Sera's POV
The transition back to consciousness wasn't a gentle wake-up; it was like being dragged from the bottom of a freezing, murky lake.
One second, Garrett’s filthy hand was choked around my throat, mocking me, calling me weak while Vera roared NO MORE! into the dark cavern of my mind—and then... blackness. A complete, terrifying blackout.
The next moment I was conscious again, I wasn't in my own skin. I was trapped behind green eyes, standing in the grass in front of a massive, jet-black wolf. My jaws were bare, dripping crimson, and a deep, lethal growl was tearing out of my chest, directed straight at the Alpha.
Gideon.
Even as his reassuring voice echoed through our bond—telling us it was okay, that we were safe, and that he was so proud of us—the sheer shock of what had ju
