Her dream was to get better and stronger so that when she was sixteen she could become a wolf like everyone else once she turned sixteen. The doctors said she would never be strong enough to survive the shift although her parents and I still had hope. Anything was possible. I just hoped that this young girl, so full of life did not get her dreams crushed because of something she had no control over.
To say that Felicity captured my heart was an understatement. She was so full of life and she refused to give up. Tyler had met her a few times and bonded well with her. He sometimes accompanied me to my visits with her. I would sit and listen to him read her stories. He was slowly becoming like her big brother.
“You still working?” a voice asked me which I recognized immediately as Tyler
“Yeah, I’m trying to finish the design so I can show Felicity and get started as soon as possible” I said as he placed a kiss on my forehead.
“You know she won’t stop talking about it, right”
“Yes, she’s very excited and it puts a smile on her face so I don’t care.”
Felicity’s room would be the first to get a makeover. I knew she was sick of looking at the same boring four white walls. The only thing remotely pretty in the room was her vase of flowers that she kept and her prized television she loved so much.
“So how is this design coming along then? Will I actually get to see my mate in bed tonight considering I haven’t seen her sleep in nearly a month?”
To say I was working hard was an understatement. I had so many things to do and I felt like I would never get them done. I did not have time for sleep. That was what caffeine was for.
“Maybe I’d rather hurry up and finish her room. Even I cannot stand those bloody white walls and it is the least she deserves.”
Tyler’s father had entered the room. He had stepped down last week as Alpha and Tyler had taken over fully. He would still help if he needed a hand or just guidance.
“Kaylie I really think you should rest dear. How many hours of sleep have you actually had?”
“I don’t know. I feel asleep at the hospital yesterday for a few hours. Look I don’t know why you are all worrying and I really need to get back to work if I want to start the job tonight.”
I glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost four. The design was ready and I would head down to the hospital in ten minutes to meet the rest of the crew. Felicity was being moved into a free room for the night while the paint dried, and we set everything up for her.
I had bought her a few cool accessories to add to her room to keep her busy and give her parents a well-deserved rest. I got her a few magazines to keep her occupied as well as a jewellery box mirror. This girl was healing me from my heartbreak over the loss of my brother. She was like the little sister I never had. I would do anything for her.
I kissed Tyler on the cheek and sent a quick wave to his dad before grabbing the design and heading out to grab all the paint cans.
Tyler’s POV
“Dad, I’m really worried about her. She has thrown herself into work and she will not stop. I do not remember the last time she actually slept next to me in the bed; she is going to kill herself. I can tell she’s tired and drained but she’s just too damn determined to finish what she started.”
“Son you made a good choice. She is an amazing Luna and I can see your point but she is on a mission. You should know females my now. They will bite and it will hurt. Just help her and I am sure once this job is finished she will relax”.
“That’s the problem, she won’t. Once this job is done she will just start on the next one and keep going until the hospital is re-modelled. She is going to drive herself into the ground. Look how skinny she is. I do not even think she is eating. Dad I am scared and worried about her. I do not want her to get sick or to become too weak. She is my other half and I need her. I don’t care if that makes me selfish but she needs to stop.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be having this conversation with me.”
“What do you mean?” I asked clearly confused.
“Why don’t you go down to the hospital and tell her this yourself. Tell her exactly how you feel son.”
“Good idea dad”.
I walked out of the room and down into the kitchen where mum was preparing dinner.
“Hey mum could you put some of that in a bowl for me so I can take it to Kaylie at the hospital?”
“Of course, dear. That girl makes me worry; she barely eats and is as thin as a rake.”
“I know mum, she’s scaring me too, and she’s so devoted to her work though. It makes me love her even more and to see her with Felicity. It makes me wonder how she will be when it is her own pup.”
“You will both make wonderful parents honey when the time is right. You do not want to rush these things.”
“Mum I’m nineteen and Kaylie’s eighteen now. She is nowhere ready to be a mum and I do not think I could be a dad. I have just become Alpha. I do not think I could handle any more responsibility just get. We agreed to wait until she was at least twenty before we even went there. And please don’t give me the safe sex talk or the bird and the bees because I remember you did that when I was fifteen and I’ve been scared ever since.”
“I know all that. I know you are responsible I just wanted to remind you that a baby is a lot of hard work and the way that your mate works, I do not think she even has time for any of that between the works at the hospital. I have seen her plans they are amazing. I have spoken to felicity’s parents they are thrilled with what she is doing for that girl. They have not seen her smile in so long.”
“She’s pretty amazing mum.” I said before grabbing the bowl she had dished and walking in the direction of the hospital.
*
Kaylie’s POV
“Okay the plan is we split the walls in half. The top will be painted the sky blue and the bottom green. The wall that her bed faces will have her wolf drinking out of a pond and the other two walls will be painted with butterflies and bright colours, i want you to imagine your favourite place to run and shift and paint that onto the walls. She wants this to resemble exactly what it would be like if she could shift right now. The wall that her bed sits on will be left crème and will have her name written in pink letters, does everyone understand?”
