Shifters Gone Wild; Collection

by Skye MacKinnon

  “I believe the pumpkin. Your head isn’t small enough to fit in one,” Ashleigh argued, making the wolf in my chest whimper. See, this is why she was our mate.

  But before I could confirm which one was the lie, a loud bang was heard from outside the cave. Like rabbits, we all jumped up and ran towards the entrance. A warm hand grabbed my upper arm, catching me mid-way.

  “Don’t go outside…” Ashleigh warned me, as she stuck her nose in the air. Behind her, Aspen and the rest caught up as well.

  “Incoming!” Aspen loudly whispered into the group, as they all stopped dead in our tracks.

  “What?” I bewilderedly asked, looking around at my companions.

  “Ssssh,’ Ashleigh hushed me, pulling me closer to her.

  “What?” I asked again, a lot quieter this time.

  “Coyotes. And a lot of them,” Danny whispered from the other side of me, as she slowly unbuttoned her coat and dropped it on the ground. On her other side, Darren was pulling off his pants as Regan suddenly lost his shirt.

  Was this really the appropriate response to Coyotes? Stripping? What was it with this group, couldn’t they just keep on their freaking clothes? I thought they were cold?

  “JP is going to stay with you, guard our bags, please?” Ashleigh whispered in my ear as I forced myself not to look down at her bare shoulders and the rest of her curves. There was obviously something going on here and I almost knew what, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “What is going on?”

  “I-I-I’ll explain, just be q-quiet for a moment,” JP stuttered as he collected the scattered clothes from off the ground and stuffed them in a small bag.

  Come on brain, you can figure this out. Coyotes, and a lot of stripping… Could this mean?

  “Wait!”

  “Shhhh!”

  I lowered my voice again. “Wait, does this mean what I think it means? Are you all going to shift?” They seriously weren’t all going to run out into the storm, right? That was just madness.

  “Right on the money,” Darren grinned as he demonstratively unbuckled his belt.

  “Why?”

  “We’ll tell you in a bit,” Danny muttered as she shed her shirt and was now only wearing a set of panties and a bra. She wasn’t going to take those off, was she?

  A stern, deep, voice suddenly caught my attention. “Let’s do this quickly and smoothly. We don’t want any unnecessary complications. Usual formation. Regan, you’re in the lead. Darren and Danny, from the flanks. Ash, you and I will back up Regan.”

  I stared at astonishment at Aspen, as his commands send shivers down my spine. Was this really the goofy guy I shared my camp with?

  “Let’s get it done, alright.”

  His voice was huskier than usual, his biceps flexing under his shirt as he directed the rest of the group.

  I felt my wolf stir inside my chest as she was drawn to Aspen once again and I was overcome with a strange desire for him.

  “Let’s move!” he commanded the group, and as they all nodded his head in agreement, I suddenly realised what was going on.

  Alpha.

  The group jogged towards the entrance of the cave. Regan seemed to inspect the sky, and with a nod, he seemed to approve whatever it was that needed approving.

  I turned back to Ashleigh, still not sure what exactly was going on. Before I could speak to her, the cave was suddenly filled with a noise I would recognise in my wildest nightmares.

  The shift.

  The nauseating sound of joints popping and bones cracking made me cringe and buckle down into the ground. I covered my ears with my hands, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep the muffled groans and cries out as my new friends were in hellish pain.

  I managed to glance at JP, wondering how he was taking the living nightmare, but he looked surprisingly unfazed. He was just staring at Danny, his eyes glazed over a little. I wasn’t sure he was even here.

  He must’ve felt my eyes prickle on his back, as he turned his focus from the redhead to me. A meek smile appeared on his face as he gently touched my hand.

  “You’ll get used to it,” he said, with a remarkably clear voice. “I always count down from hundred in intervals of seven. It helps me stay calm.”

  I frowned my forehead, not exactly sure what he meant.

  “Like this. Hundred. Ninety-three. Eight-six. Seventy-nine. Seventy-two. You should try it.”

  That was an odd technique. I looked at JP again, wondering if he was yanking my chain, but he encouragingly nodded his head. Couldn’t hurt to try, right?

