Between flesh and moonlight

The cold night air clung to Elara's skin, but she barely felt it. The river's surface reflected back the impossible image of what she had become.

Not human.

Not wolf.

Something else.

Silver eyes, darkened veins, elongated claws—her body was shifting, evolving into something neither Kieran nor Lucien had seen before.

She pressed her trembling fingers against the damp earth, trying to ground herself. Every part of her felt hypersensitive—the rustling of the wind, the distant hoot of an owl, the rhythmic heartbeats of the two men standing behind her. She could hear them, feel their presence like a pulse against her skin.

"Elara," Kieran's voice was quiet, but edged with something unreadable.

She turned to face them, her breath shallow.

Kieran watched her with dark, careful eyes, his muscles coiled as if expecting her to lash out.

Lucien, however, looked… fascinated. His silver gaze swept over her form like he was seeing something rare, something dangerous and beautiful.

"Well, little moon," he murmured, stepping closer. "You're full of surprises."

Elara's throat was dry. She wanted to demand answers, to scream at them for dragging her into this nightmare, but her body was still humming with energy, her skin alive with something new.

"What's happening to me?" Her voice came out hoarse, raw.

Kieran hesitated, then knelt beside her. "You shifted," he said slowly. "But… not into a wolf."

No. She was something else entirely.

A tremor ran through her body, the transformation still rippling beneath her skin. The change wanted to take over, to consume her completely, but she fought against it.

"Breathe," Kieran murmured. His voice was steady, grounding.

Elara clenched her jaw, inhaling shakily, and focused on the sound of her own breath.

Slowly, the fire in her veins dimmed.

The silver glow in her eyes faded.

Her claws retracted, her skin smoothing out until she was human again.

The moment the shift was gone, she collapsed forward, exhaustion slamming into her.

Kieran caught her before she hit the ground.

"Easy," he said, his arms steady around her.

Elara barely had the strength to push him away, but she managed. "I'm fine."

Lucien let out a low chuckle. "That's debatable."

She shot him a glare. "Not the time, Lucien."

Kieran straightened, his face serious. "We need to figure out what you are."

"No shit," Elara muttered, dragging a hand through her tangled hair.

Lucien crouched beside her, his silver eyes gleaming. "I've seen a lot of things in my lifetime, but this?" He gestured to her. "This is something entirely new."

Elara swallowed, her pulse still uneven. "You said I might be something more than a werewolf."

Kieran nodded. "There are myths—stories about bloodlines that carried something ancient. Something stronger."

Elara felt ice slip down her spine. "And you think I'm part of one of them?"

Lucien smirked. "That would explain why the Forsaken are after you."

Her chest tightened. She had nearly died at the hands of that creature in the woods, and now she knew it hadn't been a random attack.

She was being hunted.

"Great," she muttered. "So I'm some kind of prize for monsters."

Lucien tilted his head. "Or a threat."

Elara shivered. She didn't want to be either.

Kieran ran a hand through his dark hair. "We can't stay here. It's too exposed."

Lucien smirked. "Finally, something we agree on."

Elara exhaled. "Where do we go?"

Kieran met her gaze. "Somewhere safe. Somewhere you can learn what you are."

Elara hesitated.

Then, with a deep breath, she nodded.

Because whether she liked it or not, she couldn't run from this anymore.

She had to fight.

And she had to survive.