I CAN BE ALPHA

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The ache returns in full force, and I grab my head once again. I simply want to curl up and sleep. I looked at the doctor, and my father asked if I might stay here tonight so that I could attempt to get some rest. Both agree and leave my room, leaving the door open. I lay down and began to toss and turn in an attempt to get comfortable, but nothing seemed to be working. I finally settle in and feel myself sliding off into sweet oblivion.

I awoke to the sound of conversation in my room. I blinked open my eyes and looked around the room. "Hello," I exclaimed. There was no reaction. I repeat myself once more, and there is perfect quiet.

'Good day, Catherine.' In my head, I hear a dismal echo.

'Whose there?' I asked, nervously.

'I am your wolf,' says the wolf. My name is Skye, and I am overjoyed to finally meet you.'

Skye. Skye is the name of my Wolf. I'm glad I finally have my wolf, but I'm worried about what that entails. Is it time for me to make a change? I have not had the opportunity to complete the obligatory training that everyone must complete before acquiring their wolf.

'Catherine, I know it's scary and I'm not prepared, but I have to change. I need you to go outside right now. It will be easier if you shift with the moon's help. I pledge to support you through the pain and to take as much of it as you allow.'

I stumbled out of bed and onto the floor. The nurse and one of the warriors hurry inside the room. I shouted in anguish when I felt the first crack in one of my bones.

"Come on, let's get her outside." She is starting the shift. Call the Alpha; he'll need to be there for her. Family can help ease the transition." The other warrior rushes in, takes me up, and carries me through the hospital. When we arrive outside, she places me gently on the ground beneath the moon.

As I felt many more of my bones snap, I let out another gut-wrenching scream. When my father and mother come, they each hold one of my hands and begin speaking encouraging words to me. They assured me over and again that I was doing a good job, that they were proud of me, and that my wolf was going to be so beautiful.

For three hours, I screamed in anguish on the ground. I let out another gut-wrenching wail that concluded in a loud growl as it got to the third hour. When I looked around, I realised I had finally shifted and that my anguish was gone.

"She's gorgeous," my mother says quietly.

I went over to the neighbouring brook to check out my reflection. I am entirely white, with grey tints. I stare into the eyes of my wolf while I continue to look in the mirror. She has bright blue eyes with green specks. Aside from the green flecks, her eyes were identical to mine. When we shift, our wolves' eyes are usually black or grey, and it is regarded an uncommon occurrence for our wolves to have the eyes of our human counterparts.

'I am very proud of your daughter,' she says. Through the mind link that I now had, I heard my father's voice. 'Would you like to go on your first wolf run?' My father laughed as I quickly nodded my head. My mother and father both change out of their nightgowns and transform into their wolves. My father's wolf is a little taller than mine and completely black. My mother's wolf is much smaller than my father and myself, and she is entirely grey with black eyes. We bound towards the adjacent woods once they both shifted. Skye is pushing herself ahead, so I let her go back into the depths of my thoughts and give her time to run and feel the breeze in her fur. I'd always heard how liberating it is to run like a wolf, and I assumed those people were exaggerating. That was usually said by new shifters, but I now understand what they meant. I feel liberated, like if nothing is keeping me back. As if I can do anything and everything while in this form.

We packed to return to the crowded hospital where my parents had left their clothes. They take a step back and look at me expectantly. What should I do now? My father detects my hesitation and tells me that all I have to do is imagine myself in human form and let my wolf take over from there. I calm my mind and imagine myself in human form. I hear an audible crack, then I'm on all fours, huffing and staring up at my father. One of the nurses enters and hands me a gown to dress in.

"Catherine, would you like to come back to the house with us or do you want to stay the rest of the night in the hospital?" My mum inquired.

"If it's okay, I'd like to see Oliver...This is a lot to comprehend, and I want to do it before the rest of the pack finds out." My mother nodded and said that was OK. She informed me that Oliver had decided to stay in the packhouse rather than at his parents' house, so I should be able to locate him without disturbing anybody else. I went over to the packhouse and went up to the Beta's suite. Ollie usually slept in the same room whenever he was in the packhouse, so I knew which suite to go to.

I knock on the door, and it doesn't take long for the door to open, revealing my closest friend. "What are you doing here, Catherine?" Is everything okay?' Ollie inquired. He allowed me in when I motioned at the door. My eyes well up with tears as he closes the door.

"I received my wolf today, Ollie...I feel like such an outcast. How am I going to obtain my wolf this early? This was not supposed to happen. We were supposed to shift together...we do everything together." I screamed.

Ollie approaches me and drags me to his bed, where he sits next to me. "Catherine, there is nothing wrong with you. You'll get through it, and I'll be there for you every step of the way." I nodded and lowered my head into his bed. He wrapped his arms around me after I sniffled a few times. I rested in his arms, joyful and pleased, till I fell asleep.