Gwen’s POV
I shift for the first time on a full moon might. It’s a week after Stefan’s wolf bit me when I start feeling the tingling sensation all over my body.
It begins with my fingers and toes, spreads to my limbs, and soon, I’m feeling it all over my body.
I’m at the dining table when it happens. Thankfully, I’m not alone.
“I feel weird,” I tell Stefan, who’s sitting at the head of the table to my right.
He must have seen something when he turns to look at me because he instantly grabs my hand in his as if feeling for something. Then he’s coming to his feet, bringing me with him.
“Come,” he tells me, heading towards the back of the house. We go through the back hall and out of the back door near the kitchen.
When we come to the back garden, he tilts his head back, looking at the sky. At the full moon hanging low in the sky, partially hidden by clouds. “It’s a good night to shift for the first time.”
Is it? Nerves are already flooding my stomach.
Stefan looks back at me. His eyes search my face. “Don’t panic, and don’t fight it. It’ll be over before you know it.”
“It won’t be too painful, will it?” I question, seeking assurance from him. Hanna said I should expect pain the first few times.
How painful can your body morphing into a new shape be? Joints popping, fur growing, fangs jutting out of your jaw. Your head changing shape. Fuck, why was I so calm about this? I never considered the important details, did I?
Stefan steps in front of me and lifts his hands, framing my face with them. “There will be some pain, but it won’t last long. It’s okay. I’ll be here with you.”
I look into his eyes, trying to draw as much comfort from them. It won’t last long. That’s what I should focus on. I inhale deeply. “Okay.”
He gives me a gentle smile and leans in to kiss me on the lips. I would have deepened the kiss if my jaws don’t decide to start howling at that moment. I jerk from him and press my hand to my mouth.
“Let me see,” he requests, pushing my hand to the side gently.
I let him, pulling my lips back.
“Your fangs,” he says. “It’s happening.”
“What do I do?”
“Get rid of your clothes first,” he instructs.
Right. I look back consciously towards the house.
Stefan notices and takes my hand again, this time bringing me farther from the house. “We’ll have more privacy at the edge of the forest.”
By the time we get there, there’s fur sprouting out of the back of my fingers, and my sneakers are feeling a little too tight. I get rid of them first before removing my top and my pants. Stefan is getting naked next to me, and a flush covers my entire body as I take him in.
Okay, so not the time to be having a wandering mind.
I suck in a breath as a cramp courses throughout my upper body and something sharp digs into my bottom lip. Everything else happens quickly from there on.
Through the blinding pain, I’m only half aware of my body changing, fur sprouting all over, my nails turning to claws and my spine cracking. Something between a scream and a strangled howl rips through my throat and I find myself closer to the ground than I was a few seconds ago.
Then I take off running.
***
I don’t know for how long I run in my wolf form. But when I stop, I collapse to the ground, curling into myself. The muscle cramps rock my body again as I shift back into my human form.
And then here I am, lying on the forest floor, naked and shivering in the cold night.
Stefan’s black wolf, who has been with me all along, appears in my line of sight, circling around me. Then he’s licking my face, his rough tongue lapping at my skin. It’s like having a puppy all in your face, only it’s an adult male black wolf who looks about six feet long.
He moves from my face and licks down my body, leaving no accessible inch untouched. It’s oddly comforting, and before I know it, I’m feeling more like myself again.
Stefan ends his little ritual by nuzzling his muzzle against my neck, his fur bristling over my skin. With his wolf body nestling so close like this, it doesn’t feel so cold anymore.
I reach my hand up to him, brushing my fingers along the back of his neck. His wolf is so strong, lithe, and so magnificent. Fitting of a man like him.
We stay like that for a while before he shifts back to his human form and scoops me in his arms and carries me back to the mansion.
My fatigued body gives in to sleep before we get there, and I nestle close to him, hoping he’ll be there when I wake up.
***
For the next week, each day passes by in a similar routine. I spend the nights learning how to control my shifting and use my senses as a wolf, and most of the daylight resting.
Hanna was right, it got less painful the more I shifted. By now, there’s only a slight discomfort every time I shift, and it doesn’t feel like someone’s ripping the bones off my body.
Stefan’s care makes everything a hundred times better. Not only is he a great teacher, but he has also been so caring, treating me like the most precious thing ever.
After every night of running, he draws my bath and adds all these herbs that leave me feeling refreshed and tranquil. He also accompanies me for breakfast and dinner. It’s beginning to feel like I’ve known him forever.
And at this point, I can’t bear the thought of a future where he isn’t in my life.
***
“We should go get your stuff,” Stefan says one night as we walk back through the backyard towards the mansion after going out for a run.
