Chapter 37: Sonia’s Transformation

Sonia’s messy hair flattened back against her neck, getting shorter. Her fringe grew forward, becoming a coarse layer of hair over her snarling face. Yellow irises blossomed, the color overtaking her eyes and blocking out their whites.

With a sickening crunch, her limbs elongated. She became taller, hunching forward as her ankles bent and her knees became stiff. Her hands hit the ground as enormous russet paws. Arabella pushed Lavinia behind her, changing her own stance into a partial crouch. She bared her fangs as Sonia’s mouth solidified into a snarling muzzle.

She had completely transformed. Sonia paced in front of them, a huge red wolf. Even on four paws, she was taller than Arabella. She inched closer to them, not taking her eyes off of Lavinia.

“Easy, Sonia,” Arabella warned. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Like you even could,” growled Sonia. “You vampires like to think you have so much power. You’re just the fastest to infiltrate and feed off of the competition. The most palatable monster. But you know nothing of actual power.”

“There is no reason to do this,” Arabella insisted. “If you have an issue with your family’s line of succession, deal with that. You don’t need to attack Lavinia over a man that was never an option for you.”

Sonia threw herself at Arabella and the two of them crashed in midair. Sonia’s much heavier build knocked Arabella back into a tree. The impact knocked some of the herbs loose from her hair. She tried to shake Sonia off but could not, only able to duck out of the way of her sweeping claws, dropping to the ground.

Lavinia watched Arabella pull her legs up, kicking Sonia squarely in the chest. The wolf skidded back, trying to regain her footing. Lavinia looked around desperately. They were far too deep in the woods to expect any help and Lavinia knew that she would be no match for Sonia on her own. Her gaze fell on a thick branch that had broken off a nearby tree. She rushed for it, hefting it over her shoulder. It was about three feet long and almost perfectly smooth, with only a few knobs and spindly twigs hanging off of it. She advanced towards Sonia.

Arabella glanced up at Lavinia. “No, get out of here.”

Sonia whirled around, reading herself to pounce at Lavinia who raised her branch high and swung it down hard, smacking Sonia hard across her muzzle. Sonia whined and backed off slightly, trying to circle Lavinia.

“Sonia, don’t do this. If this is about inheritance, we can’t help you. But if this is about Isaac, killing me will not win him over.” Lavinia pleaded. “I don’t know why he picked me either. I have nothing to offer. I do not come from money. I am a mortal. And you are everything I am not.” She lowered her stick, still tracking Sonia’s position. “I have no idea why he loves me, but he does. Please, just turn back, we can talk. We can work through this.”

Sonia huffed loudly, pawing at her discarded clothes. She would not look at Lavinia, keeping her eyes downcast.

“It’s ok. We don’t have to talk about it. Just turn back. Show us where we’re going.” Lavinia set the branch down and held her hands out toward Sonia.

With a shiver, Sonia raised her head in a howl, a howl that raised in pitch to a cry until Sonia was left curled on the ground, arms holding her knees, and curly red hair falling over her back. Lavinia took off her own coat and wrapped it around Sonia’s shoulders. Arabella approached them warily. She gathered up Sonia’s gown, checking the pieces to make sure everything was intact.

“Lavinia, I-” Sonia cut herself off, wiping her face with the back of her hand. Lavinia could see that she was crying.

“It’s ok. We don’t need to talk about it. I understand.”

“We’ve all overreacted,” said Arabella. “Lord knows I have. The number of cheating teenage boys Isaac has had to peel me off of?” She shook her head. “Embarrassing.”

Sonia sniffed. “We need to fix your crown. I think I knocked some of the herbs out.”

Arabella touched her hair and smiled. “Yeah. We should fix that.”

Lavinia helped Sonia to her feet and together, she and Arabella helped Sonia get redressed. Sonia sniffed.

“I wish I had what you two had. With Isaac and Marco?” Sonia looked between the two of them. “I’ve never had that.”

Arabella stared at her feet, unwilling to agree with Sonia. Her discomfort was not lost on Sonia, who turned to Arabella, concerned.

“I know that planning can be stressful, but being with your mate will be so exciting,” Sonia insisted. “Isn’t that connection comforting?”

“I suppose?” Said Arabella uneasily.

“You suppose?” asked Sonia. “I’ve always been told finding your mate is life-changing. That your whole perspective shifts. If you don’t feel that, how are you sure he’s really your mate.”

Before Lavinia could stop her, Arabella shot back: “I know he isn’t my mate.”