Kaya
Gloria lunges at me in her wolf form, an ashen blur of muscle, rage, and pure animal power.
I barely have time to throw myself sideways.
Her massive paws crash into the earth where I was standing just seconds before, claws carving deep grooves into the soil. The impact alone is enough to shake the ground beneath my feet. Her growl—low, guttural, and thunderous—rattles my bones like an earthquake.
I stumble to my feet and scramble back, slipping in the dirt, my palms already skinned raw. My heart is beating so violently I feel it in my throat, behind my eyes, in my ears. Every instinct in my body screams Run, but I stand firm.
Because if I run now, I lose everything. Everything I know I can be.
I plant my feet, breathing hard, blood trickling down my neck and ribs. I pick up a broken training staff from the ground and hurl it at her. It hits her flank with a dull thunk. She snarls, barely phased.
"Come on," I rasp, half to her, half to myself.
