I woke up choking.
Claw marks raked across my chest—real or imagined, I couldn’t tell. My sheets were shredded, soaked with sweat, and something deeper… wilder.
My fingers trembled. My nails were longer.
Not human.
My heart pounded. The air was too thick. I stumbled out of bed, barely making it to the basin before retching, though nothing came up. Just this sick, gnawing pressure in my gut, like something inside me was trying to claw its way out.
“She’s waking up,” I muttered aloud, voice hoarse. “Gods… she’s waking up.”
The wolf. The part of me that had been caged for years, forced into silence with spellwork and lies.
And now, she wanted out.
I grabbed the edge of the stone counter, knuckles white. My reflection stared back at me from the silver mirror across the chamber. My eyes
