Chapter 8 Shifting
As time passed and the night evolved my anxiety was taking over.
There is so much I still don’t know about being a Lycan and I know that this will hurt, but it’s going to happen no matter what.
I try not to think about everything that is going to happen to my body, and Aylin, as if he could sense everything I was feeling, places his hand on my thigh and squeezes lightly.
“It will be okay Celest. Your body knows what to do, you just must trust the process.”
He then leans over and brushes a kiss on my temple.
We make our way outside and there are at least 100 people out here.
I know everyone gathers on the full moon and shifts as a pack and goes running.
Aylin gently pushes me forward where a group of about fifteen others stands and he makes his way to the front of the pack.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Pleiades Pack. We come together tonight to not just honor the Moon Goddess but the three original Lycan who originated from this town. Tonight is a very special night as we have another Lycan among us. My mate, Celest. After tonight she will officially be your new Luna.”
The pack hoots and hollers and claps their hands.
“She has not had an easy life and though she is 21, she will be shifting as an adult for the first time with 18-year-old werewolves. You all should have met your inner wolf with the rise of the sun, they are their own being but you can see through their eyes, if they allow you too.
You will be able to feel, hear, and taste everything as they would but you will not be able to control their actions. We are excited for all of you! Let’s begin, please strip out of your clothes and in less than a minute you will begin to shift,” my cheeks flush but I do as I am instructed.
No one else seems to be shy about this, it’s a normal custom for all of them.
Just as the moon reaches its highest peak and my clothes reach the floor, I can feel it.
My body begins to ache for release. My heart begins to race and I can feel a burning running through my veins.
I look at my limbs and fur, white fur erupts.
All my bones and joints snap and elongate while my muscles tear, thicken, and reposition themselves so they can hold my new body.
The cries and screams of pain from around me mimic my own.
“Breathe Celest, the first time is always the worst,” Capella tells me from within my head.
I try to breathe, but the pain is unbearable, I collapse to the ground.
My spine changes shape, my tail grows, and my face extends into a long wolf muzzle.
Once the pain begins to fade, I open my eyes and realize that I had been squeezing them shut.
I stand up onto my four paws, a little wobbly at first and look around.
Everyone is staring at me. I feel myself pushed back as Capella comes forward and I let her.
She throws her head into the air and howls at the moon, a light purple aura pulsing from her body fills the area around us and flows into the forest.
Everyone follows her lead and howls from all around us fill the night air, then she begins to run.
As Capella ran, a scent hit us, pine and sandalwood.
It was Aylin, but this time it wasn’t. Sterling ran beside us as an intoxicating heat that made Capella howl in absolute recognition.
She looked at him, her glowing blue and purple eyes locking onto Sterling.
Sterling’s breath hitched as his own eyes shifted to her, and changed to a predatory glare.
The air between them practically vibrated.
"Capella..." Sterling whispered, his voice cracking with a mix of awe and sheer desperation.
He took steps closer to her, trembling. "It’s you. The Moon Goddess didn’t forsake me."
Capella, running on four powerful legs, let out a low, vibrating whine.
The human mind inside her was nervous, but the wolf was certain.
She moved closer, pressing her massive white body directly against him.
An electric shock zipped through both of them, and a new, telepathic tether snapped shut in our mind, flooding our consciousness with Sterling's fierce, protective devotion.
"I've waited years for you," he breathed heavily, "I'm yours. Entirely yours."
Capella let out a soft huff, nudging his jaw with her muzzle, completely accepting the bond that now tied their souls together forever.
The moon hung like a silver coin above the canopy as Capella’s paws broke into a dead sprint.
The damp earth gave way beneath her weight, launching her forward into the dark heart of the woods.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t clumsy or weighed down by human limitations.
Capella was a sleek, white blur of muscle and instinct, and the sheer power of it made me want to sing.
A heavy, low huff echoed to our left. Sterling’s massive, midnight-black body surged forward to match her pace. He didn't crowd her; instead, he drifted just close enough for their shoulders to nearly brush, his powerful strides perfectly mirroring hers.
‘Go faster, Capella,’ Sterling’s voice suddenly echoed directly inside her mind, warm and vibrant through our new telepathic link.
‘Show me what you can do.’ A thrill shot straight down her spine.
