Chapter 3 - The Change

After so many times changing back and forth, she was now able to identify each area in her body as her skeleton broke apart and reshaped into a more human form. She could feel each vertebra break apart and reshape, her paws widened, and her fingers elongated, her nails receded into her skin and her snout shrunk, her face becoming more human.

She grunted as her canines shrunk back into her gums, but they always remained sharper, longer than they had been when she had been nothing but a helpless human, though hardly noticeable to the human eye. Something that served to remind her of her change every time she looked in the mirror, or ran her tongue over her teeth. But she felt it all, in excruciating detail.

The last thing she was always aware of as all the changes occurred simultaneously was the fur, her fur, she would never get used to thinking like that, as it all but melted off her body until she felt the wind blow coldly against her burning naked skin.

Her canine-like whimpers turned into human cries as she sifted back and when the last bone snapped into place, she felt a piece of cloth land over her shoulders. She was glad she was already on her hands and knees from the change, otherwise, she feared she would have collapsed as all her pent-up energy left her, leaving her shaking and weak.

She panted, her heart hammering in her chest as she adjusted to her new perspective. Though each sense was still heightened beyond that of a normal human, they were significantly damper than when she had been a wolf.

Alexa felt more than heard him kneel beside her, his presence an undeniable force that pulled at her subconsciously, like a moth drawn to a flame. That was another thing she had to come to terms with, after her first change, which ironically had been on a full moon, or so she had been told, she was now almost painfully aware of the daunting presence that was one hauntingly handsome, Aiden Black.

It was almost like a wolfish radar had been installed into her head and her senses had become heat-seeking missiles, or she should say Aiden-seeking missiles, because she was always, constantly hyper-aware of him and his movements. 

She now understood the relationship between magnets and their attraction to each other, if she moved, he followed, and vice versa. Somewhere, somehow through this shit storm of a life she had led, she had become irrevocably and annoyingly addicted to the black-haired man and his stupidly constant presence in her messed up life.

Aiden kneeled beside her as he waited for her to reorient herself, having learned from previous times to not rush her. He could feel her annoyance filter through their bond and wondered what she was thinking about as he listened to her rapid heartbeat begin to slow.  

‘You did well, the change was faster this time.’ He praised.

Alexa just groaned at him in reply, too tired to think of a witty response. It hadn’t felt faster, it never did but he told her it was every time. She shifted her hands beneath her body until she was leaning on the one, using the small stones, grass, and leaves to ground her into the moment.

'I’ll take your word for it,' she retorted. The muscles in her arms twitched in retaliation, in a shockingly painful spasm. 

Using her free hand to reach up she pulled the light blanket he’d had waiting for her, closer towards her body, hiding her nudity a little bit more. It was thin, more like a sheet than a blanket, but it felt heavy on her shoulders.

'You should, I literally can’t lie to you,' 

'No, but I bet you know how to manipulate the truth to get around this built-in lie detector in our heads,' she huffed, flexing her fingers to get used to the feel of them. 

'Now why would I do such a thing?' 

'Oh, I don’t know world peace?' sarcasm dripped heavily in her words, her breathing finally coming to still. He didn’t respond, merely barked out a laugh, the sound sending shivers down her spine. “Get it together Alexa, you can’t let this walking sack of hormones affect you like this,” she thought ot herself, attempting to shake away the tingles in her skin. 

‘I mean it though, it was faster,’

‘Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt,’ she griped then leaned forward a little as her balance shifted, still off her kilter from the change. The action caused her long, fiery red hair to fall over her shoulders, cover half her face, and still brush the earth beneath her with its long locks.

‘It’ll hurt less with time, I promise,’

‘You always say that,” she rolled her eyes. 

Alexa looked back at him, her once electric blue eyes now a damper and calmer blue, framed by long lashes stained permanently by magic made by her annoying twin. Her auburn curls hung over her face and did nothing to block the scorn-filled scowl or her cold glare that reflected her vexation at him.

It did nothing to faze him, Aiden just smiled back at her with that stupidly stunning smile of his. It should be a crime to look half as good as he did, yes, a crime punishable by death, she decided. It always made her knees go wonky and her head all fuzzy.

She was trying to concentrate dammit! Why was he always smiling? It freaked her out just a little Okay, a lot, it freaked her out a lot. They hadn’t fought since the change, and it bothered her. It almost made her scoff, the way she missed their bickering. 

She had relied on the small scuffles they’d had; it had been the only thing to distract her from the craziness that was her life. Was he expecting her to fall into his lap now that she was a wolf too? Ha! She internally scoffed at the idea, not a chance pretty boy.

Not bothering to reply, she shifted again and moved to stand, but her legs had turned into jelly with no help from the man beside her and she only stumbled like a newborn foul trying to take its first steps until she found herself back on the ground. She huffed in frustration when she went from a crouched position to staring up at the clear blue summer sky, and her back to the earth.

It annoyed her even more when she realized that her curse of having hard indistinct objects digging into her back had still followed her, even to this day. What was it with her landing on things that caused her the smallest amounts of discomfort but the greatest amounts of irritation?

Aiden had to bite back a laugh when she landed on her back, his amusement only adding to her already sour mood. He reached out a hand toward her, which she immediately locked her eyes on as he stood over her, blocking her view of the blue sky in favor of his brilliant green eyes.

As far as distractions went, his eyes would always be the most sinful, she decided. Now she only had to get up off this damn floor, not mention to find and vaporize whatever was digging into her back. But he had other plans for her.