Chapter 7. Splintered Howl

Aria couldn’t shift.

It started as a flicker—an almost imperceptible hesitation in her breath when she tried to connect to her wolf. Then came the silence. Not just quiet. Silence. As if a door that had always been slightly ajar had suddenly slammed shut. Hard.

She stood alone in the woods behind the school, knees slightly bent, eyes closed, sweat gathering at her temples. Her heartbeat echoed too loudly in her ears.

Nothing.

No voice. No movement. No warmth.

She gritted her teeth and tried again, harder this time, reaching deeper into the bond that had always just been there, waiting. But her claws didn’t break through. Her skin didn’t hum. Her body stayed stubbornly, painfully human.

“Come on,” she muttered.

Still nothing.

A rustle behind her made her snap around. Jules stood near the treeline, a frown cutting across her features.

“You felt it too,” she said, approaching slowly.

Aria didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.