CHAPTER FORTY-ONE - *LUXURY SHOPPING*

It happened faster than Anna could have imagined. Erik's body contorted, bones shifting and reforming beneath his skin. Fur sprouted across his body, his face elongating into a muzzle. In a matter of seconds, where Erik had stood, there was now a massive wolf, its coat a rich, dark brown. The wolf – Erik – turned its head towards her, and Anna gasped. Those piercing blue eyes, so unmistakably Erik's, gazed at her from the wolf's face. The reality of what she was seeing hit Anna like a physical blow. This was real. All of it – the werewolves, the secret society, Erik's true nature – it was all real. Overwhelmed by the enormity of the revelation, Anna felt panic rising in her chest. Without thinking, she bolted for the door, her instincts screaming at her to flee. "Anna, wait!" She heard Erik's voice, human once more, calling after her. But she couldn't stop. She ran to the elevator, her heart pounding in her ears, and didn't stop running until she was out on the street, the cool nig