Three weeks had passed since Maria's parents' visit. Though they had extended an invitation for her to come to Baron Cassian's territory, Maria had declined. The thought of leaving Gabriel's estate—the only pce she'd ever felt safe—filled her with dread. And deeper than that was another fear: being surrounded by wereanimals who understood their nature while she felt so broken and lost in hers.

  "I don't want them to see me like this," she had confessed to Gabriel one evening after another letter from her parents arrived. "Not knowing how to be what I am. Not remembering my transformations. They'd look at me like... like I'm damaged."

  She twisted her hands in her p. "And I'm so ashamed of how I acted when I was in Baron Cassian's territory. I called them all cursed. I told them they were in denial about their punishment from the Light. I preached at them like they were sinners who couldn't see the truth." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "How can I face them after that?"

  Gabriel had considered her words carefully before responding. "Your healing is yours to pursue in whatever way feels safest to you, Maria. There may be another solution."

  That solution now sat on the desk in Maria's room—a sleek tablet device with a high-definition screen. Modern technology that most vampire nobility disdained as beneath them, preferring messengers and handwritten correspondence to maintain their aristocratic aesthetic. But Gabriel had always been practical beneath his formal exterior.

  "Most nobles refuse to acknowledge these devices exist," Gabriel had expined when presenting it to her. "They consider technology beneath their dignity, a reminder of human innovation rather than vampire superiority. But they're quite common among the administrative css and those who manage territories. Baron Cassian is particurly progressive in this regard."

  Now Maria sat nervously before the tablet, waiting for the video call to connect. Gabriel stood nearby, having helped set up the call but prepared to leave once it was established.

  "Are you sure this will work?" Maria asked, eyeing the device. "Baron Cassian's territory is so far away."

  "The distance is not an issue," Gabriel assured her. "The vampire communication network remains one of the most advanced systems maintained from before the outbreak. It's how territories coordinate when immediate responses are required."

  "And Dr. Eliana—she's really willing to speak with me this way? Instead of meeting in person?"

  "She is. She understands your reluctance to travel and respects your need to remain in familiar surroundings. Healing often begins where one feels safest."

  The screen suddenly lit up, dispying the face of a woman perhaps in her fifties, with streaks of silver in her dark hair and kind eyes that held both intelligence and patience. Behind her was what appeared to be a comfortable office with bookshelves and pnts.

  "Hello, Maria," the woman said, her voice warm through the speaker. "I'm Dr. Eliana. It's a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it could be in person."

  Maria gnced uncertainly at Gabriel, who nodded encouragingly. "I'll leave you to your session," he said, moving toward the door. "I'll be in my study if you need me."

  As the door closed behind him, Maria turned back to the screen, fidgeting with the sleeve of her dress. "I... I don't know how this works," she admitted.

  Dr. Eliana smiled. "That's perfectly all right. Why don't we start simply? This isn't a formal session yet—just a chance for us to meet and see if we might work well together. Would that be easier?"

  Maria nodded, relieved.

  "Good. Perhaps you could tell me a little about yourself? Whatever you feel comfortable sharing."

  Maria hesitated. "I don't know what to say. I'm... I thought I was human with a curse, but now they say I'm a wereanimal."

  "They say?" Dr. Eliana noted the phrasing. "You don't feel it's true?"

  "I don't know what I am," Maria confessed. "I know I change during the full moon. I've always known that. But I don't remember what happens. I just... wake up afterward."

  "And before coming to Viscount Gabriel's territory, what did you believe about these changes?"

  "That I was cursed by the Light for sins," Maria said softly. "That all of us in the blood farms were being punished."

  Dr. Eliana's expression remained neutral, though a fsh of something—anger, perhaps—crossed her eyes briefly. "And now? What do you believe now?"

  Maria stared at her hands. "Father Gabriel says vampires aren't demons sent to punish us. They're humans changed by accident. And Nara says I'm a wereanimal, born to wereanimal parents. But..."

  "But it doesn't feel real to you," Dr. Eliana finished when Maria trailed off.

  "No. It's just words. I can't... feel it. I don't know what being a wereanimal means."

  Dr. Eliana nodded. "That's completely understandable, Maria. You've spent your entire life with one understanding of yourself and the world. That can't change overnight, no matter how much evidence you're given."

  "My parents want me to learn to control my transformations," Maria said. "To remember them. But I'm afraid."

  "Of course you are," Dr. Eliana said gently. "Your transformations have always been associated with fear, isotion, and shame. Those are powerful emotions that protect you in their own way."

