“Cadence, we have to respect each other. We don’t touch someone without asking, especially if they are in wolf form and we can’t mindlink with them. Amie is in a very vulnerable place and we need to respect that. She has honoured us by shifting in our presence for the first time,” I told the pup. He looked up at me and then down at Amie, who looked back at him.
“Yes, Alpha. Sorry, Amie,” he said. I smiled and ruffled his hair before letting him down.
“Good boy,” I told him and watched him make his way back to his father. I looked at Amie. “Ready to stand?” I asked. She focused and got her back legs underneath her. She swayed a little and she took a step to the side, her tail balanced the body automatically, but she wasn’t used to the feeling and swirled around, trying to get a look at it. I couldn’t help but to chuckle. She got steadier by the minute. Amie made her way over to where Cadence was standing and she nudged his hand with her nose. He looked at me and I nodded with a smile. With a reverent look in his eyes, he ran his hand over her fur and he squealed.
“She’s so soft,” he told everyone. I felt a moment of jealousy, but pushed it aside. The pack started to shift one by one. They gently walked up to Amie, careful not to overwhelm her, and let their wolves greet her. I stayed in my human form until she had been greeted by the pack.
“Would you like to test those new legs?” I asked her. She yapped happily, and I laughed. I shifted into my dusty blond wolf. It was larger than Amie’s but not by much. Standing, her wolf was almost as tall as both Martin’s and Sam’s. I walked up to her and nudged her to start moving. It was strange to not be able to talk to her. But she got my meaning and started walking. She did well for it being her first time. Matilda had shifted and started walking on the other side of Amie. I let the pack know in the mindlink we would take Amie for her first run and they could resume the celebrations. After a while of walking, I urged Amie into a slow trot. My aunt soon got tired and mind linked me she would go back to look after the pups. I told Martin, Sam and Medow to join us. Soon, all five of us were running through the woods. I made sure to keep close to Amie, to make sure she didn’t tire or lose her footing. But she was a natural. Her wolf seemed built for speed and when we sped over the soft forest floor, her eyes glowed with joy. After a while longer, I told the others they could go back to their planned evening. I knew Medow and Sam would need some time alone as a mated pair, and Martin usually had a date set up. I herded Amie to the same viewpoint we had stood on that morning. The moon hung over the river and the stars sparkled. It was as perfect of a night as you could hope for. I raised my head and howled at the moon. As a thank you for everything she gave us. Others joined in and I looked at Amie, who just stood beside me, looking at me. I stopped howling and locked eyes with her and let out another howl. She took a deep breath and then she joined me. The first notes were uncertain, but as her confidence grew, so did her howl.Amie
Howling! I was howling. I was in my wolf form, standing on a hill looking out over the most spectacular view I had ever seen, and I was howling at the moon. There were so many things to unpack in that sentence, it made me dizzy. But in a good way. The howling died out and I tried to get a look at myself. I was much steadier on my paws and I twisted and turned in an attempt to get a look at my body. I heard a huffing sound and looked over at Finlay’s wolf, and I swear he was laughing. His sand-coloured wolf was just as mouth watering handsome as his human form. I was grateful he had been with me through the night. He was a good Alpha. He stood up and trotted over to me and swung his head in a gesture I thought meant he wanted me to follow him. I nodded and he took a small path leading down towards the river. He walked up to the bank and looked down. Curious, I followed and looked as well. The water was almost completely still and the dark night sky made it into a mirror. I could see myself and I was surprised. Not even my mother, who I had inherited my red hair from, had a wolf who looked like mine. The same red colour as my hair, covered most of my fur. But my face, paws and the end of my tail faded into a cream colour. My green eyes looked the same. I was big, but I had already figured that out, standing almost as tall as Finlay. I had to do some jumps just to articulate the joy I felt at that moment. Again, I could swear Finlay was laughing at me. But it was okay. I was in my wolf form and I was just brimming with joy and amazement. After a moment, Finlay pointed his nose up along the trail they had come. I understood it was time to head back and nodded. I was happy to calmly walk beside him through the forest. The night might have been short, but I still needed to figure out how to get into my human body. We got to the place where I shifted, and Finlay changed back to his human form and put on shorts. He smiled down at me and lifted the blanket that was still on the ground. I got the message and let him cover my body. I looked up at him, I had no idea what to do now. He seemed to understand.
