.
Without hesitation, the mass of wolves dashed into the forest, like shadows melting into the trees. Only a few remained behind. Those who could not shift, those without mates, or those simply watching the tradition unfold. I found myself taking a deep breath, a strange weight pressing on my chest. The night was more than just a ritual.
Angela turned toward me with a small smile. “They’r
