The forest held its breath.
The trees had gone still. The air was so thick with power it felt like time itself had cracked.
Vireya stood in the center of the altar ring, her body humming with raw, boundless energy. Her skin glowed faintly, her fingers twitching with heat. The last of the pain had burned away, but something bigger, older, was unfurling inside her now.
Her wolf wasn't whispering anymore.
She was stepping forward.
Not from the shadows.
From within.
"Let go," the voice said.
"Let me in."
Vireya didn't resist.
She opened her arms, her lungs, her soul and the fire exploded out of her in one final, blinding pulse.
She fell forward—
And didn't hit the ground.
Because there was no ground anymore.
Just light.
And then...
Claws.
When the glow faded, the creature that
