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made it to the park. It had definitely been too long since we’d hunted together. It wasn’t that I really wanted to do it, but the wolf became a little harder to manage if I didn’t let him out occasionally.
    We didn’t talk, just stripped and phased. I gasped at the familiar sensation of my bones realigning. It was over almost instantly, unlike any other time I’d changed. The wolf was keen, ready to run free. We had become more attuned since the fight, better prepared to act as one.
    The wolf wanted to play. Cú flanked me as if he knew I couldn’t be trusted. Self-control had been lacking lately; I could easily get out of line as a wolf. It didn’t bother me as much as it used to.
    Byron flew off, unwilling to wait for me. I didn’t care; I was still getting used to being on all fours. Everything was brighter, clearer… better. We should have been under cover of dark, but Byron had gotten weird about being away from Amelia after dark while we hunted because we couldn’t be contacted for help in all of the normal ways.
    That was all forgotten as I took in everything around me. It was as though I could see, hear, and smell everything, but I wanted more. I raced around the clearing in excitement, rolled on the grass like a pup, and sniffed the air deeply. My mouth watered as I instinctively turned toward the smell of human—wolf hadn’t hunted in too long—but Cú shouldered me and growled while a quiet little voice in my head told me no.
    That was okay, though. Plenty more out there. I set off after Byron, followed by my wolfhound. Sniffing the air, I could smell the raw, tangy scent of fresh blood.
    Wolf wanted a taste, too.
    I sprinted toward the smell, but stopped short as I caught sight of Byron. He was larger than me, more aggressive in wolf form. Although he was mild and play-it-safe as a human, his wolf was pretty awesome in ways I would never dare tell Perdita . His brown eyes caught mine in their stare as he savaged a wild rabbit with ease, tearing muscle effortlessly, blood dripping from his teeth.
    He lowered his head and snarled at me, and I knew I wasn’t invited to share. I ran instead, needing to stretch my legs. Byron was different as wolf, better able to cope. When my parents died, he had stayed wolf for a fortnight, and I remembered hearing my grandparents argue about it, worrying he might never come back. My grandmother said something about the lure of the wolf being too strong, but I didn’t understand what she meant, and it was too late to ask.
    When Byron eventually returned, he was even colder. The only time we ever felt like family was during the hunt. That was the only time I understood him.
    I raced through the trees, more excited than I had ever been on a hunt. I hated the idea of being forced into things by the curse, but I had to admit that I loved the freedom as a wolf. I loved how everything looked, tasted, and even smelled. It was something most people couldn’t experience, and it made me feel as though I was meant to be out there in the night, running wild. We had every advantage as wolves, but it was harder to appreciate those advantages in human form. Maybe that was what Mémère had meant about the lure of the wolf. It was far too easy to forget about human concerns in wolf form.
    Byron waited for me to calm down enough to hunt. I had been locked indoors for a long time, and I needed to make the most of the clear sky, the breeze that fondled my fur, and the never ending amount of things to see and smell. I ran as fast as I could, wishing I could go on forever without stopping. I could see why Byron turned to wolf when things got hard, but people were relying on me to be there for them. And as much as Perdita provoked my wolf’s attention, she kept the human in me alive.
    My stomach gave another gentle reminder that I needed to feed when Byron howled, signalling for me to join him. I trotted obediently through the trees until I caught his scent. The rabbit was gone, but he