Fell For You

The White Paws

Sunlight spilled over a labyrinth of flowers, gilding a manor so pristine it looked painted into the horizon.

At the center of the maze, a pentagon of silver formed a table. At each point sat an elder, hair streaked white like snow caught in winter bark. Behind each elder stood five cloaked figures, motionless but for the faint rise and fall of their shoulders. They were tall—six feet and change—and young, no older than twenty-five.

Their masks were carved into beasts: Snake, Wolf, Dragon, Tiger, Eagle.

At the head sat a man whose storm–grey eyes held the room in their tide. Azeizal, Elder Supreme.

"We have a problem," he said, voice like gravel under thunder. "By now, you have all sensed it."

The elders nodded—concern, calculation, a breath of fear.

"Tigris," Azeizal called, gaze cutting to the tiger mask. "Step forth."

The slender cloaked figure moved, hands clasped behind his back, head inclined in quiet deference.

"Investigate. Report. Await orders once you identify the anomaly," the Elder Supreme instructed.

No questions. A single nod. And Tigris was gone—already a shadow on the path to a small, rainy town called La Push.

⸻

Light speared my eyelids. I flinched. The pounding in my skull tried to break out with a mallet.

"Hey," a soft voice chuckled, too loud in my head. "You almost gave us a heart attack."

Bonfire. Jacob. Kissing Seth. Pain—white–hot and endless. I lurched up.

"Easy, easy." Kristina's hands pressed me back. My room swam into focus.

"Where's Seth?" My voice sounded like it had been tumble–dried with gravel.

She poured water, two painkillers clinking in a glass that rang like cymbals to my new ears. "On his way. He practically became a decorative chair beside your bed. I finally kicked his furry behind out to shower and eat."

I swallowed the pills. The clink echoed. "Why is everything so loud?"

"Because your hearing's tripled," she said matter–of–fact. She poured something from a small kettle. Yellow. Suspicious. "Sip. It'll dull the noise for a while."

I gagged after one mouthful. "This tastes like seven unripe lemons, three teaspoons of sodium chloride, and eleven herbs and spices with a dash of pumpkin leaf."

Kristina lit up. "Your taste buds are online! And yes, that's... basically the recipe."

"How long was I out?"

"Three days. Your body shut down after the merge. We're lucky the wolf took point. If the fox had led your first shift, we'd be... well. Not here."

Goosebumps climbed my arms. "Noted."

She tossed me clothes and nudged me toward the bathroom. "Change before the boyfriend has a coronary."

I locked the door, peeled off my shirt, glanced up—and yelped. The door crashed inward as Kristina barreled in.

"What—oh." She blinked at my reflection, then grinned. "You... have abs. Congrats to Seth, my condolences to every jealous PE teacher."

"It's not funny," I muttered, prodding the new ridges like they might bite. Everything was sharper—jawline, eyes, hair longer and darker. Me, but printed in high resolution.

"It's normal," she said, amused. "Hybrid metabolism, strength, heat. Try the outfit."

When I stepped out, her squeal could've powered a small village. "You look gorgeous."