Lean's POV
The cold frontier air wrapped around us like an icy bite as the transformation receded and we slowly returned to our human forms. The change hadn’t been kind. Tense muscles, skin reddened from the strain, half-healed wounds burning beneath the surface like glowing embers… this was the price of pushing the body beyond its limits.
A couple of lycans, with the stoic expressions of battle-hardened soldiers, threw us thick blankets—rough to the touch but blessed relief against the biting wind. The cousins took them without complaint: Tara muttering a low curse, Nicole wrapping herself quickly and efficiently. Kael shot me a glance from the side, a small gesture but heavy with meaning. We’d come close. Again. And Selene… she still pressed forward, devoured by that shadow pulling her
