5. Beyond her First Shift - First Shift
1866 Words
*Marisol POV*
The sun dipped low, stretching shadows across our backyard. I lounged on the porch steps, soaking up the day’s remaining warmth. Today stood out, a red-circle calendar day I’d counted down to for ages. I was turning eighteen and would meet my wolf for the first time at nightfall. My hands shook slightly, a buzz of excitement making them feel lighter as if charged with the day’s anticipation.
The crunch of gravel announced Charles’s arrival before he rounded the corner. He always had a knack for showing up when I needed him, and today was no different. Seeing Charles, my heart swelled with comfort and joy. He was the steadfast rock in my ever-changing world, more family than a friend in ways words couldn’t capture.
He sauntered up the driveway, a casual grin on his face, his eyes crinkling in the afternoon sun. “Happy Birthday, Sunshine,” he called out, his voice carrying the warmth and excitement I felt mirrored in my chest.
“Thanks, Charles,” I replied, pushing myself off the steps to greet him. There was a brief moment when I expected him to pull out a neatly wrapped gift, a tangible token of the day. But his hands were empty, and his smile held a different promise.
“I didn’t bring you a traditional gift,” he started, stopping before me. His serious look made me snap to attention. “After you meet your wolf tonight, you and her can ask me anything. That’ll be my gift to you.”
Anything? The word echoed in my mind, bouncing around with many possibilities. “Like an iPad? Or a computer... or, oh! A car?” I blurted out, my words tumbling over each other as a giddy laugh escaped me. The thought was intoxicating, a wish granted with no bounds.
“Anything,” he affirmed, his voice steady, leaving no room for doubt.
The topic smoothly turned to Jet, just like a shifting breeze. My heart fluttered at the mention of his name, a sweet melody that played on a loop in my head. “We’ve only kissed,” I confided to Charles, the words laced with hope and a hint of anxiety. “Both hoping that we’ll be mates.”
Charles’s response was a nod, his expression thoughtful. “And your parents, they’re still limiting who can attend your first shift?” he asked, a slight frown marring his brow.
“Yeah,” I sighed, the excitement momentarily dimming. “But you’re different, Charles. You’re family. You’ve always been around. You’re the older brother I never had.” My words were sincere, forged not by blood but by unwavering loyalty and years of shared history.
His bright, reassuring smile came back. “Then I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he declared, a promise hanging between us.
#
The moon hung high in the sky, a luminescent orb casting its glow over the clearing where we stood, encircled by the ancient woods that whispered secrets in the night. My heart raced with a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation. Tonight was the night I’d been waiting for my whole life: the night I would meet my wolf.
I wore a light gown, its fabric soft against my skin, symbolizing the purity and strength needed for tonight. The gown fluttered softly around me as if it, too, pulsed with the anticipation of the transformation to come.
Gabriel stood before me, his presence both comforting and commanding. As the pack’s Elder, it was his role to guide me through my first shift. His eyes, moonlit, were deep pools of wisdom that calmed my nerves.
Charles lingered at the edge of the clearing. Though he stayed back, his support was a tangible force, grounding me. His nod, barely perceptible in the moonlit night, was all the encouragement I needed.
Surrounding us were those closest to me: Matthew, Isabella, Lila, Melody, and her two younger brothers, along with my parents, Gloria and Thomas, and the twins. Crimson, Solstace, and Frederic stood a little apart, their expressions solemn yet supportive.
Facing Gabriel, our Alpha, I took a deep breath, the cool night air filling my lungs. I closed my eyes, focusing on the energy that hummed beneath my skin, an energy that seemed to resonate with the very heartbeat of the earth.
“Marisol,” Gabriel’s voice was a gentle command in the silence. “Let the moon’s light guide you. Surrender to your spirit, and allow your wolf to emerge.”
His words were a beacon, and I felt something stir within me, a force that had lain dormant, waiting for this very moment. The transformation started with a whisper, a shiver, growing intense until it filled my entire being.
Changing was thrilling yet scary. My bones and body reshaped under the moon’s pull and my pack’s watchful eyes. The sensation was indescribable, a melding of pain and pleasure, loss and discovery. I was becoming more than I had ever been, embracing a part of me that was both ancient and new.
And then, silence.
I opened my eyes, or rather, the eyes of my wolf. The world was a blaze of color and scent, every detail sharp and vivid. I could see my pack and family in a way I never had before. Their outlines glowed with warmth. Their scents told stories of love, loyalty, and life.
