Luna of the Golden Moon

Shifting

I stumbled through the mansion and finally found a side door that led out to the back. Slowly pulling me over the railing on the huge porch, I fell to the ground and moaned low with my face pushed into the grass; no one heard me as the music from the inside was too loud. Driving me to madness!

I could hear every vibration that echoed through people's mouths as I desperately slapped my hands over my ears to escape it and closed my eyes without it helping.

I tore the dress again, ripped the top off, and turned around to crawl further into the woods. It was the only thing in my head to escape all the noise and screams surrounding my sensitive ears.

Kicking my shoes and pulled myself forward without being able to control the pain that had begun to find its way over my body.

Shrieking at the sound of my back changing position. I panted faster, panicking. I was not ready for this! Not now, not when no one could help me!

I got down on the soft moss, looked up at the sky, and stopped... How grey it was now, just like the Alpha's eyes had been… I screamed again and tore at the skirt that didn't want to come off! Gasping, my arms changed and became more bestial before rolling over on my stomach.

Nobody told me how bad it was to go through the shift—not even the worst stories I had heard were close! I crawled up on all fours, determined to take myself further into the forest. I stopped and sensed someone behind me. Who?!

I turned, frightened, and saw the horror of the giant wolf examining me calmly sitting in the grass. He was bigger than anyone else I had seen, pitch black, and had big yellow eyes that studied me where I writhed in distress in front of him. Caleb.

I stared at him, confused, before I turned away and cried louder from the pain, making anyone around think I was being murdered before it suddenly stopped, and everything became quiet.

I was waiting for it to continue when I heard his voice and shuddered, fearing that I had done something stupid, like going through my first shift at his sister's wedding!

“First shift is horrible; everybody knows that.” Alpha Caleb sounded warmer, unlike before when he was so mean.

I exhaled and opened my eyes; an intense light awaited me as I whined at the unexpectedly strong reaction and looked shocked at my paws.

I watched in horror at everything I could see; everything was much more noticeable, every movement around me was sharp, and I heard the smallest twig that broke off or water drops that fell from the leaves. It was horrible!

“What the hell is happening?!” I yapped at him, remaining calm in his wolf. Big yellow eyes followed me as I dragged myself towards him without being able to help it. I couldn't manage a second without being by his side.

“You know what's going on...” He still sounded peaceful, and I stopped when I almost reached him and lay down flat on my stomach, submitted to him; everything else would be disrespectful.

He was sighing and stood up on all fours. He got even more powerful in my eyes when I lay and saw his beautiful wolf. He looked as impressive in it as he was in human form when I raised my head and stared at him with my gold-green wolf eyes.

I heard a short laughter in my head as he walked the last steps toward me with his heavy paws, and I lay still without moving. I wanted to be with him. My whole body, my entire wolf, screamed to touch and feel him without being able to help it.

“Get up.” His wolf eyes sparkled into mine as I obeyed, shaking my fur coat and splattering the big dark wolf with water before realizing what I had done.

“I'm sorry...” I whined, coming closer when he looked at me, sighing and lost underneath the calm surface. I could not see any facial expressions on his wolf face, but I heard every word and felt every feeling he had right now.

I took the last step forward, caressing his body without even being able to help myself, the intense fear gripping my heart as I was still close to the Alpha that stopped me from leaving his side with his big head, to my relief.

I sat down, turned my head sideways, and thoughtfully peeked at the Alpha wolf beside me; what was happening here? Caleb chuckled, coming closer with his head against mine when I was too shy to stare at him being so close, even as a wolf.

“You are my mate…” his words mixed with longing and a slight bitterness that I could not shake off when he nodded towards the forest. I understood when he started to move forward, and I followed.

He ran much faster than me, but I was lighter, jumping quickly over the forest terrain. I took charge of rocks and trees, jumping around when he was running forward, avoiding the landscape without losing his eyes that were keeping track of me, laughing from the speed and colors and sounds filling my mind; this was amazing!

I enjoyed being out here as if I was finally free with him, and I had waited my whole life for this day! I couldn't be happier seeing Caleb starting to slow down, trotting against a lake further ahead, and stopping there. We were exhausted when I sank by his side.

I had heard stories of wolves being shifted when they met their mate, but I had never thought I would be one of them, especially not him of all the wolves in the world!

“So, this was not what I thought would happen when I woke up this morning.” Caleb's voice was tired but happy when I agreed without saying anything; this was completely crazy!

I was nobody, and I was his cousin… the thought made me mortified; this would never work. It didn't matter if he was my mate; people would not understand, judge us, or judge him as the head Alpha!

I whimpered several times while lying down and thought about how unfair everything was. It felt like fate was playing a terrible prank on us!

“It might be unfair, but you are mine, and I don't intend to let anyone else have you.” His voice was Alpha now, determined and hard, when I sighed and agreed. I knew that, too, but what would we tell our families, the pack!?

“No, we can’t…we can’t.” I started to get up on all fours. I would forget that this had happened, return to my mother, toughen out the least painful part of the party, and go home again. I tried to avoid thinking about what would happen after that.

“Do you think that’s going to solve anything at all? You know you're mine; I know you felt it the second you saw me on the patio.” His amused words pricked me because I knew he was right; no doubt I was his mate, and he was mine.

“I don't know you, and we're cousins, for crying out loud!” I moaned but stopped again and looked at him, still lying on the ground as the big black wolf, amused over me being so upset.

