Caitlyn’s POV
I woke up cold.
My shoulder ached like someone had buried fire under my skin.
The stitches Rael gave me were holding, but just barely. I tried moving my arm. Bad idea. Pain cut through me so sharp it nearly forced a sound out of my mouth.
Almost.
I shouldn’t still be like this. Wolves are supposed to heal. That’s how it works. Skin pulls itself together. Bones shift back. Blood remembers its job.
But not me.
Not right now.
Something about the feral that clawed me felt wrong. Its claws were covered in more than just rot. Whatever was on them was made to stay. It burned deep. Not just in the body, but in whatever part of us still knows how to howl.
There’s another part no one ever says out loud.
Healing takes energy. Shifting takes more. And I haven’t shifted in month
