Shifted

Questions

Not long after I had finished eating, Jenna showed up with clothes.

"I didn't know what you would like to wear, and the clothes you had before were practically shredded, so I brought a selection from my closet," she was very enthusiastic and wasted no time before she was holding up different garments. After seeing everything, I settled on a pair of jeans and a floral top.

"Thank you, Jenna," I was genuinely grateful for her generosity.

"I'm sure Alpha will send someone shopping for you today, or maybe we could go!" she got very excited. "That would be so much fun!" her smile was infectious. I liked this girl and hoped that we would be good friends. Maybe she could help answer some of my questions too.

"Why do you call him Alpha? Isn't his name Dexter?"

At first, just for a second, she looked confused by my question, "Silly me," she bumped her palm against her head, "I almost forgot you're not just new here, you're new to all of this." She grabbed my hands pulling me back down on the couch with her before answering, "Yes, his name is Dexter, but everyone, except his mate," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at me, "is supposed to call him Alpha. It's mostly about respect. You see, a wolf pack has a hierarchy. Most important to the pack are the Alpha and Luna. They are the leaders that keep the pack in order. Right below them, you have the betas. The Alpha and Luna each pick a beta, usually after their ceremony."

"What ceremony?" I interrupted her.

"When the Alpha and Luna accept their role in the pack. The whole pack will be there to witness. You get a custom-made dress," her eyes sparkled as she spoke, "Even our allied packs might visit to witness the ceremony! It's a big deal."

"Being the Alpha's mate automatically makes you the Luna?"

"Yes!" She looked at me eagerly and squeezed my hand lightly. "You are our Luna!"

I leaned my head against the back of the couch and closed my eyes taking this in.

"Don't worry," she placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, "you are going to be fantastic! Everyone is going to love you. Hell, half the pack already can't stop talking about you. Everyone wants to meet our new Luna."

"Well, I guess you better finish telling me about the pack if I'm going to be the Luna," it was a lot to take in, but if Jenna thought I'd be good at it, that was something at least, "So, what do the betas do?"

"They are like second in command. If the Alpha and Luna have to be away for any reason, the betas keep the pack protected and running smoothly. They are also in charge of border patrols and a few other tasks that are important to the pack's safety."

"Who are they betas here?"

"Alpha's beta is my twin brother, Brice. You will choose your beta after you accept your role as Luna."

"Everything makes sense so far," I was glad to have someone to explain things to me. "So, who is below the betas?"

"That would be gammas. They are mainly in charge of training and teaching. Our only gamma, for now, is Ryan. He does all the combat training for our warriors. He also does training for the newly shifted wolves."

"Newly shifted wolves? I thought everyone here was born a wolf," this was puzzling. "At least, that's what Dexter told me."

"They are," she nodded, "but even us born as wolves don't shift until we turn 16. That's when we start our training, after our first shift." She looked deep in thought for a moment then turned back to me, "Alpha said his work is going to keep him busy for a while and agreed to let us go shopping if you like. I can explain more on the way, and I'll see if any of the other girls want to join us!"

I couldn't help smiling with her, "That sounds great." One thing was bothering me though, "Jenna, how do you know what he said without talking to him?"

"Oh! It's called a mind link. It's how everyone in the pack communicates when not together. You just think about who you want to talk to and then talk to them through the link. You'll see soon." She paused for a moment, I assumed talking to someone again through the link, "Alaina is going to join us. You'll like her." She went behind Dexter's desk and produced a credit card which she gave to me, "Alpha said you should take this. No limit," if her smile had been any bigger, I'm sure her face would have split in two. I was surprised that I was actually excited to go shopping.

When we got to the garage, Alaina was already there. She was so sweet. Everyone I had met here so far was so nice. You would think a bunch of wolves would be a little more fierce.

After introductions and a short conversation getting to know her, Alaina opened a box on the wall that held no less than 20 sets of keys. "Okay Layla, pick a car."

Looking at all the cars parked in the garage, I wasn't sure how to pick. I didn't know anything about cars. Most of the cars were black with dark tinted windows and they looked pretty similar. Then my eyes landed on a blue one off to the side. It was unlike any of the other ones. "What about that one?" I pointed it out.

