Perry's POV
I guided us deeper into the forest toward the river, my paws finding the familiar path even as darkness swallowed the sky and rain hammered down around us. Every twist and turn was burned into my memory—I could navigate this terrain blindfolded.
I slowed my pace, waiting for Phoebe to adjust to her new wolf form. Her movements were awkward at first, uncertain, but gradually she found her rhythm. Soon she was matching my steady gait, her confidence growing with each step.
We couldn't head back to the pack house—not yet. A newly shifted wolf needed time to bond with their beast, to understand this other half of themselves. That meant spending the entire night running, letting her wolf stretch and explore until she felt complete. Rain or no rain, we had to keep moving.
