The journey back into the city passed in a haze and Azaria barely noticed the roads winding beneath the tyres or the endless rows of snow-covered trees disappearing behind them. She remained curled against the passenger door, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as though holding herself together by sheer force. Every so often, the heater inside the little hatchback blew warm air across her face, but she couldn't stop shivering still.
She wasn't even sure it was because of the cold anymore. The driver asked her questions she couldn't really give him an answer to, but one in particular stuck with her.
"Did someone hurt you?"
She didn't know how to answer. How could she? What was she supposed to say?
I'm hurt because the man I love turned into a wolf in front of me.
Even thinking the words made her stomach twist violently and she squeezed her eyes shut, but doing that only made the image of what she had witnessed return again.
