Chapter 68 The White Wolf pt 1
Duncan
As Alpha, I’ve been present for almost all the first shifts in my pack since I took over leadership. It’s my duty to help wolves coming of age through the transition. Witnessing such a moment of profound connection between the wolf and the human spirits as they truly, finally become one by changing forms is always special. For most, this is the first moment where they fully sync with their wolf spirit. Seren and Kara are far beyond that point, though. They’ve been through so much already, and with Kara joining Seren at such a young age, they’ve had years to cement their bond together. I thought that would make things easier for this shift, but she’s still struggling. Watching her, knowing that she has to endure the pain and there is absolutely nothing that Conn or I could do about it, is simultaneously heartbreaking and breathtaking.
I joined her family, comforting her where I could, touching her back, her arms, hoping the mate bond would help ease the pain. Each whimper she made struck me like a physical blow. She writhed on the ground, body moving as her bones audibly snapped and cracked. Her progress was going well, all things considered, until she wavered. The pain must have made her lose focus. We all increased our ministrations, and Gideon’s eyes glazed over. I didn’t know who he was talking to at the moment, and I didn’t care. I placed both hands on Seren’s back, running them along her spine, trying to ease what I could for her.
A high-pitched whine came from her throat as her bones continued breaking and rearranging. Her skin started rippling, her fur trying to emerge. The four of us stepped away from her. If her fur was materializing, she was almost done with the initial shift, and we would only be in her way for the next step. Her bones continued to rearrange themselves, her snout appearing as her face adjusted, and waves of fur washed over her. King Cian was holding Queen Gwen now, with Gideon on the other side of them, as we stood back and waited.
It only took about five minutes from the time her fur started emerging until her final transformation was complete. Those were the longest five minutes of my life so far. Not being able to touch or comfort Seren was its own form of torture. When she finally completed the shift, standing on her four legs in front of us, towering over us but unsteady, there was silence. Pure, complete silence. I’m pretty sure even the insects were quiet.
“Holy fuck. You’re a white wolf.”
Gideon’s voice snapped us out of the awestruck moment. I moved before I even realized what I was doing, burying my hands in Kara’s fur. She leaned her head down and pressed her forehead into mine, then playfully licked my face.
‘Mate is beautiful. So powerful. So strong.’ Conn was pacing in my head, ready to shift so that he could be with her.
‘Just a moment, Conn. You’ll be able to run with her soon.’ He huffed, but sat down. I stepped back, taking in Kara’s truly magnificent form. Her fur was brilliant white, her eyes the same clear, bright green as Seren. She was tall—my head came to her shoulder, and I was over six feet. She would likely be as tall as Conn when we shifted. I kept looking her over, King Cian, Queen Gwen, and Gideon all doing the same. I heard Queen Gwen let out a soft “oh” and joined her on the other side of Kara.
On her left flank, her fur shifted subtly from white to silver. Silver in the shape of a crescent moon. Kara bore the symbol of Selene, a symbol that all would recognize, naming her a blessed wolf. We’d known that already, of course, from her conversation with the Goddess. But seeing it directly, watching the silver shimmer over the white, was mind-blowing.
Kara turned her head towards us and let out a soft huff. Gideon grinned. “Kara says that it’s time to run.”
‘Lucian, Julian—do you have the group ready to run with Kara? Seren has finished shifting.’
‘Sure do, Duncan. We’ll be outside in a moment,’ Julian said.
“They’re coming. In the meantime, I want to see their faces when they get a load of Kara here. This is going to be fun.” The chuckle rolled out of me before I could stop it. I moved to the other side of Kara, my hand on her shoulder, facing the pack house. Soon enough, I saw the rest of the group we had in the conference room yesterday heading our way. Lucian and Malachi were discussing something, not paying attention to where they were going as they made animated gestures. Kayla and Louise were behind them with Axel and Julian following. Eric and Alex ran over from the other side of the field, where the guardhouse is located. Finally, Mom, Dad, and Beta Bastien brought up the rear of the group, chatting as they walked.