We climbed the stairs to the fifth floor. Bellas followed behind us, his footsteps nearly silent against stone. I didn’t look back.

  Aria hummed something tuneless as we reached our door. I pulled the key from my spatial ring and unlocked it.

  The room looked exactly as we’d left it—four beds, two desks, the wardrobe we’d barely touched. Empty except for us.

  Bellas stopped just inside the threshold, waiting.

  Aria circled him once, trailing fingers along his shoulder. “You know, I’d really like to test you out properly.” Her tail flicked. “See what those demon trainers taught you.”

  My stomach clenched.

  “But.” She sighed dramatically. “That wouldn’t be fair to Lily, would it? She hasn’t felt the hunger yet, so she should get first pick when it hits.” Aria turned to me. “I can hold out a few days. Feed outside in the meantime.”

  She paused, grin widening. “Unless you want to try anyway? Even without the hunger?”

  I swallowed.

  The invitation hung in the air. My body responded before my mind could shut it down—warmth spreading through my core, attention sharpening on the naked elf standing three meters away.

  No.

  “I—” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “No. Better to wait.”

  Aria waved a hand. “Yeah, you’re right. Don’t want to spoil the fun.” She looked back at Bellas. “I’ll grab someone at the club later. Plenty of options there.”

  She stepped closer to me, expression shifting to something almost serious. “But you tell me the second it hits, okay? Your first time should be memorable. I’ll make sure it’s perfect.”

  The lie formed automatically. “I will.”

  “Good.” Aria’s smile returned full force. She turned to Bellas. “You can take one of those beds instead of sleeping on the floor.” She pointed at the beds furthest from the door. “We’re the only students in this room, so pick whichever you prefer.”

  Bellas bowed slightly. “Thank you, mistresses.”

  His voice was smooth. Cultured. The accent was… refined. Foreign. Nothing I recognized, but that didn’t mean much given how little I knew about where elves came from.

  I looked away before my thoughts could travel further down that path.

  Aria grabbed my wrist. “Come on.”

  “Where?”

  “Den of Debauchery, silly.” She laughed. “Did you forget already? I promised you drinks and dancing.”

  Right.

  I’d agreed to that. Before the slave market. Before signing ownership papers for a person.

  My eyes flicked to Bellas once—just once. He’d moved to the bed Aria had indicated, sitting on the edge with perfect posture.

  An image flashed through my mind. Me. Him. The bed. His hands on my—

  I shook my head sharply.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  Aria beamed and pulled me toward the door.

  At this rate I wouldn’t even make it until the end of the day.

  The hunger hummed louder as we left the room, like it knew I was running out of time.

  * * *

  The Den of Debauchery announced itself three blocks away through walls and stone. Bass thudded against my ribs with each step closer. By the time we reached the entrance, the sound had become a physical thing—drums and industrial grinding that vibrated through my bones.

  Aria bounced on her toes. “Great, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  The doors opened. Music slammed into us.

  Then the smell hit.

  Sex. Sweat. Something sharper underneath—fluids and musk and heat. My mouth flooded with saliva. The hunger roared to life, no longer a background hum but a screaming demand that drowned out rational thought.

  I stopped moving.

  Aria grabbed my hand and pulled me deeper into the club. Bodies pressed close on all sides—succubi grinding against incubi, hands groping freely, mouths on skin. The walls pulsed with bioluminescent veins synchronized to the music.

  “Relax!” Aria shouted over the noise. “You look like some sheltered maiden!”

  Right. Relax.

  I forced my shoulders down and followed her toward the bar.

  The dance floor occupied a sunken pit in the centre. Around it, cushioned alcoves carved into the walls displayed what the Den specialized in. A succubus straddled someone I couldn’t identify through the tangle of limbs. Another pair occupied the alcove beside it, their activities on full display for anyone walking past.

  Nobody looked twice.

  We reached the bar. The bartender approached—an incubus wearing pants so tight I could see the outline of everything. His chest was bare except for leather straps crossing his torso. Wings spread behind him in lazy display.

  “What can I get you ladies?” His smile showed teeth.

  I stared at the menu board behind him. The drink names meant nothing. Mother’s Mercy. Breeder’s Shot. Heaven’s Delight.

  “I’ll let you pick,” I said to Aria.

  She laughed. “Come on, pick something for yourself. Live a little.”

  I scanned the board again. One name stood out simply because I recognized the words. “The White Russian.”