  "Protect me?" Maria frowned.

  "Yes. By not remembering, by dissociating from your transformations, your mind has been protecting you from what it perceives as too painful to experience consciously. It's a survival mechanism, not a failure."

  For the first time since the conversation began, Maria felt something loosen in her chest. Not being told she was wrong or broken—just that her mind had been trying to protect her all along.

  "If we decide to work together," Dr. Eliana continued, "we won't rush into addressing your transformations directly. First, we need to help you feel safe in your own body, to process the trauma you've experienced, to understand and express the emotions you've had to suppress."

  "Like what?" Maria asked.

  "Like anger," Dr. Eliana said simply. "The rage you must feel at being separated from your parents. At being sent to a blood farm. At being told your nature was a curse. Those feelings don't just disappear because you've learned new information."

  Maria tensed. "I shouldn't be angry at the Light."

  "Is that what you believe? That anger is wrong?"

  "The Light teaches us to accept our punishment," Maria recited, falling back on the familiar doctrines that had structured her life.

  Dr. Eliana considered this. "What if the Light never meant for you to suffer? What if what happened to you wasn't punishment but simply cruelty from others?"

  Maria had no answer for that. The idea that her suffering might not have been divinely ordained shook foundations she hadn't realized still stood.

  "These are the kinds of questions we might explore together," Dr. Eliana said. "At your pace, in your time. My role isn't to tell you what to believe, but to help you find your own truth and heal from what you've experienced."

  Maria nodded slowly, then hesitated before adding, "There's something else. When I was in Baron Cassian's territory, before coming here... I was horrible to them. The wereanimals there. I told them they were all cursed, that they were in denial about being punished by the Light. I preached at them, condemned them." Her voice cracked. "How do I face them knowing what I said? They must hate me."

  "Self-forgiveness is often harder than forgiving others," Dr. Eliana observed gently. "Remember that you were speaking from your understanding at the time. You weren't trying to hurt anyone—you thought you were helping them see the truth as you knew it."

  "But I was wrong," Maria whispered.

  "Being wrong isn't a moral failing, Maria. It's part of being human—or wereanimal," she added with a small smile. "We can address those feelings of shame too, when you're ready."

  Maria nodded, her eyes downcast. "And my... transformations?"

  "Will be addressed when you're ready—not before. Your healing journey is yours to direct, Maria. I'm simply here to walk alongside you."

  The session continued for nearly an hour, with Dr. Eliana asking gentle questions about Maria's daily life, her reading progress, her interactions with Gabriel. Nothing too probing, nothing about the blood farms or her monthly transformations—just establishing a foundation of trust.

  When they concluded, arranging to speak again in three days, Maria felt both exhausted and oddly lighter.

  She found Gabriel in his study, as promised, reading an ancient text by mplight. He looked up when she entered.

  "How was your conversation?" he asked, careful not to pry too deeply.

  "Strange," Maria admitted. "But... good, I think." She settled into a chair across from him. "She didn't try to make me talk about things I don't want to discuss. She said healing happens at my pace."

  Gabriel nodded approvingly. "Dr. Eliana has a well-deserved reputation. Baron Cassian speaks highly of her work with traumatized wereanimals."

  Maria traced the wooden armrest with her finger. "She said my mind was protecting me by not remembering my transformations. That it wasn't a failure."

  "That seems wise," Gabriel observed. "Our minds often shield us from what we're not yet ready to face."

  "She also said I might be angry," Maria continued, watching Gabriel carefully. "About everything that happened. That it's natural to feel that way."

  Gabriel set his book aside, giving her his full attention. "Anger can be a necessary part of healing, Maria. Even in the religious traditions I studied before my transformation, there was space for righteous anger at injustice."

  "Were you angry? When you were turned?"

  Gabriel was quiet for a long moment. "Yes," he finally said. "Intensely so. At the vampire who attacked me, at what happened with Subject 23 and the immortality serum, at the Light for allowing it to happen. It took me years to move beyond that anger to something more... constructive."

  "What helped?" Maria asked.

  "Time. Reflection. Finding purpose in my new existence." He gestured to the books surrounding them. "Preserving knowledge. Creating a territory where those under my care were treated with dignity. And eventually, teaching someone eager to learn," he added with a small smile.

  Maria nodded, absorbing this. "Dr. Eliana said we'd have regur sessions. Through the tablet."

  "As often as you wish," Gabriel confirmed. "Baron Cassian has assured me that Dr. Eliana's time is at your disposal, with Archduke Lucius's blessing."

