Ember's of the Silent Wolf

gh texture might ground her. She hadn't meant to stay. She hadn't meant to watch, but somehow, the pull of the pack's energy had drawn her in, even

ders squared as the pack's excitement bubbled into a collective roar. She had told Selene she was r

the scent of the earth, wild and untamed, filled

part of Selene's soul aching as she watched her best friend stand there ready to shift, ready to feel that bond form in the air. It was sup

the clearing. She didn't want to see it. Didn't want to feel the r

ted to the spot, as if something beyond her

he shif

ate. Selene heard the sharp sound of Lyra's bones snapping into place, heard the way her body seemed to

the sleek, powerful form of Lyra's wolf as it unfurled from her human skin. She stood tall, with fur the color of chestnut and a build that radiated both grace and stren

, unfiltered joy. Lyra's wolf stepped into the center of the clearing, eyes glowing

. The laughter, the howls, the shouts of pride from the pack all filled the air, but they only

her voice now a growl that matched the wolf's power, but the warm

refused to let fall. The weight of what she didn't have crushed her, and all she could do was watch. Watch as Lyra moved with such fl

l silent. Her pla

voice breaking as she spoke the

a barrier that Selene couldn't cross. She wasn't part of this. She wasn't part of the joy, the bond, the unity. It felt like an en

t the thing that cut t

's elders, who had been watching from the sidelines, spoke in hushed tones, their eyes fixed on Lyra with open admiration. The Alph

ld hear th

in years," one of the pack members murmured, his

time," another whispered. "Her lineage must b

adn't been just another wolf without a bond. She had been forgotte

wn. But it wasn't enough. Not now. Selene couldn't bear it. She couldn't look at the celebration anym

t as her legs would carry her, away from the pack, away from th