Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 313: Unleashed Astrid's POV As I lie there, hopelessness threatens to swallowwhole.

I can't shift, I can't fight. If only I still had my wolf-if only I were strong enough.

I'm so tired of feeling defenseless, of losing everything I care about.

Sobs chokeas I call out to my wolf, the part ofthat has been silent for so long.

I haven't seen her nor heard from her since the accident. I'm not sure if I had lost her, but I needed her now. She has to cback.

The darkness pulls at me, a relentless tide that threatens to swallowwhole.

My vision fades, and every muscle feels like it's made of lead as I lie helpless on the sand.

The poison sinks its claws deeper, and for a moment, I think this might be the end.

But somewhere deep inside, I reach out, hoping, praying that my wolf will hear me.

"Please," I whisper, my voice cracking. "I need you. I know... I know I haven't seen you in three years, but I need you now. Please, cback." I cling to that hope, the hope that my wolf - my other half-will answer.

But instead of the familiar presence I long for, something else stirs in the depths of my soul.

It thrums with a power so intense, it feels like a storm roaring through my veins.

I know this creature; it has appeared tobefore, in my nightmares and darkest moments.

It had also taken control of my body before. Whenever he raises to the surface, he would trap and consme, leavingno control not even connection to the senses of my body.

It's not my wolf - at least, not the one I've known. It's something far more strange, more feral, and far more powerful.

Fear gripsas I sense its presence, coiling and waiting. Its energy is wild and violent, a chaotic force that hums with thoughts of destruction and rage.

I know the danger of unleashing it, of letting it take over my body.

Every tI've felt its presence, it's filled my mind with violent urges, temptingto destroy everything in my path.

It's a creature that lives for the hunt, for the thrill of bloodshed. And yet, I am desperate. I have no other choice. "Help me... protect him..." I plead, feeling the desperation clawing at my chest.

For the first time, I surrender myself to it, letting go of the fear, letting the darkness wrap aroundas I open the cage that has kept the beast contained for so long.

I was afraid to unleash this unknown creature inside of me. I was always terrified of how it could consme whole and take control on my body, but now I allowed it to do as it wanted.

The shift comes violently, tearing through my body with a force that makesscream in agony.

Pain rips through my bones, and my skin feels like it's on fire as my form changes, twisting and reshaping into something unfamiliar.

It's not the gentle, controlled transformation I've felt before. This is raw, primal, like I'm being torn apart and put back together all at once.

I feel my claws elongate, my senses heightening to an almost painful clarity.

My body expands, doubling in size, my muscles bulging as silvery fur erupts across my skin.

It glows under the light, shining like liquid metal, and for a moment, I feel the air vibrate aroundwith the sheep intensity of the power coursing through me.

Ov I'm no longer just a wolf; I was something more terrifying even to me.

I let out a snarl, the sound deep and resonant, echoing across the beach. The man who had tauntedtakes a step back, his confidence shattered.

Terror flashes in his eyes as he stares at me, his face draining of color.

"This couldn't be. This couldn't be," he stammers, his voice trembling as he backs away, his hands shaking. "The poison was supposed to kill you... it was supposed to His words trait off as he continues to stare, his eyes locked on my new form. I see his terror, and for a brief moment, the violent urge rises-an instinct to lunge, to rip and tear until the beach is soaked in his blood.

QUMS The creature insidesnarls, its rage hungry and eager, urgingto unleash the fury building within.

It feeds off the man's fear, delights in his horror. It whispers in my mind, pushingto let go, to destroy. That's the kind of creature he is.

But I fight it, struggling to keep control even as the power surges. I have to remember why I did this- why I allowed this beast to take over.

Ryker.

I ground myself in that thought, and the rage tempers, just enough to hold back the impulse to kill The mahn continues to shake, stumbling backward. "It unleashed-no, this is impossible!" he cries, clutching at his weapon. He clutches the weapon, the sone that delivered the poisoned dart that nearly broughtdown.

His knuckles are white as he grips it, desperate, like it's a shield against the monster I've become.

His eyes are wide, filled with panic. "They said the essence would weaken you! They said " I don't let him finish. With a snarl, I lunge, my massive paws slamming into his chest.

The impact sends him sprawling, and the weapon flies from his grasp, spinning through the air before it lands several feet away in the sand.

The sound of it hitting the ground echoes in the night, and I feel a surge of satisfaction as the man scrambles, suddenly defenseless.

He tries to crawl toward the weapon, his hands digging into the sand as he pulls himself forward, but I'm faster.

I slam my paw down on his back, pinning him in place. He cries out his face twisted in fear as he feels the weight of my strength holding him down.

The man writhes beneath me, his body trembling as he struggles to lift himself his eyes fixed on the weapon En glinting a few feet away in the sand. He claws desperately, but he's too slow. I press my paw down harder, pinning him with all the force I can muster.

His cry of pain fills the night, and I feel the creature inside me, thrumming with satisfaction, eager for more.