Capella bared her teeth in a playful snarl and pushed harder.
The forest became a canvas of streaks, shadows of grey and white whizzing past her hyper-sharp vision.
She leaped over a massive, rotting cedar log, clearing it effortlessly.
Sterling was right there beside her, a shadow in the moonlight, his blue eyes locked onto her with fierce, burning pride.
Through the bond, she didn't just feel her own adrenaline; she felt his, too.
She felt the intoxicating rush of his possessiveness, the pure joy he felt watching her run, and the profound relief that she was finally, legally, and spiritually his.
The beauty of winter has fully taken over, as we run through the forest I ran through to get here, the large full moon makes all the icicles sparkle and shine tiny bright lights on the ground that look as if they are dancing as we run past.
Snow has fallen heavily now, and I can hear it crunching under her paws as we run.
The trees sag in the weight of the snow and as one wolf runs past they knock the snow from the branches onto someone else, making everyone who sees it laugh.
This feeling is so free, and I know this is the start of a new life for me.
Once the house is back on site, Capella darts up a steep, rocky ridge, her claws finding a perch in the stone.
When she reached the peak, the entire meadow opened up beneath them.
She stopped, her chest heaving as the cool night wind whipped through her white fur.
Sterling skidded to a halt beside her, his massive frame radiating heat in the crisp air.
They sit together and she nudges her broad head against his neck, inhaling his scent deeply, cementing the blend of lilies, and his pine and sandalwood profile.
This was the picture that Hera had shown me.
The bond coming together, and full acceptance.
Sterling looks back to her and rubs his face onto hers.
Capella stands and shakes her whole body and what looks like little purple sparks shimmer away from her.
Sterling licks her face, and she turns her face up to him and licks him back.
She takes a couple steps and swooshes her tail under his chin and he stands up and jumps onto her while biting the back of her neck.
They moved together then, driven by an ancient, instinctual rhythm that required no words.
Every touch was amplified a thousand times by their supernatural biology.
The wolves roared in unison inside their minds, spinning together in a violent, beautiful storm of completion.
The physical act became a spiritual fusion, melting away the boundaries of where Capella ended and Sterling began.
Hours later, the chaotic hunger in air finally settled into a deep, peaceful quiet.
Capella lay with her head resting on Sterling's chest, his strong body wrapped securely around her, anchoring her against him.
Her body felt beautifully heavy and thoroughly claimed.
Inside her mind, Celest felt the chaotic static of the supernatural world gone.
In its place was an earnest, comforting hum.
She could feel the steady, protective beat of Sterling’s soul wrapped tightly around hers, a permanent sanctuary she would never have to leave.
Lifting his muzzle to the sky, Sterling let out a long, resonant howl that shook the air.
Capella didn't hesitate. She threw her head back and joined him.
Their voices twined together in a perfect, harmonized chord, a raw, beautiful announcement to the wilderness that they were no longer alone.
They were a mated pair, and the forest belonged to them.
After making their way back to the house, the two began to shift back.
Capella asks, “hey Celest, do you want me to heal your scars? I can only do this on your first shift.”
“Yes please, but leave the crescent shaped scar on my back that looks like a moon, I want a reminder of what I have been through.”
The shift back is less painful than shifting to wolf, but it is still very uncomfortable.
Once I am back, and in human form, I am met by Aylin’s naked back and firm ass, which makes me blush.
A helper who is carrying my clothes emerges from the darkness.
I nod at her and take my clothes. I quickly dress and grab Aylin’s hand and begin to walk back to the house.
“It will get easier, I promise, and after your second or third shift you won’t be in pain anymore.”
I look up at him, and nod, words escaping me.
“Capella is beautiful, Celest and you are the largest wolf in our pack, which everyone saw. You are exactly what the prophecy spoke of, and our people will rejoice.”
I stayed quiet, not knowing what to say but inwardly reflecting on the events of the night and his words.
We walked hand in hand back to the house.
I desperately want to rest, exhausted and in pain, and even though this body may not have had sex, it is sore between my legs.
I know that it was Capella’s body but the feelings and senses were ours to share.
I am confused as to if I am still a virgin or not.
One thing is for sure though, if having sex feels anything like that, I don't want to wait very long before Aylin and I can finish sealing our bond.