CHAPTER 33: THE WOLVES SHIFTING.

Bella lay crumpled on the cold earth, her body unmoving as she remained still. The glow at her wrist had gone off now, leaving only bruised skin and the delicate outline of the crescent mark, where the light of her weak energy had once shone.

Luca stood frozen in place, staring at her as. His chest rose and fell sharply. The blood on his lip no longer stung. The bruises from Killian’s blows were forgotten.

None of it mattered.

He had seen her fall.

And now she wasn’t waking up.

Now she was dead.

Bella?"

He tried calling, to see if she would wake to the sound of his voice.

He took a step forward, his eyes locked on her still figure lying motionless on the grass. There was something terrifying about her stillness, she wasn’t shifting, nor moaning of discomfort, not even a twitch.

Killian’s chest rose and fell unevenly as he stood frozen in place, his fists still clenched from the fight.

"Please... she can’t be dead. I didn’t... I didn’t see her," he said, breathless. "I didn’t know she was there—when I swung, I didn’t see her, I swear—"

"You struck her," Luca said quietly, his voice oddly calm but sharp like a broken glass. His eyes flicked to Killian with venom.

Killian, still shaken, stepped forward. "I told you. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t see her there. I was aiming for you. It was an accident."

Luca’s jaw twitched. "That doesn’t change the fact that you killed her."

Cassian knelt beside Bella again, brushing her hair gently from her brow. "Now is the time to get help if we want to save her. She needs to get help. Now!"

But Luca didn’t seem to hear him anymore. His eyes were still on Killian.

"I held back," Luca muttered. "Because she was here. I didn’t want her to see the other side of me."

I was trying not to do this in front of her," he continued, his voice tight and trembling. "I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I fought you as a man."

His hands trembled harder.

"But now..." his voice dipped, guttural. "Now I’ll deal with you as a wolf."

Killian took a breath, his shoulders rising. "Luca. Not now. Please."

His body jerked forward slightly, and his eyes flashed, glowing gold like two burning coals.

Cassian called out to him, "Luca—don’t—"

But it was too late.

He was far gone beyond human reasoning. Something ancient moved in his eyes.

And then it began.

His back arched violently, a low growl rumbling from deep within his chest. His bones cracked, his muscles contorted, and his skin shone as a silver light spread across his body. His limbs stretched unnaturally into longer forms, his spine bending into a new shape.

Coarse black fur sprouted along his arms, his jaw elongating into a muzzle as fangs erupted from his mouth.

The transformation was terrifying but still impossibly beautiful.

By the end of it, Luca stood nearly seven feet tall on all fours. His fur shimmered with a subtle blue sheen under the sunlight. His eyes glowed molten gold, burning with fury. The air vibrated with raw energy as he let out a guttural, bone-shaking snarl.

A true Alpha.

His growl shook the entire garden floor.

He was no longer Luca.

In his place stood a massive wolf, broad shoulders, dark blue fur. A magnificent creature.

Cassian held a palm over his face. "Damn it."

Killian looked at Luca, now fully transformed to his wolf form, and cursed.

Then his own change began.

He dropped to his knees, surrendering to the shift, his body reacting to the challenge like instinct.

His eyes shut tight, and with a sharp exhale, his form began to contort.

His transformation was faster and practiced.

His skin rippled, human nails turning to claws, joints snapping into new positions.

Where once a boy stood, now emerged a gray wolf with piercing steel eyes, bulkier than Luca’s but less graceful, he was built for speed and strategy.

His dark eyes narrowed.

The two wolves stared at each other, muscles tensed.

And then...

They lunged.

Flying off the ground, their furs collided. Claws tore into the ground as they slammed into each other, snarling and biting, flashing sharp teeth in the air.

It wasn’t like a schoolyard fight.

It was brutal and animalistic.

Violent.

Cassian cursed. "Oh gods, not again." He stood, carefully laying Bella down, adjusting her head so it rested gently in the grass.

He circled them, panicking. "Stop it! You’re going to kill each other!"

They didn’t hear him.

