39

Ariana

My heart pounded in my chest as I stood at the heart of the turmoil, watching my mother's once graceful form contort and shift into a twisted reflection of herself. The moon mark on her back glowed with an unnatural light, a silver beacon against her silvery hair. My father, usually strong and resolute, knelt beside her, his eyes brimming with anguish and helplessness. He was trying to contain her, to protect her, but the toxins were stronger than anything he could do.

"Father, stay away from her, mother has lost her mind, she will attack you!"

"No, I can't, it's all my fault."

My father tried to hug my mother, but my mother's eyes were red, her teeth were bared, and the wolf's claws scratched my father's face with blood.

"Father!" I yelled.

The father was helpless, held back his grief and knocked his mother down with his backhand.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists, my body quivering with a mixture of fear and determination. My mother's transformation wasn't an isolated