The Elemental Huntress

Chapter 10 - Shifting & Changing

Leaves were falling from the trees, slowly making their way to the forest floor, fluttering like feathers in the slight morning breeze. Water flowed briskly in the nearby river, making its way to the waterfall and beyond. Werewolves made their way to The Night Wolf keen to get their morning coffee on the way to work or school. Appearing as humans, but with the power of the wolf inside them.

The Blue Midnight pack lands was more than just trees, brush and a packhouse. It was a community, a town of its own. The packhouse was a mansion, holding inside of it, the Alpha and his Alpha blood siblings, the Beta and his family, the Gamma Warrior leaders, and other important members of the community. There was a hospital, a school, state of the art training facility, plenty of hang out spots, The Night Wolf Cafe, restaurants and natural forestation as far as the eye could see. It was the best of both worlds. The human side and the wolf side; the pack lands catering to which ever need they had.

The Blue Midnight pack was different, not merely because it was the largest but because of the way they lived and trained, the different responsibilities they all had and the opportunities. It had been in the Whelan family for 200 years. Giving away none of its secrets and all its charm with its gothic style buildings. It was an entire world of its own, humans never ventured there because the border was protected by an ancient spell. It only allowed those with wolf in their blood to cross over. To the rest of society, it all just looked like thick forest land that was part of a national park, an unauthorised area they couldn't touch.

The Elders used the magic for all large-scale lands, for the safety of the werewolves and the humans.

ELIRA POV

The room feels warm, too warm for September. I can hear beeping like I'm in a hospital. My mind is awake, but it feels as though my body is not. All I can smell is him and its infuriating; please let this all be a dream. When I open my eyes, I will be back in the villa, in my own bed with Willa and Rhydian beside me. My eyes slowly start to open, they feel heavy as though I've not slept long enough. The room begins to come into focus. Where the hell am I?

This was no hospital room, surely... Looking up at the roof I could see the most beautiful finishing around what looked like a four-poster bed. The artistic detail seemed unique and beautiful. I slowly begin to sit up; I look ahead and I see a big plasma screen TV surrounded by some very authentic and vintage looking couches.

I mutter to myself "What is this, the 19th century?" As I begin to look to my right, I see him, slumped in a chair sleeping. He was distracting, even in his peaceful state. The way his body would rise and fall with every breath, his bulging muscles peeking through his plain grey t-shirt. I felt completely and utterly uncomfortable staring at him while he slept, but then completely at home as well. Like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I studied his face, from his jet-black hair that sat atop his head, short all around the sides. Long in the areas it should be for me to grab and pull right when I needed to. His face hard, yet soft at the same time, his jawline prominent but his eyes looking soft. I shook off everything I was starting to feel, wanting to focus on where I was and how many doors there might be in this room.

There were four doors, two to my right, one to the left and another right beside the television on the left. Great! Getting out of here was certainly going to be interesting, where the hell were Willa and Rhydian? Do they know I'm here? Have I been kidnapped? What day is it? So many questions started to go through my mind. Before I could get out of bed, Killian stirred beside me. I look over at him and I am met with piercing hazel eyes. I could never forget those eyes I had seen them over and over in my dreams, ever since we met. It was very frustrating. Now I was eye to eye with them and all I wanted to do was hide under the blanket and hope that I would wake up from this nightmare. "Thank the goddess you're finally awake!" Killian said with his deep almost husky sleep voice. Great, a religion I don't believe in and he sounds hot enough to make me want to bend over his knee...

As I'm looking at him, sideways almost, a voice that isn't my own appears in my mind "Can you please get your head out of the gutter for once Elira, you're looking at him sideways you know!" My eyes go wide "What the f**k was that?" Killian looks at me with a puzzled expression. "I'm sorry?" He is confused just as much as I am. "Did you hear that?" Killian gets up and sits on the side of the bed, closer to me, his scent is everywhere, molesting my nose cavity. I hate it, but I love it. "That would be your wolf talking, only you can hear her."

It felt like I had left my own body and I was watching myself from the outside. First my eyes glazed over, then my mouth began to open slightly, my chest rising and falling quicker. How the hell can this be real? Memories of the last few days flashing in my mind. I don't want to be a werewolf. All I want is to go back to my life before, or hell even just be a normal 18-year-old in her final year of school. Where are my friends and where am I? Nothing is familiar right now, and I hate it!

"Elira?" Killian had put his hand on top of mine, resting in my lap. My eyes had begun to glow, I had to get out of here. I stood up as quickly as possible taking Killian by surprise. "I have to get out of here, let me out of here, now!" When I spoke it felt like there were two of me. I didn't know why I was suddenly so desperate, I didn't even know where I was. I hadn't spoken to Killian or asked him anything that might tell me what was going on. All I knew was that I had to get out, immediately. "Ok, I'll take you somewhere safe. Elira, this is your wolf talking right now. The doctor mentioned there would be a 4-hour window once you awakened where you would need to turn for the first time. This will calm down your wolf who has been dormant and will help balance you out." Killian had his hand on my shoulder as he spoke to me, slowly and calmly, but it was as if his voice was muffled or far away. My heart was racing, my breathes quicker and shorter, I notice that my body is glowing, "What the f**k Killian?" I feel panicked and trapped inside of myself with no control. A concept completely foreign to me. Killian notices my panic, so he lifts me into his arms and begins to carry me outside. Once we are outside, Killian runs, faster than I've ever seen anything move. He takes me into the deep woods where no one can see me, a bright golden, white wolf with piercing light blue eyes.

I began to shift in his arms seconds before he let me go. It is written that a wolfs first transformation is the most painful, but nothing could have prepared me for this.

