I studied a pair sparring in the center. Their movements were nearly a blur, strikes delivered and blocked effortlessly, a silent language of power flowing between them. For a moment, a spark of recognition or longing flickered inside me. Could that be part of me too, hidden beneath this unfamiliar skin? Or was I destined to remain on the sidelines, unsure of the body I now inhabited?
From everything Faye and Alexander had said, wolves weren’t constructed overnight. Their reflexes, instincts, abilities—they came from blood and lineage, shaped by experience.
And here I was, untested, with only fragments of identity and a body that promised more than I could access.
I exhaled slowly, letting the weight settle in my chest. My gaze drifted to the dirt beneath my feet, as if staring could of