  Aria’s eyebrows rose. “Didn’t take you for someone who drinks the strong stuff.” She grinned at the bartender. “I’ll have the same.”

  He nodded and turned away. Bottles clinked. He returned with two glasses filled with milky liquid and set them on the bar. “First ones are on the house.” He winked at us both.

  Aria leaned forward, tail curling. “Well aren’t you sweet.”

  I tried to mirror her posture—the lean, the smile. My body corrected the awkwardness before I finished the thought. The bartender’s attention shifted to me, his grin widening.

  “Enjoy,” he said, holding eye contact a beat too long.

  I picked up the glass. The liquid looked right. Smelled right. I took a drink.

  Similar taste to what I remembered—vodka, coffee liqueur, cream. But sweeter. Much sweeter. Warmth spread through my chest and down into my core. The hunger purred, satisfied for the first time since I’d woken in this body.

  The screaming demand quieted to a manageable pressure.

  I took another sip. The hole inside me shrank slightly, filled with artificial warmth that tasted nothing like alcohol alone should.

  What was in this drink?

  The bartender had already moved on to other customers. I watched Aria drain half her glass in one go.

  “Not bad, right?” She set it down and scanned the crowd. “Though we can do better.”

  The music shifted. Bodies on the dance floor moved faster, hands grabbing, mouths meeting.

  Aria turned back to the bartender and raised her voice. “Screw it. Two Angel Delights.” She looked at me. “This one’s on me.”

  The bartender’s grin became predatory. “Coming right up.”

  The warmth in my chest faded slightly. The hunger stirred again, testing its boundaries.

  The night was young.

  I already knew the temporary relief wouldn’t last.

  * * *

  The bartender returned with two glasses. The liquid inside glowed faintly—cloudy gold catching the pulsing lights overhead.

  I lifted mine. “What is this?”

  Aria grabbed hers without hesitation. “Heaven.” She tilted her head back and drained it in three gulps.

  Her wings spread. A full-body shudder ran through her, head to tail. “Oh, fuck. That’s it. That’s the one.”

  I stared at my glass. The glow persisted, steady and warm. Some kind of magic infusion, probably. We were in Hell. Everything here bent the rules I’d grown up with.

  I brought the rim to my lips and drank.

  Warmth exploded behind my sternum. Not gradual—instant. It cascaded downward, flooding through my core and racing along every nerve. My spine arched. Something clenched deep in my abdomen, then released, then clenched again in waves I couldn’t name or control.

  Pleasure crashed through me. Not sexual—or maybe it was, I couldn’t tell. My body shuddered, thighs pressing together as sensation spiralled outward from my centre and back again. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Just felt.

  The waves crested. Subsided. Left me gasping.

  I braced against the bar. My hands shook. The hunger receded—not gone, but quieter. Patient now. Waiting.

  Aria’s laughter cut through the ringing in my ears. “You good?”

  I forced air into my lungs. “What the hell was that?”

  “Told you. Best drink ever devised.” She spun her empty glass on the bar. “Worth every soul coin.”

  My legs still trembled. I locked my knees and straightened, trying to regain control over muscles.

  Aria slid off her stool. “So. You ready to dance? Or do you want to wait here, see if someone tasty comes to us?”

  The bartender glanced our way. His smile promised attention I absolutely did not want.

  “Dancing,” I said immediately. “Dancing sounds good.”

  “Perfect.” Aria grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the pit.

  The crowd thickened. Bodies pressed closer. I caught glimpses of the alcoves as we passed—a succubus on her knees, an incubus pinning someone against the cushions. Nobody bothered with privacy.

  We reached the edge of the sunken floor.

  I stopped.

  The pit writhed. Not dancing in any sense I recognized. Grinding, groping, hands everywhere. A succubus straddled her partner in the middle of the floor, hips rolling without shame. Two demons tangled together near the far edge, mouths locked.

  This wasn’t a dance floor. It was foreplay with a beat.

  I could leave. Turn around, walk out, claim exhaustion or nerves or anything. But Aria would ask questions. She’d wonder why I reacted this way when every other succubus treated this as normal.

  What if she mentioned it to someone? What if word travelled? The Academy was small enough. Moira would hear eventually. And if Moira heard, how long before Lilith and Lucifer learned their daughter was behaving strangely?

  The risk was low. Probably.

  But not zero.

  “Less thinking, more dancing.” Aria’s hand tightened on mine. She pulled me forward, down the steps into the pit.

