A New Kind of Family #9
Caelan placed a hand on my shoulder, and I gripped his fingers tightly.
“After some discussion with Shade, we agreed you should know the truth,” Caelan announced. “I’m sure you’re all curious as to how I managed to fight off eleven trained wolves.”
“Well, Caelan…you are highly trained,” Taffy offered, eyeing me cautiously. “Not that well-trained,” Oliver interjected with a snort. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’re good. Probably the best this region has ever seen. But eleven wolves at once? Not even on your best day.”
“Shade, do you want to tell them or should I?” Caelan asked softly.
I chewed my lip, waving my hand for him to go on. I didn’t trust myself to be able to explain it clearly. I’d never spoken openly about my abilities.
“Shade was granted a gift by the Moon Goddess. She can amplify emotions in others. She used it last night to encourage me to fight harder, and it somehow merged the two halves of myself to form what you witnessed last night,” Caelan explained.
I glanced around anxiously, watching each of them for any sign of fear or disgust.
“So, it was you,” Luna Maty said with a soft smile. “I thought it might have been. Thank you, Shade.” Her voice cracked and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she reached out and cupped my cheek. “Thank you for saving my son.”
“Tell us more about this gift of yours,” Alpha Leal encouraged. “What is it that you can do exactly?”
“Dad,” Caelan grunted. “It’s all right, Caelan,” I assured him, squeezing his hand.
“I can amplify emotions. I can’t make someone feel something different, but I can enhance what’s already there.
I used my ability last night to enhance Caelan’s anger and desperation.
It was a more potent combination that I expected. ”
“Have you done that before?” Alpha Leal asked, leaning forward and watching me with interest.
“Not like last night,” I replied, shaking my head. “I didn’t even know it could change a wolf’s form like that. I’ve used my gift a lot in battle, pumping up my father’s troops, but nothing like that ever happened before.”
“Interesting,” Alpha Leal remarked, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
“Well, I think it’s awesome!” Oliver exclaimed playfully. “Do you think you could supercharge me so I could finally kick some major butt?!”
I smiled, shrugging. The truth was I didn’t know. I’d never tried concentrating my ability and wasn’t even sure I could do it again. Last night, I’d been operating on pure instinct.
“That’s a good question,” Alpha Leal replied. “I think we should test this. See if Shade can repeat last night’s miracle with Caelan or other wolves. We need to know to what extent this ability can be stretched.”
“Dad,” Caelan growled.
“I agree,” Luna Maty said. “I say we all meet on the training grounds in thirty minutes. Taffy, send out a mind-link asking everyone to clear the area for a time. Let’s see if Shade can do whatever she did at the challenge again.”
“I don’t know,” Caelan hesitated. “I don’t want to push her too hard.”
“I’m not trying to force her to do anything she’s not comfortable with, son, but this could be profound for the pack’s protection,” Alpha Leal explained.
“And we’ll need to know with Alpha Huxley still in the mix,” Dillon mused. “If he was willing to take such a risk before he saw what she can do, he’s definitely willing to go to war now. He’ll make another attempt to take her, you can be sure of that.”
Caelan’s fingers tightened on my shoulder. “He can try.”
“You think he plans to use you as a weapon?” Alpha Leal questioned.
“Yes,” I replied. “My father did, and if Alpha Huxley wants to take over more packs, I’m his best chance at doing that without meeting much resistance.”
“He could use his alpha command to unlock her curse, and now that he’s seen what the amplification can do, he’ll be more eager to claim her for his own,” Caelan explained.
“That settles it,” Alpha Leal concluded. “We have no choice. We need to be ready for whatever he throws at us.”
He and Luna Maty rose, exiting the room as the rest of us stood.
“Are you all right with this, Shade?” Caelan questioned softly as the others began to leave.
“I think so,” I admitted. “I don’t want to ever see you fighting for your life like that again. And they’re right. Huxley is going to be even more eager to get his filthy paws on me after what he witnessed last night.”
“Okay,” he replied, taking my hand. “Let’s go see what you can do.”
The Effects of the Change
CAELAN
“Oliver, spar with Dillon,” my father instructed as we all stepped out onto the training grounds a short time later. “Shade, try to enhance Oliver like you did for Caelan last night.”
Shade nodded, but I sensed her apprehension. I ran my thumb across her knuckles, making her look at me.
“It’s going to be all right,” I assured her. “No one will get hurt, and no one will blame you if this doesn’t work.”