"Ooh, the Bentley," Alaina's eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.

"Good choice!" Jenna excitedly agreed.

Jenna and I sat in the back while Alaina drove. Alaina loved cars. I had learned that she was the best mechanic and driver in the pack at only 24 years old. According to Jenna, she was a fierce warrior as well but Alaina shrugged it off modestly. One of Dexter's conditions for us leaving the territory was that Alaina accompanied us.

As we journeyed out of pack territory, I kept checking out the window at everything around us. I was hoping to recognize something, anything from my past.

"Are you okay Layla?" Jenna pulled me into an awkward sideways hug.

"Yeah," I gave her the best smile I could, "I'm good."

She gave me a tiny squeeze as we pulled into a parking spot.

"Alright, ladies," Alaina lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head and turned to face us. "Let's shop till we drop." We all giggled at that.

The mall was massive! Every type of store you could think of was lined up in this 5 story building.

Alaina insisted I model everything for them and Jenna made sure I never ran out of clothes to try on. Every time I walked out of the dressing room in something new, they both gave their praises for how good they thought I looked.

After a long day of shopping only half of the mall, we all had our arms full of bags and agreed it was time for us to head home.

Back at the pack house, Dexter was waiting outside for our return. He let out a breath of relief when we locked eyes. Before I even made it to the door, he had taken the bags I was carrying and handed them off to Jenna. In the next instant, his arms were wrapped around me in a hug. It took me by surprise but it felt incredible to be touching him like that. I inhaled his piney scent that made my wolf voice purr.

When we finally separated, I heard her whimper in protest. Dexter took my hand and led me toward the door.

"Wait, I need to help bring in my things," I looked back toward the car where Alaina and Jenna had already grabbed everything carrying it with ease.

"We got this!" Jenna always wore a smile no matter what she was doing.

"How was your day?" Dexter's full attention was on me.

"It was really good," I fished his card out of my pocket along with the receipts and immediately felt guilty about all of my purchases when I handed it to him, "Thank you for letting me borrow your card. If I spent too much I can return things. I kept all the receipts."

"Nonsense," he flashed his dazzling smile, "I'm just glad you enjoyed yourself."

"Jenna explained a lot of things to me about the pack and shopping was a nice distraction from everything. It's all been a little overwhelming," I noticed he had led me into the dining area. It could probably seat hundreds. Long tables filled the room and only one stood out from the rest. It was at the very end of the room and smaller than all the others with only 4 chairs set on one side of it facing the rest of the room. On the opposite end, there was a long counter lined with trays. Behind the counter, we could see into the kitchen where I noticed the girl that had brought my breakfast earlier dancing around the kitchen seasoning and stirring and chopping like a master chef.

She paused when she noticed us and came to the counter. "Good evening Alpha," she bowed to him slightly, "And to you Luna," she bowed to me. I hadn't expected it. Jenna had explained about me being the Luna but this girl was the first to address me as such.

"Good evening Annabell," Dexter smiled politely, "Layla has just returned and I am sure she is hungry after her trip."

Annabelle straightened up, "Of course Alpha," she began filling plates with two mountains of spaghetti. She turned to me now, " Luna if there is anything special you would like me to make for you, please let me know."

"Thank you, Annabell but that's not necessary. What you have made smells wonderful!"

We took our plates and sat at the small table. Dexter's best friend and beta, Brice, joined us sitting next to his Alpha. Even after he finished eating, he remained sitting with us, straightening in his seat whenever someone came over to talk with us.

Throughout our meal, many pack members came and introduced themselves to me. Some had come to eat, but it seemed that more than not had come to see who their new Luna was. Everyone showed me respect and spoke kindly. Being called Luna was going to take some getting used to. I felt a little uncomfortable being in the spotlight. Dexter took my hand easing my anxiety. I had so many more questions about so many things but I knew that in front of the pack was not the place to ask.

"I know you've had a long day," Dexter hesitated, "but would you like to join me for a run? We can let our wolves out and I can show you my favorite spot on our territory."

My wolf was howling with excitement, so how could I turn him down, "I would love to join you." Then I remembered shifting in the hospital and wasn't so sure.

As if he could sense my fear, Dexter began rubbing circles on the back of my hand, " Don't worry. The first shift is always the worst one."

