The Wolf Kin

First Shift

~~~Alexis POV~~~

"That's insanity!" I stood up, my body aching but I paid it no mind. His statement sent my thoughts into turmoil. He had to be mad, the poor packless bastard. The way he was looking at me though, his sapphire eyes filled with vulnerability and wistfulness, it told me that maybe, just maybe he was telling me the truth. Believing him though, would mean a change in everything. It would mean he was a blessed wolf, a bloodline long thought to be wiped out.

The history of our kind was vague at best, but almost a thousand years ago, records began being kept of a wolf who gained the favor of the Goddess and was bestowed authorities beyond the norm. She was a warrior who fought to save our kind and in doing so, the Goddess herself came to the mortal world and proclaimed her a Queen. She named her new kingdom The Sapphire Flame kingdom, and it reigned for countless years until it was destroyed by outside forces. Now the royal bloodline, which was a direct line to the first Queen, was long lost. Was Tobias telling me he was part of that lineage? Or was he just mad?

I couldn't seem to catch my breath as my thoughts crowded for my attention, and I wondered if I was suddenly going crazy. How could I not be? My mate just said he was older than dirt and I am the lone survivor of a bus crash. The crash! That must be it! I either died, or hit my head hard enough that I'm dreaming or going insane. Didnt head injuries do that to some people? Well I definitely hit my head, the throbbing in my temples proves it.

Tobias moved to touch my arm, but I moved faster. Without realizing quite what I was doing, my hand struck his face with a loud slap. Realization hit me and I quickly covered my mouth with the hand I had used, though it was stinging now. I was shocked at my display of violence, not usually one to act out in such a way. There was a deep snarl pulled from Tobias as his eyes flashed gold, the pupils being ringed by a faint violet color. I took an unsteady step backward as the snarl echoed in my own mind.

'What did you do that for? He is trying to help us, and be honest with us. Your actions may cause him to reject us, you daft fool!' A voice snarled in my mind and it only added to the emotional chaos swirling inside me. Without a word back to the voice I was guessing as my wolf, I sprinted from the room and rushed to the nearest window. I yanked it open and was relieved to see we were on the first story as I climbed out onto the lawn. My hands were shaking and I couldn't help when my body doubled over and I lost the entire breakfast I had eaten. So much for eating healthy, I guess.

Pain ripped through my back and I let out a strangled gasp. I could have sworn a second later I heard my rib snap as agony bloomed up my torso and my arm clutched uselessly to my body. The breath left my body and I slumped to the ground, my whole body shaking. I couldn't even scream as pain spread through my body, crippling it like I had never experienced before. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a detached thought chucked 'and here I thought the worst pain I've ever felt was period cramps. I'll trade for two monthly cycles, please ma'am.'

I had almost blacked out by the time my body arched on its own and the breath I had struggled so hard for left me in a single ragged scream. A scent touched my nose and I felt Tobias's hands on me, trying to sooth me frantically. If I had any control of my body, I wasn't sure if I would have shoved him away, or clung to him for dear life.

With a sudden and violent jerk of my body, I felt my bones pop and dislocate. A pressure in my head was building and all I wanted was to make it stop. The pain was unbearable.

I opened my mouth to let out another scream, but all I could manage was a long howl. The sound brought me out of the pain and I let go, no longer fighting it. I had a sudden suspension of what was happening, and before too long I was proved right. My skin was suddenly burning and itching like fire ants were trapped beneath my skin and I wanted to dig at my skin to get rid of them, but my limbs wouldn't respond to me. I looked down to see shinning black fur sprouting, paws where my hands had been previously.

With a final gasp, I collapsed on the ground, the pain miraculously gone. I lay limp as a newborn for what seemed like a long time, but was probably closer to a few minutes when I noticed the scent of tobias was still beside me, but somehow impossibly better. I felt my body move toward him, somehow no longer in my control. My eyes opened to look around, everything in hyper detail. I could see the dust motes dancing in the air, every vein in every leaf on the trees around us, and I couldn't tell if it was day or night, the surroundings were so bright. My body moved to push itself up, and I protested. The pain was gone, but the transformation had taken nearly all of my strength. I feel my face turn toward the sky and see the moon and stars in such detail my breath leaves my body in awe. How had I never noticed how stunningly beautiful the world around me was? It was almost as if I lived my entire life looking through a cloud of smoke, and now it was lifted from my eyes and nose.

A sound catches my attention and my face turns toward Tobias and suddenly everything around me ceases to exist. All that was left in our universe was us, staring deeply into each other's eyes. He was even more stunning than the sky and my heart soared at the thought of him being mine. He gazed at me with amazement, his face showing reverence and adoration all together. I wanted to move toward him, but again my body didn't follow my commands. I felt it stand to its paws, and shake out its fur. As it did so, it was as if sparks flew from us. Dancing merrily until they faded into nothingness or vanishing a second before touching the ground. I was confused about the sparks, but assumed it was just something all wolves could see.

