Under His Watch
787 Words
My body trembled as a strange energy coursed through me, shifting from numbness to sharp, tingling pain, like thousands of needles pressing against my skin at once.
My heart raced, and heat surged through my veins, as though my blood itself had come alive.
“Aria,” Bella’s voice came through my mind, calm but urgent. “Tonight is the full moon. Your first shift is happening. It will hurt but every true wolf goes through this. Find a secluded spot outside where no one can see you.”
I froze. I hadn’t expected it to happen tonight. I wasn’t ready mentally or physically.
The pain exploded outward from my chest, through my arms and legs. My knees buckled. I trembled, trying instinctively to resist.
“No, Aria,” Bella warned. “Don’t fight it. Let it flow through you. Feel it.”
I collapsed onto the grass behind the school’s soccer field, gasping. The pain was unbearable. I shut my eyes and surrendered.
When it finally subsided, silence fell over the world.
I opened my eyes.
My hands had changed sharp silver claws stretched where my fingers had been. Silver-white fur covered my arms and shoulders, faintly glowing in the moonlight.
“You did it!” Bella exclaimed. “Try standing.”
I rose, wobbly, but every sound was vivid the rustle of leaves, the distant rush of the river near the edge of the school grounds, even the tiniest movement far away.
“Bella,” I whispered, “do you know what it feels like to run like the wind?”
Before she could answer, my legs moved on their own.
I ran.
The night blurred past me. My paws barely touched the ground. Wind screamed in my ears. I felt alive powerful, free.
I only stopped when the river cut across my path. Panting, I peered into its reflection.
Silver-white fur. Eyes as blue as deep lake water. That was me.
“You’re beautiful,” Bella said softly.
For a moment, I felt pride. Then reality returned. Leo Harrington still saw me as unworthy someone beneath him.
A sudden scent reached me sharp, hostile.
Two gray wolves stepped from the shadows, moving slowly, deliberately.
“What do you want?” I demanded. They didn’t answer. They advanced.
Panic surged I considered running but then another scent washed over me. Strong, familiar.
A large brown wolf stepped forward, placing himself between me and the intruders. His fangs bared.
“Don’t bar your teeth at me,” I growled instinctively.
The voice echoed in my mind. Leo.
The wolf was Leo Harrington.
I froze. He could communicate with me mentally.
“Back off if you value your life,” he snarled at the two gray wolves.
They hesitated, glanced at me, and fled into the shadows.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“No need,” Leo said coldly. “I just didn’t want to watch someone make a fool of herself on her first shift.”
Humiliation and anger churned inside me. Twice rejected and yet he saved me. Why?
“I’ll leave,” I muttered.
“Leaving now would make you a rogue. The school has rules,” Leo replied firmly. “You can’t just run from this.”
“What do you want from me?” I snapped. “You rejected me! I should stay away!”
“I didn’t reject you,” he said flatly. “I just didn’t acknowledge you yet. Stay where you are.”
Then he walked away, leaving me alone under the moonlight.
Bella nudged me gently. “You’ll need time to control this,” she said.
When I shifted back into human form, exhaustion hit like a truck. My legs gave way, and I collapsed onto the grass.
“First shifts take a lot out of you,” Bella said. “And connecting with another wolf mentally uses even more energy.”
I barely listened. I just wanted my bed.
When I got home, Clara was asleep. I was grateful she hadn’t questioned me.
The next morning, she sat beside me, brushing my hair back gently.
“You shifted last night, didn’t you?” she asked. “I can tell you have a strong wolf.”
“She is,” I said softly. “But I’m still learning to control her.”
“That’s alright,” Clara smiled. “You’ve grown. Your father would be proud.”
I said nothing. Being rejected by Leo still stung. Maybe he was right maybe someone like me could never stand beside an Alpha heir.
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
Marcus Vale stood in the doorway, expression unreadable.
“Aria,” he said, “there’s someone outside asking for you.”
- Writer
