Wolf in Waiting

by Colt , Shyla

  "Maybe just a little bit," he agreed. A flip of the light switch flooded the room, and he gasped at the strange golden appearance of her eyes.

  "Luc, how do you feel?" he asked cautiously as he sniffed to test the air around her and his heart stuttered in his chest.

  "Hot and a little dizzy, but I 'm pretty sure that's normal," Her hands moved up to scratch her neck. "I hope we didn't pick up something from here," she said glancing around the tiny office where their clothes were scattered.

  "Put your clothes on, Luc. We need to go."

  "What's wrong with you? You smell different." She sniffed. Frowning, confusion filled her eyes.

  "Luc, I think you're sick," he said shoving her skirt into her hands. "We need to get you to my house."

  "What's going on?" she asked, zipping up her skirt as he pulled on his clothes.

  "I told you, you're sick, baby," he said, eager to get her out of the club and away from their friends. The last thing she'd want to do was ruin Ivy's night, and if he was correct, they couldn't help her anyway.

  "I think you're right, Kaly," she whispered as her head began to pound in response to the lights and the music bombarding her senses.

  "I've got you." Making sure to keep her body tucked beneath his shoulder, he led her to his car and cranked the air to help cool her heated skin.

  "Oh God!" She curled into a ball clutching her stomach.

  "I know it hurts baby, but you have to stay calm because you can't change."

  Kalyx broke every speed limit and was halfway to the house when he called the doctor.

  "What the fuck!" His hand slammed against the steering wheel when the call went to voice mail.

  "Hold on, baby," he pleaded. His heart bled for her when the tremors started. Her teeth chattered, and deep moans of pain filled the vehicle.

  Dialing the doctor's home phone when the cell number did not work, he felt his stomach drop as a realization hit him. His father had done this. He was the only person who could order the doctor to stand down. A murderous rage unlike any he had ever known filled him as he howled. The first number on speed dial was his father, and he slowly counted to ten as he waited for him to answer.

  "I figured you would be calling me about now. How's the imut?"

  "You want me to beg? 'Cause I will."

  "My boy, that was not my intention. I am simply getting rid of a threat to the throne."

  "Call this off!"

  "No, you need to learn your place," he snarled. "I thought I taught you that before, but then this bitch came around and made you think you actually ran something."

  "What are you talking about?" he asked as the car pulled into his driveway and put the car in park.

  The sound of the dial tone in his ear his only response, his anxiety spiked. His father had caused this somehow, and he had no intentions of calling it off.

  "This is my fault, Luc," he whispered. Tears rolled down his face as she began to arch in the seat. Exiting the car, he hurried over to her side, unfastened the seatbelt and laid her down in the grass. When her body flopped on the lawn like a fish, he made an executive decision.

  He wouldn't let her suffer when he could force her change. He would accept the consequences later. For now, this was his right as her alpha.

  "You have to ride the pain, baby; stop trying to fight it and let go," he instructed as he stripped her down. She was too far gone now to stop it all together. If he didn’t interfere, this painful process would go on for God knew how long, and the aftermath would remain the same, she would change. He’d seen elders help young wolves with their change numerous times, but his confidence was wavering now that he was preparing to step into that role. It was a tricky thing to let your power come to the surface to coax another’s wolf free while remaining in control.

  "Forgive me, my love," he whispered as he threw his head back and howled, shifting.

  His power built inside him the electrical current creeping up his arms as he sent it out in a stream. The pulsing energy wound around her like a lasso, pulling the wolf to the outside. Pus and blood exploded as she wailed in agony. The rotten stench assailed him turning his stomach and the crunch and pop of her bones attempting to reshape and fail made him flinch. It was clear this transformation was forced because it was brutal.

  The first transition was known as an induction by blood because of the mess, but this was not normal. When Luc doubled over in half form and began to convulse, he regained his human form, racing to retrieve his phone from his car. Shifters who got caught in-between their first time rarely came out on the other side.

  The doctor might be under his father's thumb, but there was a woman who was above it all, Fern Hunter. She was the eldest of their kind and his grandmother.

  "What's my idiot son done now?" Fern asked. Her deadpan tone would have been hilarious if the circumstances had not been so dire. She was still just as outspoken now as she had been when she ruled. After her husband died and the rule passed down to her son, she never hesitated to let him know when she was displeased. Gram remained silent as Kalyx quickly caught her up to speed and placed Luc across the back seat.

  "I know what this is," she whispered her voice full of awe.

  "Gram?"

  "She's more than your mate. She's your twin flame."

  "What's a 'twin flame'?" he asked as he reversed out the driveway and headed toward her house.

  "It's an old legend among the pack, a mate so perfect she's your other half. Together you're a puzzle with pieces crafted so well your connection is seamless."

  "And apart?"

  "You're lost, empty inside. You never quite fit in, and your temperament is short."

  "Is that why I act like I'm feral?"

  "Yes, Kalyx. Twin flames should not be separated for long periods of time. They balance one another out."

  "Gram what can we do?"

  "Union of Souls."

  His heart hammered in his chest as he growled his approval at the thought. The Union of Souls was an ancient ceremony binding the souls of two mates together. Unlocking the bond existing between mates gives the pair access to thoughts and emotions until they truly didn't know where one personaa ended and the other began. He'd often thought if he could crawl inside of Luc and live he would be happy for the rest of his life. This would be the closest he could ever come. A wheeze came from the back of the car, and he sped up.

