Morning comes cold and gray. We eat the stored food in silence. Everyone is exhausted. Wounded. Scared.But we cannot stay here long. The King's soldiers will keep looking.Sera approaches Kael. "What is the plan?""We need allies," he says. "More wolves willing to stand against the King. And we need information about Aria's bloodline. There is an old wolf. A hermit. She lives deeper in these mountains. Her name is Thera. She knows things the Elders have forgotten.""Is she trustworthy?" Marcus asks."She hated my father. Which means she hated the King. So yes."We break camp and move deeper into the wilderness. The paths are barely there. Sometimes Kael leads us through places with no path at all.Two days pass like this. Cold. Hungry. Always watching for soldiers.On the third day, something goes wrong.We are walking through a narrow trail when wolves appear ahead and behind. Seven of them. Rogues by the look of them. Not King's soldiers but not friendly either."Your supplies," the lead rogue says. "And the girl. Hand them over and we let you live."Kael steps forward. "Leave now and I let you live."The rogue laughs. Then he sees Kael's face. The scars. The silver eyes. Recognition hits."You are Ashenblade.""I am."The rogue hesitates. But greed wins. "Seven against five. I will take those odds.""Big mistake," Sera mutters.The rogues attack. Kael shifts and tears into them. Sera and her brothers fight. I grab my knife.A rogue comes at me. Smaller than the others. He thinks I am easy prey.He is wrong.That thing inside me rises. My vision sharpens. Time slows. I move without thinking. Dodge his lunge. Slash his leg. When he stumbles, I drive the knife into his side.He falls. I stand over him panting.Then it happens.Pain explodes through my body. My bones crack. My skin burns. I fall to my knees screaming.My hands change. Fingers stretch. Claws grow. Fur sprouts.No. Not now. Not here.I cannot control it. My body is transforming without my permission."Aria!" Kael's voice. He has shifted back to human. He grabs me. "Look at me. Focus on my voice."But I cannot. The pain is too much. I am being ripped apart.My jaw stretches. Teeth sharpen. I try to scream but what comes out is half human, half animal.Then Kael does something. He grabs my face and the bond flares. Silver light pours from him into me. Warm. Steady."Come back," he says. "Follow the bond. Come back to me."The warmth anchors me. Pulls me back. Slowly, painfully, my body reverts. The claws retract. The fur disappears.When it is over, I collapse into his arms. Shaking. Crying."What is happening to me?" I sob."You are awakening. But your body is not ready yet. We need to get you to Thera before the next transformation." He looks at the others. "How far?""One more day," Marcus says. "If we push hard.""Then we push."Kael carries me for the next hour. I am too weak to walk. Too terrified to speak.My body is changing into something I do not recognize. And I cannot stop it.That night we make camp in a small clearing. Kael sits with me away from the others."Tell me everything you have felt since the bond formed," he says.I do. The dreams. The enhanced healing. The speed during fights. The way I smell things stronger. Hear things clearer.He listens without interrupting. When I finish, he nods."Hybrid," he says. "Half wolf, half human. Your wolf side was suppressed. Probably since birth. The mate bond is breaking that suppression. Your wolf is trying to emerge.""Why was it suppressed?""To protect you. Someone wanted you to appear fully human. To hide what you really are.""Why?""I do not know yet. But whoever did it, they went to great effort. That kind of suppression requires powerful magic. And a reason.""Will I always be like this? Unable to control it?""No. Once you complete your first full shift, it gets easier. But that first time is dangerous. You could lose yourself. Forget who you are. Become only wolf."Terror fills me. "Then what do I do?""We get you to Thera. She can guide you through the first shift. Make sure you come back.""And if I do not come back?"His silver eyes meet mine. Serious. "Then I will bring you back. By force if necessary. That is what mates do."The word mate hangs between us. We have not used it before. Not really. The bond exists but we have been avoiding what it means."I am sorry," I whisper. "For dragging you into this.""You did not drag me. The Moon Goddess did. And I am beginning to think she knew what she was doing."Before I can respond, Sera calls out. "Someone is coming."We all stand. Grab weapons. But the figure that emerges from the darkness is alone. Old. A female wolf with white hair and strange eyes."You are looking for me," she says. "I am Thera.""How did you know?" Kael asks."I have been watching you since you entered my mountains. You are Kael Ashenblade. Son of the wolf who tried to change the kingdom." She looks at me. "And you are the abomination everyone is talking about.""Careful," Kael warns."Peace. I mean it as a compliment. Abominations are often just evolution that the old ones fear." She approaches me. Sniffs. Her eyes widen. "Moon Guard blood. I thought you were all dead.""What is Moon Guard?" I ask."Ancient bloodline. Warriors chosen by the Moon Goddess. They were the finest fighters. Could walk between human and wolf form at will. Half of them were born of mixed blood like you." She pauses. "They were wiped out twenty years ago. Hunted down and killed.""Why?""Because they served the Goddess, not kings. Because they could not be controlled." Thera looks at Kael. "Your father discovered the Moon Guard purge. That is what got him killed."Kael goes still. "Are you certain?""I am old. Not stupid. Yes, I am certain." She turns back to me. "If you carry Moon Guard blood, you are in more danger than you know. The Elders will not let you live. You represent everything they destroyed.""Can you help her?" Kael asks. "She is transforming without control. The next time might kill her."Thera studies me. "Maybe. The transformation ritual is dangerous. She might die. She might go mad. Or she might become what she was meant to be." She looks at me. "It is your choice, girl. Stay human and slowly lose control until your wolf tears you apart from inside. Or attempt the ritual and possibly die quickly. Which do you choose?"Both options are terrible. But slow death while hurting people I care about is worse than quick death trying to become whole."The ritual," I say. "I choose the ritual."Thera nods. "Brave. Stupid. But brave." She looks at Kael. "You will need to anchor her. The bond between you is strong. Use it to guide her back.""When?" Kael asks."Tomorrow night. Under the full moon. We prepare at dawn."She leads us to her cave. It is larger than Kael's safe house. Deeper. Filled with strange things. Bones. Herbs. Books.That night I cannot sleep. Tomorrow I might die. Or become something else entirely.Kael sits beside me. Does not speak. Just sits. His presence is enough.Finally I ask, "What if I do not come back? What if the ritual turns me into something you cannot recognize?""Then I will love the new you." He says it simply. Like it is obvious."You do not love me. You barely know me."He looks at me then. Really looks at me. "The bond does not lie, Aria. I feel what you feel. I know you better than you think. And yes. I love you. I have since the moment you sat beside me in that circle and refused to be afraid."Tears burn my eyes. No one has ever loved me. No one has ever seen me until him."I am scared," I whisper."So am I," he admits. "But we will face it together."He takes my hand. The bond pulses between us. Warm. Steady. Real.Tomorrow I might die. But tonight I am not alone.And somehow, that is enough.