My wolf was a creature of beauty. Her fur was a deep, rich brown that shimmered under the moon’s caress, with streaks of gold that caught the light. Her eyes, my eyes, were a vibrant green, piercing and alive. She was strong and graceful, a being of power and elegance.
The first howl that rose from my throat was a song of freedom, of connection. The pack answered it with a chorus of voices that welcomed and affirmed me. I was one of them, and yet uniquely myself.
My wolf emerged within my consciousness, her presence as comforting as the gentle caress of the moon’s light.
Marisol, my wolf whispered, a voice not heard with ears but felt within the soul, our journey begins.
What’s your name? I asked her.
Aurora, she replied.
Awed by the connection, I responded inwardly, Aurora. I’ve longed for this moment to meet you and understand the depth of our bond.
Aurora’s voice was a melody, a harmony of the wild and the serene. The wait is over. You and I are united by fate and the moon’s pull. This bond is our strength, our freedom.
Aurora’s words evoked emotions in me. What is it like to run with the wolves, to be one with the night?
Aurora explained that to run as a wolf is to embrace the essence of freedom. It’s to know the earth as our canvas, the night sky as our ceiling. It’s a strength that courses through our veins, a love that binds us to the pack.
Transforming, I felt a completeness, a truth to who Aurora and I were.
Suddenly, Aurora was on high alert. “I smell, mate,” she said.
We started sniffing the air, trying to find the origin of that marvelous and delicious vanilla smell.
With our eyes closed and our noses in the air, we followed the scent until we bumped into a solid structure.
We opened her eyes, and there he was, our mate… Charles.
#
The revelation knocked the breath out of me, leaving me dizzy. As I knew it, my world shifted on its axis when Charles stepped forward.
“Marisol,” Charles said, his voice cut through my racing thoughts with a soft plea, “can we talk?”
Aurora was as overwhelmed as I was, her instincts pulling us several steps back, away from Charles and the bombshell that had just been dropped on us.
Aurora whimpered.
I remembered the many times I confided in him about Jet and my hopes and dreams for a mate. Finding out Charles was my destined mate felt like the ground had vanished under me.
Aurora’s voice echoed in my mind, anchoring me. Let’s talk to our mate, she coaxed, a note of comfort woven through her words. But how could I face him when all I’d ever seen him as was a brother and a best friend?
My eyes stung, and my vision blurred as if the world had dissolved into the heavy, suffocating fog of realization.
But how could this work? I asked Aurora, the pain of confusion and the fear of the unknown tangling inside me. “I’ve always treated him like family, not a mate.”
Stop it, Marisol. Aurora insisted we needed to talk to our mate, her presence a steady force amidst the storm of my emotions.
But another thought, darker and more terrifying, wormed into my mind. What if Charles is staying around to reject me? The words were a whisper of despair. He probably doesn’t want the burden of a werewolf as a mate and the possibility of... oh my goddess, he’ll not want to have hybrids.
In a moment of panic, I seized control, turning on my heel and running. The urge to flee from the revelation overwhelmed me. My vision was clouded by tears, the world around me a blur.
Lila and Crimson’s voices reached my ears, their words a distant concern. “We’re on it,” they said, but their assurance was lost to me. All I could focus on was the pounding of my heart and the rush of air as I fled.
Too late, I spotted a dark figure under a tree, a shadow among shadows. She stepped toward me, and we were caught in a spell before Aurora or I could react. A laugh, as cold and sharp as ice, sliced through the air, making my spine tingle with a dread that froze my very soul.
“There, there, pup... I’ve got you, and I’ll get him back,” the woman taunted, her eyes glinting with malice.
The woman stepped through a portal and dragged us using a magic net. Aurora’s presence within me was a whirlwind of fear and determination, but she couldn’t break the enchantment that trapped us.
Crimson and Lila got there just as the portal snapped shut, vanishing from view. The last thing I saw were their expressions of shock and determination, a silent promise that they would come for us.
Trapped in the net, with the dark figure’s laughter echoing in my ears, I realized the depth of my feelings for Charles. The fear of rejection, of not being wanted, paled compared to the terror of losing him now, to this dark magic. Aurora and I were united in our resolve, even in our captivity. We needed to get back, to face our fate with Charles, no matter what it held.
Realizing Charles was my mate, which had scared me before, now shone as a hopeful light in the dark.
I want to accept him. I told Aurora.
But first, we have to break free. She replied.
We will find our way back to him. I whispered a promise to Aurora, Charles, and myself into the darkness.
- Writer
