Mya
Heat jammed my senses as searing pain attacked my body, making me scream. No one came to help me, as I lie alone in this room and prayed the end was near.
My body jolted as I was face down bracing myself for something, anything to take this crushing pain away.
My bones snapped, the sound was deafening as they regrouped, ripping through nerves and flesh.
Unable to breathe as bile rushed up my throat, my stomach spasmed and I vomited until blackness wrapped around me.
* * *
When I regained consciousness, things looked different, as if seeing through a new set of eyes. The colors danced vividly, popping in my head. The sounds, I heard a heartbeat, melodic in its staccato rhythm, hovering near me.
Fingertips grazed the wood grain of the door as it slowly opened. He crouched down in front of me, keeping his hands against his chest.
“Mya, you are breathtaking.” I recognized my name, but how did I hear this in my mind?
“You see, my beautiful mate, you belong here— with our pack and with me.”
I wasn’t sure of what to make of him. His scent was calming and stimulating at the same time, but my thoughts made me wary of his kind demeanor.
“I can feel your anxiety and confusion,” he murmured. “There is much to learn Mya. I’ll be here for you every step of the way. You never have to fear me.”
I snorted, and he answered somehow in my head. “You can change back; the process may be a bit tricky the first few times. It is something you will become accustomed to over time. I’m still shocked that you reached your twenty-first birthday and are going through your first shift.” He regarded me carefully and backed out the door.
How long would I be here, I wanted out, but had no place to go. I lowered my flank to the pillows and rested my head on my paws. This was a lot to take in all at once; I’m going to have to remember to find some information on all this stuff.
Before long, I had fallen asleep, dreaming of a forested area, running free and wild. My tongue hung from my muzzle as the musky scents of bark, earth and was that blood, plunged me head first into a completely new dimension.
* * *
I woke in the same room; with the door slightly ajar. As I dragged myself up off the floor, it became apparent that I was in my birthday suit. There were clothes by the door, so I dressed with deliberate movements. Every move was a test of endurance, as pain riddled my muscles, protesting any action they took. I don’t remember feeling this way last night before the attack, or maybe it was from my body’s transformation, and that was something else I needed to figure out.
I reached for the handle and slipped into the office.
“Morning, Mya.” I smelled the pompous ass before I laid my eyes on him. Wait, I, ‘smelled him?'
“Do you feel better than yesterday? You managed to get quite a bit of sleep after your shift,” Denver questioned me.
“Yeah, but I hurt all over though.”
Denver stood, and walked toward me. “Yeah, first few times you shift, it hurt like a mother,” he chuckled. “Eventually you get used to it and so does your body, but honestly, it’s a bitch at first.”
I eyed him cautiously. I was at the mercy of these people, which was not exactly an ideal situation. My gaze turned to a woman, whose boots were propped up on the corner of the oak desk as she reclined in the chair. She watched me and narrowed her eyes, smirking while doing so.
“What’s your problem,” I asked her. “Or do you want one?”
“Ooh, testy much?” she drawled out in a husky voice. “Slow your roll, girl. I’m not here to fight, we all play on the same team. I’ve been wondering when you’d crawl back around here.”
“What are you talking about?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, Mya, you’re kind of a big deal around here.” She stood and son of a bitch, she was a freaking Amazonian, close to six feet. “I’m Starling,” she said extending her hand, which I ignored.
Starling was a force of nature; and she gave me every reason to believe that if you don’t join her then you better get the fuck out of her way. She was not going to make this easy on me, hardass bitch. Nothing fazed her, and I doubted that she would let any man come between her and her duties. Although she had striking features, it was easy to see that she wasn’t a girly girl, but, she was lean like an athlete. She had a discerning eye and didn’t seem like the type to mince words. Her long dark wavy hair accentuated her dark eyes, and her clothes looked like a second skin, but I’d dare any man or woman to make a comment about to her, she’d probably take them down for a backward glance. I knew I’d have to watch out for her, she played to win, and I never liked to lose.
“Why am I here? What happened to me in that room?”
“Mya, you’re a member of our pack,” Denver stated in a matter of fact manner.
“What? You think I’m just to going to believe whatever you tell me. Well, keep dishing out the bullshit, but that doesn’t mean I’ll think it’s true.” I chuckled.
“Okay, that’s enough, Mya,” Denver said to me with a sigh. “It’s our heritage, and you don’t know anything about it or who you are.”
“I didn’t ask for any history lessons,” I said feeling exhausted. “I don’t want to be whatever it was that I turned in to and my life does not involve any of this, so fuck this shit! I already have a life.”
“Right, Mya, and that ‘life’ consists of what?” Starling smirked and stood next to Denver. “You don’t have a boyfriend, you moved away from your ‘family,’ and your friends, geez, a bunch of idiots waiting for the next thrill. Yeah, I can see why you’d miss that,” she spouted off and shook her head.
“Hold up; I know what it is,” Starling continues like she figured it all out. “You like going out and picking up a nameless drunk bastard to fuck, that’s it, right? Have you had your needs quenched? No human male can satisfy the beast within you, Mya. I’ve heard, the sexual satisfaction when you’re with your, ‘true mate,’ is life-altering.”
“Got nothing to add to that, huh? You can’t deny it, can you,” Denver shrugged.
“Fine, let’s say I believe you, what does it mean, for me? I have a duty here, right. I’m not here to just help out with pack matters.” I asked, “I’m supposed to do Cade, right?”
“Mates are for life, Mya. As a wolf, we age much slower than our human counterparts and have a longer lifespan. When you find the one, you will be together for a long time. You never share,” Denver informed me. “It’s a sacred bond between two.”
“All of this sounds pretty fucking insane, to me.” Then I turned my full attention on Starling. “Who the hell wants to stay with one person or Wolf, their whole life? And why are you here, anyway?”
“I’m the fucking Beta of this pack, Mya,” she replied confidently. “This isn’t just a man’s club; we all stand together, here, whether you’re male or female. If you dropped that attitude, we might end up being friends.”
Denver guided me to a chair by him. “Okay, Mya, you are one of us. We know it will take time for you to accept and we get that. We grew up with the knowledge of who and what we are. I am the prime tracker of the pack and Cade’s third in command. As soon as you feel comfortable, we can start introducing you to the Pack.”
“Comfortable, are you serious? I just learned that I’m not human, I’m a—a fucking wolf shifter and you want me to be comfortable.” I huffed closing my eyes. Who knows what else I need to learn.
“You sure are stubborn, Mya, that could be the Alpha blood flowing through your veins,” Denver claimed as he walked to the door. “Come with me,” he said and disappeared in the hallway.
I followed out behind him. “Where are we going?” I asked him as he pushed open a steel door. We ended up in another hall, an elevator directly in front of us with a door to the left that led outside. “What the hell do you need an elevator for?”
“Did anyone ever tell you that you ask a lot of questions?” he remarked. “But you don’t ask the important ones,” he muttered as the motion stopped, and the doors opened.