Bella was still on her knees, her hands pressed into the dirt. Her chest was tight, her breathing uneven. She was shaking, her whole body trembling as though she'd run for miles, but she hadn't moved at all.
Her wolf was still there, inside her, heavy and demanding, she couldn't block its voice out.
"Get up," her wolf said.
Her lips parted. Her throat burned. "No… I can't. I can't even breathe."
"Yes, you can."
"I feel like I'm dying," Bella whispered.
"You are not dying. You are changing."
Bella's nails dug into the soil. She shook her head, her face wet from tears she hadn't realized were still falling. "She's gone. My mom—she's gone."
Silence for a moment. Then the wolf's voice came again, harder.
"The bond broke. The pain you feel is proof. But if you stop now, then her death is for nothing. If you stop now, she dies in vain, they win."
Bella bit her lip hard. Her whole body trembled. "I can't stop shaking. My chest hurts. My head is spinning."
