Chapter 77

Elena’s POV Everything happened too fast. Eric was barely standing. His breathing was rough and uneven, like each breath hurt. I could feel how weak he was when he leaned on me, his weight heavier than before, his body burning with fever from the poison in his blood. Wolfsbane was tearing him apart from the inside. Then the air changed. I felt it first; a sharp pressure, thick and heavy, like the room itself was being crushed. Eric stiffened suddenly. His fingers dug into my arm, not in pain, but in warning. “Elena… move,” he rasped. Before I could process it, his body jerked violently. A deep, feral growl ripped out of his chest, low and terrifying. It didn’t sound human anymore. “No…Eric!” I shouted. His Alpha power exploded outward, wild and uncontrolled. Even when weakened, it was overwhelming. The ground shook beneath our feet. Cracks shot across the ceiling like lightning. Then he shifted. Bones snapped and reshaped with brutal force. His frame expanded rapidly, tearing through c