With a gentle woof, my body padded to Tobias and stopped within arms reach of him. He was still frozen where he sat, his legs folded under him and his arms raised as if he were going to comfort me. My heart thumps almost painfully against my ribs at the thought of him touching my sensitive fur, I bet his hands would feel even better than the soft breeze that was currently making me want to purr. Being in this form felt pure and natural, if i didn't know any better i would say i'd been born this way.

My nose inched toward Tobias's outstretched hand before he gathered his thoughts and snatched it away. Caution now showed in his guarded face, though he remained close to us. Pain pierced me at his recoiling, and my body whimpered softly, letting him know he was in no danger.

Pressing his lips together, he reached back out and his hand touched the soft fur of my muzzle. I swore right then and there that if I had been human, I would have came from how amazing his hand and the sparks felt as his hand moved cautiously along my face. My eyes closed and I had to resist the urge to whimper as my view of him vanished.

'Oh hush. You slapped him and tried to run away from him. You really want to pretend you want him?' The voice snapped in my mind, irritable at my reactions. I couldn't help the growl that rumbled through my mind. How dare she say that to me? This wolf has a bad attitude.

'No, I'm just pissed you are stupid enough to strike our mate when he is opening up to you. What was that back there? I get you are overwhelmed but I swear to the Goddess, if he rejects us because of you, I'll never forgive you.' My wolf grumbles at me, but is soon distracted by our mate's hand traveling from our face to our neck and shoulders. If I thought his hand on my face felt good, I couldn't describe how amazing his hand on my body felt. My body trembled at the onslaught of sensations, my eyes opening to look at Tobias. His eyes were wide with awe and a touch of fear. What was he so worried about? I didn't have two tails, did i?

'Of course we don't have two tails!' My wolf scoffs indignantly; 'he is looking at our fur!'

"What's wrong with our fur?" I ask, confused. Did we have mange?

'Mange! The audacity!' She huffed, angered by my thoughts. 'See for yourself!' She turned our head to look at our body and I couldn't help the mental gasp that escaped me. My fur was deep black with a celestial glow. What appeared to be stars glittered at the end of each hair, some morphing to galaxy-like bodies where the fur was thickest. My fur seemed to move on its own, the stars never ceased glimmering with each movement. It was absolutely beautiful, matching the sky in a way I never expected I could. My eyes moved back to Tobias, at this point I didn't even care that my wolf was in charge. Absorbing this new information chased away all other thoughts in my mind.

With a soft chuckle and a sigh, my wolf stepped back and gave me control. I felt my body shrinking and changing back. I let out several groans, but it wasn't nearly as painful as the first shift. When my body was back to normal, I lay limply on the ground, trying to gather strength. Tobias let out a strangled cough and I looked up at him, confused. My eyesight was better than before the shift, although not as good as when I was a wolf. My nose, too, was more sensitive. I suddenly smelled the scent of arousal. Tobias's face was red and the scent was coming from him. It made his banana and mint scent more earthy and musky. Instantly my body responded with moisture between my legs and my heart thumped against my ribs double time. I blinked rapidly to try and get my thoughts and body under control, my hands digging into the earth below me to ground myself.

The wind shifted and the cool breeze blew by me, and I suddenly realized what set him off. The shift had shredded my clothes and here I was, laying in all my glory before him. I couldn't bring myself to cover anything as his eyes swept hungrily over me. A soft whimper slid past my lips and his eyes locked on my face, his sapphire eyes now almost black with his own lust. They flashed gold and back several times as he fought his wolf, in the end losing as the wolf claimed control of his body and moved the few steps confidently toward me. His walk was smooth as any predators, and when he crouched beside me, his hand trailing from between my breasts to just below my belly button. A soft growl escaped him as he struggled again with Tobias, momentarily winning again.

"Hello, my pretty little mate. My name is Elias." His voice was deeper than Tobias', more a growl than anything else. He rumbled a deep sound in his chest that made my core clench as his hand traveled back up to tug lightly at one of my n*****s. "Sadly, he is fighting me again, but I will see you again soon, pretty. I loved seeing my mate, also. You both are absolutely stunning." With that, he bent down and captured my lips in a possessive and passionate kiss that stole my breath. When he pulled back, Tobias's blue eyes looked back at me with a touch of alarm. He swiftly stood and ran back toward his house, grabbing a blanket off the outdoor furniture. He came back and helped me cover up, my heart still racing. Why is my body responding like this? Is it the mate bond, or is it me? My mind felt foggy and my body was confused and aching in all kinds of ways. One thing was for sure, I needed a shower and a nap.

Not long after he helped me inside, Tobias showed me how to run the shower and then he headed out the door with a quick "I'll be back, gotta check if anyone comes looking for the wolf howling on my land real quick."

I sighed, wondering how meeting my mate could be such a Rollercoaster ride. I showered off the blood, sweat, and dirt from my shift and went back to where I had awakened into this chaos. I curled up in a little nest of pillows and blanket before my exhausted body gave into a blissful sleep.