Annalyn POV
The chill of the forest seeped into my bones, but the fire in my blood still hadn't cooled, I stood under the crimson moon, naked and trembling, my thighs streaked with dried blood, and the scent of sex and magic clinging to my skin
I wasn't alone, they were coming, I heard them... howls breaking through the trees, sharp and desperate, not celebration, not ritual, they were hunting and the target was me
I stumbled forward, branches scratching my skin, bare feet sinking into the mossy floor, every breath I took burned as if the air itself was turning against me, and my head pounded with two heartbeats—mine and the other, her voice was quieter now, but still present
"They fear you because they know what you are"
I gritted my teeth, "then maybe they should be afraid"
But even as I said it, I was scared too, scared of what I'd become, of what I had done, and of what I might do again
