My bones begin to shift and crack, the sound echoing through the garden. But instead of terror, I feel relief.
Finally,
Finally, this is happening.
The transformation takes longer than I expected. Kael warned me that the first shift is always the hardest, the most painful. But as my spine elongates and my limbs reshape, as my human consciousness melds with something wild and primal, I understand why wolves crave this freedom.
When it’s complete, I’m on four paws instead of two feet, looking out at the world from an entirely different perspective. Everything is sharper, brighter. I can smell things I’ve never noticed before—the jasmine blooming in the gardens, the scent of other wolves from the palace, the crisp autumn air carrying promises of winter.
Kael kneels in front of me, his ey
