“That’s not how it works...”
“How would you know?! You said yourself you’ve never claimed anyone before! Maybe this is what happens and you just didn’t know!”
We were both on our feet now, facing each other, the argument escalating. His frustration pulsed through me, his confusion, his desperate need to understand what was happening.
It didn’t match my own. I was furious, terrified, and absolutely certain this was his fault.
“I’ve watched dozens of matings,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “I’ve seen wolves claim human mates,kingsclaiming them. It never turns them. Never. The claiming connects you to me. It extends your life. It doesn’t change your species.”
“Well apparently it does now!”
“The watch,” he said suddenly. “House Mirabelle. Your parents...”
“My parents were human.”
“You don’t know that. You said yourself your godmother never told you where they came from. What if they were wolves? What if they were from Duskmere? What if you’ve always had wolf blood in you, just dormant, and the claiming woke it up?”
“What if I’ve been a werewolf my whole life and just didn’t know it?” I laughed, high and manic and not at all amused. “Oh, that’s so much better. Thanks for that. Really helpful.”
“I’m trying to find an explanation...”
“An explanation that doesn’t make this your fault, you mean.”
He flinched, actually flinched, and good. Let him.
“Riley...” He reached for me.
“Don’t.” I held up a hand. “Just... don’t. I need to think. I need...”
What did I need? I had no idea. Everything I thought I knew about myself had been turned upside down in the span of an hour.
“We need answers,” Caelan said. “Let’s call Thessa.”
“Thessa? Why?”
“Because she might know more about House Mirabelle. She’s always been a history nerd. Or she can go back to Lytopia and ask our parents. The historians. Someone who might understand what’s happening.”
I wanted to keep fighting, to hold onto the fury because it was easier than dealing with the fear underneath.
And I did hold onto it. Kept it close, my armor against the fear.
“Fine,” I snapped. “Call her.”
Caelan pulled out his phone. The conversation was brief, terse words, urgent tone. Within fifteen minutes, there was a knock on the door.
Thessa walked in and stopped dead.
“What happened?” She was looking at me, taking in my appearance, the disheveled state, the wrapped-in-a-blanket situation, the wild look in my eyes. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I shifted,” I said flatly.
Thessa blinked. “You... what?”
“Shifted. Into a wolf. A white wolf. About twenty minutes ago.”
Thessa’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. She looked at Caelan, then back at me, then at Caelan again.
“That’s not possible,” she said finally.
