ARIA
My wolf didn’t simply release control. She folded inward, pulling away from the surface and sinking deep inside me, like an injured thing retreating to hide and lick its wounds.
Kael’s look of disgust had done real damage. It cut clean and deep, breaking both of us in the same moment. When awareness returned, my body was already reacting, muscles tightening as the shift began.
The room stayed silent. No one rushed me. No one stared. Someone stepped close and placed folded clothes in my hands. I took them automatically, fingers stiff, eyes fixed on the floor.
“Is there any way to fix it?” My voice sounded distant, like it didn’t belong to me. “Can magic repair my bonds?”
Mireya hesitated. She glanced at Karin, then back at me, her face careful. “Honestly, I don’t know. There’s v
