KADE’S POV
The training grounds behind my family's villa were empty at this hour, which was exactly why I'd chosen them. No witnesses. No one to see what shifting had become for me.
I stood at the edge of the tree line bordering the property, sweat already gathering at the back of my neck though I hadn't moved yet. Just breathe. Call him forward. That's all it takes.
It used to be that simple. Roto used to answer before I even finished the thought, our bond so seamless I couldn't tell where I ended and he began. Now I stood in the gray morning light, fists clenched, begging my own body to cooperate.
I closed my eyes and reached inward.
The shift came slow, wrong, like dragging something heavy through mud. My bones ached before they even began to change, a deep protest that had nothin