  "Will this keep her from being feral like I was after the change?"

  "Yes, it will fix the things that ail you both. I'll have everything ready when you arrive," Gram said, and she disconnected the call.

  When he pulled up to her house, the door opened, and she came out with a bag full of items. Her face may have thinned with age, and her silver hair had gone white, but it did not take away her regal bearing. Stepping beneath the light of the full moon she looked almost otherworldly. What power she had left rode close to the surface, and he felt he was getting a brief glimpse of what she had been like in her prime.

  "Bring her into the back yard; the moonlight is most prevalent there."

  He nodded as he stepped from the car and retrieved Luc. She was covered in sweat. Her dark hair was matted to her face and neck as her body emitted a blistering heat. Her moans had lessened, but she continued to shake as her head thrashed. The movements were lethargic as if her body had little fight left.

  "Lay her in the circle of candles, and sit beside her with your hands linked."

  He did as she directed, stepping inside the circle, he sat on the grass with Luc’s body propped up against his chest, her legs positioned between his own. Entwining their fingers, he set them in her lap earning a curt nod of approval as his grandmother turned from them raising her head above her head.

  "Nyx, Goddess of the Moon. You who blessed us with the power to become the wolf. We ask you now to bestow your blessing upon Kalyx Hunter and his mate Luc Dryden. Made twin souls, they are in dire need of being linked."

  Thunder sounded in the distance, and the hai
r on the back of his neck stood on edge as a strange shift in the ozone began. He had never seen anyone call down the moon. The process was meant to be a way to commune with Nyx, to whom they credited their abilities.

  "She approves," Gram whispered as he nodded. She walked over and knelt beside him. She placed a hand placed over their interlaced fingers.

  "Destined to walk as one, two souls are joined." The words pierced him as goose bumps covered his flesh.

  "Approved by Nyx they will make the journey of life together and die as one." Her voice seemed to echo in the darkness as the candles surrounding them flickered and his head swam.

  "Mind, body, and soul, Kalyx Hunter and Luc Dryden are forever joined!"

  Kalyx gasped as vivid images, thoughts, and memories not his own poured into his head. He was the viewer of a movie on fast-forward as his body shook, and they were encased in a brilliant blue light pulling the wolf forward in a seamless transition. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. There was no pain or hesitation: one moment he was a man, and the next, a wolf with his healthy mate lay before him. This seamless shift was the stuff of legend. Mentioned in ancient texts when the man and the wolf held a primal connection that had been lost over the centuries, the powers of old appeared to be rising once more. He glanced down at his mate, and his heart beat against his rib cage in a crazy rhythm. Luc was a beautiful wolf, midnight black with gold eyes full of mirth. She yipped her joy at her entrance into their world. He fell in love with her all over again.

  Epilogue

  "Finally seen the error of your ways after some time to lick your wounds?" his father asked as he appeared in the door frame. A smug smile on his face.

  "No, but I think it's time that you do," Kalyx replied reaching behind him pulling Luc into view making Randall's jaw drop.

  "W-what is this?"

  "Your plan backfired. I haven't spent the past twenty-four hours licking my wounds. I got married; even now my seed quickens in my wife's belly," Kalyx said.

  "How dare you—"

  "Sit down and shut up!" Kalyx roared loud enough to make his father flinch as he stepped in and walked over to the desk with Luc in tow.

  "We can do this two ways, Father: easy or hard. Personally, I hope you choose the hard way after what you tried to do to Luc."

  "This is mutiny! I will have your heads for this."

  "With all due respect, sir, the first rule of the pack is to look out for its members' welfare. If the pack leader is no longer doing that, we're well within our rights to act," Luc said.

  "What would you know about pack loyalty?" he spat.

  "I know if the current pack leader is purposely harming his people he can be dethroned and his successor can step up. I married smart. Not only is my wife a historian, she knows everything there is to know about pack history and rules," Kalyx said with a grin that was all pointy white teeth.

  Defeated, Randall slumped down into his chair, face pale and weak, aging in a matter of seconds. Kalyx knew his father was too old to defend his position against him. To challenge him now would be a death sentence. Accepting his position as alpha had given him a strength Randall could not match at his age.

  "What do you want?"

  "For you to step down and choose a successor and for that, you need to thank my wife because my plan was a lot less nice.” The thought of what his father had attempted still fresh in his mind.

  "When am I supposed to do this?"

  "After the wedding. We don't want anything to ruin Asher and Ivy's big day. I promise you if you try anything we will air every piece of dirty laundry you poses and we both know that list is a long one," he said allowing his father to taste his energy. Confident he had gotten his point across when his father lowered his head, eyes cast down, his face flushed with shame.

  "I'm glad we understand each other," Kalyx said with a curt nod before he tucked Luc beneath his shoulder and walked outside.

  "I had no idea being Mrs. Hunter would be so exciting," she teased. Her finger twisted the two-karat diamond he had picked out five years earlier.

  "I did, my love. I did," he whispered as he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. From the moment she had left town, he had felt like his life was on hold, and now he understood he had been a wolf waiting on his mate.