The Vex compound did not merely change during a full moon. It warped.
For forty-eight hours, the opulent estate reverted to something archaic and feral. The polished glass and structured steel of the mansion seemed to shrink against the oppressive weight of the celestial cycle. Down in the valley, the pine forests shivered without a breeze, and the air itself grew thick, smelling of crushed pine needles, ozone, and the sour, sharp tang of pure adrenaline.
Seraphina stood by the large arched windows of the eastern corridor, her hands pressed flat against the cool glass. Her teeth ached. It was a bizarre, maddening sensation—a deep, rhythmic throb in her jaw that didn't belong to her. Through the fraying edges of the mate bond, she could feel the rest of the pack down in the lower quarters
