Chapter 10 Kiaria's First Shift

He looked like a modern day Adonis. The setting sun behind him casted an ethereal glow on his very tall form which made him look like a Greek God. He was beautiful, there was no other word to describe him. He had dark hair cut neat and short, chiseled features, full lips, a nice nose and clear blue eyes. When he took off his shirt, I had to look away. He was very proud of his physique, but why wouldn't he? His broad shoulders were wide, his chest muscles bulging and his stomach flat and taut. And his arms...his biceps protruded from his arms and were hard to the touch. When I touched his arm, his muscles tensed beneath my touch, extremely sensitive. I apparently affected him as much as he was affecting me.

He called me his mate the same time the voice in my head said it. It was strange. I didn't know what it meant even if this man assumed I did. The voice in my head screamed for me to kiss him. I didn't even know how to talk to him let alone kiss him. I have never once kissed a boy let alone a man. I was treading on unknown territory.

He kept calling me "my little she-wolf" like it meant something, like I was really a wolf. I was having such a difficult time processing everything. There was a voice in my head speaking while I had a handsome devil of a man shamelessly flirting with me, his face always inches away from mine.

Now he had me pinned against his car with no space for me to move. I wanted to run, but my legs felt like jelly. What my mind was telling me to do, my body did not follow. It was as if I was being betrayed by my own freaking body.

"No, my little she-wolf. As I just said, you are my mate. What is mine, is yours. I, my little she-wolf... I am yours... forever." His voice was low and husky, his touch was gentle, and his potent masculine scent was clouding my better judgement.

"Io, what are you talking about? You just met me. Surely, you don't mean what you're saying." I trembled under his intense gaze. It seemed he was memorizing my face and etching it into his brain.

"We are wolves, my sweet. We are different from humans who need to know one another for years before they marry. You and I, we have been mated since birth. Search deep within yourself. You already know me, Kiaria. You have dreamt of me. And I'm guessing every inch of that gorgeous body of yours is screaming for you to be near me." He slid his fingers down on my arm and I felt goosebumps while a shiver went through me.

"Wait!" I had to yell so I could get hold of the situation before it got out of hand. "You keep saying I'm a wolf like it's suppose to mean something. Humans? Wolves? I know I'm human while wolves are wild animals in the forest. Seriously, is this a prank? Do you have a camera crew hidden somewhere?" I looked up to the Harvest Moon which had started to rise. It suddenly felt a bit warm.

"Kiaria, look at me. You don't know you are wolf?" His eyes mirrored his confusion as well as mine. Why is it so damn hot?

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Io."

"Your mother surely must have told you something. After all, she gave birth to you." I see. I see where all the confusion is coming from.

"I'm adopted," I tell him. At least this time, it wasn't a "you don't look like your parents" kind of thing.

"What?!"

"I SAID, I'M ADOPTED." I lean on the car. "WHY IS IT SO HOT?" I try to fan myself with my hand. "OH MY GOSH! I CAN'T BREATHE." What was happening to me? I felt I was going to get sick. I never get sick. I was hardly ever sick when I was growing up and if I got hurt, my wound would be gone in hours not days. I have never fractured a single bone in my body even though I was so clumsy. Suddenly this man appears in front of me and I feel like I was going to puke. Did I catch something from him?

"Oh my Goddess! You are about to shift. Let me mind link my Beta to ready what you need. Come here. You can't stay in confined spaces." He pulled me away from his car and closed the door. "Don't worry, Kiaria. I'm here." He kisses my forehead to help ease my discomfort. I looked up at him, tears brimming my eyes. "Remember, don't fight it. Your first shift into your wolf is excruciatingly painful, but it will be over before you know it."

He looks around and lets out a sigh of relief. "You don't have neighbors close by. That's good."

"Kiaria! Is it happening?" I heard my mother scream as she ran down the front yard. "Marcus told me to ready some clothes for you."

"Mom, you knew?" Why didn't she tell me? Oh, my aching head.

Io lifts me up in his arms and starts walking towards the trees beside our house. "She can shift there. Just keep the guests in the house even if they hear her screaming." Io instructs my mother.

"Winston is taking care of it. He's playing loud music. Oh, here he is now." My mother points at my dad who was running towards us.

"Is it time?" My dad knew too?

"Yes, Winston. It is time for her first shift. Follow me." Io carries me to the secluded area behind the trees and lays me down. He puts his hand on my forehead to check my temperature. "You're burning up. Does your body hurt?" I nod my head. It was just too painful to speak. I was on fire and my body was starting to convulse from the pain. I felt like I was going to die.

Then I heard it before I felt it...my bones started to break. I arched my back, my head against the grass and screamed...a gut-wrenching scream. My body started to twist and move in obscene angles. I couldn't fight it. I had to let it happen.

