Cornelia's POV
The air left my lungs in a rush. My chest felt like it might cave in completely. I stared upward, but the ceiling blurred into nothing.
Pain. That was all I could process. The kind of pain that felt like being split in two. I heard no sound of tearing, but every nerve screamed that something had broken.
Colter had changed. His body had transformed into something impossible, something that my human form couldn't accommodate. The pressure was overwhelming, the stretch unbearable. Too much. Too deep. My muscles clenched involuntarily, trying to adjust to what felt impossible.
Nothing could have prepared me for this moment.
I couldn't make another sound. Movement became impossible. I lay frozen, eyes fixed on the white paint above, seeing nothing. The pain consumed every thought.
"Cornelia."
My eyes focused slowly. Colter's face appeared above me.
