Embracing My Wolf

Chapter 6

Shay's POV

The week flew by quickly and it was now Friday night. Aunt Maria had agreed to let me spend the night with the girls. The twins came over to my house to pick me up so I wouldn't have to drive to their pack alone. Aunt Maria loved them already. She was happy that I had made friends so quickly. After zipping up the garment bag that my dress for tomorrow night was in, I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs.

"I'll see you Sunday, Aunt Maria." I kissed her cheek and headed out the door with the girls.

"Have fun and call me if you need me."

We sang along to the radio on the drive there and Melissa kept asking to see my dress but I wanted to keep it a surprise. I wanted all of the girls to see it at the same time as we got dressed. All of us will be staying in Melissa's room for a little sleepover since today was Kaylee's birthday and tomorrow is the twin's. After picking up the cake, we were surprising Kaylee with, we drove to the packhouse and headed upstairs before anyone could see us. Alpha David told them the importance of keeping who I was a secret and they have been doing a good job of that. Anytime someone mentioned my eyes at school, one of them would say "stop being weird" to the person or "stop acting like you've never seen pretty eyes before." Their antics made me laugh each time. In just a week, they made me feel like we had known each other forever. we talked more about my first shift and the possibility of me being their Alpha which I still wasn't sure about. Alpha David gave me some books to read about the pack and werewolf laws. Whether or not I decide to become Alpha, I believe that these are all things I should know about.

My training is going to start on Monday. They usually trained in the morning, but since I didn't live in the territory, Alpha David decided that my training would be after school. I was going to be trained by him and his Beta, who I haven't met yet. I'm supposed to meet him and his son at the party since they'll be there. I was excited to see what I would be doing but scared of the unknown.

"Hey ladies," Sarah said, walking into the room. "Are ya'll ready to party?"

"The party isn't until tomorrow," Alyssa told her.

"But we're starting the party tonight," she told us. She sat her bag on the bed and began pulling things out. "I bought some drinks from my dad's stash and some snacks."

I wasn't interested in the drinks because I wasn't much of a drinker. But I still knew that even though I wouldn't be drinking, the girls would make this a fun night for me.

"Where's Kaylee?" I asked.

"She always has a birthday dinner with her dad. She'll be here in a little while," Melissa told me. Kaylee's mom passed away when she was 12 years old and, ever since then, her dad always took her out for her birthday dinner for just the two of them to her mom's favorite restaurant. I thought it was sweet. I'd love to have moments like that if my dad wasn't a psycho.

While we waited for Kaylee to arrive, we talked about how we would wear our hair tomorrow and about the chances of the girls finding their mates. I couldn't wait to see. The way they described it to me sounded like something from a romantic movie. I really needed to see it to believe that something like that could happen. You only see things like that on TV. At the same time, it had me wondering if I had a mate out there and how things would happen for me.

I hadn't seen my mom all week and was hoping to see her at the party tomorrow but she texted saying there was an emergency and she wouldn't make it.

Kaylee's POV

I was finally on my way home to celebrate my birthday with the girls and I couldn't have been more excited. I had just finished having my annual birthday dinner with my dad, which was becoming older with each year that passed. But I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't want to go. I know that Flora's was my mom's favorite restaurant and my dad loved going there because it made him feel closer to her. I personally was tired of going there listening to everyone tell the same stories each year. I loved my mother and I was hurt that I never got a chance to meet her, but coming here each year made me sad when I was just trying to live my life. I sucked it up each year only because it made my dad happy. He liked listening to all of the stories shared about my mother. When I was younger, the stories made me happy and feel like I knew her each year but after some time, I got tired of it. Who wanted to spend the one day a year that was supposed to be theirs, celebrating someone they didn't know? My birthday never truly felt like mine. Birthdays are supposed to make you happy and excited about what's to some. So far, this was the only birthday that I could have those feelings because I had the chance of finding my mate. Each year my birthday is full of sadness. This year it's going to be different. This year will be the last time I spend the whole day celebrating my mother. She was gone but I'm still here. This year I will finally have the mate that I've been dreaming about.

