Chapter 68

• I gritted my teeth and let out a moan as I realized it was becoming increasingly impossible to maintain my tightly curled form any longer, believing it was the only way to keep myself from falling apart. Yet, as I reminded myself that this pain was integral to my transformation into something extraordinary, I began to wrap my mind around the notion that I was destined to evolve into a formidable being driven by primal instincts. With this understanding dawning upon me, I found myself willingly embracing the agony coursing through every bone as they fractured, healed, and restructured themselves anew.
• Even as I felt my face elongating into a snout, and my teeth shifting into long, razor-sharp fangs, I welcomed that excruciating pain just the same. The metamorphosis progressed at a pace much quicker than I remembered during my first transformation; however, I knew time had a different meaning in the midst of a shift, leaving me uncertain about how quickly it was passing.
• Then, just as swiftly as it had begun, it all came to a sudden halt, and I paused in place. In an instant, I found myself standing on all fours, feeling an exhilarating surge of pure power coursing through my body. I was overwhelmed by an instinctual need to run, but first, I lifted my gaze to the moon, preparing to howl my joyful greeting, when suddenly the awareness of Xavier's presence washed over me, as I felt the weight of his eyes upon me.