Chapter 2 My First Shift

Lya's POV:

Suddenly, from somewhere deep inside, a voice came through.

"It's time, Lya. Let go."

I doubled over as another wave of pain crashed through me. The kitchen of the Pack House felt miles away now, though I'd only escaped an hour ago. My skin burned like I'd been doused in silver water, every nerve ending screaming as though trying to claw their way out of my body.

Something was very wrong. This wasn't how a first shift was supposed to happen.

When Elaina's engagement party preparations began this morning, Mom had assigned me to kitchen duty, making it crystal clear I wasn't welcome at the actual celebration.

"Stay where you belong," she'd hissed, shoving a stack of serving trays into my hands. "And don't you dare have one of your... episodes today."

As evening fell, my symptoms worsened. The kitchen's scents became overwhelming—roasting meat, fresh bread, herbal garnishes—each smell so intense it made me dizzy. Sounds amplified too; the clatter of pots felt like explosions in my skull.

"Watch it, freak!" one of the kitchen staff snapped when I nearly dropped a tray of crystal glasses. "Those are for the Alpha's table."

I seized my chance when no one was looking. "I need to get more silverware from the storage room," I whispered before slipping out the back door of the Pack House.

The cool night air hit my feverish skin like a blessing. Above me, the full moon hung heavy and bright, pulling at something deep in my blood. I headed straight for Crystal Falls, my sanctuary.

I'd barely entered the forest when the first wave of real pain hit, dropping me to my knees. This wasn't the discomfort I'd been feeling all day—this was agony, like my bones were dissolving and reforming. I bit my lip to keep from screaming, tasting blood as my teeth seemed to sharpen against my will.

What terrified me most was how different it felt from what I'd heard about first shifts. Normal wolves described a stretching sensation, a powerful rush. This felt like I was being torn apart and rebuilt from scratch.

I forced myself forward, stumbling deeper into the forest. Suddenly my vision cleared, becoming supernaturally sharp. Each leaf was perfectly defined, distant trees visible as if in daylight.

And the smells... Moon Goddess, the smells! I could scent a deer herd miles away, a rabbit warren nearby, the musk of a fox that had crossed this path hours ago. My mouth watered involuntarily, a primal hunger rising in my chest.

My legs trembled with each step, muscles spasming as they rearranged themselves beneath my skin. I fell repeatedly, scraping my hands and knees, but each time I noticed my wounds healing almost instantly—far faster than a normal wolf's recovery.

Why was I so different? Why did Mom force those bitter herbs down my throat every morning? Why did my eyes change when I was angry? Normal wolves' eyes turned golden amber, not whatever shade prompted such fear in my mother's face.

Another spasm dropped me to all fours, my vision blurring as tears streaked down my face. I crawled the last distance to Crystal Falls, my only place of peace.

When I reached the water's edge, I could barely stay conscious. Moonlight reflected off the surface, illuminating my distorted reflection. Red eyes stared back at me—not wolf-gold like a proper shifter, but blood-red with vertical pupils, rimmed by a thin silver-blue circle.

"This isn't right," I whispered, horrified.

Another wave of pain crested, this one so intense I couldn't even scream. My bones snapped and reformed, skin stretching as fur pushed through pores that felt like they were catching fire. I collapsed beside the water, convulsing as the transformation overtook me.

"Don't fight it," the voice inside me grew clearer. "This is who you are. I've been waiting so long."

"Who are you?" I gasped between waves of agony.

"I'll show you. Just let go, Lya. Trust me."

Something in that voice—gentle yet powerful—broke through my fear. I surrendered to the transformation, letting it consume me completely.

The pain was excruciating. Each bone broke and reformed, my spine elongated, my skull reshaped itself. My skin felt like it was being peeled off and replaced with fire as silver-blue fur erupted from every pore. I screamed, but the sound morphed into a howl midway through my throat.

When the agony finally subsided, I blinked open new eyes and approached the water's edge. Shock froze me in place at what I saw.

My fur was a luminous silver-blue, almost metallic in the moonlight, with darker markings along my spine. But what truly horrified me were the vampire traits evident even in my wolf form—elongated fangs that protruded from my muzzle, the unnatural red glow in my eyes, and the way my fur seemed almost translucent in places, like it was interwoven with mist. And there, on my right hip, was a distinct black crescent moon—a marking I'd never seen on any wolf in our pack.

"Finally," the voice was crystal clear now, and a ghostly figure materialized before me—a translucent silver-blue she-wolf with the same crescent marking, but larger and more pronounced on her neck. Unlike regular wolf spirits, she too had the strange elongated fangs and red-rimmed eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked through our mental connection.

"I'm Kate, your wolf and inner spirit." The voice sounded relieved. "I've been waiting for this moment since you were born. Those herbs they've been poisoning you with—they kept me suppressed, kept us from connecting properly."

I looked down at my strange form, flexing paws that seemed to shimmer slightly in the darkness. "You're not a normal wolf spirit, are you? And I'm not a normal werewolf."

Kate's eyes seemed to smile. "No, we're something special. Something rare."

"What am I?" I asked, confused and frightened by my unusual appearance.

"You're different, Lya. Special. The answer to what makes you unique lies within your family, but that's for you to discover." She circled me once, her gaze suddenly serious. "Listen carefully—you must never shift in front of the pack. Your form reveals too much."

"What? But they'll mock me as wolfless," I protested, the thought of more ridicule making my chest tight.

"Better mocked than hunted for what you truly are," Kate replied gravely. "Promise me, Lya. No shifting where others can see."

I stared at my reflection again, at the obvious vampire traits mixed with my wolf form, and understood the danger. What would the pack do if they saw me like this? What would they do to a creature caught between two worlds?

"I promise," I whispered back.