Opal's POV
The cold was unrelenting.
It sank into her bones, clawed through her skin, wrapped around her like a suffocating embrace. The thin fabric of the jacket and pants she had stolen barely provided any warmth, and the frost-covered ground was merciless against her bare feet. Her body was still recovering from the wolfsbane, exhaustion dragging at her muscles like lead weights, but she couldn't afford to stop. Not now. Not when she had finally escaped. Not when her brothers were coming for her.
A sharp gust of wind howled through the trees, sending a violent shiver down her spine. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to move forward, step by agonizing step, her breath coming in harsh puffs of white mist.
Not fast enough.
She took a deep, steadying breath, then let the shift take over.
