Wolf Untamed by Alexis Calder

12

The day went by far too quickly. I was welcomed by the members of the camp. None of them asked about my time away, but I got the sense they were concerned. It didn’t feel like they were ignoring it, but rather they were afraid to upset me. I wasn’t used to others being worried about me. It honestly made me a little uncomfortable.

My cheeks hurt from smiling, but I was able to sneak off alone for a few minutes as everyone prepared for the bonfire. Even Kyle was distracted by the ordeal. Like me, he wasn’t used to such spectacle, and I could see the excitement in his eyes.

As the day faded into twilight, I could feel my wolf growing more restless. She knew it was time for us to make this thing official. I hoped we connected quickly and that I’d gain control of when I shifted without too much practice. After finding out that wolves shifted as early as thirteen outside Wolf Creek, it made me feel like I was already behind.

From the little bench I was sitting on, I watched as the members of the camp threw on more logs and started laying food out on long picnic tables. It was going to be a hell of a party.

Alec appeared in the crowd, smiling and chatting with the shifters he walked by. I hadn’t seen him all day and my stomach did an annoying flip at the sight of him. After learning about what he’d done, I still wasn’t sure how I felt about him. I supposed I was less angry. It came from a good place, but it resulted in me having another week of trauma. I didn’t deserve that. Nobody did.

From across the way, his eyes found mine. I tensed and considered my next steps. Part of me wanted to dart off, continue avoiding him. But I realized that was a bit childish. I was going to have to deal with him, and eventually, I’d have to figure out what my heart really wanted.

He strolled over to me, moving at a pace so slow, I thought maybe he wanted me to flee. I held my ground. “How are you feeling?” I half-shouted as he approached. I wanted to get the first word in. Okay, so I’m sort of childish. What was it about this man that made me feel so unhinged?

“Better,” he said. “I’ll probably be good as new by tomorrow.” He stopped in front of me, and the air between us felt heavy with tension. I missed our easy connection and conversation. I even missed when we used to snap at each other.

“I wish I could run with you tonight,” he said.

“Your wolf isn’t ready yet?” I was a little surprised.

“I’m starting to feel him, but I’m not optimistic,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“I’ll watch from the sidelines. Maybe I’ll get a run with you another time,” he said.

“Sure,” I agreed.

“Kyle said he talked to you,” he said.

“When did you and Kyle become so chummy?” I asked.

“Since he saved my life.”

“Ouch.” His comment was clearly a dig about how he’d saved my life. He’d also handed me over to my pack to be tortured. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Remember how I asked you to trust me?” he asked. “

“Yeah,” I affirmed.

“I always had your best interest in mind. Even if I didn’t go about it the best way,” he said.

“That almost sounded like an apology,” I pointed out.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, as if second guessing himself.

“You and I can’t fix what’s broken between us if you’re keeping things from me,” I warned.

“Can it be fixed?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“You know why you need to do the spell,” he said. “You’ll do it, right? You can’t move forward with that claim intact. Your father is going to get you killed.”

“I know.” I knew he was right, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to agree to it so quickly. It made sense, but I’d never been thrilled with the idea of magic or witches. Magic kept me locked up in Wolf Creek and I thought it had prevented me from shifting. Turned out, that was all the bad luck of having a criminal for a father.

A horn blared and we both turned toward the sound.

“Bonfire time,” Alec said as he extended his hand toward me.

I hesitated, then accepted his help up. That was a mistake. His touch was like a sizzling fire, spreading right to my chest, then down to my center. I quickly pulled my hand away. I couldn’t do that with him now. I needed to figure out what was going on in my own head before I complicated things more.

We walked silently toward the bonfire just as Greta passed off the torch to an older shifter male. The male lowered the torch to the kindling, setting it ablaze.

It didn’t take long for the fire to eat through the smaller fuel and start licking its way up the logs. Cheers erupted and clothes started flying. It was time to shift.

My heart hammered in my chest and my stomach was a ball of nerves. I wasn’t sure if I was going to vomit or pass out. Maybe both. I wanted this for so long, and now it was time.

“You got this,” Alec said.

Kyle jogged toward me, Sheila, and Malcom at his sides. “You ready?” Kyle’s eyes sparkled in the firelight. He looked happier than I’d ever seen him. Shit, I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually seen him happy.

“Just toss the clothes aside and call to my wolf?” It seemed too easy.

“Or call to her now and destroy those awful clothes,” Sheila said. “You might be better off naked after this.”

“One of these days, I’m going to have a closet of my very own with more clothes than I could ever wear,” I said, “but right now, this is all I’ve got.” I pulled the shirt over my head and tossed it aside. Kyle, Malcom, and Sheila started taking their clothes off too.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Alec had moved back a little. He was fully clothed, but I could see that he was watching me. It wasn’t like he’d never seen me naked before. And I suppose he would be curious to know if I could pull off a shift.

Ignoring his attention on me, I finished undressing, then without waiting for my friends, I took off at a run. It felt like my wolf was running with me, the two of us working in unison to take long strides toward the trees ahead. I could feel her, and I didn’t fight it. It’s time.

A howl bubbled inside me, building and fighting to make its way out. My body felt different, and for a moment, it was as if I was experiencing something from outside myself. As if I wasn’t physically present. My wolf took over, leading us in a graceful dance as my bones reformed into something new.

It didn’t hurt like I expected, I felt stretched and some of my joints popped, but sooner than I realized, I was seeing the world differently.

The howl that had started as I began my change exploded from my lungs, a long, intense sound that echoed through the cold, night air. Three howls returned the greeting and my wolf stopped and turned. She was leading the charge, but I could feel the connection. We were one and the same. Two halves of the same soul. I felt it now. I knew what they meant. We were one.

