ARIA POV

It clawed at me, sharp and unrelenting, twisting deep inside my chest like claws dragging through flesh. My wolf moved again, restless, fierce, snarling inside me in a way that made my vision blur. I gripped the edge of the counter in the kitchen, my nails digging into the polished wood, my breath tearing out of me in ragged gasps.

“Not now,” I hissed through clenched teeth, but she didn’t care. She wanted out. She wanted something—or someone—I couldn’t name.

Then it hit harder. My knees buckled. The world tilted. A guttural sound ripped out of me before I even realized I was screaming. It echoed through the...