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In a chaotic storm, Eli and the three guards shifted into their wolf forms in the maintenance tunnel. The air filled with the sound of ripping clothes and multiple snarls. Four wolves now faced her—three with hostile intent, Eli standing apart, uncertain.

Maya's wolf form fought in a state of feral rage and panic, tearing and biting and clawing at the three guards in a dance that felt foreign yet oddly familiar and natural, as if her wolf form knew exactly how to defend itself.

This isn't me, Maya thought as her jaws snapped shut inches from a gray wolf's throat. But the moves came instinctively—duck, lunge, and slash with her newly formed claws. Her body moved with a grace she'd never experienced in her human form, pivoting and striking with lethal precision.

One of the guards, a russet-colored wolf, charged at her flank. Maya spun with unexpected agility, her newly grown claws raking across his muzzle. The wolf yelped, blood spattering the sterile white floor.

I've never fought a day in my life,her human mind protested even as her body executed another perfect defensive maneuver, driving the largest black wolf backward with a ferocious snarl.

The sound that tore from her throat was primal and fierce—a declaration that despite her newness to this form, she would not be taken down easily.

"Maya!" Eli called out telepathically to her in the language of wolves that she now strangely understood. "You need to get control! They're calling for backup!"

Maya heard the words but couldn't process them through the red haze of battle rage. Her fangs found purchase in the shoulder of the smallest wolf, and the taste of blood filled her mouth, copper-sweet and horrifying. She released immediately, shocked at herself, but her wolf pushed forward again.

One of the guards circled behind her. Maya sensed the movement and pivoted, but not quickly enough. Pain exploded across her back as claws raked her flesh. She howled—a sound that started animal but ended almost human.

Kieran, please. I don't know how to do this.She sent the desperate plea through their unexplainable connection as she staggered, trying to regroup.

The largest wolf lunged at her throat, forcing Maya to dodge sideways into the wall. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs. For a split second, her vision swam, her body faltering between forms—fur receding slightly and her claws shortening.

That moment of weakness was all the guards needed. They closed in, their teeth bared, ready to subdue her.

This is it,Maya thought, bracing for their attack.I've come this far only to be caged again.

The hallway echoed with the sound of snarls and snapping jaws as the three wolves coordinated their approach. Maya backed against the wall, her muscles tensing for one final desperate fight.

A thunderous crash shook the tunnel as the metal service door at the end of the corridor flew off its hinges. Through the opening burst seven massive wolves, led by one with midnight-black fur and silver-blue eyes that blazed like cold fire.

Kieran.

Maya's heart lurched with recognition. Even in wolf form, she knew him instantly—the way he moved, the commanding presence, and the electric connection that pulsed between them.

The three guard wolves swiveled, caught between Maya and the new threat. Their hesitation lasted only a fraction of a second before Kieran's tactical assault began with ruthless precision.

He signaled with a sharp bark, and his pack split into a perfect flanking formation. Three wolves circled wide to cut off retreat while Kieran and three others drove straight at the guards.

The largest guard wolf, a mottled brown beast, lunged for Kieran's throat. Kieran feinted left, then pivoted with shocking speed, his jaws clamping around the attacker's exposed flank. Bone crunched beneath his bite.

He moves like water,Maya thought, mesmerized by his lethal grace.

The guard yelped in pain, but Kieran gave no quarter. He drove the wounded wolf toward Maya, almost as if offering her the kill. Her newly awakened instincts recognized the gesture for what it was—a display of dominance, trust, and partnership.

Without thinking, Maya launched herself from the wall, her half-shifted form moving with unexpected agility. Her claws raked across the wounded wolf's throat, opening it in a spray of crimson.

I just killed someone,her human mind registered with shock. But her wolf felt only satisfaction and the primal thrill of survival.

Kieran's eyes met hers across the dying wolf, approval and something far more intimate burning in their silver-blue depths. A silent communication passed between them—hunt together, fight together, and survive together.

The two remaining guards fell back, realizing they were outmatched. One turned to flee, but Kieran's wolves had cut off escape. Panicked, he charged at Maya, perhaps thinking her the weaker target.

Maya felt Kieran's rage pulse through their bond at the threat to her. He moved with blinding speed, but Maya was already reacting.

She dropped low, letting the charging wolf sail over her, then twisted to catch its hindquarters with her teeth. The wolf howled as it crashed against the wall. Before it could recover, Kieran was there, his massive jaws closing around its neck with decisive finality.

The third wolf backed away, hackles raised, seeking any opening for escape. It found none. Cornered between Kieran's pack and the wall, it made one desperate lunge toward a ventilation grate.

Maya intercepted it mid-leap, her body moving instinctively in concert with Kieran's. As she knocked the wolf off-course, Kieran delivered the killing blow, his teeth severing the wolf's spine with surgical precision.