Chapter 42: Embracing the Wolf

Kavy stood still, her breath shallow as the power surged through her veins. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before—raw, untamed, and fierce. The wolf inside her, which had once been a whisper in the back of her mind, now roared to life, demanding control, freedom. She could feel it in her muscles, the ache deep within her bones as they shifted, stretched, and transformed.

Her vision blurred, colors swirling as her senses heightened. Every sound was amplified. The rustling of the leaves in the wind, the faraway call of an owl, even the faint sound of Dante's breathing beside her. She could smell him, his scent mixed with the earthy, wet air of the forest, sharp and intoxicating.

"Focus, Kavy," Dante's voice was a grounding force, a thread connecting her to her humanity even as the beast inside her threatened to overtake it. "Feel it. Control it."

But controlling it wasn't as easy as he made it sound. The wolf wanted out, clawing at the surface of her skin, aching to be freed. She could feel the primal instinct urging her to shift fully, to embrace the feral side of her. Her heart raced as the transformation continued, the bones in her legs cracking painfully as they elongated.

"I can't…" Kavy gasped, her voice strained as the transformation took more of her control. She could feel the beast's power stirring, pushing her toward surrender.

Dante's hand shot out to steady her, gripping her shoulder with a firm but gentle touch. "You can. You have to."

Kavy closed her eyes, focusing on the raw energy that pulsed inside her. She felt the pull of it, the hunger for release, but the part of her that was still human—the part that was still Kavy Carter—fought against it. There was fear in her, a fear of what she might become, of losing herself in the wolf.

"Let go," Dante's voice was a low command, the weight of his words settling in her chest. She could feel his presence, steady and unyielding, anchoring her as she took a deep breath.

The transformation was no longer a choice—it was happening, whether she wanted it or not. The wolf inside her would not be denied.

With a scream that echoed in the clearing, Kavy surrendered.