Chapter 86

Claire's POV The darkness around me felt peaceful, so different from the pain during labor. I was floating like in a dream. I knew my baby wasn't with me, but somehow I felt calm. Was this shock? Or was I dead? A gentle voice broke through the darkness, feminine and powerful yet soothing. "Claire... can you hear me?" "Yes," I answered, though I wasn't sure if I was speaking aloud or just thinking. "Who are you?" "Someone who has waited a long time to speak with you," the voice replied. "There's something important you need to know about yourself." I felt a strange warmth spread through my body. "What do you mean?" "You are not what you believe yourself to be," the voice continued. "You're not a human, Claire. Not entirely. You are a wolf-human hybrid." If I could have laughed in this strange dream state, I would have. "That's impossible." "The family that raised you, they are not your biological parents. Your true parents were killed in an accident when you were an infant. You were fou