They were werewolves, they could always eat.
6
Twelve slices weren't enough for four werewolves. Luckily, I wasn’t feeling up to eating. Something about the skillet had set off my stomach. Even the smell of the pizza made me feel nauseous. My slice sat on my plate, practically untouched, while the other three had devoured the entire pie. Thankfully, the food had provided enough of a distraction for me to gather my thoughts.
I leaned back in my seat, my hand cradling my stomach and listened to their inane chatter.
“Well?” my father asked after patting his hands dry on a paper towel. “Out with it. Care to explain why you smell like a wolf?”
Saliva pooled in the back of my mouth. I forced myself to swallow, hoping it would settle my stomach.
“Juniper?”
I shook my head. “Look, I appreciate your concern…”
“Concern? You had us downright worried.”
I rocked to my feet and teetered toward the sink. Pretty sure I was about to vomit. I pressed my hand to my slick brow, noting my increased temperature. “Um, I get that. I’m sorry. I—”
“Juniper?”
I gasped and bowed over the sink as a wave of pain ripped through my stomach. Holy crap…
Chairs scratched across the tile as all three of them jumped to their feet. I waved a hand in their direction. This was the no-touchy zone. If I was about to throw up, the last thing I needed was them to close in on me.
But before I could reassure them, a sudden cry tore past my lips. I gripped the sink and bent in half, my brow touching the counter.
“Juniper!”
“S—Stay back,” I wheezed.
“What the hell is this?” my father demanded.
Oh, I’m just dying, that’s all. At least, that was how it felt. Like something was trying to punch its way through my gut. Images of Alien formed in my head. I couldn’t help but laugh, even though it might have been a touch hysterical.
I choked on my breath and positioned my head over the sink, stunned by the sudden cramping ripping through my insides. “What…” Another groan. I dropped to my knees next to the counter and squeezed my eyes shut. “What’s happening?”
Oh, God. This was the worst misery I’d ever known. My skin itched. My muscles ached. My bones throbbed. It couldn’t have been the pizza. The skillet, maybe? Had I eaten something foul?
“Juniper?” Mathis’s voice came from above.
“I don’t feel well,” I panted, tears pricking my eyes.
As though I was about to—
Snap.
I screamed and fell onto my side. Something had broken. I couldn’t tell which bone, but I knew without a doubt I’d broken one.
“Juniper!” my mother shouted.
“Get back!” Mathis ordered. His palms cupped my damp cheeks and turned my head toward him. “Open your eyes. Look at me.”
It took every ounce of strength I had, but eventually, my lashes fluttered open, and I stared up at him.
“It’s your first change,” he told me.
A whimper crawled free of my dry lips. Of course it was. Just my luck to turn into a writhing, sobbing mess in front of not only Mathis but my parents as well.
Crack.
My second scream rent the kitchen. Hurt more than the last. God, I’d never imagined it would feel like this. Like every last bone had been ripped out of my body.
“You can do this,” Mathis whispered, his face stern but his words warm. “This is what you wanted, right? Remember your reasoning. Remember everything you told me. About the person you want to be. Just breathe. You’ll get through this.”
Would I? Maybe if I just kept telling myself I would… But the pain… God, the pain.
Pop.
My shoulder that time. I buried my face in Mathis’s chest and wept.
“What do you mean she’s shifting?” My father’s voice rose above the din in my head.
“A werewolf? No, Juniper isn’t—”
I tuned out their voices and focused on breathing. In through my snotty nose, out through my blubbering mouth. Wasn’t that the advice when tackling extreme agony? Fuck, I had no idea. And right now, I didn’t give two shits. I just wanted it finished.
My body contorted against Mathis, and I spasmed, my fingers gripping his legs as I fought for control.
“Shh,” Mathis whispered in my ear. “Stop struggling. The first shift is always the worst. Go with the pain, Juniper. The more you fight, the worse it is. Let your wolf guide you. She knows what you need. She knows what to do, even if you don’t. Trust in her.”
Damn bitch was trying to kill me, and he wanted me to trust her? “You’re…insane,” I wheezed.
“You can do this, baby,” my father’s voice encouraged in the background.
All right. They were all crazy. The craziest of which was the wolf pacing a large circle in my head. Every third or so step, she’d pause and turn, as though gauging my reaction. When she glanced my way this final time, I nodded inwardly. I could do this. And I had to, for her, for me.
I pushed away from Mathis and crawled to the middle of the floor.
She watched me, her eyes aglow with excitement and her tongue lolling from her mouth. For her, it was the promise of freedom. I needed to give her that.
“All right,” I muttered to her. “Let’s do this.”
She inclined her head, then slowly started to walk toward me.
With every step, the torment grew. Through my heavy breaths came the sound of snapping bones and tearing flesh. My cries were nothing compared to the strain on my body. I felt my muscles relocating, my tendons severing and reconnecting, and my bones reforming, all to accommodate her form. Until finally, she merged with me and the pain came to an abrupt stop.
I gave a shuddering breath and fell onto my side, half-unconscious.
“Holy shit,” I heard someone sputter.
“Juniper?” a tentative touch brushed against my furred cheek.
My…furred…cheek.
Holy crap on a cracker! My eyes shot open. I tilted my head and stared up at an oddly-hued Mathis. I blinked in an attempt to focus, but his coloring didn’t change. Gone were his tanned skin and blonde hair, and in their place was a strange spectrum of faint colors.
“I know. It’s weird,” he said with a warm smile. “You did it. I can’t believe it.”
I scrambled to my feet, then chuffed under my breath when my rear slid out from underneath me. All right. Four legs were not the same as two.
Laughter rose through the room. My parents crept toward me, tears streaking their awed faces. “It’s like watching Bambi learn to walk.”
Ha, ha. I curled a lip and growled a string of obscenities at them. Doubtful they’d shot up running the first time they’d shifted.
“Now, now,” my father chided. “Nice wolves don’t curse.”
Like he’d even known what I’d said. Counting to three, I attempted standing once more. One foot, then the other, until I had all four beneath me. Wobbly from the pain, but firm. Awestruck, I lifted my head and grinned.
“Yeah, we see you,” my mother whispered. She wiped a tear from her eye, then crouched down in front of me, her hand outstretched. “May I?”