Dusk surrendered to night, and the air grew colder. Stars dotted the sky, twinkling above like scattered diamonds, while the crescent moon hung low, a silver blade against the darkness. The familiar woods that had once felt like home now seemed vast and ominous. Shadows danced between the trees, stretching across the ground as if to reach for them.
Opal shivered, hugging her knees to her chest as she sat on the soft grass of the clearing. Her brothers lounged around her, but the playful banter from earlier had faded, replaced by a heavy silence. Anxiety hung thick in the air, pressing down on them like an invisible weight.
"We're almost home," Opal murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper. "So why does it feel so... wrong?"
Forrest's eyes flicked toward her, wide and uncertain. "Because we're changing tonight. We all feel it, don't we?"
Ash's jaw tightened. "Yeah. It's... coming." He didn't elaborate, but he didn't need to. They all felt it—that restless, burning energy simmering beneath their skin, making their muscles twitch, their hearts race.
Ridge's face was pale, his eyes fixed on the moon. "How long do you think we have?"
Brooks swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Not long. I can feel it... my bones... they hurt." He rubbed at his forearms, his fingers trembling.
Opal's stomach twisted. She felt it too—a deep ache in her joints, a pulsing heat beneath her skin. Her heart beat too fast, her senses sharp and overwhelming. Every sound was magnified: the rustling leaves, the whispering wind, her brothers' breathing.
Forrest forced a weak laugh. "I thought... I thought it'd be exciting, you know? Our first shift. But..." His voice broke, and he looked away.
Opal reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know. Me too."
Silence fell again, heavy and suffocating.
Ridge spoke up, his voice low and unsteady. "Dad always said it would be painful. But I didn't think... I didn't think it would feel like this."
Ash's hands curled into fists. "I hate this. I hate not knowing what's going to happen. I hate feeling... scared." The last word was barely more than a whisper, and Opal's heart ached at the vulnerability in his eyes. Ash, who was always so strong, so steady. If he was afraid...
A chill ran down her spine.
"I can't stop shaking," Brooks admitted, his voice wavering. "I feel like I'm going to explode. Like there's something inside me... clawing to get out."
Opal's chest tightened. She felt it too, that restless energy, that wild hunger. It was terrifying, alien. Her heart pounded, her palms clammy. She hugged herself tighter, her nails digging into her skin.
Ridge's breathing grew shallow, his shoulders tense. "What if... what if we don't survive it?"
The question hung in the air, raw and ugly.
Forrest's face went pale. "Don't say that."
"It's happened before," Ridge whispered, his voice trembling. "To others... younger wolves. Their first shift... it tore them apart."
Brooks's eyes widened, fear etched into his features. "No... that won't happen to us. It can't."
Opal's throat tightened, panic rising in her chest. "Stop it! We'll be fine. We're together. We'll get through this. We have to." But even as she said the words, doubt gnawed at her.
Forrest looked at her, his eyes pleading. "How do you know? How can you be sure?"
Opal's breath caught. She couldn't be sure. None of them could.
Ridge's hands were shaking. "I can't... I can't breathe." He pressed a fist to his chest, his face contorted in pain.
Ash moved closer, his voice firm but gentle. "Ridge, look at me. Breathe. In and out. Slowly."
Ridge's eyes met his brother's, and he nodded, forcing himself to follow Ash's lead. But his breaths were shallow, uneven.
A sharp pain shot through Opal's spine, making her gasp. It was hot, searing, like fire. She doubled over, her body trembling.
Forrest's eyes widened. "Opal?"
"It... hurts," she choked out, her voice strained. Her vision blurred, the world spinning around her. "I feel... I feel like I'm burning."
Ash cursed under his breath, his eyes flashing with fear. "It's starting."
Brooks stumbled backward, his back hitting the trunk of a tree. "No... no, no, no." He clutched his head, his fingers digging into his scalp. "I'm not ready. I can't... I can't do this."
Opal's body seized, her muscles tightening, her bones aching. She felt her teeth lengthen, her nails sharpening. Her senses were on fire, every sound, every scent amplified. Her heart raced, erratic, her chest heaving.
Forrest's face twisted in pain, his knees buckling. "I can't... breathe..."
Ash wrapped an arm around him, steadying him. "Stay with me, Forrest. We'll get through this. Together." But his voice wavered, his own pain evident in his tight grip.
Ridge's hands were clawing at his chest, his breathing ragged. "It hurts... it hurts so much..."
Brooks let out a strangled cry, collapsing to his knees. "Make it stop! Please... make it stop!"
Opal's vision darkened, her body burning from the inside out. Her bones felt like they were breaking, twisting, reforming. Her muscles stretched, tearing, her skin too tight, too hot. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Only pain. Excruciating, overwhelming pain.
She heard screaming—raw, animalistic. It took her a moment to realize the sound was coming from her own throat.
Her body convulsed, her limbs contorting at unnatural angles. She felt her spine shift, her ribs cracking. Her skin felt too tight, like it was splitting apart.
A snarl ripped through the night, fierce and primal. It took Opal a heartbeat to realize it wasn't just her. Her brothers were screaming too, their bodies writhing on the ground, their faces twisted in agony.
Forrest's body arched, his back bending in an impossible curve. His hands clawed at the earth, his nails leaving deep grooves in the soil. His eyes glowed, a fierce amber light.
Brooks's face elongated, his jaw cracking, teeth growing into sharp fangs. His body shuddered, his skin rippling as fur sprouted along his arms, his back.
Ridge's scream turned into a guttural growl, his voice deepening, echoing through the clearing. His muscles bulged, his bones shifting beneath his skin.
Opal's own body was changing, reshaping. Her spine elongated, her shoulders broadening. Her nails turned to claws, digging into the earth. Her face stretched, her jaw widening, sharp fangs filling her mouth. Her vision blurred, then sharpened, the world more vivid, more intense.
Her senses exploded—every sound, every scent crashing into her. She could hear the rustling of leaves miles away, smell the damp earth, the wildflowers, the fear radiating from her brothers.
And then... she felt it. The ground beneath her paws. Her fur brushing against the wind. Her heart pounding, wild and free. She was no longer human. She was a wolf.
A howl pierced the night—deep, powerful, mournful. It echoed through the woods, a call to the moon, to the wild. Opal lifted her head, her own voice joining the chorus.
They were wolves. Together.
Through the pain, the fear, the uncertainty... they were still together. And they would face whatever came next, side by side.
For tonight, they were wolves. And the world was theirs.