Page 23 of Rescued By the Beast
The magic pulsing through my veins awakens with an almost visceral force. In milliseconds, my human form dissolves.
Unlike other shape-shifters, my transition is smooth, without pain or effort. My skin gives way to thick, shiny fur, while my muscles and bones adapt. For now, I choose my wolf form, able to roam the city without attracting too much attention, blending in with any other ordinary dog, albeit considerably larger.
The wind blows against my skin as I run, the pounding of my paws on the asphalt reverberating in my soul like a war chant. Pure freedom. But the smell of blood and rotting flesh reaches me, a suffocating presence that heralds the Wendigo.
It is near.
Chapter 8
Mark
The rot is overwhelming.
Not just a smell, but a sensation that crawls across my skin, digging invisible claws into my chest. The maze of trees looms ahead, the forest shrouded in dense shadows.
He is there.
Keelan tears through the sky above me, the eagle flying in a precise arc, screaming a warning that echoes like an arrow in my mind. My muscles tense, instinct takes over, and I surge forward, a blur of speed and determination.
The hunt begins.
Among the trees, he reveals himself. A nightmare made flesh. His grotesque silhouette stands out, thin and distant, covered in grey, stretched skin, as if his very body were disintegrating. Pulsing black veins spread like dead roots beneath his skin, and his eyes... a black void that seems to suck in all light, all hope. His mouth, grotesque and full of sharp teeth, opens in a hungry smile.
It doesn't just want to kill. It wants to devour.
My roar echoes through the forest, a primal sound that tears through the night.
With a leap, I leave the wolf form behind, surrendering to my beastly form. The transformation is thunder in my flesh, bones cracking, muscles growing, claws sharpening.
He will regret invading my territory.
I lunge at him, my claws cutting through the air with precision. The impact is a clash of brutal forces. He attacks with his long, sharp nails, so fast they are almost a blur.
But I am faster.
I sink my teeth into his rotten arm, feeling the flesh disintegrate under my jaw. The acidic, putrid taste explodes in my mouth, nauseating, but I don't give in.
He roars, an inhuman sound that reverberates through the air, and his claws dig into my back, tearing through skin and muscle.
I could have used my blocking power, preventing him from even touching me, but my regeneration is practically instantaneous. My wounds close with relentless speed, barely giving me time to register the pain.
I growl, a promise of death, and break free, but he is surprisingly strong. With a roar of fury, he grabs me again, his long, grotesque arms imprisoning me like a snake squeezing its prey. Then, with a brutal movement, he throws me away.
This kind of strength in a Wendigo is not normal.
It's as if he was created with an extra touch of witchcraft, which only strengthens my suspicions that someone is behind these apparitions.
The world spins around me. The impact throws me against a tree trunk, the wood giving way under the force of the shock. My ribs break, the pain spreading through my body for a brief second, until my regeneration repairs them, and I catch my breath.
The blood pounding in my ears pushes me to get up, and my vision adjusts, focusing on the monstrous form in front of me.
It stares at me from afar, its eyes black as bottomless caves.
But there is something new there. Fear.
I growl, and my body springs into motion. I move towards him, but before I can reach the monster, a crash of wings cutting through the air interrupts me.
Keelan.