Once we were a few yards into the tree line, Dexter began stripping his clothes off. My mouth parted in awe as my eyes hungrily took in this God of a man before me. He turned to look at me and I felt my cheeks get hot.

'MINE!' the wolf in my head was growling. It felt like she was trying to take over. I had to take a deep breath to get back my composure.

"Layla," Dexter stowed his clothes in a hollowed-out tree, "Your clothes will rip when you shift. If you want me to look away, I will. But seeing as you practically f***ed me with your eyes a minute ago," he smirked making my face go redder than ever, "I can't say my wolf would be happy about it."

He was right, even if I didn't want to admit it. So before I could talk myself out of it, I followed his lead and undressed stashing my clothes with his.

After lingering his gaze on my body a little longer he met my eyes. "Alright, you have to give control completely to your wolf. Just take a deep breath, relax, and let your wolf do the rest." He stepped back a few feet.

I took one deep breath, then another. As I surrendered control of my body to my wolf, I felt the change. There was a slight heat through my body but nothing like before.

Dexter shifted next to me into a majestic, fully black wolf. He was quite a bit bigger than I was. His nose nudged my flank playfully and responded by swatting a paw at his ear. He ran into the woods and I took off after him. To my delight, I was easily able to keep pace with him.

The forest floor felt good as my paws pounded against it. The wind in my fur was a new wonderful sensation. This was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Wow!

We stopped when we reached a crescent-shaped lake. The beauty of this place was only enhanced by the colors shining from the setting sun. It was absolutely breathtaking. The water and trees were lit in pink and orange hues making it feel like it was straight from a fairy tale.

Dexter pressed against me and licked my snout. I was glad he couldn't see me blush while I was a wolf. We walked together at a brisk pace. It took almost an hour for us to reach the tree where we had stored our clothes.

Dexter shifted first and pulled on his pants. "Just focus and take back control," he told me while petting my neck.

I focussed all my energy on pushing my wolf to the back of my mind and was surprised at how easily I was able to shift back. Almost immediately I fell to my knees. Shifting had taken a lot more energy than I realized.

Dexter had covered me with my clothes and scooped me up in his arms in one fluid motion. He cradled me to his chest. My wolf purred from our closeness. She was enjoying this very much, and honestly so was I.

He carried me up the stairs and into the room I woke up in this morning. "Would you like a bath?" he asked after setting me on the large canopy bed.

"That sounds lovely," he wasted no time in starting the tub in my bathroom. That's when I noticed all my shopping bags were folded neatly on top of the large gallery dresser. Jenna and Alaina must have put everything away for me. They were the best.

Dexter came out of the bathroom and gave me a look that made me want to run to his arms. I had only known this man a day and everything in me wanted to give him all of me. I had to calm down.

'He's our mate!' my wolf almost growled.

"I'm going to go shower while you settle in," he looked longingly at me. "My room is directly across the hall if you need anything." He planted a gentle kiss on top of my head before he left the room. I wanted to run after him but I took a deep breath regaining my composure.

After my soak in the tub, I stood just staring at myself in the full-length mirror. I was wearing only the black lace panties that Alaina insisted I must have. For the first time, I could see the scars. There were bite marks all over my torso, one on my shoulder, and a couple on my legs. What looked like claw marks went across my chest, down my left side, and around to my back. They were so faint as if they had happened years ago. I traced them with my fingertips. I doubted anyone would even notice them unless they were pointed out.

My wolf grew angry as she growled, 'I will tear them apart when I find them!' but I felt strangely calm.

A knock on my door made me jump. "Just a second!" I yelled while pulling on my pajamas. I expected it to be Dexter but instead, Jenna waltzed in when I opened the door.

"Those look great on you! I knew they would. I brought you some books and movies in case you get bored," she was dumping a bag on my bed.

I hugged her gratefully, "Thank you, Jenna, for everything!"

"Don't mention it," she squeezed me back. "Well, goodnight Luna, and welcome to the pack," with that, I was alone again.

It had been a long day and I had a lot to process. There was still so much I didn't understand. It was hard to believe I was a werewolf. And the mate of an Alpha at that.

I climbed into bed and in no time I had drifted off to sleep with thousands of thoughts swimming through my head.