Nothing happens.
Trying again, reaching deeper, pulling harder. The pendant grows hot enough to burn, and magic crackles through my veins, but my body stays stubbornly human. Frustration builds alongside the power, teeth gritting as I try to force the change through sheer willpower.
"Stop." Moira's command cuts through my concentration. "You're fighting yourself. Trying to force what should flow naturally."
"Then how do I do it?" My eyes open, breath coming hard despite not having moved.
"You stop trying so hard." She wades into the pool beside me, her skirt floating around her legs. "The problem isn't that youcan't shift. The problem is you're still clinging to your human shape like it's the real you and the seal is something foreign. It's not. They're both you, and one isn't more true than the other."
"So I just... what? Stop caring?"
"You stop fighting." Moira places a hand over my heart, where the pendant rests. "Your seal came forward yesterday because you needed her and you weren't thinking about whether you could or couldn't. You just were. Do that again."
Easier said than done. But my eyes close and a different approach emerges. Instead of reaching for the seal, instead of trying to force the change, I just... stop holding on so tight to being human. Stop insisting that this shape, these limbs, this form is the only real version of myself.
The pendant flares hot. Magic floods through me, sudden and overwhelming. And this time when the pressure builds, I don't fight it. The change carries me forward, reshapes me, lets me become what I've always been underneath the human disguise.
Mist erupts around me. Thunder cracks through the cave, echoing off stone walls. Silver and blue light blazes so bright I see it through my closed eyelids. My body convulses with change—human one second, seal the next—and then I'm underwater with flippers where my legs used to be and whiskers sensing every current.
Pure, uncomplicated rightness fills every corner of my being. The water welcomes me like before, and I dive deeper into the pool, testing my new form. It's different from yesterday's panicked flight. This time I'm present, aware, choosing to be here in this shape. My seal doesn't feel separate from my human consciousness. We're the same person, just wearing different skin.
Surfacing near where Moira stands, a sound escapes me that's somewhere between a bark and a laugh. She's grinning,and even Grayson looks pleased from where he's watching at the pool's edge.
"Good." Moira crouches down to my level. "Now come back."
Coming back is harder. Wanting to be human again requires effort, choosing legs over flippers and air-breathing lungs over ones that pull oxygen from water. My seal is happy where she is and sees no reason to leave this perfect form.
But Grayson's face surfaces in my mind. His hands on me, his voice in my ear, the way he looks at me like I'm precious. My seal recognizes our mate, wants to be with him in all the ways that human form allows. That desire tips the balance.
Mist swirls around me as thunder rumbles. Light flares, and my body convulses with change again. Seal one second, human the next, gasping and shaking in chest-deep water while Moira steadies me with gentle hands.
"Well done." Pride fills Moira's voice. "You just did in one morning what takes most selkies weeks to master."
"It gets easier?" Because right now every muscle trembles like I just climbed a mountain while carrying weights.
"Much easier." She helps me toward the shallow end where I can stand without her support. "The more you shift, the more natural it becomes. Eventually you'll be able to change as easily as putting on a different coat."
Grayson is there with a blanket, wrapping it around my shaking shoulders and pulling me against his warm chest. "You did it. I'm proud of you."
The simple praise sends warmth radiating through my chest. Leaning into him, I let his strength hold me up while my body recovers from the energy cost of shifting twice in quick succession.
The morning passes in cycles of practice. Shift and return, shift and return, until the process becomes smoother and less exhausting. Moira guides me through each cycle, teaching me tosense when my seal pushes forward. How to welcome the change or hold it back. How to stay in control even when the power rises.
My exhaustion shifts from debilitating to manageable. By the time hunger gnaws at my stomach, I've shifted more times than I can count. Each transformation feels more natural than the last. My seal is no longer foreign, no longer something that takes over in moments of crisis. She's just... me. Another way of being myself, like switching between walking and swimming.
Moira calls a break for lunch, and we sit on sun-warmed stones near the cave entrance eating sandwiches Grayson packed. The ocean stretches endless before us, and I watch it with new understanding. That's my home as much as any house, cottage or tower. My seal knows every current, every tide, every secret the water keeps.
"Tell me about the claiming ritual." The words escape before I can second-guess them. "Last night you mentioned it, but I need to understand what it means."
Moira exchanges a look with Grayson that I can't quite read. Then she sets down her sandwich and turns to face me fully.
"Bears claim their mates with blood. Both partners slice their palms, bind their hands together, and speak the old words. The blood mingles, and the magic recognizes the bond." Her tone is conversational but serious. "After that, you're connected. Feel each other's emotions. Know when the other's in danger or hurting. The bond makes you stronger together than apart."
"Connected how?" The question needs asking.
"You'll sense his moods without asking. He'll know if you're afraid or in pain. The connection amplifies both partners' powers." Moira pauses. "But it's permanent. Once the claiming is done, it can't be undone. You're bound until death."
The permanence of it settles into my bones. Forever. No walking away, no changing your mind, no escape if things go wrong.
