And then it happened.

Before my eyes, Marcus began to change. It started with his posture. He hunched over as if he carried an overwhelming burden. His hands clenched into fists and his jaw tightened as he let out a grunt.

I watched in horror as his body contorted, moving his body into positions which should not have been possible. His muscles bulged, and I heard his bones crack and I was convinced each bone in his body must be breaking, only to reform in front of me. His face elongated. At first it looked like he had some World War 2 mask on until I recognised it as a snout covered in the dark fur which was sprouting across the rest of his skin.

I could see his whole body was enveloped in fur as his clothes tore. It must have happened in a matter of seconds, but I was aware of each moment. Each change in the appearance of the man I used to love creating more distance between us.

In truth, the transformation was swift and terrifying. It was a whirlwind of flesh and fur that reshaped Marcus into something I had only heard about in the stories my gran used to tell me. Something primal and wild.

The man I once knew disappeared before me, replaced by a wolf. Larger than anything I'd seen in a zoo.

Its eyes hadn't changed. Marcus's piercing blue eyes locked onto mine with an animalistic intensity that rooted me to the spot. The wolf bared its teeth in a silent snarl, and I could feel its power radiating through the space between us.

I tried to remember what you were meant to do if you met a wolf in the wild, but reminded myself none of that would make any difference. This was not something wild and driven by instinct. This was a man in a wolfs body and I could only imagine it had the same thoughts and feelings as the man. At least that seemed to be the safest thing to assume right now.

How much was man and how much was beast in this animal in front of me?

My breath hitched in my throat as I realised what this meant. All those times Marcus had seemed so intense, so fierce, it wasn't just his personality, it was his true nature revealing itself through the façade of his humanity. Was his possessiveness because of the man or the wolf I now saw in front of me?

The wolf took a menacing step towards me, its muscles coiled, ready to pounce.

I shrieked. The sound echoing off the rafters of the barn. I had never heard myself make a sound like that before. It was fuelled by pure fear.

I tried to move, but my body was frozen. I looked into those piercing blue eyes I once loved and had been drawn to, but now showed nothing but malice.

I couldn't connect the beast in front of me to Marcus. My mind refused to make the link, to reconcile the man I knew, argued with and shared quiet moments with, with this creature in front of me.

The wolf's breath came in ragged gasps, steaming in the cool air as it fixed its gaze on me. The same hands that once held mine now were sheathed in lethal-looking claws, which dug into the dirt floor. The animal looked ready to pounce.

I stepped back, my heel catching on a loose board. My heart pounding in my chest. What could I use to protect myself from this thing?

I looked for something of Marcus in the creature's face, some humanity that would deny what I was seeing.

"M-Marcus?" I whispered. It was a ridiculous thing to say, but I needed to know he was still in there and it wasn't just some untamed beast. I hoped saying his name would reach him, distract him from whatever he was about to do.

The wolf cocked its head, its ears pricking at the sound of its name. I noticed the fur which had been bristling on its back seemed to lie flatter.

Part of me wanted to reach out, to see if my touch could bring him back out of whatever this was. Instead, I stood there, every instinct telling me to run, but knowing that would be the worst thing I could do as it would cause him to give chase and there was no way I could outrun him.

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog in my mind. I couldn't think straight as I tried to make sense of what I saw in front of me. How could the wolf be Marcus? How could he be both man and wolf? How come he hadn't told me any of this when we were together?

I was going to marry this man, and he hid something so fundamental from me.

The beast continued to stare at me, unblinking. There was no mistaking what was in front of me. A large untamed wolf.

It took a step towards me and lowered its body, ready to pounce.

I screamed, anticipating the pain I was about to feel when it landed on me and its teeth tore into my skin.

Something changed when I screamed. It was as if my scream cut through whatever was possessing Marcus.

The wolf stopped in its tracks. Its ears twitched as if it was listening to something only it could hear. The snarl on its face slowly disappeared, replaced by a look of confusion and then, to my surprise, recognition.

Before my eyes, the wolf changed once more. The fur retreated, the bones cracked and realigned themselves. The wolf's shape melted away to reveal Marcus, naked, standing tall as if nothing had happened.

He looked up at me, shock and concern in his eyes. "Evie," he said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. This wasn't how I wanted you to find out about this."

He took a step towards me, his hands outstretched in a gesture of comfort. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I was still too scared, even though my brain was trying to process what had just happened.

Marcus came closer. He cupped my face in his hands and looked into my eyes. "It's okay," he said. "I'm here. I won't hurt you."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I felt Marcus's hands on my face. His touch was gentle and familiar and, for a moment, comforting. I was back when his presence was my comfort and safety.

The feeling was as fleeting as it was intense. It was replaced by a deep sense of unease, and I knew I needed to get away from him. I needed to escape him in a way which did not cause him to change again. The fear was raw in my mind, and the idea of him touching me made my skin crawl.

I started to withdraw from him, my hands coming up to push against his bare chest. "Don't," I said, my voice shaking as I tried to put some distance between us.

Marcus looked puzzled, dropping his hands to his sides as I recoiled from his touch. "Evie, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. "I'd never hurt you. You know that."

Was that true? The wolf had been prepared to pounce before I screamed.

As I continued to move away from him, I saw anger flash across his face. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, taking a step towards me. "What's going on, Evie?" he demanded. "Why are you acting like this? This is who I am. Nothing has changed."

I flinched at his harsh tone. My heart was racing, but I tried to find the courage to speak. Before I could say anything, though, the barn door burst open, and a figure stepped inside.