“To change back, you just need to focus on your human self,” he told me. He made it sound easy, so I tried to focus on my human side. I felt the same tingles I felt when I took on my wolf form, but this time there was no pain. And then I was lying on my stomach under the blanket, completely naked. “There you go. I knew you would be a natural,” Finlay said with a smile.
“Thank you. That was…” I started to say, but I didn’t know how to finish the sentence.
“Yeah, that’s how it feels the first time,” Finlay agreed as he handed me my clothes and, like a gentleman, turned around to let me dress. I was a little wobbly on my legs, but I found my balance. When I was dressed, I walked up to Finlay and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around with a smile.
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for guiding me through this and not abandoning me.”
“It was my honour,” he told me, and I could tell he meant it. We talked as we walked back towards the fire. I found the world slightly different. My senses were sharper than they had been. Matilda was sitting in her spot, and the pups had quieted down and were either sleeping on spread out blankets or sitting, playing. When Cadence saw us coming, he ran over to us.
“Amie! How was it? Was it as fun as you thought it would be? What did you do? Did you run? Did you hunt? You were so big, I bet you would be awesome at hunting. My dad always kills rabbits for my mom and he will teach me how to when I shift the first time.” He fired off his questions in a rapid sequence and I had to laugh.
“Calm down, little one. Let Amie get a word in,” Finlay said while chuckling.
“Sorry, Alpha,” the pup said. But he was still looking up at me with bright eyes.
“How about we sit down, and I will tell you all about it,” I told him, and he looked so happy it made me smile as big as him. “Thank you again. I’m all shifted out for tonight, so go and have fun. I’ll rest by the fire,” I told Finlay. He hesitated and looked like he wanted to object.
“Go on, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Matilda said before he had a chance.
“Okay,” he agreed and then he was heading towards the forest again. I sat down with Cadence and started to tell him about my first shift. I was still in awe that I had a wolf. I could feel her inside me now. Like a shadow with emotions. Matilda walked over to the table with leftover food and came back with a plate piled high and handed it to me. I had not realised how hungry I was. After I had answered most of Cadence’s questions, I went to town on the food.
“This is amazing, thank you,” I told Matilda between bites. She laughed.
“Shifting always makes you hungry and ten times as much when it’s the first time,” she explained to me. Cadence had joined his friends, and I could hear him tell them what I had told him.
“You are very open about shifting with the young,” I said. She nodded.
“I have deduced it wasn’t the case in your old pack?” she asked.
“No, it was held as a secret. I have never questioned it, but now I don’t understand why. It would have been nice to know what to expect,” I told her. She hummed.
“Some packs like to make things more complicated than they are. We’re not like that. A pack takes after their Alpha and Finlay is straightforward and doesn’t like secrets if they don’t serve a purpose. It’s why I followed him here. I always thought the gods mixed him and his brother up when it came to birth order. In my humble opinion, it was always clear that Finlay was the natural Alpha. When his brother took over our old pack and Finlay chose not to fight, it was an easy decision. It was the same for most of us. I don’t know what my sister was thinking, staying behind. I can understand loving your sons equally, but it shouldn’t blind you to see the truth,” Matilda said.
“I’m impressed by all of you. It takes courage to do what you did,” I said. Matilda shrugged.
“Almost as much as it takes to leave your pack behind and create a new life for yourself,” she retorted. I smiled at her.
“I only had myself to think of. You have pups and families and vulnerable people among you,” I pointed out.
“We had, that is what makes up a pack. It takes all of us to create a balanced pack. Ryder, Finlay’s brother, didn’t see it like that. He wanted a pack with strong warriors,” Matilda told me.
“Let’s see how he likes it when all the strong warriors need to figure out who is going to clean the toilets or cook dinner,” I said. Matilda laughed.
“You get it.” She sounded pleased.
“My dad always said the most important tasks in the pack were the ones that no one thinks about until no one does them. Cleaning, cooking, ordering supplies and so on,” I told her. It had been a long time since I talked about my father, and it stung my heart.
“He sounds like a good man.”
“He was the best Beta. At least he seemed like it to me.”
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