I got out of the car and mindlinked Sarah to see where they were. I needed to clear my head and ease my nerves about tomorrow. Thankfully, I always had my girls to cheer me up. I sniffed the air as I headed upstairs to Melissa's room. I caught his scent as I walked up the stairs. It was faint but it was there since he lived in the packhouse. It didn't make my heart race like some people said your mate's scent would for the first time. I guess I had to wait until I saw him to be sure. Please, Moon Goddess, let him be my mate. I walked into Melissa's room and the girls immediately started singing Happy Birthday. It wasn't a surprise that they were ready to celebrate my birthday, but it was a surprise that they put so much into it. Usually we just have drinks and snacks with a movie night but this year they did more. There were balloons all over Melissa's room. A table was set up with a huge amount of snacks and drinks. A happy birthday banner was hanging and Sarah was holding my favorite double chocolate cake with the number 18 lit on it. My dad didn't even get me a cake this year, but my girls did. I was so emotional, I couldn't help the tears of happiness that began coming down. They made my birthday more special than it has been in a very long time.

"Aww don't cry," Alyssa said, hugging me.

"These are happy tears," I said. "I really appreciate all of this."

"You know how we celebrate birthdays," she said. "And this is a big year."

For the next few hours, we ate cake and way too many other snacks. At a little after 9:00 I heard the voice in my head that I'd been waiting for. I already knew to be prepared. My dad told me that sometimes you get your wolf at midnight, the day of your birthday, but most of the time it's at the exact time of your birth on that day.

"Hi Kaylee," my wolf said.

"OMG hi," I responded. "What's your name?"

"I'm Kia. I just wanted to say hi and let you know I'm here. Finish celebrating with your friends. I know you want your first shift to be with them. I'll be right here when you're ready."

I was beyond excited. I finally have my wolf. I should've asked her if she felt our mate near but I'll wait until after we shift. "My wolf just spoke to me!" I shouted. "Her name is Kia." Everyone stopped dancing and looked at me. Then out of nowhere they all started talking at the same time, asking different questions. "I will shift when Melissa and Alyssa get their wolves tomorrow like we planned. We do it together with Sarah there as our support."

"Yes," Alyssa shouted. "I can't wait to see how our wolves look. Shay, we can be with you for your first shift in a few months if you want."

"Definitely," Shay said. "I'll definitely need the support. If it's OK, I'd like to be there for you all too when you shift tomorrow."

"Of course," we all said.

Melissa's POV

I took a break from dancing to run downstairs for more snacks when I heard a voice in my head.

"Hey Melissa."

"Hey. I've been waiting for you. What's your name?"

"I'm Mya,"

"Nice to meet you Mya. OMG I need to check on Alyssa and see if she got her wolf too."

"She did. My sister is talking to her right now. Are you ready to shift?"

"For sure!"

I ran up the stairs straight to my room. "Alyssa, what's your wolf's name?" I asked.

"Her name is Lyla. What's yours?"

"Her name is Mya. We can shift now. Are you ready? Kaylee, are you ready?"

"Yes," they both shouted.

We stripped out of our clothes and kept on just our bra and panties. That way there would be no need to strip outside and we wouldn't have to worry about shredding our clothes. We grabbed our robes and headed downstairs and out of the packhouse. I linked my parents to let them know where we were going. My dad wouldn't be back until the party but I knew my mom was here and she wouldn't want to miss our first shift. She grew up with Kaylee's mom, so I knew she wanted to be there for moral support for her too. We walked to the back of the packhouse with Sarah and Shay behind us. Sarah was going to shift too, so that the four of us could run as a group once we shifted. Once I saw my mom and Sarah's mom almost to where we were standing, I took off my robe and got down on all fours. Alyssa and Kaylee did the same.

" OK Mya, I'm ready," I told my wolf.

"Don't fight the shift," she said. "I know it's going to hurt, but keep your body relaxed and let me do the work."

"I trust you," I told her.

After a few minutes, I could feel this intense pain in my head. I could feel my bones breaking and reshaping. I tried to control my breathing and stay relaxed like Mya said, but it was so hard. I began screaming and could hear Alyssa and Kylee doing the same. I focused on my mother's voice telling us that we were almost there. The pain was excruciating and felt like it was going on forever. I could feel the tears streaming down my face and my skin began to itch as the fur began forming.

"We're almost there," Mya said. "You're doing so good."

Before I knew it, I was standing on four legs. The grass smelled fresher. My vision was amazing. I could see everything clearer than ever. My hearing was out of this world. I could hear the trees moving with the wind. I could hear the birds chirping at a distance. It felt amazing. I looked over and could see Alyssa, Kaylee and Sarah in their wolf forms. They were all so beautiful.