I left without looking back, heading straight to my parents’ old place on the edge of pack territory. My small, isolated home—a gift they’d given me after I’d graduated—felt like the only haven I had left. Desar had convinced me to leave it behind to be closer to him, but it was all a lie, just like his promises.
That night, the silence of the house felt comforting. I hadn’t realized how stifling it was, living under his shadow, in his space, until I was back here on my own. I lay down, feeling a strange, heavy emptiness, but also a small spark of relief.
That quiet night didn't end silent after all. The coming of age year is also when I'm shifting for the first time. Without my mate next to me, the shift was so painful to the point that I could die.
There were a few cases where female wolves died, anda rare case of them surviving the shift without a mate.
My bones cracked and twisted in unimaginable positions. My sight turned all black until it got clearer and became ten times better.
The next thing I heard was my voice screaming at the top of my lungs until it sounded like a howl under the full moon.