Rachael POV
The moment Eryx shut the door behind us and locked it, I finally let out the breath I’d been holding. No one would force their way in. No Eran. Just me and the terrified female who had run straight into my arms like she’d been waiting her whole life to find someone who wouldn’t hurt her.
As soon as Eryx and Lincoln left, I turned to her gently.
“You can shift now,” I told her softly. “You’re safe here. I promise.”
For a heartbeat she didn’t move, her eyes wide, her wolf trembling. But then her body shuddered, her bones cracked and shifted, and she slowly changed. The shift was slow… too slow. It looked painful, like her body was fighting itself, as though she hadn’t shifted in a very long time.
When it was over, a young woman stood in front of me, long, tangled black hair
