Chapter Eleven
AS AN ALPHA, Isaac was used to split-second decisions. But none could have prepared him for this one.
He never planned to turn Caitlin. He’d hoped the Turn Limitations would get remanded.
He’d hoped her father would come to his senses and save his daughters.
And if all else failed, he’d hoped to plan this out with her long-term.
To have time to prepare them both for the risks they were forced to take.
Because preparation was everything to one’s mental state in acceptance of the animal within.
Both beings had to work together to own a body—understandably, the human would feel like it was their house, while the wolf had baser instincts and may not want to share.
Starting the journey on a calm voyage of acceptance taught the two souls to bind, to become one.
The way things were supposed to be, if one had the opportunity to be born, not bitten.
Biting was an entirely different animal. It was usually a stressful situation, filled with adrenaline, pain, and fear, not to mention shock at the sudden life-altering event.
He never had any time to prepare for this with Caitlin, his Caitlin.
So many thoughts were rolling through his head, some his, some his wolf’s.
How dare Rhett touch her.
How could he comfort her as her body broke and re-broke?
How could he explain what was happening to her amidst all the pain she was in?
How could he hurt her more by biting her? Yes, his wolf was dominant enough to replace Rhett’s wolf, but would a wolf from him be too much of a monster for her to handle?
Would it kill her human body?
Could he have Noah bite her instead? Misty? Alex? Would they be strong enough to overpower Rhett’s alpha wolf? But no, his wolf was vocal that he didn’t like that idea. He didn’t like someone else biting their mate.
But he also balked at hurting their mate.
He’d given her death—a brief respite from the pain she was in. Then they carried her broken body inside, laid her on the bed… a sleeping princess who wouldn’t wake in the middle of a nightmare that would never go away.
And he watched over her. Day and night. Protected her body when she grew cold. Mopped her brow when she fevered, carried her wolf outside when she broke.
“How many times did she change today?”
Without turning his head to look away from the sleeping mate, he answered Penny. “Six times and it’s only four o’clock.”
Penny set her phone on the dresser near the wall. “I guess that’s better than the sixteen times she changed on the first day. Go get something to eat. Have a shower, take a nap. I’ll watch her.”
A vibration came from Caitlin’s phone on the nightstand. Penny went to flip it over, but he interrupted her.
“It’s your dad. He’s been calling for three days. She had him blocked, he’s calling from a new number.”
“Did you talk to him?”
“Yes.”
“He knows what’s happening?”
He sighed. “He knows.”
“Let me guess. He blamed you.”
“He did. He blamed the entire clan for allowing her to get injured, even though the Blackmoors have nothing to do with us.”
With a click, Penny answered Caitlin’s phone. “Father.”
“Penelope. Where is Caitlin?” he snapped.
“She isn’t conscious yet.”
“What? It’s been six… seven days, has it not?”
“It’s not a head-cold, Dad. She’s becoming a whole new species. Did you miss the part that some people don’t survive the change?”
Her father was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment. Isaac was never more glad for shifter hearing.
“If she’s that ill, maybe she needs to be in a hospital.”
“She’s no longer human. What do you think will happen to her in a hospital? Will they treat a human? Or a shifter? Because she’s neither. She’s in between and has no control.”
“This is your fault, Penelope! If you hadn’t talked her into staying with you—”
“This. Is. Your. Fault. Has it even sunk in yet that you could lose us both? Caitlin might not make it through this… and next spring, I might not make it either. You could lose both your daughters because of the senseless law you supported when you knew better. All to please those purist morons moving you up the ladder. But hey, I guess you’ll still have your job, right? ”
“It’s just like you to point the finger elsewhere—”
“Well, Daddy. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” With a click, she disconnected the phone.
He would have congratulated her, but then Caitlin woke up.
“Isaac?” she asked, in a voice gruff with her wolf. Her heavy eyelids opened, the blue eyes of her wolf so light they glowed.
Like his.
“I’m here, baby.”
“I-I’m gonna be sick—”
Penny grabbed the wastebasket as Caitlin leaned over the bed.
He gathered her silken tresses in his giant hands, holding her hair back as she heaved.
He crooned soft words until she was done and helped her lean back into the pillows.
He reached for the washcloth and cool water he’d been sponging her with, and wiped off the beads of sweat on her forehead.
All of a sudden, she sprung up, eyes wide. “Oh, God. It’s happening again. It’s too soon.”
He sucked in a breath. He knew how much it hurt, how sore she was from the constant flipping back and forth. He wanted to take her pain for her. But all he could do was help her tame her wolf.
It started with her spine, just like always. She bowed her back and he could hear the snapping pops of her vertebrae as it broke, elongated, grew. She screamed and the long, high pitched sound turned into a deeper growl.
Calmly, he picked up her changing body, whispering soothing words as he carted her outside, warning Penny with one look to stay put. She was human, she couldn’t be anywhere near a changed Caitlin.
Not yet.
Setting her down outside, he quickly pulled off his clothes for a quick change. But didn’t do it yet. No, Caitlin had to get used to being around people.
Noah and Joaquin approached, pulling off their clothes too. No one complained about having to change so much, even though it left the body worn and sore.
Caitlin’s changes were painfully slow, which left her wolf angry when they were done. And like always, she went on the attack.
Snarling, she snapped at Joaquin, who’d been comforting her with touch.
Slowly stroking down her leg. Had he not been a shifter, he’d have been too slow in getting his hand yanked back.
As it was, he snarled back and smacked her nose.
She leapt at him and he and Noah went into action, all three of them restraining her.
He wanted to change, she was calmer when his was present, but she had to learn to be around human forms.
It wasn’t uncommon for a new shifter to have more strength than normal.
There were so many hormones, rage and instinct, and knee-jerk reactions.
Wolves had to be taught to think with their human thoughts before reacting with instinct.
It wouldn’t always be that way but for now?
Until she understood that a bite could turn a human? She needed to learn, hard and fast.
With a growl, she reached Noah’s arm and latched on at the forearm.
“Fuck!” He roared, instinctively pulling back, but she didn’t let go. Joaquin hit her sensitive nose, but she was stubborn.
“Change!” Isaac yelled at him. A change was the only way he was going to get free. The power from a born shifter’s change would blow her backward.
In an instant, he was shifted and she yelped as she was flung away by the blast. Joaquin followed, and there were two wolves against her. Not that it would deter her, being a new shifter, she had the strength of two or three.
But she did something that surprised all three of them. Though he was in his human form, the she-devil threw herself at him…
And didn’t bite.
She cowered for his alpha protection. First time ever.
“There it is,” he crooned. They’d finally broken her. This was the starting point, the place where most bitten wolves began. She-devil, being a product of his monster, didn’t start her bonding process with her human from the first change. No, she fought it for weeks just to get to point zero.
Alex and Amos approached, both human again.
Cautiously, they reached out to stroke her and while she shivered with anger, he held her muzzle against his chest until she relaxed under their touch.
Then, the other two wolves began to nudge at her until she found comfort in touch. The way it was supposed to be.
When she calmed, he changed into his beast so they could run.