"Kiaria, my baby! Help her please! I beg you!" My mom was sobbing while my dad was trying to hold her back from me.

"Mrs. Wright, she has to go through this alone. It's only the first time that's painful. I went through it ,now she has to," Io explains.

I felt my whole body twist on its own and I screamed again. I was morphing into something. Something really big.

Finally, the pain was gone. I opened my eyes and saw so many different hues, swirling, just like a Van Gogh masterpiece. I look around to find my parents and I was astonished to see I towered both of them, even Io.

The moonlight found me and casted its beautiful bluish white glow on me. I looked up and howled. Wait. Howled?

I looked down at myself and saw white paws. I had paws. I HAD PAWS!

I started backing away from my parents and Io. I couldn't be with them. I was a freak. A freak with fur and paws. A monster.

"Calm down, Kiaria. You have shifted into your wolf. Into me. I would like to introduce myself. I am Selene. I am the one you talk to in your head. I have guided you to this very moment."

"Why didn't anyone tell me I was going to turn out like this on my eighteenth birthday, Selene? Why?"

"In order to protect you, Kiaria. You and I are special. You will learn of this along the way."

"Will I stay like this forever?" If I was going to stay like this then I'll just run away and join the circus.

"No, Kiaria. Just tell me and I will switch you back to your human form once again."

"Phew! I thought I was going to stay like this forever. Last question... What is mate? And who is Io to me?"

"Ah, the fated mate. The Moon Goddess, our deity, pairs all her wolves to complete one another, so no wolf will live alone. However, it is not as simple as that. You have to find your fated mate, a blessing bestowed upon a wolf by the Moon Goddess herself. Some go on forever searching for their fated mate, while others mate with those they feel a strong connection with even if they aren't necessarily fated mates. It is extremely rare in this day and age to find your fated mate however, you Kiaria, have been blessed since the time of your birth to find your fated mate. And he is here. The stars have aligned themselves for you to meet him on your eighteenth birthday. When he places his mark on you, both of you will be stronger. I should warn you though...if you reject your mate, you will feel pain likened to glass being shattered into thousands of small pieces. You, my dear, will never be the same again."

"Kiaria, you okay?" My mom was still crying. I had to change back.

"Uhm, Selene. Do your thing. Change me back. I need to console my mother."

"Of course, Kiaria. You have learned the value of human life. All species are worth saving." Selene's voice drifts away into the inner recesses of my mind and I find myself magically on the grass, kneeling, completely naked. My father turns his back while my mother rushes to cover me up in a robe. Io, on the other hand, didn't turn away, he brazenly looked at my naked body, with longing in his eyes. I stood up unashamed, challenging his gaze. His mouth opened, shocked, as I stood in front of him, shamelessly displaying myself.

"Kiaria, oh my goodness, you're naked." My mother helps me put on the robe. She sees Io watching us. "You, young man, turn around!" Io coughs and turns around almost immediately. My mother ties the robe securely around my waist. "Wait here. I'll go get some slippers for you. I don't want you to step on something and cut yourself." My mother tucks my hair behind her ear.

"No need, Mrs. Wright. I'll carry my Luna." Io swings my legs up in his arms and I put my arms around his neck so I wouldn't fall.

"Luna?" My mother asks.

"Yes, Mrs. Wright. I am an Alpha and my she-wolf mate is called Luna," Io explains.

"How can Kiaria possibly be your mate? You two have just met."

"Sakura, honey, remember what we talked about." My dad, trying to appease my mother.

"I know, Winston, but my baby is only 18 and she needs to finish college." My mother starts crying again.

We walk back to the house, my father consoling my mother while Io carried me effortlessly. Once we were safely on the front steps of our house, Io gently puts me down.

"I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. How about you guys get started with dinner? I'll be down in a jiffy." I open the door, let my parents through so they can go back to entertaining, and start climbing the stairs to my room when I feel someone following me. I look back and find Io behind me.

"Woah, this area," I pointed to the bedrooms upstairs, "is off limits. I stop, turn around to face him and raise a hand to stop him.

"I can't let you out of my sight until I mark you. It will put me at ease if I'm with you. I promise I won't do anything. I'll be the perfect gentleman." Io raises both of his hands at the side of his head as a sign of his surrender.

"Io, I know you are my fated mate, but get this through your head, I'd appreciate a courtship. I want to get to know you better before we..." I wasn't sure if marry was the right word.

"Make love?", he suggested. I shook my head.

"I was thinking along the lines of marry. We ARE suppose to get married right?"

"Yes, eventually. But if you prefer immediately, I can also have that arranged." Smooth talker. He's been around the block apparently.

"Go back downstairs and help my parents. I just need to have some alone time. I just found out I'm a wolf. I just need some time to uhm...decompress."

"Okay. On one condition." Great. What does he want? I cross my arms and look him in the eyes.

'What?"

"You have to give me a kiss."