Penelope sat in the dim glow of candlelight, staring at the flickering flames as if they held the answers she so desperately needed. Her thoughts swirled in a tangled mess, the weight of her discovery pressing against her chest like a heavy stone. The hybrids weren’t just outsiders — they were her people. Werewolves who had once been loyal to the kingdom, twisted into something monstrous.
Her stomach churned as she recalled Bridget’s healing, her strange gaps in memory, and the eerie wrongness Penelope had felt when she reached out for her wolf. She had always trusted Bridget, relied on her, even in her past life. Now, that trust was tainted with uncertainty. Was her friend truly lost, or was there still something of the real Bridget left inside?
She wrapped her arms around herself, tryi
