Over the last twelve hours, I've been pushed through different extremes of pain, my body made to undergo series of transformations I never thought possible and until now I could still feel the after effects of all I went through.
After my first shift was complete, I felt the need to run and took off immediately. Don't know how it was possible but I could hear everything, the crickets, the birds, even a raccoon feasting nearby. I saw everything much clearer, the veins of a faraway leaf, small crack lines on trees, it was completely different from the norm for me.
I ran through the woods and I could hear and smell Adam pushing right on my tail, pun intended. I expected that he would have a hard time keeping up with a wolf but he stayed close. I kept running till I got to the high cliff a mile away from home. Never realized I had gone that far.
I had heard about the cliff but never attempted coming here because it was far, most especially if you had to walk here on human legs. I moved closer to the edge and looked down into the calm lake below and what I saw blew me away.
Since the shift, I had avoided looking at myself as much as possible, because I didn't want to spook myself out but as I looked now, what I saw didn't spook me, instead it excited me a little… okay maybe a lot.
My reflection was beautiful, pure white fur covered every inch of my skin, and I glowed radiantly like the moon was bathing me with its light. My eyes were grey, almost transparent, and I looked like a ruler or something, weird.
Instinctually, I raised my wolf head and howled my joy to the moon. Less than a minute later I got my reply as howls could be heard from all over, and in that moment I felt at peace, complete and content.
I was ready to head back home when a new surge of pain racked through my body, reminding me that I had only completed one out of two shifts. Aunt Maia had later told me that if I experienced a full shift, the lycan shift was going to be worse than the first. I had gotten carried away with the first.
Now the second one came racking through, giving no room to rest as my body snapped in so many places at once, I wished someone just clubbed my head to death. This shift though, happened faster and in less than five minutes of hell, I had completed my lycan shift.
Since I was still by the cliff, I hesitated trying to catch my breath, before taking small steps towards the edge of the cliff to see my reflection. To say I was bummed was an understatement, I looked the same. Instead of standing on two legs, I was still on four, in place of a lycan shift I still looked like a wolf, then what was that pain all about.
"Be patient", I heard a voice say. "Wait, who is that?" I asked turning left and right to find the source. "I'm in your head, Asha". "What?" I exclaimed in my mind before my brain got to work and I recalled I had a monster in my head. "Hmm, how could I forget."
"Not the time Asha", the voice reprimanded, "and I am not a monster, okay. My name is Lena and I am your wolf". I almost started laughing till I realized, right now I was a wolf, meaning I can't laugh and that shit might be true. Ridiculous and yet such is my life.
It took me a while to get used to the idea that another being lived in my mind rent free, but in the end I got over it. After an hour at least, I made my way back to the house. Completely exhausted beyond my years, I passed out the minute I shifted back to my human form. Too many shifts in one night would do that to anybody.
I woke up midday Saturday, feeling pain in my joints like I got hit by a truck, a splitting headache that kept pounding in my head like a hangover, and complete exhaustion flowing through my body. It was strange feeling so weak in my own body, yet that was how I felt.
I laid on my bed a little while longer, to try and get my bearings and push strength into my body so I don't fall flat on my face when I get up. After about five to ten minutes, I managed to get up and off the bed without falling but I had to lean on my bed and the wall and any other thing I could find to make my way out of my room.
It was times like this that made me wish my room was downstairs, because walking down the stairs was something I wasn't feeling up to today at all. Lucky for me though, Adam was just walking downstairs when he saw me walk out of my room and he ran to help me. Picking me up bridal style, he walked down the stairs and without a word from me, deposited me in the kitchen on an island stool.
Aunt Maia was in the kitchen baking cookies when we walked in and she wordlessly placed a glass of water in front of me, which I drank gratefully. Adam excused himself shortly after leaving the both of us in the kitchen.
"How are you feeling?" Aunt Maia asked gently as she served my food. I answered wearily, "I'm fine, just totally drained". "I can understand that", she replied comfortingly. "It's to be expected since your body went through a lot last night". I nodded in agreement to that.
Without further conversation I welcomed my food greedily into my body. It felt like drinking water after spending days in the desert. I ate so fast, the food finished in what seemed like seconds and I was still starving. Before I could even bother to ask, Aunt Maia made me another plate like she expected my reaction.
I was a little bothered by the amount of food I was consuming but the hunger I felt dominated any other thought I had, so for now I focused on food. Eating till I was satisfied. When I finished the second plate, I felt slightly better and my brain could finally work enough to let me know that I had just consumed three times my daily ratio of food. That was scary.
"Are you okay or do I make you another plate", Aunt Maia inquired softly. "Hmm completely okay", I answered immediately. She was not convinced, "are you sure?" She asked again. "I am sure", I reassured with a smile. She hesitated a little longer and then sighed softly.
"If you say so", she replied moving to take a seat on a stool on the other side of the island. "I know you just woke up", she started with her hands folded on the counter. "But there are certain things we need to talk about". "I'm listening", I responded skeptically.
