CHAPTER THREE

Everyone turned to the sound….it was a girl, her face expressed pain and she screamed into the silent room. The people around her moved to give her space. The bones kept breaking and her skin stretched and tore, replaced with fur and claws in place of nails,her face depicted extreme agony as she finally shifted. Somewhere else another bone snapped.

“Please give them room" the alpha ordered and returned to his seat.

And suddenly all around, bones were shifting and screams of pain pierced the air. I met June's stare and before he could mouth something to me, his expression changed and he screamed too and so did Isla. They were shifting. Those who already shifted were too weak to move and just laid down gasping for air, trying to gather their strength. Their fur looked beautiful in shades of grey, black, tan and brown.

June and Isla had fully shifted, Isla got brown fur and June got black like he wanted. My friends had shifted but I haven't, why couldn't I shift?

In a matter of minutes, almost everyone had shifted. My parents directed their gazes at me, confused on why I hadn't shifted yet. Soon it was just me that hadn't shifted. Parents were congratulating their kids and soon they noticed my oddity. My parents and I were the only ones still sitting as every other person was on the floor with the young wolves.

I began to panic and I stared at my parents in anxiety.

“Mom why aren't I shifting?" I asked, my voice breaking and almost inaudible.

People were beginning to whisper with their gazes fixated at me.

“Ariel, I don't know what's happening, but just calm down you'll definitely shift" my mom tried to comfort me

I turned to my dad and he sighed 

“Maybe you're a late shifter, it rarely happens but let's calm down a bit ok" my dad added

Alpha Dominic climbed the podium again, his eyes roamed around the room and finally landed on me, we stared at each other for a moment before I looked away, intimidated.

“I would like to congratulate each and everyone of you who has successfully shifted. Welcome to the real side of the pack. I know you're eager to race in the forest so I…….”

Something snapped, at first I didn't believe it was me because I barely felt it. Tears were already rolling down my cheek while my mom tried to comfort me. But then, a bone in my body cracked in the most painful way and I screamed in agony. My bone began to break and restructure beneath my stretching skin, my muscles snapped like a rope reforming to those of a wolf, fangs tore out of my gums in place of my teeth. My parents moved away from me smiling and looking relieved. Everyone's attention was focused on me but I barely cared. I was in absolute pain, it felt like I was being ripped apart, like I was being turned inside out. I didn't notice the shocked look on everyone's face and their gasps as I finally shifted.

I slumped weakly to the floor, I felt so different and strong way more than I did as a human. I inhaled and absorbed an unseen energy. It was way too silent around so I opened my eyes.

 Everyone was staring at me with shock and fear in their eyes, their jaws dropped in both confusion and astonishment. My parents were no different either. What was wrong with me? I turned to myself to know why they were looking at me like that and I gasped —my fur….