Brie's POV
The ache under my skin turns sharp. I open my eyes and the sliver of sky above the boulders glows silver.
It is time for the full moon.
“Eight hours done,” I say. My voice sounds flat in the stone circle. “The shift should start….”
Pain hits my spine first. I count fast to keep myself distracted. One breath in. Two hold. Three breath out. Four hold. Five take a deep breath in again. I continue but my bones crack anyway. I bite my lip until blood fills my mouth. The taste is metallic and disgusting.
“Stay quiet,” I tell myself. “Pack patrols move at night and sound travels.”
My arms twist. Joints pop like dry sticks. I drop to my knees in the dirt. ‘Breath. In. One pulse, Two, Three, Breathe out.’ The pressure builds behind my eyes, throbbing with every heartbeat I count. I
