Rhea
My lungs burned. Every breath I took felt like breathing in jagged shards of glass. The training grounds were supposed to be empty, a sanctuary of cold stone and shadow, but as I rounded the corner, the world tilted sideways.
My legs turned to lead, and I collapsed against the rough masonry.
‘Shift. Now. Or we die,’ Astraea urged, her presence clawing at the inside of my ribcage.
"I can't," I choked out, clutching my midsection. The wolfsbane was a living parasite, winding its way toward my heart. "If they see... if they know..."
My bones began to grind. It was a sickening sound, like dry branches snapping under a heavy boot. I doubled over, my knuckles white against the pavement.
The pain of the transformation usually felt like a slow, rhythmic pull, but this was a violent tear