  “Sixty-five… Fifty-eight. Fifty-one. Ehmm… Forty-four… Thirty-seven. Thirty. Twenty-three..”

  “See, that is better, no?” he smiled, as he counted along with me.

  I nodded in relief, my stomach no longer threatening to return all of Darren’s food back to mother Earth.

  “Yeah, it helped… How did you come up with that technique?” I asked him, wondering where the nervous, stuttering man went.

  “It’s just a coping mechanism I developed over the years. You can use other numbers as well, but I like seven.”

  “Seven is good.”

  “It is. Look, they are all done,” he pointed out, nudging with his head towards the entrance of the cave. I followed his line of sight and felt my breath hitch in my throat. It did help. In the time it took me to count down, their transformation had completed.

  My new companions had disappeared and five beautiful wolves had taken their place. I immediately recognised Aspen’s form by his amber-coloured eyes and his grey fur. His hind leg had completely healed and he stood much more proudly than before, now that he was surrounded by his family.

  The other grey wolf of the pack must’ve been Darren’s form. He was slightly smaller than Aspen and his fur was quite shaggy. There was a darker patch around his snout that made it look like he was permanently grinning. Definitely Darren.

  The smaller wolf with the reddish fur was obviously Danny. She was counting into the ground with her paws, looking rather happy about being in her wolf form. She affectionately nudged the shaggy wolf next to her and shook her head playfully. Yes, that was Danny.

  The giant wolf towering over the rest with broad shoulders and big paws was without a single doubt, Regan. Just like his human body, he was massive. But whereas he seemed gentle and calm in person, his wolf radiated power and strength. I wouldn’t want to get in his way, that was for sure.

  And then there she was. The only black wolf in the middle of the pack. She was rather small, but her fur was long and darker than a raven. She was sniffing the ground, her tail wagging against the leg of her brother. As if she felt the pull from the wolf inside my chest, she suddenly looked in my direction. Piercing blue eyes found mine. Ashleigh.

  “Hi,” I whispered as I walked over to her, my hand gliding through her fur as she playfully nipped at my ankle. “You’re beautiful.”

  JP joined me with the wolves. “I-I-I’ve seen them shift m-many times, but they s-s-still amaze me.”

  So the stuttery, rather twitchy man was back. Interesting.

  “I have never seen a black wolf,” I admitted as I admired the dark fur of my mate. It matched the colour of her hair perfectly.

  “M-M-Me neither. She is the o-only one so f-far,” JP spoke as he then patted Danny between her ears. She happily licked his open palm and curled her snout against his hand. I couldn’t be anything but impressed that even in her wolf form, she responded to JP with such kindness and love. Especially since her first mate was standing right next to her, shifted and all. Their love must run much deeper than I expected it to be.

  A short bark suddenly drew the attention of Ashleigh and Danny away. It was Aspen calling for them. And even with my wolf locked in my chest, I could feel her stirring as she longed to answer that call. Disobeying any natural Alpha was a hard task, but resisting the call of your Alpha mate, even if it was only your second, was even harder. Especially as my wolf was torn between him and the beautiful
female wolf standing next to him.

  Why did this have to happen to me? What was I supposed to do now?

  Another low growl was uttered by Aspen as the rest of the pack nudged their heads down. Regan dug his paws into the frozen ground, shards of frozen earth flying about as he effortlessly broke through the hard floor. He shook his head and with his whole body flexed, he sprinted out of the cave. The two twins immediately raced behind him, while Danny and Darren lingered for another moment. She gave him an affectionate lick on his snout and snatched the bag out of JP’s hand. With a cheerful bark, they both darted out of sight, disappearing into the stormy night.

  The cave suddenly felt much colder and scarier without them. Why did they have to leave?

  “D-Don’t worry… They always come b-b-back,” JP stuttered from behind me, his clammy hand finding my shoulder as he urged me to step away from the entrance.

  “You sure about that? Last time, I found Aspen hurt and trapped in a metal clasp,” I asked, staring into the night hesitantly. What if someone else had found him?

