Chapter 124

HAZEL

But for now, I endure. I survive. I wait.

The door swings open again, and the creaking sound starts sending chills down my spine. This time, they bring another injection. I recognize it immediately, it’s the clear liquid that means more pain, more loss of control. I try to fight, to pull away, but they hold me down, the needle piercing my skin.

“No, please!” I scream, but it’s useless.

The drug enters my veins, cold and sharp, spreading through my body like wildfire. I feel the change start, the familiar, agonizing shift as my bones crack and my skin stretches. I can feel the liquid entering my blood stream.

“Watch her!” One of them says. “This is going to be fun.”

My vision blurs, and I can feel the wolf taking over. But this time, something’s different. The pain is worse, sharper, and I realize with horror that the child inside me is at risk. I try to hold back the shift, to protect my unborn baby, but the drug is too strong.

I howl in pain as my body contorts for t