He must have caught the worried look crossing my face, or maybe it was my trembling limbs. I didn’t want to deal with any more pain. I’d had my fill for a lifetime already.
“Don’t be scared,” he tried to reassure me. “It won’t hurt, but it might tingle a bit.” He winked.
I wasn’t sure I believed him. Not that I had a choice. I just wanted to get this over with. There had been too much anxiety and drama leading up to it. Whether or not I turned, no matter what the outcome, I was ready to be over this whole ordeal.
Aiden wrapped an arm around me. “I know this situation has been difficult. I promise the worst is over.” He kissed the top of my forehead.
I nodded and wrapped my arms around him. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a baby about all of this. Let’s do it. How do I transform?”
“That’s my girl.” He pushed me back an arm’s length and gave me a good once over. “This first time will require a little assistance. You have to learn how to trigger the change, and for each wolf it is different.” He smiled. “Part of being an Alpha is helping with that transition. I am going to jump start you.”
A wicked smile crossed my face. The word “jump,” even in my sore state, send my mind straight to the gutter. I couldn’t help it. That man could jump me anytime.
“We’ll have plenty of time for that later, babe,” he chided playfully. “Right now I need you to strip down and think like an animal.”
I snickered as I removed my coat, t-shirt, and finally my jeans. I was thinking like an animal all right, and his own brand of magnetism, whether it was an Alpha thing or not, had me hot and ready.
Before I could say another word he put one of his hands on my forehead and with the other he cradled the back of my head. He pressed his palm gently against my skin and closed his eyes.
“I want you to take a deep breath, and clear your mind.”
A current of buzzing electricity jolted through my body.
“Imagine yourself loping through the forest,” he commanded. “Imagine the trees passing by in a blur, the wind buffeting your face, and the muddy ground squishing under your paws.”
I did as he ordered and suddenly, I felt my arms and legs pull inward, as if shrinking into my core. My whole body began to tingle like the sensation of a waking limb. I doubled over and fell to my hands and knees. Discomfort rather than pain had me twitching and jerking involuntarily. I somehow managed to wiggle my way free of the pile of clothes I’d become entangled in on the ground. My stomach flipped and flopped, threatening to release my last meal, but I was able to hold on through the sensations. On the ground, my fingers shrank but my nails grew. I couldn’t believe this was all happening before my own eyes. It was like an out-of-body experience. Hair sprouted on my thinning arms, first a downy white that darkened to a tan, then copper-colored. My nose twitched and started to grow. I went cross-eyed watching as it blackened and stretched into a muzzle.
“Fallon, are you all right?” I heard Aiden say, but I could not respond to him. My voice no longer worked.
Was I all right? I was better than “all right.” This was incredible! I hopped around, testing my new paws, and tumbled to the ground. A little unsteady but still pretty cool. I wagged my tail. A tail? That was a new sensation all together. I turned around to have a look and ended up spinning in circles chasing it before tumbling to the ground again.
Aiden doubled over with laughter. “I guess that means you’re feeling okay.”
Instead of words, I was only able to let out short woofs and grunts. It suddenly struck me that I could no longer communicate. How was I supposed to talk to Aiden—or the other wolves, for that matter?
“Come sit by me, Fallon.” Aiden said, and this time he was not my boyfriend, he was my Alpha. More than just his tone of voice, it was the way his words felt inside. I wanted to do what he asked. And I did.
Clumsily, I hobbled over, unsteady on the new paws, and sat down beside him.
He looked down at me and I could see the pride in his eyes. “You did great. And you look beautiful, babe.”
I whined, hoping he would understand how odd this all was.
“I know, this is difficult. But you’re doing so well. And wow! You are stunning.”
He circled around me, taking in every inch of my new fur-covered form.
I smiled, or at least I tried to, but I wasn’t sure if it showed with the muzzle I had for a mouth. I wanted to know what I looked like but didn’t know how to convey it to him.
He knelt down eye level with me. “You’re foxy,” he said with a wink. “Now, I’m going to transform too, and we will take a run. You’re going to love this. Remember to stay close to me at all times.”
Foxy? What the heck did he mean? Did I turn into a fox instead of a wolf? Was that even possible?