  "Why would they care about me?" Maria wondered aloud. "I'm just one wereanimal."

  Gabriel's expression was thoughtful. "Perhaps because you're one of the first born wereanimals. Perhaps because your parents have been valued members of their community. Or perhaps because helping others heal is simply the right thing to do."

  Maria wasn't sure she believed the st suggestion. In her experience, vampire nobility rarely did anything without personal gain. But she kept this thought to herself.

  "Will you..." she began, then hesitated. "Will you stay nearby? When I have my sessions? Not listening," she added quickly. "Just... knowing you're close."

  "Of course," Gabriel said without hesitation. "For as long as you need."

  In the weeks that followed, a routine developed. Three times a week, Maria would sit before the tablet in her room, speaking with Dr. Eliana while Gabriel worked in his study down the hall. Each session revealed another yer of her experiences—not just in the blood farms, but her time in Baron Cassian's territory and her months with Gabriel.

  Dr. Eliana never pushed, never demanded. Sometimes they simply discussed books Maria was reading or her observations about vampire society. Other times, they delved into deeper waters—her feelings about discovering her parents were alive, her fear of her own transformations, her struggle to reconcile her religious beliefs with her new understanding of the world.

  "The Church of Eternal Light gave you structure and hope when you had nothing else," Dr. Eliana observed during one session. "That doesn't make it wrong or foolish, even if some of its teachings were based on incomplete information."

  "Father Gabriel says the Light exists," Maria said. "Just not the way I thought."

  "And what do you think?" Dr. Eliana asked.

  Maria considered the question. "I think... maybe the Light is real. But maybe we don't understand it completely. Maybe it's bigger than what we can expin."

  Dr. Eliana smiled. "That's a very mature perspective, Maria."

  As the sessions continued, Dr. Eliana began introducing techniques to help Maria connect with her body and emotions—simple breathing exercises, methods to ground herself when feelings became overwhelming, ways to identify and name emotions she had never been allowed to express.

  "Next full moon is in two weeks," Maria mentioned during their eighth session.

  "How are you feeling about that?" Dr. Eliana asked.

  "Scared," Maria admitted. "Like always. But also... curious, maybe? For the first time."

  "That's significant progress," Dr. Eliana noted. "Would you like to try something different this time?"

  Maria tensed. "Like what?"

  "Nothing dramatic," Dr. Eliana assured her. "Perhaps instead of focusing on getting through the transformation as quickly as possible, you might try a brief mindfulness exercise beforehand. Just to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment."

  "Not trying to remember during it?" Maria crified anxiously.

  "No. That may come much ter, if and when you're ready. For now, we're just acknowledging the experience slightly more than you have before."

  Maria agreed hesitantly. When the full moon arrived two weeks ter, she followed Dr. Eliana's guidance—sitting quietly in her transformation room, noting her feelings of fear and tension without trying to change them, acknowledging that her body was preparing for something her mind had always fled from.

  The transformation itself remained a bnk in her memory, as always. But the next morning, instead of her usual shame and exhaustion, she felt a flicker of something new—a vague sense of connection to the experience rather than complete dissociation.

  "It's a small step," Dr. Eliana said when Maria described it in their next session. "But healing often happens in small steps, not dramatic leaps."

  As summer faded into autumn, Maria's sessions continued. Her parents visited twice more, each time careful not to pressure her about her wereanimal nature or visiting their territory. They brought books about wereanimal history as promised, and Maria read them with growing interest, though still as if reading about strangers rather than her own kind.

  "I had a dream st night," Maria told Dr. Eliana during a session in te autumn. "I was running through a forest. Not as a human, but... on four legs. I could smell everything, hear everything. I wasn't afraid."

  "How did you feel in the dream?" Dr. Eliana asked.

  Maria thought for a moment. "Free," she said simply. "Like I belonged there."

  Dr. Eliana nodded. "Dreams can sometimes be ways for our unconscious mind to process what our conscious mind isn't ready to face directly. This sounds like a positive dream."

  "It was," Maria agreed. "It didn't feel like a curse. It felt... natural."

  That word—natural—lingered in Maria's mind for days afterward. Her transformations had always felt like an invasion, something alien and terrifying overtaking her. But what if they were simply another aspect of her nature, as Dr. Eliana suggested? What if the wolf wasn't separate from her but a part of who she truly was?

  The question followed her through her days, through her reading lessons with Gabriel, through her quiet moments in the garden. She wasn't ready to embrace her wereanimal nature—not yet. But for the first time, she could consider the possibility without immediate terror.

  It was a beginning.