Eve
A warning growl escaped me, my blood buzzing with bloodlust that tinged my vision crimson. They circled me, snarling, fangs clenched, looking for the perfect opening to rip into me. I twisted my head, making sure they both remained in my line of vision.
The air was saturated with a taut tension that had my fur bristling at attention. I could hear everything — the crickets, the blowing of the leaves, the blood pumping through their hearts.
They circled me, snarling, fangs bared, looking for the perfect opening to tear into me. I twisted my head again, making sure they both stayed in my line of vision.
"Leon!" A feminine voice from behind the men made me momentarily pause.
The air trembled, thick with tension. I could hear everything — the chirping of crickets, the whispering leaves, the pounding of their hearts.
But there — beneath all that noise — five heartbeats. Two before me. Three trapped in the vehicle.
And the fifth... faint. Muffled. Like it pulsed inside liquid. Small. Weak.
A pup.
I didn't have time to think.
The gray wolf lunged first. I met him halfway, our bodies colliding with bone-snapping force. His claws raked down my side, but I barely felt the pain. My jaws clamped down on his neck, shaking him violently until his weight threw me off balance.
Before I could recover, the fawn wolf slammed into me, sending me skidding through the underbrush. My spine jarred against tree trunks, branches snapping beneath me until I crashed into an ancient oak.
For a moment, darkness wavered at the edge of my vision.
And then — I smelled it.
Blood.
Sharp. Fresh. New.
Minute, but potent. Like a fresh cut. Coming from the vehicle.
I didn't think. I couldn't. The scent ignited something inside me, snapping my limbs back into focus, erasing exhaustion.
The wolves charged again — but this time, I was faster. Weightless. My body moved on instinct.
I ducked low, claws slashing up, catching the gray wolf across the face. He howled, staggering back. The fawn wolf went for my flank, but I twisted, my hind leg kicking into his jaw with a crunch that sent him sprawling.
They were down. Not for long — but long enough.
I bolted.
The vehicle loomed ahead. I leapt onto its roof once more, metal groaning beneath me. From inside, screams pierced the night — two women. Terrified.
I didn't care.
I tore at the reinforced shell, ripping steel apart like wet paper. My paw shoved through the opening I'd made — and then, pain.
A sharp prick.
Something pierced my paw.
I yanked back with a snarl, jumping down from the roof — but my body betrayed me. My muscles spasmed violently, twisting and locking.
I tried to steady myself — but a howl tore from my throat, raw and wild, the force of it slamming outward in waves. The wolves flinched, forced back by the sheer power of the sound.
And then it began.
My body convulsed.
Bones cracked, stretching beyond what should be possible. My claws lengthened, stabbing into the earth, the pain blinding. My fangs grew, tearing past my muzzle, too long, too heavy. My muscles ripped apart from the sudden strain — then knit themselves back together, stronger, thicker, pulsing with impossible power.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't stop it.
The wolves stared, frozen.
Their snarls had died in their throats, replaced by something colder. I could smell it on them — fear.
They had barely recovered from the force of my howl, their paws digging into the earth, their eyes wide as they watched me change.
My body stretched and warped, my fur bristling in jagged, untamed patches. My spine arched higher, my front legs thickening into something monstrous. My breath came in ragged heaves, every muscle screaming as it reshaped. My claws gouged trenches into the earth, long enough to bury bone.
And then I lifted my head.
I met their eyes.
The gray wolf moved first, a desperate attempt at dominance — but he was too slow.
I slammed into him with all the weight of my new form, sending him careening into a tree with a crack loud enough to shake the forest. Before he could rise, I was on him, claws tearing into his underbelly, deeper than before. Flesh, muscle, bone — all shredded beneath my touch like paper. His howl turned to a choked scream as I ripped upward, leaving nothing intact.
The fawn wolf hesitated for half a heartbeat — a mistake.
I turned on him with a feral snarl, my body faster, heavier, unstoppable. He leapt back, but I was already there, my jaws closing over his shoulder. My teeth pierced straight through muscle and bone, and I jerked my head, tearing his leg from its socket with a sickening crunch.
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