Oliver and Dillon faced off against each other as Shade took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I could feel the push of her gift threatening to tangle with my emotions, but it shifted as she refocused on Oliver.
For several minutes, there was no change in Oliver, and Shade finally huffed in frustration.
“It’s not working,” she mumbled.
“Taffy, help Dillon,” my father ordered. “Perhaps the threat needs to be greater for it to react.”
Taffy ran onto the field to join her mate while Shade shook out her limbs and tried again. But the effect was the same. She couldn’t seem to focus her gift as she had with me.
“Caelan, join Taffy and Dillon against Oliver,” my father grunted.
I gave Shade’s hand one final squeeze before joining the three of them. We surrounded Oliver, attacking him from all sides, but Shade couldn’t seem to transform him as she had with me.
We repeated the experiment, trying different combinations where Shade tried to focus her ability on anyone but me, but nothing happened. No matter how hard she tried, the result was still the same.
“Maybe we should call it,” I panted, glancing around.
Taffy and Oliver were hunched over, both struggling to catch their breath as Dillon and I stood with our hands braced on our hips, our chests heaving. Everyone had taken a decent beating, and Shade looked exhausted.
“I’d like to try one more time,” my mother interjected. “But this time, I would like for Caelan to spar against Dillon, and for Shade to focus on Caelan. I have a theory.”
“Care to share it, my love?” my father asked.
“Let’s see if I’m right first,” she replied, motioning for us to proceed.
Dillon and I dropped into our fighting stances. He swung, the sickening smack of his fist connecting with my side ringing out as I tried to block. We were always a little rougher when we fought each other because we knew the other could take it.
I felt it the moment Shade’s gift was unleashed, but it wasn’t the same as it had been in the arena. It felt weaker, like it wasn’t just focused on me. My concerns were confirmed when Dillon’s attacks grew more frenzied.
“Stop,” my father called.
We sprang apart, pacing as we both struggled to calm down. I glanced at Shade, who swayed slightly on her feet.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured feverishly, putting a hand to her head. “It’s harder to focus it than I thought.”
“I think that’s enough for today,” I announced as I walked toward her, snaking my arm around her waist and taking her weight. “She’s pushing herself too hard.”
“Just once more,” my mother countered. “I think I’ve worked it out. Dillon, Taffy, and Oliver, if you would all attack Caelan together. This will be the last attempt, Shade my dear. I promise.”
Shade nodded, sweat glistening on her brow as she leaned into me.
“Are you sure you are all right?” I asked through our mind-link. “We don’t have to do this anymore if you don’t want to. I’ll tell them to stop. Just say the word.”
“No. Your mother is a very wise woman. If she has a theory about all of this, then we need to see if she’s right. I’m fine. I can try one more time.”
I nodded, still uncertain this was the right decision, but I respected Shade’s choice.
“We’ll do this once more,” I said sternly. “After that, I want Shade to rest. If we can’t figure this out today, then we’ll try again another day. Okay?”
“Agreed,” my mother replied. “I want the three of you to keep Caelan away from Shade. Whatever it takes. And don’t hold back. If we want to trigger the same response, the threat has to seem real.”
I kissed Shade on the forehead before hurrying back to the training ground. I crouched as my two betas and gamma squared off against me, ready for anything.
Dillon rushed forward as I felt Shade’s power start to curl around me. I parried his strike as Taffy darted in, dodging her kick and ducking as Oliver leapt for me. I could feel Shade’s ability surging through me like an electric hum in my veins.
Suddenly, my vision sharpened, my speed increased, my strength tripled, and my determined gaze locked on my mate. I blocked their strikes without a thought, every fiber of my being focused on one thing and one thing alone.
Shade. I had to get to her, and they were standing in my way.
I snarled as the three of them tried to drive me back, the hair on my arms standing on end as I felt the same energy from last night course through me.
My body shifted, my claws elongating as my limbs lengthened. Fur spread out across my skin as my form stretched, my halves merging into the ferocious creature from the night before.
I towered above the three of them, standing on my hind legs with ease. I could feel the energy dancing around me, radiating from this brilliant white light. It called to me, swirling and pulsing as it fed into me like a power source.
Shade.
She looked like an angel as she stood there emitting that heavenly glow. Her gift traveled across our bond, her worry and love only fueling me further.
This was for her. It was all for her. Everything I had been before and everything I would be from this point forward belonged to her.