Lucian's Pov
The beast snarled, crouched before me like some grotesque carving of nightmares given life. Its body pulsed with magic—raw, cruel, and stitched together from darkness and bone. A malformed ribcage jutted out, its skin a patchwork of scales, sinew, and whatever damnation Velka dragged it from.
And it didn't fear me.
It lunged.
I dodged, barely. Its claws tore through the dirt where I'd been a second ago. Wind sliced past my face as I spun, claws already shifting out of my knuckles. My body cracked, bones breaking and reforming as I let the shift take me fully. I felt my limbs stretch, muscles coil, fangs lengthen, and my vision flare red as my wolf surfaced.
