Rory's POV

I shut my eyes as I thought it was over.

I thought I was about to be torn apart, right there behind the science building, with all those eyes watching.

God, Briar was going to kill me.

I knew it and maybe… maybe I wanted her to.

At least then, it would all stop. The pressure. The stares. The weight of not knowing who the hell I was supposed to be in this world full of wolves.

But instead of claws ripping into me, I heard something else.

A voice. No, not a voice. A sound. Inside my head.

Low. Deep. Animalistic.

[“Her blood will be satisfying… suck her dry.”]

My eyes snapped open. What. The. Hell? I looked around but nothing. No one had said that. Not out loud.

It was in my head but it wasn’t my voice. It wasn’t me.

It was deadly. Something that didn’t care about rules or decency or control.

My body was buzzing. My skin felt hot and cold all at once.

I blinked, trying to steady my breath, but Briar moved fast.

She was already mid-air, her claws out, aimed for my chest.

Time slowed down and then… something happened.

Something impossible. I dodged, like, fully dodged.I moved like I had done it before.

Like I’d trained for this my whole life but I hadn’t.

Gasps rang out from behind the bushes walls and windows. Students. Staff. I had no idea how many people were watching, but I felt them. Dozens. Maybe more.

“Did you see that?” someone gasped sharply..

“What is she?!”

Briar landed on her feet like a panther, glaring at me, confused. Her claws scraped the floor as she stood up, baring her teeth.

But I didn’t move, my hands were trembling from something else.

I looked down and that’s when I saw it. My fingers were… changing.

Growing longer. Thinner. The nails sharpening into curved black claws.

“No no no,” I shook my head.

This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. My heart pounded louder and then my vision blurred just for a second.

When it cleared, I gasped because I wasn’t seeing the world the same way anymore.

Briar’s wolf wasn’t just what I saw anymore. She was suddenly lit up in my eyes like her blood glowed under her skin.

I could see it. I could hear it. I could smell it.

Her heart, her veins, her sweat it all called to me like a drug.

I was hungry, not for food. For her. For blood.

No no no no—I wasn’t a monster. I was human. Right?

But then Briar lunged again but this time, I didn’t dodge.

I moved forward and grabbed her mid-air by the neck and slammed her down hard.

Gasps exploded again. The entire school seemed to freeze.

I held her throat in one hand like it was nothing.

She choked, kicked, slashed, screaming in rage but I didn’t flinch.

My grip tightened and she couldn’t break free.

I could feel her heartbeat slowing, struggling and still I didn’t let go.

It wasn’t until I heard growling that I looked up.

The redhead and the blonde. Her minions. They shifted right in front of everyone.

Crack. Pop. Rip.

Bones snapped. Fur burst from their skin. Their screams became snarls.

And suddenly, there were two full wolves, one red, one gold charging toward me.

I let go of Briar and threw her away, her body crashed into against the walland dropped.

The red wolf pounced, her teeth gleaming and I kicked her mid-air.

She hit the ground hard and yelped.

The gold one made it closer, her claws scratched my shoulder but I caught her and slammed her down and pinned her under me.

She struggled, whined, snapped her jaws but I held her down with one hand.

And that’s when my mouth started to ache worse.My teeth felt like they were cracking.

Shifting. Stretching. I touched my lip and gasped.

I had fangs. Real. Sharp. Fangs.

I wasn’t imagining it, they were fucking real.

I stared down at the girl-wolf under me. Her blood scent was sweet—too sweet.

My body lowered, my mouth immediately open.

The hunger was overwhelming. I wanted her blood in my mouth. I wanted to bite. To feed. It felt natural.

It felt right. No. No, it wasn’t. I couldn’t—I didn’t want to—

“Please,” she whimpered.

And something in me… broke.

I blinked. What was I doing? Who was I?

What am I becoming?

I tried to pull away but the hunger fought back.

It clawed at my chest like it was alive.

“GET OFF HER!” A voice snapped sharply like a whip.

A hand grabbed the back of my neck and suddenly I was flying like a rag doll.

CRASH. I slammed into the stone wall of the school building.

Pain exploded in my back, my ribs, my head.

I crumpled to the ground, the air knocked out of my lungs.

I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe. Everything was spinning in my vision.

I blinked, coughing as blood filled my mouth and when I looked up, I saw him.

It was Damien. He stood over me, his eyes narrowed, expression stone in annoyance like I was a mess he had to clean up, his lips curled into a sneer.

“Pathetic.” That was all he said.

Not “are you okay.” Not “what the hell.”

Just that one word. It hit me harder than the wall did.

Tears blurred my eyes because of the shame because everyone had seen me.

Everyone had seen what I almost did. What I almost became.

I turned my head slowly and saw the crowd.

Dozens of them was frozen. Some trembling. Some just staring at me like I was a freak.

And maybe I was.

I tried to speak, but nothing came out, just a wet cough. I looked at my hands. My fingers weren’t mine anymore.

My mouth still burned with fangs I hadn’t asked for.

And that voice, that horrible, hungry voice was still inside me.

Still waiting.“Feed…”

I closed my eyes and collapsed.