The silence stretched like a blade between us. Every second ticked by heavier than the last. I could feel the air thickening, pressing down on my lungs, squeezing until I wasn’t sure I could take another breath.

Laura’s eyes never left mine. Ronan, the wolf by the door, stood stiff and silent, ears pinned back like he sensed a storm about to hit. The book sat between us on the table like a loaded weapon, humming with something old—something I didn’t understand.

And I—I stood there, frozen, wishing I could vanish.

"Shift," Laura said again. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a weight I couldn’t ignore.

I took a...