“I don’t care about that; I want you; I can’t help it.” his voice was more profound in my mind, hanging with my head and looking down at myself in the water before me.

The image of a white wolf glancing back at me was cloudy as I lay down again and crawled closer to him without stopping. I could do what my heart wanted: to be with my mate, lick his face, put my head on one of his paws, and close my eyes, feeling happier than I had ever been, no matter how crazy this was.

We lay there for a while, and I just enjoyed being here and feeling his heavy breath next to me. I felt disappointed when he looked at me, and I knew it was time to go back, no matter how much neither of us wanted that.

Caleb was the head Alpha's son and had to go back. His role and responsibility would fall over when his father, my uncle, let him take over.

“I’m not going to let you go.” his voice made me a little happier as he stroked his big head against mine. I let out the enjoyment his touch gave me, even in wolf form, when he chuckled.

We ran until we reached the clearing where I had shifted and looked shyly down at my ruined dress.

This was a disaster! Mother would strangle me, knowing I was walking around naked; she didn't even let me wear shorter skirts at home!

Caleb was snickering at my agony, staring to change back, still having me gawking at how fast he was, the moon goddess! He shifted back to a human in seconds; I had never seen that before since mother didn't shift among humans, and father was more comfortable as a human than a wolf.

I just realized he was naked when my eyes wandered over the broad shoulders dipping down to hard abs and strong v-shape that made me snap my eyes back up, too spooked to see him, naked below his waist down, no matter how much my breathing was uneven and how much my core was beating to my shame.

I had grown up in the city among humans and was less casual with nudity than the rest of the pack!

“Don’t worry, there is time for that....” I choked still in my wolf when he chuckled with his dark, sexy voice and sparkling yellow eyes. He was excited to see my human form naked, and he didn’t even try to hide it, giving me a bold smile that made me forget all about how shy I was seeing a naked man for the first time.

“Hurry up, shift; I’m not leaving you here alone, and I need to get back to Father before he realizes I left.” Caleb sounded so dominating again to my gulp; here goes nothing!

Unlike Caleb, I was slow, and the pain made me whine more than I was proud of to the worry crossing his face like I couldn't see it, writing in agony before finally being naked before him, sitting on my knees in the cool grass, charcoal eyes observing me proudly.

"You did well and look like everything I ever dreamed of...." Caleb's eyes were sparkling, giving me a grin to the blush creeping up my cheeks; I did not even want to hide for a second from the observant staring at me hungry; he was my mate.

“I thought you were thinking I looked awful...” I was speaking, filling the heavy air between us with my soft voice, still longing to get closer and feel him against me, standing further away in the clearing, panting harder from fighting back his wolf from coming closer, same as me!

“The dress was awful, not you...” He said that when I giggled and got up and showed more of my body, I didn't have to have the link to see his eyes widen to see me in profile naked.

I suffocated from the desire in him, which drove him insane, every fiber of his body that commanded him to take me, make me his. I wanted that; every part of me wanted that!

“Not yet, Luna…” I sat down, sighed, and looked at him, strained from saying no, freaking shifting... I didn’t even have a pair of underwear anymore because of it!

I want to see you just as you are, my Luna...” He said the words slowly, the powerful title belonging to the Alpha's female, and he wanted it to be me.

“That is because you are. Do you think imprinting happens to any girl out there to Alpha males? it's in your blood; you are made for this.” He answered my thoughts as I sighed, leaned back on my hands, and smiled stupidly at what he said.

I was no Luna, far from it. He came closer but stopped in front of me, far enough away that we could not touch each other, making it roar inside me again. The pain of being unable to feel him against me drove deeper into my chest, knowing that I just had to look at his stunning body and nothing more standing naked before me.

“You have no choice, and you know it.” He said the words more determinedly now when I nodded. I knew that, too, but it felt strange that I would be accepted as Luna.

Caleb snorted at my thoughts; it did not matter what anyone thought about me being his mate; he did not care. He was an Alpha, and he decided what was right and wrong.

“I'm getting something for you.” He smiled a beautiful white smile that made me breathe a little faster from how good he looked; damn, how difficult it would be to stay away from him.

He came back dressed in the same black suit as before. He stopped further away from me again, laid the garment on the ground in front of him, and backed away like it was dangerous that we were close.

I tried not to get as hurt when he looked at me like he wanted me to forgive him for keeping the distance, even though I already knew why.

I held up the light pink glittering dress, looked at him, and giggled; it was his sisters, thank the moon goddess.... spinning around a lap for his hungry eyes to gawk at me some more when I was kicking the blue rag with my bare feet, making Caleb laugh from my defiance.

I reluctantly put on the horrible white shoes. I still looked a hundred times better if I believed the gawking Alpha standing perfectly still, trying so hard not to give in to his impulses.

“I will die if I can’t touch you soon.” He said the words dully as he looked at me like I was still naked, dressed in his sister's pink dress, as I nodded obediently.

“Go back to your mother. I will find you later.” Caleb's words weren’t even a question; it was a command. I stared at his broad back when he had turned on me and started walking away, and I stood hesitantly to go back inside; this would be a long day.

I finally broke free from where I was and began to move towards the front of the house again; I already felt how he affected me, walking taller. Not only was I obviously drawn to him, but he had already accepted me as his Luna, his mate, and I could feel the bond between us making me smile more.

I was his.