The air vibrated with tension as the howls of the pack drew closer. Claire could feel them now—dozens of wolves closing in, their presence a heavy weight pressing down on her chest. Her senses were sharper than ever, each heartbeat, breath, and footstep reverberating through her like a drumbeat.
Ethan grabbed her arm, his grip firm. “Claire, we don’t have time for this. They can’t see you like this.”
She wrenched her arm away, her claws scraping against his skin. “I’m not running, Ethan.” Her voice was deeper, more guttural, laced with the primal edge of her wolf.
“Damn it, Claire!” Ethan snapped, his tone a mix of frustration and desperation. “If they see what you’ve become, they’ll treat you as a threat. You don’t understand how pack law works. You’re not… normal anymore.”
She bared