I caught Kyle’s scent first as his wolf bounded up to me. I didn’t even realize he had a scent I recognized until then. Behind him, Malcom and Sheila joined. I knew them by smell and I could feel them. We weren’t pack, but I could feel their elation. Pure joy seemed to radiate from all of them. It was contagious and my heart felt as if it might burst.

I’d never felt so free in my life. I needed this. My wolf pawed at the ground, reminding me that we were meant to run, not stand here. I howled again, my friends once again answering the call. Then all four of us sprinted into the woods.

I ran for hours, chasing my friends, winding between trees, splashing through a creek, and leaping over fallen logs. I’d never felt so free and alive. How had I gone my whole life without this sensation?

Finally, I had to slow down. My wolf was panting, her exhaustion was my exhaustion. We’d both had enough.

My friends didn’t seem as tired as me, but they were more experienced. When I turned and headed back to camp, they all followed. So this was what it was like to be in a pack. This was why they said wolves needed each other. Running alone would have sated some of my wolf’s urges, but I knew she was enjoying the companionship. We needed each other.

Gratitude made my heart swell and I emerged from the tree line satisfied, tired, and happy. There were a few others around the bonfire, but many wolves were still running. Nearby, Shelia shifted back to her human form. Malcom and Kyle followed.

“You were a natural, Lola,” Sheila said. “Now, let your wolf know you’re done for today. Remind her you’ll do this again soon.”

I followed her instructions, letting myself relax a little, easing some of the adrenaline that came from the shift and the running. My body tensed and rippled, I could feel myself changing. It was a little more uncomfortable than the shift to a wolf, but it didn’t last long.

Panting, exhausted, but exhilarated, I grinned at my friends. “So that’s what I’ve been missing.”

“Not anymore,” Sheila said. “You’re a full wolf now.”

I forgot about that. We were considered full wolf shifters once we had our first shift. Since my first wasn’t of my own accord, I’d never counted it. This one had been all me. No more curse, no more playing human. No more settling for less.

Alec walked over to us and my breath hitched. Goosebumps trailed down my arms and my nipples tightened. I shook the sensation away. Of course I reacted, it was cold out here. It had nothing to do with Alec.

As he got closer, I caught his scent and I had to force myself to not moan aloud. What the actual fuck? Something was very, very wrong with me.

“You did great,” he said.

I bit down on my lower lip and looked up at him through my lashes. “Thanks.”

Catching myself, I gasped, and blinked. Why had I just turned on sexy, flirting Lola? I cleared my throat. “Thanks.”

He smirked and his eyes dropped, scanning my body. A delicious shiver ran down my spine and I could feel the wetness spreading between my legs.

“I need my clothes,” I managed before walking away.

Quickly, I found my clothes and pulled them on. I could smell Alec behind me before I even turned. His scent was driving me wild. It was taking every ounce of my willpower not to rip his clothes off him right here.

I spun around to face him. “Did you need something from me?”

“I know what you’re feeling,” he said. “I can smell it on you, I can feel your responses to me.”

“Excuse me?” I blurted out.

“It’s normal, don’t worry, give it about a half hour and it’ll fade,” he said.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“The desire to fuck my brains out.” He shrugged. “It’s pretty clear you’re struggling with that. I would offer my services, but I don’t think I’d be welcomed right now. Just know, it’s normal after a shift to want to succumb to other physical urges.”

My core was practically pulsing with desire and I had to fight against my body. It wanted him, he was absolutely right about that. But he was also right that I wasn’t interested in following those primal instincts right now.

“Why you?” I asked.

“Maybe because you saw me first. Maybe because we have a history. Maybe you simply want me,” he said. “It doesn’t matter the reason.”

“Well, I don’t,” I said.

“Don’t what?” he asked.

“I don’t want you.” The words were harder to get out than I thought they’d be.

“Well, I guess I misread the situation. I’ll see you later, Lola,” he said.

I held my breath, biting back a moan at the sound of my name on his lips. Holy shit, that was an uncomfortable side effect of a shift. I hoped it got easier with practice.

That’s when I noticed a few pairings around me. Other shifters had returned, and there were several who were engaged in very heavy make out sessions at the least, and a few who weren’t shy about taking things further. I guess I missed that last time since I’d been distracted.

“Lola, you want some food?” Sheila called.

I jogged over to where she and Kyle were standing next to a table of desserts. There were at least eight different kinds of pie and more cookies than I’d ever seen. Where did they make all these? I wasn’t going to bother asking, I was starving after the time in the woods.

We filled our plates with too much sugar, then found some burgers at another table. I sat down on a bench and Kyle and Sheila squeezed in on either side of me.

After a few bites, I turned to Sheila. “How do you overcome the whole post shift thing?”

“You mean sex?” she asked, her mouth full of food.

“Oh, that’s tough,” Kyle said. “Worst part of shifting if you ask me.”

“I think if you give in every so often, it makes it easier when you don’t,” Sheila said. “Why? You thinking of taking a tumble with anyone in particular?”

“No,” I said, way too quickly.

She took another bite of her burger. “Shame. I do hope I still get to be an auntie one day.”

I elbowed her, then we both laughed. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her until today. When this was over, would I move to Wolf Creek forever? If I did, I was taking down the barrier, so it wasn’t like we’d be too far to visit. I would miss seeing her daily, though. She was the best part of this place.

She was loyal and kind. What kind of person agrees to have your back when you’ve got to try to take over an entire shifter pack? Concern rolled through my stomach like a wave. What if something happened to her while she was helping me? What about Kyle and Malcom? Even Alec crossed my mind. I didn’t want anything to happen to any of them.

I promised myself I wasn’t going to allow it. Now that I knew what it was like to have friends, I would do anything in my power to keep them safe.