After Your Rejection

Chapter 10 The First Shift

Alexis

I couldn't play any longer. I was pretty sure I was about to shift. My body hurt, and the pain worsened with every passing minute. Axel helped me to stand up and is now carrying me bridal style to the yard behind the pack house. He also mind-linked Mum and Dad. I see Mum rushing down the stairs through the French windows in the stairwell. Dad is barking orders for everyone to clear the garden, so I can shift without the prying eyes of every pack member. Bri, Damian and Finn are running with us. Alpha Sebastian had to stay in the pack house because I couldn't see him anywhere. Maybe he wanted to give us privacy. I'm not going to lie, being with him and playing Dare or Dare with him feels good. Too good. He was fun, and apparently, he wanted to win, too, given how he put effort into every dare and did his best.

We are almost in the middle of the garden when suddenly a strong pain shot through my back. I cry out loudly and Axel lay me on the ground while whispering to me words of encouragement. My Mum is with me now and is telling me not to fight it and let the wolf in me out, let her take control. I'm in so much pain I can hardly hear her. Bri is rubbing my back. Dad and the guys turned their backs to us, giving me privacy and waiting for me to fully shift, so we could all run together for the first time.

'Mum, it hurts so much. Let it stop!' I whined with tears in my eyes. I've heard how much the first shift hurts, but I've never imagined it to be this much.

'You are doing great, my princess. You are strong, I know you can do it. Let your wolf take control. Don't fight it.' Dad is encouraging me with his back still turned to me.

'Easier said than done.' I bark at him and regret it instantly. I know they are all trying to help me.

'I didn't know you'd shift so soon after midnight. Usually, it takes some time. It seems your wolf is eager to make an appearance.' Mum comments. I know, it's strange. Suddenly, my bones break and rearrange themselves. My muscles stretch, my nails elongate and fur starts to cover my body. I'm half-shifted now, and the pain is even worse. My clothes are stretched to their limits and some parts of them are torn. The pain is unbearable, and I want to just die and be done with it.

'I can't take it any longer.' I say in between my attempts for deep breaths. Tears are running down my cheeks like waterfalls.

'Stop whining, you little baby. We all went through it and did you hear any of us b*tching about it? No!' Damian is his clearly encouraging self. That's it, he will pay for treating me like sh*t. In a second, I'm fully shifted, and I find myself lunging at Damian. Wow, I didn't see that coming. Maybe my wolf has enough of Damian, too. We manage to tackle him to the ground. I am standing above him on all my four paws, my teeth barred and a furious growl escapes my mouth. Based on the intensity and the sound of my growl, we are a bad*ss.

'Nice to finally meet you, little wolf.' Damian smirks at me. That's when it hit me what he was after. He was provoking me so he could trigger my shift and help me with my suffering. Sometimes, anger is the best catalyst. My wolf licks his face to express our gratitude to him. Or to annoy him.

'Ew, gross Alexis. Your breath stinks. Did you already eat some dead animal or what?' Damian tries to get rid of us.

'You are gorgeous, princess.' I turn to face my Dad, who is looking at me with pride in his eyes. I look at my paw and my chest, so I can see my color. I'm curious. I'm assuming my color is brown, based on the color of my hair. Maybe dark brown, since I'm the Alpha's daughter. The higher the rank of the wolf, the darker the color.

'Dark brown, almost black.' Dad understood my movements and told me what I wanted to know. He then runs his hand through my fur. Both Axel and Mum hug.

'I love you so much, my precious girl. You were doing really great.' Mum lays her head on my back and tells me.

'Okay, let's run together. Let the whole pack know my daughter shifted.' Dad commands. They all take off their clothes and shift. There are four black beasts in front of me. Dad's, Axel's, Damian's and Finn's. Bri has a shaded yellow wolf while my Mum has a dark red wolf. Dad lets out a powerful howl, and we all join him. Throughout the whole pack, the howls can be heard. It's like they are all greeting me. Axel and Damian take off to the forest and I follow close behind with Bri running by my side. Finn soon joins the guys in the front and I can see my parents running behind us. Soon, a few of the warriors I'm training with join our group, as well as Alpha Darius and Alpha Flynn. Only Alpha Sebastian is missing, which is bothering me for some unknown reason. Why isn't he here with us? I know other Alphas aren't here, either, but it's different with him. He is kind of part of our family.

The tradition says the children of the Alpha have to run along the whole perimeter of the pack after their first shift. It feels so good to be surrounded by my family and friends while running in my wolf form. I'm glad they are all here and are accompanying me during this unforgettable experience. I'm really happy these people are in my life. I feel loved and protected.

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After encircling the entire perimeter of the pack, the adults and the warriors left, leaving us playing for a while. My wolf is strong and fast. I like this new form a lot. She is also playful, which is great.

Damian tackled me from behind, returning my previous attempts to fight him. Axel then threw him off of me and they both started to spar for fun. Finn just rolled his eyes, which was f*cking hilarious in his wolf form. Once we are all tired, we go back to the pack house.