The White Wolf

Thrusting a hideously bubbled and charred arm in her face, Torger demanded, “Heal me.”

Venadis lifted her eyes from his wound and gazed around at the silent people. Finally, she looked directly at the man who had bullied her all her life, and said defiantly, “No.”

His rage exploded immediately. Without warning, he backhanded her across the mouth. She tried to dodge, but did not move quickly enough to avoid the blow. Flying backwards, her neck twisted painfully.

In agony, she grabbed the iron collar with both hands. A surge of cold rage flooded through her as she stared up at Torger’s satisfied smirk. Under her fingers, the iron felt like ice. Her grip tightened as she imagined squeezing the life out of him. Abruptly, the metal shattered.

In the blink of an eye, Venadis shifted into a white wolf beast, just as she had when Torger captured her and placed the iron collar around her neck. However, this time she was not six years old. This time, she had the strength of a full-grown wolf. She launched herself at him, enjoying the look of terror that crossed his face in the moment before she clamped her jaws around his throat.