Chapter 16. Cast Aside Once More

Elizabeth POV

My wolf was restless, gnawing at the edges of my consciousness. She was starving. We needed to hunt. Over the past weeks, her hunting skills had grown sharper—she’d even accounted for a couple of foxes—yet it had been days since we’d eaten. My teeth chattered, shaking me from my daze. Foolishly, I’d remained in my human skin for too long in these mountains. Winter crept closer with each passing dusk, and soon snow would seal our world in ice. I let the change overtake me. Fur spread across my limbs, my bones reconfigured, and in moments I was fully wolf.

Together we prowled the rocky slopes for hours, our keen senses combing every crag and crevice. But it just wasn’t our night. The rabbits and deer eluded us, and as darkness deepened, I trudged back to our ledge high on the cliff, limbs heavy with exhaustion. The cold night wind whipped around me as I shifted back to my human form. My bare feet bit into the rough stone, but I forced myself onward—I needed t