  “T-T-That was just b-bad luck. A-Aspen was scouting and got t-trapped. If he hadn’t t-t-told us he was being taken c-care off, w-we would’ve come m-much, much sooner,” JP explained as he strung together what was probably the longest sentence I had ever heard him speak.

  “Wait, hang on. He told you? How?”

  “They can c-c-communicate telepathically. At l-least, A-Aspen can talk to Ash and D-Danny with R-Regan. H-Has to do something with the b-blood bond?”

  I nodded as the explanation made sense. If they knew how to release their wolves, I shouldn’t be surprised they also knew how to communicate with immediate family and their designated mates. As a pair of twins, Ashleigh and Aspen should have very clear communication between them. And Danny and Regan, as first mates, would have the same bond.

  With that thought, I jealously glared into the night as I wished my wolf could freely talk to them. To Aspen or Ashleigh, it didn’t even matter. Just one of them to talk to would be a welcome change from my wolf whispering small words now and then.

  I needed to set her free so I could run with the pack. With this pack. With my pack.

  Even though I hadn’t known them for very long, this was where I belonged. In the midst of Aspen and Ashleigh, my two mates, my promised family. But not just them, I had grown quite fond of Danny, Regan, JP, and even Darren. There was just something about them that made me feel safe and welcome. Like they had always expected me to arrive, and now I was here, I effortlessly fit into their puzzle. I was their lost puzzle piece. Yes, this was where I was supposed to be.

  And even though I knew that at some point, I’d have to separate from them for my own quest, I knew I would always return to them. To him. To her. To Aspen. To Ashleigh…

  A hollow ache formed inside my chest as I dreaded the moment I’d have to split apart from the pack.

  “Y-You don’t need to worry. You will always find your w-way back to them,” JP softly spoke from behind me, like he had read my mind.

  I rapidly blinked a tear away and cleared the lump in my throat before I turned towards him. “How… How did you know?”

  “Y-You have the same look on your face when-whenever Regan has to go somewhere w-without Danny,” he smiled, but from his glazed over eyes, I knew he was no stranger to that look himself.

  It must’ve been hard for him that he couldn’t follow Danny in her wolf form like Darren and Regan could.

  “Do you ever feel…” How do I phrase this delicately? “Less because you’re human?” I cringed as soon as the words left my mouth. That wasn’t delicate at all. Shit, I hope I didn’t just insult the man who had so graciously comforted me.

  A light chuckle escaped from his thin lips as he didn’t seem to be too offended. “N-N-Not anymore… It was a b-bit difficult in the beginning, b-b-but Danny and I w-were so solid, we h-had to make it work. So we m-made it work.

  “I don’t think I could ever share my lover,” I chipped in, wondering how it would feel to share Aspen with another woman. Or Ashleigh. My God, no.

  JP chuckled as he polished his spectacles. “I d-d-don’t share Danny, but I can see how you would t-think that.”

  I tilted my head to the side, wondering what he was on about. “What do you mean, you don’t share? You, Darren, and Regan are all her boyfriends, right?”

  “T-Technically, we are her l-l-life partners. B-But no. Sharing implies that we o-only get a p-p-part of Danny. W-We don’t. She always gives her everything, no matter if it is me, or Darren, or Regan. W-We always get e-everything she has.” he said, the smile on his face making him suddenly much more handsome. “W-We share her time, we share the space a-around her. But we d-don’t share her.”

  I nodded at his explanation. That made perfect sense and I was glad I could talk to JP about it. He was always so calm and understanding. “I get it, no sharing Danny. You’re sharing her time.”

  JP grinned. “Y-Yes. Which is basically s-something you always do when it comes to people and h-healthy relationships. R-Right now, you’re sharing some of your time with me.”

  “Huh… I guess you’re right.” That was certainly an interesting way of looking at things.

  “A-And regardless of how much I love Danny, or she loves me, we d-don’t want to share a-all our time. She c-can share time w-with Regan and Darren if she wants, she isn’t sharing her l-love. She loves us, all of us equally. And always with everything she’s got.”

  He spoke that last sentence with such confidence, it made me almost jealous. I wanted that. A bond so strong you didn’t feel jealous of them spending time with other people. To be so confident in how much your partner loves you. I wanted it.