  Heat surrounded us. Music pounded through my chest. A tail brushed my hip as someone moved past. Aria turned to face me, hands rising above her head, body already moving to the rhythm.

  I tried to copy her movements. My hips swayed. Muscle memory I didn’t own guided me through motions I’d never practiced.

  The hunger stirred, responding to proximity and heat and the scent of bodies pressed close.

  Aria grinned. “There you go!”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  I kept moving. Let the body’s instincts take over because my own mind had no idea what to do.

  The music shifted. Someone’s hand slid across my lower back.

  I didn’t look to see who.

  * * *

  The hand on my lower back slid higher. Fingers traced my spine through the thin fabric of my uniform.

  I should have pulled away. The touch came from someone I hadn’t looked at, hadn’t acknowledged, hadn’t chosen. But the contact sent warmth spreading across my skin, and my body leaned into it before my mind could object.

  Aria spun closer. Her hands found my waist. “You’re getting the hang of it!”

  I was. That was the problem.

  My hips moved in patterns I’d never learned. The music pulsed through my chest, and my body responded like it had done this a thousand times. Aria’s fingers tightened on my waist, pulling me nearer until almost no space remained between us.

  I should leave. Make an excuse. Claim exhaustion or nerves or anything that would get me out of this press of bodies and heat and sensation.

  But Aria’s grip felt good. Grounding. And the alternative was walking away, going back to the dormitory alone, where I’d have to explain why I left early from my first real social event.

  Better to stay. Just a little longer.

  Aria’s tail brushed my calf. Someone else’s wing grazed my shoulder. Bodies surrounded us on all sides, moving together in a rhythm that blurred individual dancers into one writhing mass.

  A succubus to my left kissed her partner. Their hands roamed freely. Nobody looked. Nobody cared.

  This was normal here.

  I kept moving. Aria guided me through turns I didn’t plan, her hands firm on my waist. When she spun me, someone else’s chest pressed against my back for three heartbeats before the movement carried me away again.

  The contact felt good. I hated that it felt good.

  I told myself I was staying to observe. To learn how succubi behaved in social settings. Tactical information. Nothing more.

  The lie tasted bitter even as I thought it.

  Ten minutes passed. Maybe fifteen. Aria pulled me closer, her forehead nearly touching mine. Her purple eyes caught the pulsing lights overhead.

  “Having fun?”

  “Yes.” The answer came automatically. True enough that I couldn’t call it a complete lie.

  Her grin widened. “Told you this place was perfect.”

  Someone’s hand slid along my hip. I turned, following the touch, and found myself facing a different direction entirely. The crowd had shifted. New faces surrounded us.

  Twenty minutes. Maybe more. Time felt slippery here, measured in beats and touches rather than seconds.

  I should leave. Right now. Walk away before—

  Aria’s hands cupped my face. She kissed me.

  Not like the incidental contacts happening all around us. This was deliberate. Her lips moved against mine with clear intent.

  I froze. My mind went blank. Then my body responded, kissing her back with an enthusiasm that had nothing to do with conscious choice.

  Her tongue traced my lower lip. Heat flooded through me, different from the cocktail’s warmth but just as overwhelming. My hands found her waist without permission, pulling her closer.

  This was wrong. I was attracted to women, yes, but not like this. Not with this intensity that made thinking impossible.

  I pulled back. Put inches between us. Aria’s eyes were half-lidded, her smile lazy.

  “Tease,” she murmured.

  I couldn’t form words. My lips still tingled.

  Focus. I needed to focus on something else. Anything else.

  I turned my attention to the music, the crowd, the safe distance of observation. Aria stayed close but didn’t push. She danced beside me, hands occasionally finding my waist or shoulders but never demanding more than I offered.

  Safer. This was safer.

  Arms wrapped around me from behind.

  Male. Broad chest against my back. His breath warmed my neck.

  The hunger woke.

  Not the constant background awareness I’d grown used to. This was immediate. Urgent. A spike of need that drowned out everything else.

  Warmth radiated from his core. It called to something deep in my chest that responded without hesitation. My body moved without permission, pressing back against him. My head tilted, exposing my throat.

  He leaned down. His lips hovered near my ear.

  I spun to face him. The movement brought us chest to chest, his mouth inches from mine. Heat poured off him in waves that made my skin prickle. The hunger demanded I close the distance. Right now. Take what he was offering.

  My lips parted.

  I jerked back. Stumbled. Someone steadied me.

