The air shimmered so violently it brought several warriors and both the former Alpha, current regent Luna as well as Amelia and Jessa running to the gardens. Two guards shifted on the spot their clothing shredding as they sized up the perceived threat in front of them. No one knew what this youth would be capable of. They stood between the young man and the Luna and future Luna. The women must be protected!
As he shook and tried desperately to control the power coursing through his body like lightening Caleb's face showed the fear and confusion he felt. What was this? He'd never felt so strong yet so scared at once. Suddenly there was a new voice in his head. His wolf! He was gaining his wolf! At 16 he was shifting! Holy crow!
"Hello Caleb, I am Conrad. We are going to shift now. It will be painful but do not fight it, it will go much better that way. Are you ready my mortal companion?"
Caleb nodded his head and gave everything over to his wolf. He felt the power coursing through him, the pain, the beauty, the ache, the gloriousness, it was a contradiction of feelings. He could sense in his body what he needed to do and he let it happen. He felt uneasy at the sight of the two gray wolves sizing him up their hackles risen. He understood their stance, no one knew what would happen. First shifts could become dangerous, especially in young pups. But he could sense Conrad was in control. He seemed to have an iron clad paw on his actions.
Luna Mae sent for her husband and the council of elders. This was a momentous happening. No one had seen such a young shifter in so long. It was unheard of. It would have to mean…. No way, two in one day? It could be her wolf triggered his to come on, but the boy had been moving towards this change daily. Hadn't Draevyn himself noted the changes on the fields during training? There could be no doubt. He was a warrior. A strong one she'd be willing to bet. There would be a war. When that useless pack finds out what they lost, it will be a war. Amelia's origins are just as mysterious as Calebs, the elders would want to investigate for sure. But there would absolutely would be a war.
As Caleb shifted and bones cracked no one would have guessed that Jessa and Amelia would shift too. In solidarity with their brother, they shifted. Amelia into her full black wolf Luxe and Jess into her pure white wolf Jewel. Both she-wolves exhibited no sign of fear as they wagged their tails and howled jubilantly and pounced towards him. Both men seemed to shout to stop over mindlink but neither she-wolf did so. In fact, a small annoyed huff came from Amelia and a eye roll came from Jess. Silly men, their brother wouldn't hurt them. They were being overly protective for no reason, whether wolf or not this was their own, their brother in all rights but blood.
Conrad still keeping an eye on the soldiers, felt the shimmer of two more shifts, these he instantly knew. Amelia and Jess! Or, rather, their wolves as he saw the silvered eyes of the solid black wolf he guessed to be Amelia, and the white wolf that was no doubt Jessa. He could see a patch of silver in the fur of her shoulder, just a small one. Odd he thought.
'What's your name?' asked Amelia's wolf with a crook of her shaggy head.
'Conrad, and yours?' he replied.
'Luxe, my human is Amelia, but I bet you already knew that didn't you?'
'Yup!' he replied his tongue lolling out the side of this sandy colored muzzle in a silly looking grin
'And I am Jewel' Jewel piped up her own eyes a bright blinding blue. The silver on her shoulder caught his attention again and he gingerly stuck his nose to it. It pulled him fiercely. And he wasn't the only one. A giant black wolf shimmered from the alpha, and a second large one from his brother. A smaller red wolf from Luna Mae.
They all converged on Jewel. She had the Goddess's kiss! She was special. She had been blessed. It was a very rare thing to see.
Luna Mae bowed to Jewel and they all followed suit. In her mind Jessa was confused, she had no clue why everyone bowed to her. It was just her for crying out loud. Nothing special about her to her own mind. A lot of fuss for what? She was self-conscious as she pawed the ground absent mindedly.
'I should have told you sooner. We ARE special Jessa. We've been blessed by the moon goddess herself. When I couldn't heal you, when we were separated, she healed me, then you in turn. When she touched your shoulder with her athame, that was her blessing you with powers. I just don't know what they are yet, you're still too physically weak to manifest, but you won't be for long. You'll be strong in no time, but, we must shift back soon. You aren't meant for so much just yet.'
'I understand, just a bit longer though. I want to get to know Conrad a bit more. He isn't a normal wolf is he? He hides something.' She murmured to her wolf counterpart.
'observant as always, no, he isn't ordinary, though I can't sniff out just what other than warrior, there is something though. Magicks perhaps?' Jewel replied.
Jewel strode to Conrad and looked into his amber eyes. No, he's definitely not your normal sort of wolf. Just what are you hiding baby brother….. She kept her mask on, a perfectly calm and even slightly cheerful façade that hid her suspicions. It would come to light in time. She just knew. Conrad just kept his goofy grin on.
Jessa felt her body wearing down, Jewel shot a meaningful look at Jax and he shifted back into James and he scooped her up, wolf and all, and carted her back up the terrace stairs and into the bedroom so she could dress. Changing back this time was painful, moreso than she was used to. She couldn't get her traitorous bones to quit aching. Goddess she was tired. She needed a bath and some more of the tonic that Dr. Black sent to her. Why was she so weak?
James carted her to the tub and began filling it with warm water and drops of essential oils. She needed to rest. She over-did it again. She would be the death of him eventually. She was so bent on proving she wasn't weak she was damaging herself more. That wasn't only dumb as no one thought of her as weak, but also because she herself knew she wasn't and that no one else thought so either. But yet she felt compelled to try to push herself too far too fast. It was more than he could stand. As her mate he wanted to give her everything her heart desired, but also protect her from everything he could, including herself. It was the damnedst thing. He couldn't win.
"Jessa, you know you can't push it so much. Now look, you're struggling through your shift because you stayed too long in your wolf form." He murmured.
The icy blue eyes snapped to him as if to say she told her so too. He knew Jewel would've warned her, and Jess wouldn't listen as usual. She really was a stubborn brat at times. But he loved her so deeply he didn't mind it overmuch.
Jessa came back to form in the warm water. She rolled a towel and put it behind her head sinking up to her shoulders in the warm fragrant water. She was bone tired and needing to be in her mates arms. But he wasn't in the tub with her….. she could fix that….
James barely had a moment to realize what was happening before he was pulled into the huge tub with her. She wasted no time snuggling up to his broad chest. His tanned skin with just a small dusting of hair across it. She didn't think she'd be the kind to be attracted to such things. But she was. She loved the look of the thin trail of hair that trailed down his abdomen. How strange such a thing could be sexy she thought as she drifted off. Her last thoughts were of tracing it one day to see what happened….