The wind howled through the dense trees surrounding Alric's mansion, rustling the towering pines as the scent of fresh rain clung to the air. The night was restless, much like the storm brewing beneath Alric's skin. He stood on the balcony of his home, staring down at the town below, his molten orange eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.
He could feel it.
Leah's presence burned at the edges of his awareness, an ember waiting to ignite. The mate bond was growing stronger, tethering them together even as she remained unaware of its existence. But something else was happening—something deeper. Her wolf was stirring.
It was subtle for now. A shift in her aura, a tension beneath her skin. But soon, it would break free, and when it did, she would never be the same.
A quiet set of footsteps approached from behind. Erikka.
"She's close," she murmured, leaning against the stone railing beside him. "I can feel her energy shifting."
Alric gave a slow nod. "It won't be long now."
Erikka studied him. "And when it happens? What then?"
Alric didn't answer right away. His mind was already working through the possibilities. Leah's transformation would not be easy. Unlike the others in her tribe, she was female, and from what he knew, no female wolf had ever shifted before. The pain would be unbearable, the confusion overwhelming. And then, there was the question of how her people would react.
Would they see her as an anomaly? A mistake?
He wouldn't let them cast her aside. She was his.
"I will be there," he said finally, his voice leaving no room for argument. "No matter what."
Erikka gave a small smirk. "Of course you will. You've been watching her like a hawk."
Alric didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, he turned back toward the town, his mind already set.
The next morning, Leah Clearwater woke with a headache.
She groaned, pressing the heels of her hands into her temples as she sat up in bed. Her whole body ached, like she had run for miles in her sleep.
"What the hell…" she muttered.
Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones, a deep, crawling sensation under her skin. Her muscles felt tight, like they were on the verge of snapping. And worse, her senses were all over the place.
The rustling of trees outside was deafening. The scent of breakfast downstairs—pancakes and bacon—was so sharp it nearly made her gag.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, inhaling sharply.
Everything felt… too much.
Taking a shaky breath, she pushed herself up and moved toward the bathroom, trying to ignore the strange heat building beneath her skin.
She barely registered her mother's voice calling from downstairs. "Leah! Breakfast is ready!"
"I'm coming!" she called back, though her voice sounded strange to her own ears—lower, rougher.
Shaking off the unease, she splashed cold water on her face, hoping it would ground her. But when she looked up into the mirror, her heart stilled.
Her pupils were dilated, the deep brown of her irises nearly swallowed by the darkness.
Her breathing hitched.
What was happening to her?
Alric was already at Forks High School when Leah arrived.
He could sense her before she even stepped out of her car—the tension in her body, the barely-contained storm beneath her skin. She was unraveling, her wolf clawing to the surface, and she had no idea what was happening to her.
She was running out of time.
Leah slammed the car door shut, her movements stiff as she stalked toward the school entrance. Her face was set in a scowl, but Alric could see the way her hands trembled at her sides.
His molten eyes followed her, unreadable.
"She doesn't know," Erikk muttered beside him. "She's feeling it, but she doesn't understand what's happening."
Alric hummed in agreement. "She will soon."
And when she did, she would need him.
Leah barely made it through her first few classes.
Her whole body felt like it was on fire, heat radiating from beneath her skin as if something inside her was trying to break free. Every sound, every scent was amplified. It was suffocating.
At lunch, she barely touched her food, instead opting to rest her head against her hand, trying to block out the overwhelming sensations.
"Leah? You good?" Seth asked, nudging her arm.
She forced a scowl, not wanting to show weakness. "Fine. Just tired."
Seth frowned. "You sure? You look kinda—"
"I said I'm fine," she snapped, harsher than she intended.
Seth recoiled slightly, but nodded. "Okay… geez."
Leah exhaled through her nose, frustration clawing at her insides. She didn't mean to snap. She just…
She needed air.
Without another word, she stood and walked out of the cafeteria, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
Alric watched her go, his jaw tightening.
"It's getting worse," Erikka noted beside him. "She's on the verge."
Alric's molten eyes darkened.
It wouldn't be long now.
The breaking point came later that night.
Leah tossed and turned in bed, her body burning from the inside out. Every muscle in her body screamed, her bones aching as if something was tearing her apart from within.
She gasped, gripping her sheets, sweat rolling down her skin.
The pain was unbearable.
Then—
A sharp crack.
Leah's scream tore through the night as fire exploded through her veins. Her spine arched off the bed, her limbs twisting, stretching—breaking. Her vision blurred, her head pounding as her body convulsed.
The walls of her room began to shrink, or maybe she was growing—her skin rippling, shifting.
And then, everything snapped.
With a final, agonized cry, Leah was gone.
In her place, a massive wolf stood, its chest heaving, molten gold eyes wide with confusion and fear.
Alric had been waiting.
The moment it happened, he felt it—felt the shift in the air, the surge of power as Leah's wolf awakened.
He stood at the edge of the forest, watching as a newly turned wolf stumbled out of the Clearwater home, its breathing ragged, its form unsteady.
She was afraid.
Confused.
Alric's eyes softened slightly. He knew the pain of a first shift, the helplessness of it. But she was strong. She had survived the breaking.
Now, it was time for her to understand what she had become.
Without hesitation, Alric stepped forward, his form beginning to shift.
It was time to meet his mate in the way only their kind could.