  The incubus watched me for three seconds. Then he shrugged and turned away, finding another partner without apparent concern.

  I couldn’t breathe properly. My hands shook.

  That was—I almost—

  Aria appeared in front of me. “You okay?”

  “Fine.” The word came out steady. “Just hot.”

  She pulled me back into the dance. I let her, grateful for the distraction.

  But my body wasn’t grateful. Something in my core twisted with frustration. Anger, maybe. I’d refused what it wanted, and it wasn’t forgiven.

  I focused on Aria. Safer. Familiar. Just dancing.

  Except the anger didn’t fade. It built. A pressure behind my sternum that intensified with every passing minute.

  Aria’s hands slid up my sides. I caught them, held them. She grinned and leaned closer.

  Her mouth found mine again.

  This time I didn’t pull back.

  I kissed her properly. My hands tangled in her hair. Her tail wrapped around my calf. We moved together, bodies pressed close, the line between dancing and something else dissolving completely.

  My wings spread partially. Hers did the same. We were tangled together—arms and tails and wings creating a cocoon that blocked out the rest of the crowd.

  Heat built between us. Not the desperate hunger from before. Something slower. More deliberate.

  Her tongue slid against mine. I made a sound I didn’t recognize.

  When we finally broke apart, I was breathing hard. Aria’s lipstick had smeared. Her eyes were bright.

  “I love the blushing maiden act,” she said.

  It wasn’t an act.

  “Could use some work though,” Aria added.

  What work? Images flashed through my mind. Her hands on my waist. My fingers in her hair. The taste of her mouth. How good it felt.

  How wrong it was.

  I wasn’t—I didn’t—

  “We should probably head back,” Aria said. “It’s getting late. Better to make a good first impression tomorrow. What do you think?”

  An opportunity. A way out.

  I grabbed it with both hands.

  “You’re right.” The words came easily. “Early start. Should get some sleep.”

  Aria nodded and pulled me toward the exit.

  We climbed out of the pit. The air felt cooler away from the press of bodies. I followed Aria through the crowd, past the alcoves where couples and groups continued without pause.

  Outside, the street was quieter. Darker. I could think again.

  “Worst timing,” I muttered. “The hunger stirring right when—”

  I stopped.

  Aria turned. Her eyes went wide. Then excited.

  “The hunger? You felt it?”

  Shit.

  “I—it was just—” I tried to backtrack. “Brief. Nothing serious.”

  “When?” She stepped closer. “Just now? In the club?”

  My mind raced. Deny it? Claim I misspoke? But her expression promised she wouldn’t let this drop.

  “When that incubus…” I gestured vaguely. “It spiked for a second. That’s all.”

  Aria’s grin could have lit the street. “Oh, this is perfect. Perfect! Go back to the dorm. Wait for me.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I have one place to visit. Won’t take long.” She was already backing away. “Just wait in our room. Promise me.”

  I nodded because refusing seemed not an option.

  “Good!” She turned and ran toward the market district.

  I stood alone in the street.

  What had I just done? What was she planning?

  My feet carried me toward the dormitory without conscious decision. The building loomed ahead, dark stone against darker sky.

  What was I going to do? Should I run? Hide? Claim I went to sleep?

  Where would I even run to? The palace? Back to Lucifer and Lilith, where I’d have to explain why I fled my first day at Academy?

  My hands clenched. Unclenched.

  The dormitory door opened easily. The stairs stretched upward.

  I climbed toward the fifth floor, each step feeling heavier than the last.

  * * *

  The door to 413 opened under my hand. Bellas stood near one of the beds, turning at the sound.

  “Mistress.” He bowed his head.

  Right. That’s what I was now. His owner.

  My chest tightened. Poor bastard. Enslaved in Hell, owned by two demons who’d feed on him regularly. I wished I could help him somehow.

  But I wouldn’t.

  A normal person would try. Find some loophole, some way to free him or at least ease his situation.

  I wasn’t normal. Never had been, even as Liam. And I definitely wouldn’t risk my chance of getting home just because I felt pity.

  Still.

  I looked at him properly. Blonde hair, handsome features, muscular build. The two nipple rings caught the ambient light.

  My breath caught. Heat bloomed low in my abdomen, spreading through my core like liquid fire. My tail curled without permission.

  I forced my gaze away. Focused on closing the door.

  The heat didn’t fade. It pulsed with each heartbeat, insistent.

