ONE
Maelis didn't answer me right away.
She studied my face for a long moment, the way someone does when they're deciding how much truth a body can carry without breaking.
Then she stepped back, barefoot on the damp earth, and drew in a slow breath.
The air changed.
I felt it before I saw it.
Maelis closed her eyes.
And then she shifted.
Bone moved without sound. Flesh folded like water finding a new shape.
There was no violence to it, no horror. Just grace. Just inevitability.
Where Maelis had stood moments ago now stood a wolf.
White.
Not pale. Not dull.
White like fresh snowfall under moonlight. Like bone polished smooth by time. Her fur glimmered faintly, each strand catching the glow of the fireflies as though they recognized her.
She was enormous. Powerful. And impossibly beautiful.
My breath left me in a shaky exhale.
"Oh," I whispered, unable to stop myself.