Murmurs of yes’s and okays were heard before everyone picked a wall and set off to work. I chose to work on the wall that would have Felicity’s name on it. I grabbed a lead pencil and began to mark on the wall where I would position the letters. Once I had that marked out with the spacing’s, I started on the letters. I would be writing in cursive and then painting over the letters in pink, her favourite colour. I dipped my brush into the tub and began to trace the pencil outlines of the ‘f’.
After about twenty minutes, I was done with the first coat. I would have to go over it with another coat in about an hour. Tyler was standing at the door holding a bowl of risotto. The smells emitting from the bowl was amazing. I could not remember the last time I had eaten anything.
He smiled and walked over to me.
“I bought you something,” he said passing the bowl to me. I kissed him on the cheek before quickly digging in.
It tasted amazing.
“This is so good,” I said between mouthfuls.
“You haven’t been eating have you?” he asked
“I have so” I said. He looked at me with a stern face.
“Don’t lie to me Kaylie. I do not know the last time you ate and I cannot remember the last time you slept in a bed with me next to you. I miss you and I need my mate just as I know you need me. Please babe take a break, ease off a little or you are going to work yourself into the ground. I don’t want you to get sick or exhausted”.
“Tyler I know you are concerned but I am fine. I just really need to get this hospital done and then I’ll rest.”
“This hospital is huge; you’ll kill yourself before it’s completed”. He was raising his voice and I knew the others
in the room could hear him.
“I think you need to leave, I have work to do. Thank you for bringing me dinner” I said before I turned my back on him and walked over to a wall.
“With all due respect Kaylie, but Tyler’s right. You are working too hard. We know you are devoted to the pack but look at you. You are as this as a rake and your eyes are bloodshot. You need rest” one of the painters in the room said. His name was Dan and he went to school with Tyler before he left to help my father.
“I need to get this done Dan” was all I said. Nothing anyone said to me could stop me from finishing what I had started.
This was how I was grieving and getting over my brother’s death. I was giving Felicity her chance before it was too late. She deserved this and I would give it to her.
Chapter 26
I had finally finished Felicity’s wall. The wall with her name on it was now completed. The three surrounding walls were also drying. The wolf was painted and the butterflies around the walls looked amazing. I knew that she would love it immensely.
It was 11:54 by the time we had finished, and I was guilty of using my abilities and speed to get the job done. I was tired and the painting had taken a lot out of me.
We had re arranged her television so that it sat clearly above her but not blocking her wolf which was painted a light grey colour. We had placed in the corner a bookcase with reading books and her much-prized magazines that she had collected for as long as she could remember. Her stereo sat in one corner and the wardrobe the set up for her sat in the corner of the room and her mirror was placed next to her bed.
I was proud of what I had done. The next few rooms were a lot easier. At the moment, Felicity was the only long-term patient under the age of 20. The hospital was mainly filled with warriors recovering from battles or for pregnant wolves expecting a pup. All I had to do to those rooms was paint them a brighter colour other than white.
God I hated white. It was so depressing and clean. It reminded me of disinfectant. I hated that hospital smell; it was horrible and made my nose go funny. This was not normal and I knew I had to leave soon or else I would start to feel sick. All I could smell was bleach and disinfectant.
I opened the windows before I left to air out the room and to make sure that the paint will dry properly. I locked up and walked to the pack house.
I could not wait to have a hot shower and let my head hit the pillow.
I slowly climbed the stairs careful as to not wake anyone up and closed the bedroom door. Tyler was asleep in bed with the covers kicked off. He was only wearing boxes. He looked so peaceful.
I felt bad that I had not been spending much time with him. I knew he was worried about me but he had been working as well. The pack always came first. It was my job as Luna.
I stepped into the ensuite bathroom and shed off my clothes before stepping under the hot water. It felt like heaven. I washed away all the paint and cleansed my body. I nearly fell asleep in the shower so I quickly turned the water off and stepped out, wrapping a big white fluffy towel around me and walking into the bedroom.
I changed into a simple white singlet and a loose pair of shorts and climbed into bed. I felt Tyler shift and come closer to my body. He wrapped an arm protectively around me and nuzzled into my neck. Within seconds, I was asleep.
*
The next morning I woke to find Tyler looking at me clearly amused.
“What’s with you?” I asked
“You actually slept next to me last night.”
“Yeah and?”
“You haven’t actually slept in this bed in nearly a month. You sleep on the lounge that’s in your office because you can’t be bothered to move because you’re so tired”.
I looked at him with a lost expression.
“What I mean is that I’m just happy you slept in the bed with me.”
“Oh” was all that came out of my mouth. He took my hand and drew circles with his thumb.
“That came out all wrong. I’m glad to see that you’re resting and that I can actually see my mate without her looking like she wants to pull her hair out or punch me in the face”.
