Elara’s POV
Morning came too quickly.
I hadn’t truly slept. My body had rested, perhaps, but my mind remained tangled in the same impossible memory that had followed me back from the forest.
Kael standing beneath the moon.
Then Kael disappearing.
And the wolf taking his place.
Every time I closed my eyes, the transformation replayed itself again. Bones shifting beneath skin. Dark fur spreading across muscle. Golden eyes watching me through the cold night air.
No dream could have felt that real.
Which meant the truth was far worse.
It had actually happened.
---
I pushed myself upright in the bed, the thick blankets sliding from my shoulders as pale morning light spilled through the tall windows of my chamber.
The fortress was already awake.
I could hear movement beyond the ston
