Unknown Wolf

The Shift

Fear was taking over me as my aunt helped me out of my dress and placed it upon a satin hanger hooking it to a rack in the corner. I looked around to see the tent was quiet spacious and looked like a makeshift dressing room with an elaborate silver full-length mirror and two blue velvet elegant chairs, one for each of us set to either side.

Rose proceeded to do the same with her own dress as she had with mine. We both sat in the chairs set inside the tent for us and slipped off our shoes. I gently placed mine beside my chair. Then she came over to me gently, taking my tiara off and helping my hair to come loose, flowing down around my shoulders and over my back.

I should have been cold where it was mid-December, and snow had begun to fall outside as we stood there naked in the tent, but I wasn't. I didn't even feel a chill in the air, and now I understand why Rose seldom felt cold herself in the manor.

"Are you ready?" She asked in excitement.

"I'm scared," I whispered to her so softly it could barely be heard. She just smiled.

"I was my first time too, but you will be fine. Have faith in yourself, Lucy, and envision your wolf. Let her have control, and she will lead you through the shift. I will stay with you for the entire thing." She nodded and then stepped back to show me as she shifted.

Her wolf was a beautiful chocolate brown, and like my mother's had a soft cream around her eyes and her face leading down her neck across her chest. Her hazel eyes glowed and watched me expectantly.

I took a deep breath and shook off my nerves, continuing as it was now my turn. I closed my eyes and tried to open up to my wolf. She slowly came forward and nodded towards me in my mind. I lay on the ground in the middle of the tent and groaned in pain as it felt as if every bone in my body was braking and repositioning.

"It's alright. The more you shift, the easier it will become and less painful. I'm right here with you," my aunt soothed through the now opened mind link between us and coached me through it.

Tears boiled up in my eyes, and I held in screams as sharp pains tormented my body. I would not seem weak to the guests awaiting my wolf outside. I couldn't afford to look weak, so I continued to hold it all in.

Minutes seemed to turn into hours as my body tried to shift into form, and when I looked at Rose, she seemed a little concerned with the time it was taking to complete. I'm guessing longer than normal to change, and I didn't understand why.

"You are not an average wolf," Sesi said in my mind as if she heard my thoughts. "Don't worry, it will be finished soon."

Finally, my shift was complete, and when I raised up from the ground standing on all fours, I was memorized with my white paws. I dug them into the earth beneath, feeling it as if for the first time. I smiled, looking up towards Rose, proud of myself. She had a look of shock and awe on her face as she took in my form.

Through the mind link, she said, "Lucy, you are a white wolf. One has not been seen in thousands of years. You are special."

I turned around to see myself in the mirror setup behind me in the tent. I was a solid white wolf with my green eyes staring back at me in my reflection, glowing with pride. I was beautiful.

My aunt turned to leave the tent and announce my finished shift. I followed her out to see all the guests of age were also in their wolf forms, and a fresh layer of snow lay upon the ground under their paws. Powder in their fur as they had patiently waited for me to come out. My father's black wolf stood closest to my aunt and I. They all took in the sight of me, and there were gasps at the realization that I was a white wolf.

Through the crowd of wolves towards the side stood a lone red wolf by himself. His blue eyes shown as they stared directly at mine. Once again, I found myself drawn to him without understanding why, and I just wanted to know what he was thinking. I didn't move, though. Sesi howled in my head as we stared at Rowen's wolf.

"Mate!" She echoed through my mind.

It couldn't be. He is supposed to be my enemy. His father killed my mother. I tilted my head in confusion as I stared at him. I had felt safe in his presence, but fear still coursed through my mind, thinking of how his father had treated his destined mate. I stood my ground and tried to turn my attention to my father instead.

"Are you ready to run my daughter?" He asked, and I felt my wolf leap with joy at the prospect temporarily forgetting our newly found mate.

We ran through the grounds and woods until we came to a ridge overlooking the beautiful full moon as it seemed to hang low to the earth with the illusion of being touchable. I let my wolf take over, and she ignited a howl that rumbled from the depths of my soul and escaped from my body. The others began to howl as well, taking in the great December moon as snow began to softly fall again all around us. The cold moon, as my aunt had called it. The experience was beyond anything.

******** Rowen's POV

We were all led outside to tents to change and shift into our wolf form, awaiting the princess to begin her first shift. Revealing to everyone for the first time her wolf form. I quickly undressed and shifted into my red wolf. I felt the excitement coming of Kane in waves as he waited to see his mate again.

I stood to the side and a bit back from the rest of the party guests, not wanting to be a part of their conversations as we waited. I tried to keep Kane patient concentrating on the beautiful moon above us with the snow gently falling around it. Everything about this night seemed to be more. More beautiful, more magical, and I stared at the moon with a mixture of joy and pain.

What was the moon goddess's plan with this mess. She had blessed me with the most marvelous mate any wolf could ask for, and I couldn't have her. I definitely didn't deserve her. How was I going to keep her safe with everything we were both up against in this world. She didn't answer me as I stood in the cold waiting in silence.

Quite sometime was passing, and the guests were getting antsy as the princess still hadn't merged from her tent. Gossip started to spread through their fickle ranks, wondering if she was wolfless. I rolled my eyes at them all in disdain. The lack of respect and loyalty among them was disgusting.

Kane's anger came forward, and my eyes glowed. A few young wolves that had been running their mouths openly shifted away from me as I tried to calm myself. It had been over an hour since she went into the tent, so the time she was taking to shift was irregular.

I knew she was in pain, but she never released a scream. The strength holding all that in for so long must be enormous, but I know she was probably doing it to not show weakness to her guests. Finally, her Aunt Rosalind came out from the tent with her eyes wide announcing the princess had finished her shift.

Then my mate slowly came out of the tent standing tall, and she was magnificent. A full white wolf so white she put the snow to shame. I heard the gasps, but I only had eyes for her. I could feel them glowing, and I didn't care. I wished that she would come to me that we were alone. I knew now that it was past midnight she knew she was my mate as she stared directly at me. She seemed to be taken aback and questioning things as she tilted her head to the side. Then she turned towards her father, pushing me out of her mind, and it hurt me. I don't know what more I expected with who we are. I definitely didn't see her running up to me in that moment, but the pain was still sharp.

She and her father led out the run with all the guests following suit, but I couldn't. My wolf was furious with me growling inside, but my heart hurt. I knew it would be dangerous for me to find my mate just with my family situation alone, but to have her be my father's enemy's daughter, who he wished to kill and a white wolf.

Solid white wolves are very rare and seem to be always female. Legends of old state that the first of our kind were solid white wolves that fell like drops of moonlight to the earth blessed by the moon goddess herself. It was a story for young pups at bedtime, but some believed that white wolves held mystical powers. They were highly sought after for control and breeding purposes. One hadn't graced the earth in thousands of years.

I knew my father and brother had seen her wolf form. I also knew they would no longer seek to kill her but to take control over her. This knowledge gave way to fear paralyzing me inside and set my wolf on fire.