  “Thank you for explaining it to me. I think I understand your situation a bit better now,” I thanked him, very grateful he didn’t mind me prying into his love life like that.

  “No p-problem. B-But in my humble opinion, I don’t think you’ll have to s-share time with someone. I t-think your time will be the one s-shared.”

  I squinted my eyes at him, wondering if that was a smirk around the corner of his lips. What was he getting at?

  “What do you mean?”

  A soft chuckle escaped his lips that he quickly tried to mask with a cough. So it was a smirk before.

  “I’ve seen w-what has been going on b-between you and the t-twins.”

  I felt my cheeks heat up as he said so. Oh no, was I that glaringly obvious? Had the gang been discussing how I had been fawning over Ashleigh as a love sick puppy or had been admiring Aspen’s abs every chance I got?

  “D-Don’t be embarrassed. It is only n-natural. They are your m-mates.”

  I briefly wondered if JP would be able to see the sweat pooling in my armpits and why this freaking cave had gotten so warm all of a sudden.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stubbornly denied, pretending like I didn’t know what he was talking about.

  “I-I remember the first time I met Danny. S-She was beautiful, fearless. She w-walked past me with s-such confidence, it made a young boy l-like me even m-more nervous than I a-already was.” He grinned as he wiped his forehead. Guess I wasn’t the only one sweating here. “A-And you know h-how nervous I get.”

  I nodded as I held my lips firmly shut, wanting to know more about how outgoing and vibrant Danny and nervous, shy JP had found each other. If they made it work, there was no reason why I couldn’t pursue any of my mates, right?

  “I-I watched her from afar, every day. I s-saw all sorts of guys hitting on her and she a-always turned them down. T-They were all taller than me, s-stronger than me, more handsome than m-me. So I t-thought, if they don’t have a shot w-with this girl, why, why would I?”

  “So what happened?” Oops, opened my mouth after all. Shhh, Akira.

  “O-One day, I just s-said to myself: “W-Well, she obviously doesn’t w-want a big, s-strong guy w-who has it all.” So I g-gathered all my courage and just w-walked over to her and sai
d hello.”

  “And?”

  He smiled. “A-And that was it.”

  “Just hello?”

  JP nodded as he nervously played with one of the strings from his backpack. “She liked that I just a-approached her as a p-person. W-We hit it off r-right away.”

  I answered his smile with one of my own. That was adorable. Even though it happened so far back in the past and I had only known JP for a little while, I couldn’t help but feel proud of him. Walking up to someone you like and just put yourself out there is freaking scary. Especially if the person you’re walking up to is a gorgeous perfect being like Aspen or Ashleigh.

  Ugh, why did they have to be so perfect?

  “When do you think they’ll be back?” I asked JP as I stared at the entrance of the cave. It was already getting dark again and I had no idea of what they were actually doing.

  “D-Depends if Chesca is with them or not.”

  “Chesca?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. I didn’t know who Chesca was. But then again, I actually didn’t know a thing about what was going on. I got derailed with JP’s love life, but I still wanted to know what this sudden shift had brought on.

  “L-L-Let me explain. W-When we left, w-we were followed by a handful of Coyotes. I-I can’t tell you why, that’s n-not my story to tell. But e-ever since then, they have been t-trying to attack us. Or the other way around. I-It always ends in a draw, unless C-Chesca is with them.”

  “So what is so special about this Chesca?”

  JP visibly shuddered. “S-She is crazy. Evil. I-I think she might be the devil incarnated. I can g-guarantee you’ll live happier and l-longer if you never meet her.”

  I didn’t have the time to inquire about the person who made JP shake like a leaf. The sound of multiple rapid footsteps hitting the ground suddenly echoed into the cave and both JP and I jumped up to see what was happening.

  From the shadows, a group of people appeared and I felt my breath hitch as I couldn’t make out who they were. It could’ve been the Coyotes who found us. If that was the case, JP and I were both dead meat.

  A sigh of relief fell from my lips as I suddenly recognised the first figure as again, a naked Aspen. That man certainly liked running around in the nude. Damn.