They had become creatures of instinct ruled by fury and pain.

Cassian came back to Bella, "Please, don’t die on me," he whispered to her ears.

Then he took two steps back, braced himself, and shifted.

Cassian’s wolf form was sleeker, ash-brown fur with streaks of silver down his back. Not as tall as Luca and not as muscular as Killian, but he was faster and smarter. A tactician wolf even in this form.

He lunged into the fight.

He dove between the two fighting wolves, knocking Killian sideways with his shoulder, then spinning and kicking back into Luca’s chest. They growled and turned on him, but Cassian was quicker.

He snarled, snapping his teeth at both of them, circling, pushing them apart with his body.

But it was hard to control them.

Both wolves were enormous, angry, and powerful. The snarls echoed through the garden, birds scattered from trees nearby. Clumps of grass flew into the air with each impact. Luca’s eyes never left Killian. Killian’s hackles were raised, his mouth dripping with spittle.

The sounds were brutal snarls, yelps, growls that shook the very leaves of the trees. The three wolves tore into each other, rolling through the grass.

Luca then pinned Killian by the throat, but Cassian knocked him off with a lunge. Killian twisted back up and bit into Luca’s flank. Cassian shoved him aside. It was a storm of instinct and power and rage.

Then—

Bella stirred on the grass. Opening her eyes weakly, she stared ahead.

The garden blurred above her in silver streaks and howling shadows. Her vision pulsed as if the world had lost its color. But the moment she blinked again, she saw them.

Three magnificent wolves locked in deadly combat.

They were massive. Beautiful. Terrifying. Luca’s dark form. Killian’s gray strength. Cassian darting between them with sleek grace.

The world tilted.

Bella’s lips trembled. Her voice was hoarse and nearly silent.

She whispered.

"...what... are you?"

It was soft.

Barely above the breeze.

But it got to them.

That single question cut through the chaos like lightning

The three wolves froze.

Luca was the first to turn, his ears twitching. His glowing eyes widened when they found hers.

"...what are you?" Bella whispered again, her voice trembling.

She had stirred. Her body weakly lifted off the ground, her arm cradling her aching head.

She stared at the three wolves before her, eyes wide, lips parted.

She was looking at them like she didn’t know them at all.

Then—

She fainted again.

Her head slumped softly into the grass.

The spell broke.

In a blink, all three wolves began shifting back, fur receding, bones snapping back into place, bodies returning to their human forms.

Within seconds, Luca was kneeling beside her, naked from the shift, but he didn’t care.

"Bella," he said, brushing her hair back from her face. "Bella, wake up. Please."

Killian was beside him a moment later, still panting and holding his side where Luca had bitten him.

"She saw us," Cassian whispered. "Oh hell. She saw us."

"Bella..." Luca murmured, gathering her gently into his arms. His hands trembled. "I didn’t want you to find out like this."

Killian ran a hand through his messy hair. "We have to get her inside. Now. Before anyone else sees us."

Luca nodded. "My hideout. Let’s take her there. No one knows about that place."

With Bella in his arms, her head against his chest, Luca moved swiftly toward the school. Killian and Cassian followed, bloodied and bruised but silent.

They all ran to the secret space opening into Luca’s sanctuary, his art-covered hideout.

He kicked open the door and laid her gently on the worn leather couch.

Cassian poured water into a cup, pressing it to her lips. But she didn’t drink it.

Killian found a cool cloth and dabbed at her forehead. Luca sat beside her, holding her hand like it was the only thing anchoring him to the world.

Then a knock sounded at the door.

Rafe.

He stepped inside slowly, his eyes scanning the bloody, beaten trio. "I felt the fight from halfway across campus," he said. "What the hell happened?"

Luca didn’t look up. "She saw us."

Rafe’s eyes widened as he stepped closer. He looked at Bella, then at the others. "Does she remember?"

"I don’t know," Killian answered quietly. "But she asked the question."

They all stood there.

Surrounding her.

Three warriors and a healer.

All waiting.

All wondering what would happen when Bella woke up again.