Chapter 25 The First Turning

Chapter 25 The First Turning
Clara's POV

"You're shaking."
Kael's voice is soft against my ear. We're in his bed, the door locked, the rest of the world temporarily forgotten. After weeks of guards and attacks and death, we both needed this, just us, no pack politics, no prophecies.
His hands trace patterns on my skin, gentle despite their strength. The bond hums between us, warm and alive.
"I'm not shaking," I lie. "I'm fine."
"You're a terrible liar." He kisses my shoulder, right where the Bloodfang bit me. The scar is still tender. "Talk to me."
"I just... I keep thinking about Sofia. About Reed's arm. About all the people getting hurt because of me."
"That's not your fault."
"Isn't it?" I turn to face him, and his silver eyes catch the moonlight from the window. "They died protecting me, Kael. That is my fault."
"They died doing their duty. Protecting pack." His thumb brushes my cheek. "You didn't ask for any of this."
"Neither did they."
We lie there in silence, and I feel the bond pulse between us, stronger tonight than usual. Maybe because we're alone. Maybe because we're finally letting ourselves just be together without fear hanging over us.
Kael pulls me closer, his mouth finding mine. The kiss starts gentle but quickly becomes more. Desperate. Like we're both trying to forget everything outside this room.
His hands move over me, and heat builds where he touches. The bond flares brighter, stronger. I feel his heartbeat as clearly as my own.
Then something shifts.
Pain lances through my jaw, sharp and sudden. I gasp and pull back.
"What's wrong?" Kael asks immediately.
"My teeth…" I touch my mouth and feel something wrong. Too sharp. Too long.
I stumble out of bed and run to his bathroom mirror. When I look at my reflection, I stop breathing.
My canines have extended into points. Not quite fangs, but close. Too close.
"Clara?" Kael appears behind me, then sees what I'm seeing. "Oh God."
I open my mouth wider, touching the sharp points. They're real. This isn't imagination or trick of light.
"What's happening to me?" My voice comes out panicked.
Then I notice my eyes. They're not their normal green. Silver light flickers in them, just for a second, before fading back.
"The bond," Kael whispers. "It's changing you."
As suddenly as they appeared, my teeth return to normal. The silver vanishes from my eyes. I'm just regular Clara again, standing naked in a bathroom, terrified of my own reflection.
"We need to see Elara," Kael says. "Now."
"It's the middle of the night…"
"I don't care." He's already pulling on clothes. "Get dressed. We're going."
The drive to Elara's cottage is silent. Kael grips the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn white. I keep touching my teeth, making sure they're still normal.
Elara is waiting when we arrive, like she knew we were coming.
"It's started," she says before we even speak.
"What's started?" I demand.
"The transformation. The bond is remaking you, Clara. Turning you into something between human and wolf." She gestures for us to come inside. "I warned this would happen."
Inside her cottage, she has me sit in a chair while she examines me. Her cold fingers tilt my face, checking my eyes, my teeth, feeling the bones of my jaw.
"Partial shift," she confirms. "Triggered by strong emotion or bond activation. In your case, passion."
Heat floods my face. "You mean…"
"Yes. Physical intimacy with your mate strengthens the bond. Which accelerates the change." She steps back, studying me. "Your body is trying to become wolf. But it's happening wrong. Too fast. Without proper guidance."
"Can you stop it?" Kael asks.
"Stop it? No. The transformation is tied to the curse. They're interconnected now." Elara moves to her shelves, pulling down bottles and jars. "But I can slow it. Give you time to decide."
"Decide what?" I ask.
"Whether to embrace the change or fight it." She turns to face us. "If you embrace it… complete the transformation during the blood moon ritual, you might survive. Become fully wolf. Break the curse."
"And if she fights it?" Kael's voice is tight.
"Then her body tears itself apart. Human cells fighting wolf cells. It will be... unpleasant." Elara's expression is grave. "And fatal. Within weeks, maybe days."
The words settle over me like ice water. "So my choices are: become a wolf, or die trying to stay human?"
"Essentially, yes."
"What happened to breaking the bond safely? To finding another way?"
"There is no other way." Elara begins mixing ingredients in a bowl. "The transformation has begun. You can guide it or resist it, but you cannot stop it."
I look at Kael. He's staring at Elara like she just stabbed him.
"There has to be something else," he says. "Some spell, some ritual…"
"The ritual is the only option. Blood moon in four weeks. Clara enters the circle willingly and accepts the change completely. Or she dies."
"She's not dying." His voice carries Alpha command. "I won't allow it."
"You don't get to decide, Alpha." Elara pours the mixture into a small bottle. "This is Clara's choice. Her body. Her life."
She hands me the bottle. The liquid inside is dark red, almost black.
"Drink this twice a day. It will slow the transformation. Give you time to prepare mentally." Her pale eyes meet mine. "But understand, this is temporary. Eventually, you must choose."
"What if I choose wrong?" I whisper.
"Then you die. Painfully. While Kael watches, unable to help." Elara doesn't sugarcoat it. "The ritual is dangerous, yes. But resisting the change is certain death."
We leave her cottage in silence. Kael drives us back, but instead of going to the mansion, he pulls over on a empty road and just sits there.
"Say something," I finally whisper.
"What do you want me to say?" His voice breaks. "That I'm sorry? That I wish I'd never touched you that night in the alley? That I'd give anything to undo this?"
"Do you? Wish you'd never met me?"
He turns to look at me, and his eyes are wet. "Every day. And not at all. Does that make sense?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"I love you, Clara. But loving you is killing you. And I don't know how to live with that."
I take his hand. "We have four weeks. Let's not waste them deciding who's to blame."
"What will you choose? At the blood moon?"
The question I've been avoiding. Become wolf, lose my humanity, maybe lose myself. Or resist, die for certain, painfully.
"I don't know," I admit. "Ask me in four weeks."
"What if you're too weak to choose by then? What if the transformation…"
"Then you decide for me." The words cost me, but they're necessary. "Promise me, Kael. If I can't choose, you choose. Don't let me suffer."
"I can't…"
"Promise me."
His jaw works, and I see him fighting tears. "I promise. But Clara, please. Don't make me be the one to decide whether you live or die."
"Hopefully it won't come to that."
We sit in the dark car, holding hands, while my body slowly betrays my humanity. Four weeks until the blood moon. Four weeks to decide if staying human is worth dying for.
Or if loving Kael means becoming something else entirely.
The bottle of Elara's potion sits in my lap, dark and promising temporary safety.
But temporary is all it offers.
Eventually, I'll have to choose.