We reach the spot where we left our clothes and I grab my dress and pull it on. I’ve found that dresses are the most practical outfits when you intend to get naked and shift forms.
“My stuff?” I question, watching as he pulls on his jeans.
He nods. “I only brought over your car, remember?”
Right.
My stuff. My things that are still at Connor’s. I chew on my bottom lip, trying to determine whether going back for them is worth it. After what happened at the club that night, Connor would not be happy to see me or Stefan.
I shrug dismissively. “There’s no need. It wasn’t a lot of stuff.” Besides, Connor has probably burned all my clothes at this point.
“Are you sure?” Stefan asks.
I nod. “Yeah.”
“You don’t have to be afraid of him, you know. I’ll be there with you. He wouldn’t dare touch you.”
If there was anything I would like to get back from Connor, it would be all the money he stole from me. But I don’t want him to get wind of where I am, or who I’m with.
He might not stand a chance against Stefan and the pack, but I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder every time I’m alone. I know he’s crazy enough to stalk me and look for an opportunity to strike.
“It’s really fine,” I tell Stefan, rubbing my hands on my bare arms as the night chill settles in. “I don’t want to see his stupid face again.”
He places a hand on my waist and steers me towards the back door. “Has he ever tried to reach you?”
Only a thousand times before I blocked his ass. “I blocked him.”
“Good girl,” he says, his palm sliding up and down my side, barely brushing on the underside of my breast on the up. As if he didn’t just do that, he continues, “Let me know if he bothers you again, and I’ll make sure he never so much as thinks about you ever again.”
I know he’s not just being colourful with his words. I’ve learned a lot about not just werewolves, but also bonded males, in the past one week. The latter all thanks to Hanna, who seems to have a lot of information where mating is concerned. If Connor ever tried to get near to me again, Stefan’s instinct would be to tear his head clean off. And he probably would.
I nod, pressing my body close to his as we walk through the back door and into the house.
Those raging sex hormones that used to lead me by the nose before my transitioning seem to have taken a back seat, and I haven’t been mindlessly horny since the first night I shifted. But I’ve quickly realised I don’t need a pussy with a mind of its own to want to be with him.
And it doesn’t help that it’s been more than a week now since we’ve been intimate.
When we get to the kitchen, he lets go of me–way too soon–and branches into the room. I go in after him and take a seat at the island. This is another part of our routine.
After coming from our run, we come straight to the kitchen to eat. I always sit here while he heats up the food and serves us. It doesn’t hurt that he’s usually shirtless while he does so. While I wait, my eyes shamelessly follow his bare back, wishing I could get my hands on it instead.
I’m so distracted by him that I don’t notice Hanna come into the room until I feel a finger under my chin.
“You couldn’t be any more obvious about the drooling,” she quips, and my face heats up instantly.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Hanna?” Stefan calls her out, turning around and placing a steaming bowl of soup before me. My mouth waters instantly at the creamy goodness.
“Here,” Hanna replies, taking a whiff of my soup and making a low sound in her throat. “Going over the details of the bonding ceremony with you two.”
“Can’t we talk about that tomorrow?” Stefan asks as he hands me a spoon.
“That’s what you said yesterday, so no.”
Stefan sticks something in the microwave and takes a seat on the other side of the island, his own bowl of soup in hand. “Alright, make it quick.”
“The moon festival is three weeks away, so we need to get this ceremony out of the way before then.” Hanna looks at me. “The moon festival is when all the other Alphas will gather here to pay allegiance to Stefan.”
I nod.
“We were thinking next weekend,” Hanna says. “You two will go on a hunt together as part of the ceremony. Mari… Sorry. Gwen. How’s getting used to your wolf coming along?”
“She took down a hare tonight,” Stefan provides, his face beaming with pride. “What do you think?”
“Wow,” Hanna beams, nodding. “You’re doing just fine.”
“All thanks to him,” I say, giving Stefan a look. None of this would have been as navigable as it has been without him. I shift my gaze back to Hanna before I can start drooling all over again. “What do we have to hunt?”
“The bigger the better. Think like elk.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
She waves her hand, dismissing my worry. “With a wolf like Stefan’s by your side, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
I chew on my lower lip. “Does every couple do this?”
“Pretty much. It’s customary. And thrilling. You’ll love it.”
“Is next weekend fine with you?” Stefan asks, directing the question to me.
I give a nod. “Yeah.”
He looks at Hanna. “Next weekend it is, then.”
Hanna slips down from her stool. “Got it. Y’all better love a huge party because that’s what I’m gonna make it.”
I don’t doubt that she will.