  “Is there something you require, Mistress?” Bellas asked.

  I needed him to put clothes on. That would help. Probably.

  “I’m curious about something,” I said instead.

  His expression shifted. Confusion, maybe. Hard to tell.

  I crossed to the seating area and sat in one of the plush chairs. Putting distance between us helped. Marginally.

  “Your past,” I continued. “Before Hell. Tell me about it.”

  Bellas remained standing near the bed. His brow furrowed slightly.

  “I…” He paused. “I don’t understand, Mistress.”

  “Your life before this.” I gestured vaguely. “What you did. How you ended up here.”

  My eyes traced the line of his shoulder without meaning to. The curve of muscle. How his skin would feel under my fingers. How he’d taste if I—

  I dug my nails into the armrest.

  Stop it.

  “I’ve never been asked that before,” Bellas said slowly.

  “Well, I’m asking now.” The words came out sharper than intended. “What sins were enough to drag you to Hell?”

  He went very still. Something flickered across his face. Pain, maybe. Or shame.

  The hunger twisted. His vulnerability made him more appealing somehow. More prey.

  My wings spread slightly. I forced them closed.

  “Start from the beginning,” I said. “I want to know.”

  * * *

  Bellas shifted his weight. His fingers curled briefly before relaxing.

  “I’m not sure what Mistress wishes to know about someone so… worthless.” He kept his gaze lowered. “But I will answer anything you ask.”

  Something in my chest twisted. Not hunger. Something else.

  “Start wherever makes sense,” I said.

  He nodded slowly. “I was prince of Sylvaris. Third in line for the throne. My father ruled with—” He paused. “He thought he ruled with wisdom. But he was a fool. As was I.”

  The self-contempt in his voice made my skin prickle.

  “Our kingdom faced destruction. A massive orcish horde, tens of thousands strong. My father refused to seek aid from neighbouring realms. Pride.” Bellas’s jaw tightened. “I performed a forbidden ritual. Summoned a demon of my own will. Lord Juzgen answered.”

  Lord Juzgen. He said the name like a prayer.

  “I begged him to prevent the orcs from destroying my kingdom.” Bellas’s throat worked. “Lord Juzgen was… gracious. Far more gracious than I deserved. He accepted my request.”

  My tail curled against the chair arm. I forced it still.

  “The contract had a specific clause,” Bellas continued. “The orcs would not destroy the kingdom. Lord Juzgen ensured this perfectly.”

  A cold weight settled in my stomach.

  “He killed my entire family that night. My father, my brothers, my mother. The royal bloodline, gone.” Bellas’s voice carried no anger. Just acceptance. “Without leadership, the kingdom collapsed politically within hours. Lord Juzgen fulfilled the bargain exactly—the orcs couldn’t destroy what was already destroyed.”

  Jesus Christ.

  * * *

  Bellas had been explaining the political aftermath for maybe ten minutes when my attention drifted.

  The firm line of his torso. The defined muscle at the base of his neck. How his skin would taste if I pressed my mouth there and—

  “…the people remained alive but defenceless,” Bellas was saying. “The orcish army was a week’s march away.”

  I blinked. Refocused.

  “So you made another deal.”

  “I begged Lord Juzgen to spare them. The innocent who’d suffer for my stupidity.” His hands clasped behind his back. “He asked for my soul. I gave it gladly. It was the least I could do after causing such devastation through my arrogance.”

  The hunger stirred. I shifted in the chair, crossing my legs.

  “Lord Juzgen’s forces descended on the orcs. Slaughtered them to the last.” Something almost like pride entered Bellas’s voice. “My people lived. And I came here to learn my true purpose.”

  “Your purpose.”

  “Yes, Mistress.” He finally met my eyes. “I was trained properly. Taught what I should have always understood—my only value is in service. In bringing pleasure to my superiors. The demons who trained me showed such patience. Such skill. They could have simply destroyed me, but instead they invested time. Effort. Taught me my place in the natural order.”

  The light from the crystal fixtures had shifted. Dimmer now. How long had we been talking?

  An hour, maybe. Possibly more.

  “I understand now what I failed to grasp as a prince.” Bellas’s shoulders straightened slightly. Not pride. More like… satisfaction in comprehending a difficult lesson. “I exist to serve. To provide sustenance and pleasure to those who own me. My mistresses have granted me the honour of their attention, and I will serve them faithfully for eternity. This is my mission. My redemption.”

  The words landed wrong. Like watching someone praise their torturer.

