Chapter 10

Aria

I toss and turn in the unfamiliar bed, the events of the acceptance ceremony replaying in my mind on an endless loop. My wolf paces restlessly beneath my skin, still unsettled from severing our final ties to Moonshadow. To Callum.

After hours of this, I can't take it anymore. I need to move, to run, to feel the wind in my fur and the earth under my paws. Shifting forms as quietly as possible so as not to wake Leah, I slip out into the moonlit night.

The cool forest air fills my lungs as I break into a loping stride, picking up speed until the trees blur around me. For a moment, I am free, untethered from the pain and confusion weighing me down.

But then a scent hits my nose, stopping me dead in my tracks. Earthy and wild with hints of pine and smoke. A scent I would know anywhere, in any form.

Callum.

My heart clenches painfully in my chest. Some masochistic part of me is tempted to turn tail and flee the other way, putting as much distance as possible between myself and my form