Pain radiated through me from head to toe, my body was glowing so bright, it lit up the entire dark forest, every single bone in my body snapped in multiple places, it felt like there was now fire in my blood. For what felt like an eternity was only seconds, but now I felt alive more than I ever had before.

My eyes were the sharpest they'd ever been. I could tell I was now on four legs, closer to the ground. I look down at my paws feeling the earth underneath my pads, my claws ready to take down prey at any moment. I could smell... everything. The trees, the ground, water nearby. Everything was heightened, my mind free from pain and the headaches, finally clear and able to think straight.

It was surreal, the feeling of actually being a wolf, it was like nothing I'd ever imagined. The strangest part being that I was still me, my conscious mind had not changed at all.

One thing was for sure, I most certainly did not control this body. I wanted to step forward and explore but my wolf had other ideas.

She dropped to the ground and began to roll rubbing herself into the dirt with a big smile on her face. "Do you mind?" It was weird being able to talk without speaking. It was as though my mind knew when I wanted to speak with my wolf it would merely be communicated as a conscious thought, but with everyone else it was physical speech.

"Elira, you need to lighten up and have some fun. When was the last time you truly felt relaxed and had fun?" My wolf had a point, one she knew I had no answer to. "My name is Artemis and you and I are a special pair. We are more than just a werewolf, in time, you will understand." The voice that echoed in my mind was gentle and felt familiar, like she had always been there. "Nice to meet you... Artemis." I didn't know what else to say to her, this was a bit overwhelming. I wanted to shed my skin and run away. Be anywhere but here. I'm one of the greatest werewolf hunters of the 21st century and I'm f*****g rolling in dirt like a filthy dog. Artemis didn't seem to be impressed with my thoughts, she ignored me and kept on enjoying herself. Moments later a black wolf stepped out from the trees beside us. I recognised him right away! Those eyes never changed and neither did his scent. Delicious!

His wolf seemed very happy with Artemis, he began to rub up against her from head to toe, gushing over his white wolf. They were soon running together, dodging the trees and trying to one up another in who was the fastest, Artemis winning every time. It reached mid-afternoon, around 3pm when Artemis and Killian’s wolf finally began to feel a little tired. They found a nice patch of shade and decide to lay down together. "My name is Orion by the way. I'm sorry I didn't mention it earlier, but I was a little distracted by our meeting." It was Killian’s wolf, he spoke gently but with a deep, growly voice. Like nothing I'd ever heard before, it was strange to feel so content hearing that voice.

"It is lovely to finally meet you Orion, my name is Artemis." My wolf was glowing now, content and ready to take things further. "NOOOOO!" I screamed at her. "Don't you dare torture me anymore than you already have. This s**t happens on my terms, got it!?" I was desperate now, hoping she could hear my pain in my voice and care enough to listen. "FINE!" Her voice was feisty and although she was a beast, I didn't care. Nothing would be happening with Killian or Orion, not if I had any say in it. They're the enemy, whether Artemis likes it or not, she's stuck with me as much as I'm stuck with her. An hour later I woke up in the same position Artemis had been in with Orion, accept I was now human, with my arms draped over Killian, and we were both completely naked!

"f**k!" How the hell do I keep getting myself into these ridiculous situations? I can hear and feel Killian begin to chuckle at me, amused by my reaction to our current predicament.

"I wouldn't call this funny. Why am I naked, more importantly why are you naked? Did we...?" Killian continued to smile and laugh at me as we both sat up. I couldn't take my eyes off of him, it was like the entire universe had moulded this man just for me. He looked like the God of gods, like he could tear the world down in seconds, and here he was sitting naked, laughing at me. I was mesmerised by him, "we are naked because we shifted, the transformation tears our clothes. Lucky for you, we keep clothes stashed all over the pack lands for this exact kind of emergency. I would also never take you by force, not the kind you're thinking of anyway" His eyes twinkled as he spoke, he was enjoying having to explain all of this to me. I had no clue about these small details. All I knew about werewolves was that rogues were loners, they stank, and I liked to kill them. "Great so I'll never be able to wear a nice outfit again." I spoke with humour but part of me was serious. "Transforming is a choice Elira, you know that. This isn't the movies remember." I knew he was right, but nothing felt like it was in my control right now. We got dressed in the clothes Killian had stashed close by, it had been a long time since I'd worn plain old jeans and a t-shirt, but I wasn't about to complain. It was either that or walk back naked. "Let's head back to the packhouse, we have a lot to discuss. I am sure you are wondering where your friends are. They know you're here, today they've been out investigating a lead. You'll see them later this evening I'm sure, they have secrets of their own to share with you. I'll take you back to your room where you can shower and freshen up, dinner will be in the dining hall at 6pm."

I muttered "thank you" as we headed back to the giant mansion he insisted on only calling a house. It was huge, I was grateful he would be guiding me because I would most certainly get lost trying to find my way around.

As we head out of the forest towards the mansion, I notice how beautiful the pack lands are. So many werewolves going from place to place, sitting by the fire, drinking at the pool bar, surely that water was heated? They're watching an outdoor movie on the projector. This was like every cool, hip person's dream and it was at everyone's fingertips.

What. The. f**k!

I had never seen anything like it. I was blown away by how normal all of this seemed. Part of me was looking forward to enjoying it, while the other part of me was almost annoyed by how easy this whole place was sucking me in.

Killian got me to my room easily, he shows me which of the doors is the bathroom, I thank him as his hand brushes mine. I begin to blush which causes him to smile at me, his gorgeous eyes twinkling away at me once again. "I'll be across the hall in my room if you need me."

He turns away slowly and leaves, I release my breath, not realising I had been holding it. It had felt like days since I'd showered. I strip off and get under the hot water, feeling relaxed to my core immediately.