[Meredith].
I leapt.
The ground fell away, and for a heartbeat, I was airborne—suspended between earth and sky, wolf and queen, past and future.
When I landed, power, not a destructive one, but declarative, rippled outward.
"I am here," Valmora said.
The women watched in reverent silence. I could feel their awe, their relief, their quiet joy. This was not chaos. This was prophecy fulfilled.
I slowed at last, coming to a stop at the centre of the clearing, my chest rising and falling as moonlight traced the lines of my silver form.
For the first time in my life, I had wolfed out as myself.
I lifted my head and howled in greeting. The sound rose into the night, ancient and sovereign, and somewhere deep within me, I knew this was only the beginning.
---
The change back to my human form came gradually.
