The moment Helena and her "little wolf" stepped into Raphael's chamber, the air felt wrong—too still, too heavy, as if the room itself were holding its breath. Shadows clung to the corners despite the flickering candlelight, and the faint scent of herbs and ash hung in the air, remnants of the healers' earlier attempts.
Helena turned the key with a soft click, sealing them inside, then spun around only to yelp when the fluffy white puppy beside her suddenly shimmered. His tiny body twisted, bones stretching, fur dissolving, light bending around him in a way that made her eyes sting. Within seconds, the cute little creature vanished—replaced by Kayden, tall, half-naked, and very smug, standing like he had just won a battle instead of shapeshifted in the middle of a sickroom.
"Kayden!" Helena's voice jumped three octaves. "You— you can't just pop out like that! At least warn me before you go from cute to criminally indecent!"
