bChapter /bb16 /b

Nyssa pov

I jerked away from my hand in shock when bI /bbsaw /bthe tattoo. My heart pounded heavily bagainst /bmy chest, and for a moment, it felt like an illusion… until I lifted my hand again and bsaw /bit once more.

bThe /btattoo was really thereb. /bThe bdagger /btattoo, the same one that had turned me into bdust /bwas right there on my wrist.

Wait-

I frozeb, /btilting my head in confusion. Serene had run my bath this morning. She had dressed me too. How had she not seen bthe /btattoob? /b

“That’s impossible,” I murmured under my breath. “Serene would’ve definitely said something if she’d seen a strange tattoo on my wristb./bb” /b

“That’s because she can’t see bit/bb, /bduh. No one else can bexcept /byou. You’re the only one who can,” She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. I frowned.

“I see, that exins it. But… what does this tattoo mean? It is the dagger, isn’t it? And something strange happened too. That fall with the Lycan King, it happened in my past life, just… differently. Right before I slipped, the memory shed through my mind. What does that even mean?” I asked everything in a rush.

She let out a long, frustrated sigh.

“You’re seriously asking me? When you should be more concerned about the fact that you now have a wolf and that you can actually shift into one?!”

I blinked, slightly taken aback by her words. She was right. In my past life, having a wolf had been everything I’d ever wanted. After my father’s death, I’d be painfully aware of how cruel the world could be to those without a wolf, like me. Kieran and Aria had made it clear I was weak, unfit to be Luna even though they never said it directly. That was why I’d always longed for a wolf. But now, with only three days left before the rejection ceremony where I was supposed to die, it honestly wasn’t on my mind.

“Eh, yeah. A wolf, that’s pretty cool,” I shrugged, opening my mouth to steer the conversation toward something more important. But She gasped, sounding genuinely hurt.

“You really have no idea what kind of wolf I am, do you? That’s why you’re acting this way. Once you figure it out, you’ll be bso /bsurprised! You really will be!” she eximed.

I raised an eyebrow, scoffing as I shook my head at her dramatics.

“Stop exaggerating. What kind of wolf could possibly surprise me? I’ll probably just shift into a brown wolf,” I said with aughb, /bcrossing my legs and running a hand through my hair.

Brown wolves were the weakest, barely above omegas, those without wolves at all. I’d never been lucky, nor strong, so if She bwasn’t /bexactly what she imed, I was probably just a ck wolf, like my father. Alphas and their descendants had ck wolves, the third strongest. The Lycan King had a silver wolf, the strongest wolf in the world and the second strongest wolf, a white wolf, hadn’t been seen in ages.

“Strip your clothes and shift,” She said, her voice tinged with excitement. I stiffened, hearing her tone clearly.

“What?” I asked, confusion evident in my voice.

“Strip your clothes and transform into me. You’ll finally see what kind of wolf you have! I’m sure you’ll be surprised and

start appreciating me moreb,/bb” /bshe added smugly.

I stared into the bdistance/bb, /bbdeadpan /bbexpression /bon my bface/bb. /b“No.”

I didn’t bhesitate /bbefore blurting it outb, /bshaking my bhead /bfirmly.

b“/bWhat?!b” /bbShe /bbscreamed/b, bdisbelief /bthick in bher voice/bb. /b

1 shrugged casually, standing up from the rock and dusting off my clothes with a nonchnt air.

“No, you heard me. There’s no need to know what kind of wolf I have. Since I won’t be living much longer, I won’t shift.” My voice was cold, but inside, my heart was pounding with excitement.

If I was being honest, I bwas /bcurious. Really curious and I wanted to bsee /bwhat kind of wolf I had, and the feeling bof /bshifting. Father had described it bas /bbeing one with your wolf but I knew there was no point. It was just something I could hold onto, and I didn’t want to get attached to anything especially not before the rejection ceremony.

“Coward,” She hissed through her breath.

I froze bas /bI was about to slip my heels back on and leave.

“You really are ba /bcoward, Nyssa. You’ve been given a second chance, and you’re still the same coward you were before. You haven’t even been here long, and already you’re thinking about giving up. I watched you, locked up in that miserable ce in your past life. And goddess, I wanted nothing more than to smack you and call you stupid for trusting Kieran and Aria when it was so obvious they were together all along,” She paused for a brief moment, then continued, “Ah, wait. It wasn’t cheating if they were actually mates, right?”