"I spoke to your mom earlier yesterday about the seal on your back", she said pointedly. I nodded in a manner of 'I'm following'. "I didn't tell you about it though because I didn't want to make you more anxious than you already were. The seal on your back is complete now, since you have had your shift, but…."
"But…" I encouraged. "It can't be hidden now", she stated with finality. "I don't get why it can't be hidden", I said curiously. "When the wolf awakens with its eyes open in the seal, it'll start glowing and no matter what you do, it can't be hidden since it's meant to be a signal to other wolves."
"What!!!!" I exclaimed. "You're telling me that I have a signal on my back screaming 'find me I am special', and every one that is a werewolf can see it. My life's done". "Asha calm down", she urged hurriedly, "I'm not done yet". "Well what is left", I asked agonizingly. "My life is just getting started and now you're telling me that I have a beacon on me that only a supernatural race can sense and you think that's not enough to finish it all?"
"Just calm down", she pressed. I struggled to do just that. "The seal will glow but only until you receive the mark of your mate." "My mate?" I questioned ignorantly. In my mind I knew what she was talking about but I didn't want her to know that just yet. "Yes Asha your mate", she replied. "I also know you've met this person".
"How do you know that?" I asked suspiciously. "You forget, I may no longer practice magic as much but I am still a witch", she supplied amicably. "And I was able to read you during your shift last night." "Wait, read me?" I asked skeptically. "Yes read you", she replied pleasantly. "I could only find out who your mate was by reading you during your shift."
I didn't know to feel about that piece of information. Yeah I was pissed and uncomfortable with the fact that she didn't just ask me instead of reading me, then I also understood that whatever she was doing right now was all to help ease me into this new life of mine but it still didn't take away the fact that I was a little embarrassed that I'd have to have the talk and what not about mates with her now.
So are you going to tell me the truth now or will you keep playing innocent with me, she asked sweetly. Dang it. She had me right there. "I was… not playing innocent", I stuttered. She gave me a look of 'hmm, hmm, keep lying, you're not deceiving me'. "I just wanted to keep it to myself a little longer", I explained.
Digressing quickly I added, "Let's not forget about the fact that you also said a lycan could not be mated to a human being and I had two shifts. Though I don't get why, since there was no difference between the two. I just went through hell for nothing the second time. That's by the way though, since…"
"Asha quit rambling and get to the point", she said quickly, cutting me off. "Oh... yeah", I said gently. "My point is, if I am a lycan then my mate can't possibly be human right?" "You're correct", she said in agreement. "That's weird", I replied doubtfully. "I thought you could sense them since you're a witch, so how is it possible that you didn't know that he wasn't human and you let us remain friends?"
"I always knew he wasn't human", she said gently. "What?" "Please let me finish and stop interrupting dear, I will answer your questions when I'm through". Curiosity burning in my brains made it a little difficult to agree with her but I tried to hold back so she could explain everything to me.
"All your friends, at least the ones I've met, are not human", she continued softly. If you could see me right now, I'm pretty sure I looked as if I just had a coronary in my brain. "Natalie is a werewolf and Xander is a lycan and from the look of things an alpha at that, because the power I felt from him was different from the last time I saw him so many years ago."
She just said years ago right, or are my ears now dysfunctional. Ahh the soap opera that is my life, welcome to revelation week people or do I call it month. "I let you remain friends with them because, they're the best protection you could ever need in times when Adam is unreachable. They also didn't know you had any supernatural genes since the spell I cast on you made you seem completely human and you were at that time, so it made the most sense"
One question running through my mind that I'm pretty sure I have the answer to already was, 'did my mom know?' I had a feeling Aunt Maia wouldn't just keep that from my mom and definitely Adam knew too, which means I was the only one kept in the dark. Next I had this moment of pain where I felt betrayed by Nat.
Xander and I weren't that close so his situation I could understand but Nat, I shared almost every last one of my secrets with her and she hid such a thing from me. Then I also had this moment of understanding sweep through me. How could she have told me when she thought I was human, even I thought the same.
"I know you might be feeling betrayed right now since you considered them your friends but keep in mind they are not allowed to disclose their identity to humans. I know Xander is your mate as I've seen it myself but there are certain things I want you to keep in mind before the next time you see him."
"What things?" I asked immediately. She gave me a reprimanding look at that and continued as if I never said a word. "Now about Xander", she started seriously. "He may be your mate but he's also one of the oldest and deadliest lycan to walk this earth. I'm surprised that he hasn't figured out that you're his mate yet. When he does though, you have to be prepared because last I heard about him before we moved here was that he was housing a pack of werewolves. I didn't know then that he was the alpha until I met him here and felt the authority coming off him in waves."
Xander, an alpha I thought to myself. It seemed possible since he was the responsible and serious one almost all the time but to hear that he was the leader of his pack and he was older and deadlier… wait a minute older? Just how old is older here, I questioned my subconscious.
"His bloodline is comparable to lycan royalty and therefore they're stronger and more possessive about their mates. He may have been able to hold himself back when he thought you were just a human but the moment he finds out who you are and he will, there will be no more hesitation on his part to mark you and complete the mating bond with you."