There was no pain, only relief as my body contorted and fur sprang from my skin when my hound merged with me. I had never been able to properly describe the way we were separate yet not. The part of my mind that always remained me and in control, even when my hound was out, waited for Al to freak.
It would’ve been too hard to face his reaction if I counted on his assurances that he wouldn’t lose it upon seeing me shifted.
I let out a small chuff to tell him I was done.
Al turned around and never flinched. In fact, he smiled, and I saw something akin to affection in his expression. “There you are.”
In hellhound form, my head reached his shoulders. I let him study me, knowing that he would think I was a monster. I didn’t resemble a wolf at all; my body was more stocky than sleek and my f