I sneered at her words. I knew what she was doing, trying to provoke a reaction. But after everything I’d been through, watching everyone die, being tricked, used, and trampled on, only to end if all with my own death, it made me calm, collected. I wasn’t the same naive girl anymore.

“And can you imagine? Even Serene knew something was off. Father knew something was wrong too, and they both tried to warn you. But you wouldn’t listen because you were sooo in love—”

“Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll strip and shift, alright? Just stop talking! You’re making me feel more stupid than I already am,” I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.

Almost immediately, She stopped, clearing her throat. Her tone shifted to something softer.

“Ahem, alright. You should’ve said so from the beginning.”

“Just tell me how to do this. Let’s get this over with, I’m starving,” I grumbled.

She responded quickly. “Right. Right. It’s simple. Just strip your clothes so they won’t tear when you shift. You don’t want bto /bend up naked, right? Once you’re done, just focus on it, think about shifting into your wolf. It’s easy. I could take over if I wanted, but I want you to experience the rush of shifting for the first time.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips as I began to remove my clothes, murmuring, “It’s not like being seen naked is the worst thing that’s happened to me.”

“True” She casually agreed as my dress fell to the ground and I hesitated, not wanting to bgo /bpletely naked out in the woods.

Yes, no one came here except me but still it felt weird.

“Should I take these off this toob?/bb” /bbI /basked.

????????????

Chapter b16 /b

b“/bbOf /bbcourse/b, unless. You want it to bbe /bbtorn /btoob” /b

bI /bbpouted /bbat /bbher /bwords and balso /bbegan stripping my bunderwear/b. When I bwas /bbdone/bb, /bbI /bstood bstraight /band inhaled ba /bdeep bbreath/b, shivering slightly from the bcold /bwind against my skin.

b“/bAlright, done. Let’s hurry up and bget /bthis bover /bwith” bI /bclosed my beyes /band bwrapped /bmy arms around my bbreasts/bb, /btrying to bdo /b

bwhat /bbShe /bbhad /bsaid.

Close byour /beyes and just think. It should be beasy/b.

I bhad /bseen many people shift to their wolves form within seconds bso /bthis should be beasy/b.

bA /bsmirk tugged bat /bthe corner of my lips bas /bbI /bbegan to remove my clothes, murmuring, “It’s not like being seen bnaked /bbis /bthe worst thing that’s happened to me.b” /b

“True” She casually agreed, as my dress fell to the ground. I hesitated, not wanting to bepletely exposed out here in the bwoods/b.

bYes/bb, /bno one ever came here but meb, /bbut bstill/bb, /bit felt… strange.

“Should I take these off too?” bI /basked, ncing down at my underwear.

“Of course, unless you want it to tear too.”

I pouted at her words and then pulled off my underwear. When I was done, I stood tall, inhaling a deep breath, the cold wind against my bare skin sending a shiver down my spine.

“Alright, done. Let’s hurry up and get this over with.” I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around my chest, trying to focus like She had said.

Close your eyes and just think. It should be easy.

I had watched so many people shift into their wolf forms in seconds, so this should be a breeze.

“Think. Think. Think,” I whispered to myself, steadying my breath. A slow, warm sensation began to build within me, making me feel at bease/bb. /b

It bwas /bstrange, but balso/b… right. Like this was something that was supposed to happen. It felt natural.

“Yes! You’re doing it! It’s slower this time because it’s your firstb, /bbut you’re getting there!” She cheered, and I grinned, focusing even more.

Howeverb, /bba /bscent suddenly wafted through the air, making my heart race involuntarily.

bIt /bbwas /bfamiliar.

Woods. Pine. Wild andmanding.

Fuck, I felt drawn to it.

“Uh–huh, you’re not going to like thisb,/bb” /bShe murmured under her breath, causing me to furrow my brow in confusion. Slowly, I opened my eyes, and the moment I did, I felt all the breath khocked out of me as I stared at a pair of white beyes/b.

Shit. Shit. Shit.