  I exhaled slowly.

  He’d been tricked by a demon. Made a desperate choice to save his people. And Hell had systematically dismantled everything he was until he thanked them for it.

  Poor bastard.

  My wings shifted. The hunger pulsed, insistent. His conviction made him more appealing somehow. More vulnerable. Prey that walked willingly into—

  The door burst open.

  “Lily!” Aria bounced through the doorway, grinning. “Got everything we need. Well, everything I need. You’re definitely going to need our gorgeous Bellas here, but—” She spotted him and her grin widened. “Oh perfect, you two are getting acquainted. Excellent.”

  She crossed to her bed and dropped a small leather bag onto the covers.

  “Right then.” Aria turned to me, eyes bright with excitement. “Let’s remedy this hunger situation before you go completely feral on me.”

  * * *

  I swallowed hard.

  What the hell had I been thinking, asking him about his past?

  Now I knew exactly what happened to Bellas. A desperate prince who made a terrible choice trying to save his people. Someone broken and reconditioned until he thanked his torturers for the privilege of serving them.

  Using him felt even more wrong than it had five minutes ago.

  Not to mention he was a man.

  But the hunger twisted in my chest, sharper than before. Demanding. Insistent.

  That moment at the den when I’d pushed away the incubus—I’d felt it. The hunger turning angry. Petulant. Like a child denied a promised treat.

  Aria might be joking about going feral, but the hunger wasn’t. That stunt at the club cost me. I’d burned through whatever restraint I had left just to maintain control.

  At most, I had a day or two.

  “I’m not sure I actually felt it,” I said quickly. “Maybe I was wrong. Just… nerves or something.”

  Aria’s expression shifted from excitement to exasperation in an instant.

  “Oh no. Absolutely not.” She crossed her arms. “We’re not doing this delaying-the-inevitable thing. Lily, are you sure you don’t remember much from your life as a mortal?”

  I blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “Because you’re acting exactly like those transformed succubi who kept most of their memories.” Aria’s purple eyes studied me with uncomfortable perceptiveness. “The ones who cling to their old lives and make everything harder for themselves.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I really don’t remember much.”

  That was technically true. Lily’s memories were completely absent. Mine were perfectly intact, but Aria didn’t need to know that.

  “Then why the hesitation?” Aria stepped closer, her tail swaying with genuine curiosity rather than seduction. “It’s literally in our nature. You’re starving, we have gorgeous Bellas right here who’s literally designed for this, and you’re acting like I asked you to eat glass.”

  Why was I hesitating?

  Because I still believed I could return to being Liam? Because Bellas turned out to be more victim than sinner? Because he was a man?

  They all sounded like excuses.

  Perhaps Aria was right. Perhaps I should just let go.

  I shook my head sharply. No. That’s not what I was.

  But what was I exactly?

  Was I still Liam? My body certainly disagreed. Every instinct, every involuntary response, every time my tail moved or my wings shifted without permission—the evidence mounted that whatever I used to be was losing ground.

  My gaze drifted to Bellas despite myself. He stood perfectly still, waiting. Beautiful in a way that my human mind said shouldn’t appeal to me but my current body absolutely disagreed with.

  The hunger pulsed again. Stronger this time.

  Maybe… maybe indulging once or twice wouldn’t change anything fundamental. If I ever made it back to Earth, back to my original body, I could just treat this as an extremely unwelcome adventure. Something that happened to me rather than something I chose.

  The rationalization felt thin even as I constructed it.

  But the alternative was losing control entirely. Going feral, whatever that actually meant. And I’d worked too hard maintaining this deception to risk exposure because I couldn’t handle my own body’s requirements.

  The internal debate stretched. Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes like hours.

  Finally, I met Aria’s expectant gaze.

  “Alright.” The words came out quieter than I intended. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Let’s do it.”

  Aria’s face lit up like I’d just agreed to the best party of the year.

  “Finally!” She bounced on her toes, clapping her hands together. “Oh Lily, you’re going to feel so much better after this. Trust me, once you get past the weird mental block thing, it’s literally the best feeling in existence.”

  She spun toward Bellas, gesturing him closer with an enthusiastic wave.

  “Alright gorgeous, come here. We’re going to take excellent care of our Lily, and you’re going to help us do it.”

  Bellas moved forward with practiced grace, his expression settling into something between anticipation and serene acceptance.

  My heart hammered against my ribs.

  What the hell was I doing?