“Is this your attempt at being romantic?” I asked him cockily.
“Maybe it is,” he said a little unsure.
I scooted over to him and pressed my lips to his. I have not kissed him in a while and I missed it. As soon as our lips touched, I felt the familiar electricity course through my body and I was ignited with a fire, deep within. I pulled away and waited.
“God I’ve missed that” he said pulling me in for a hug.
“I have missed that too.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the bed.
“Come on little one let’s go make you some breakfast. I need to fatten you up.” I slapped him for that.
“Why do I need fattening up?” I asked.
“Look at you, you’re too skinny. I’m scared to hug you because you look like you’re going to break”.
I walked over to the mirror and glanced at myself. My clothes hung off my body and my bones were sticking out in all sorts of places. I looked sick. Tyler looked confused from my facial expression.
“I look disgusting.” I wanted to cry. I looked like I was the one who needed to be in hospital. I was surprised I hadn’t been admitted yet. I looked anorexic.
How could I do this too myself?
Was I really working myself that hard? I was asking for an early death wish if I kept going the way I was.
I could not remember when I had stopped eating. It was just as if my body had forgotten all of my basic needs. I was so driven my finishing the room for Felicity.
“I’m so sorry,” I said into Tyler’s chest. I broke into sobs and he led me downstairs placing my in a seat at the table.
“Sit” was all he said.
During the next few minutes, many different smells filled the kitchen. I could smell freshly squeezed orange juice, bacon, cheese, toast, tomato and eggs.
He placed a glass of juice in front of me and a plate with a slice of toast, a few pieces of bacon, and an egg.
“I did not give you too much because your body isn’t used to this much food, so we’ll start off small and work our way up with each meal okay?”
All I could do was nod. I was so hungry and I wanted to get healthier. I looked like a walking skeleton. I could not believe I had done this to myself. If I kept like this, I would never be able to have pups. I do not even think I have had my period the last month.
I shoveled the food in my mouth, carefully chewing each bite. I did not want to make myself sick but I was not sure how much my body could take.
“I haven’t had my period this month,” I said to Tyler.
“That wouldn’t surprise me from your weight loss.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you”
“It’s alright, I love you remember”
“I love you too.”
*
After breakfast, Tyler cleaned up, not letting me lift a finger because he thought I would hurt myself.
We both walked down to the hospital to show Felicity her new room. We had agreed that after I had showed her I would rest for a few weeks and let the painters finish the rest of the hospital without my help.
“I hope she likes it.”
“Of course she will,” he said wrapping a hand around my waist.
“I love you kaylie.”
“I love you so much Tyler, thank you for being so supportive of me. I couldn’t do any of this without you.”
“Anything for you baby, you deserve the world.”
He was a blessing.
We walked into the hospital and into Felicity’s replacement room. She was still in her wheelie bed and was ready to go see her new room.
I gave her a quick hug and asked her if she was ready. She gave me a huge smile and said yes. The nurse wheeled her into her room and her eyes widened so large that I thought they were about to pop out. She immediately jumped out of bed and s
tarted to run around the room, screaming.
“Thank you Kaylie and Ty, I love it so much, oh my god is that my name wow, mum do you see it. I have a book case for my books and I have a mirror, this is so cool.” She was so full of smiles.
“Thank you so much, it looks amazing, you’ve bought a smile to our daughter. She hasn’t been this happy in a long time and it’s all because of you” said her mum, Alice pulling me in for a hug.
I laughed.
“You’re welcome Alice, I’m happy to do it. She holds a special place in my heart. She’s a gorgeous girl.”
The look of joy on her face brought tears to my eyes. This girl was definitely special.
The room started to get hazy before I lost my sense of gravity and fell to the ground.
Then everything went dark and I heard someone call my name …
Chapter 27
Kaylie's POV
Everything was black and I had no memory of what had happened.
A beeping sound filled my ears and I heard hushed voices talking.
I opened my eyes to see that I was in a hospital bed with machines and cables sprouting out of me.
“You're awake,” Tyler said happily. I noticed he had bags under his eyes and he looked like he had not slept in days.
“How long have I been out?” I asked
“Two days” he replied.
“What happened?”
“You wore yourself out, you body could not function due to exhaustion and you collapsed. You could have died Kaylie. You really need to rest.”
I was shocked. I had driven myself into the ground and did this to me. I had made Tyler worry and I did not want that for him.
“I'm so sorry. I did not mean to make you worry, that's the last thing I wanted.”
He pulled me in for a hug and stroked my hair.
“As long as you're okay, it doesn't matter. You are too important to me Kaylie and I need you by my side so none of this ever again. I need a strong Luna to have my pups and I want her to be you so you need to get stronger. If you were carrying my pups now you would never survive. The pups would suck the life out of you.”
The White Wolf Chronicles: Shifted: A Wattpad Original Page 9