The sound that came out of Lyria did not feel human.
It ripped through the hall and made everyone turn.
For one second, nobody moved.
Not the guards. Not the riders. Not Kael. Not Mira.
Then the pain hit harder.
Lyria curled in on herself with both hands on the floor. Her bones felt wrong. Her skin felt too tight. Heat and pressure rolled through her body in waves. She gasped and tasted blood because she had bitten her tongue without meaning to.
Mira dropped beside her. "Stay with me," she said fast. "Don't fight it."
Easy for her to say.
Another crack ran through Lyria's wrist. Then her shoulder. Her body pulled sideways, like it was trying to become something bigger than itself. She grabbed for the stone floor but her fingers were already changing. Nails lengthening. Joints shifting. Her breath came short and ugly.
Kael's wolf stood over her.
