First Of It's Kind

11

(Tayla's POV)

My wolf wasn't going to fight him, and Walker realized that. Even then, I felt like something was a little off. As he walked toward me, the heaviness was greater. I refused to kneel.

"Wolf!" Walker said firmly, as again, like with Logan, I felt the soft push on my body." I'm not asking for submission, I'm here to help."

I suddenly felt myself laughing, and even Walker seemed a little more worried.

"I won't submit to you, Walker Armstrong, son of Orin Armstrong." I heard come out of my mouth, how the hell did I know that?

Walker wasn't calm anymore, but he kept himself composed. Now laying his power out without holding back, that made me fall to my knees. He was now glaring at me.

"Step forth if you're so brave, wolf!" he commanded and I suddenly, felt my whole body freeze for a moment. Then the pain exploded through my body, the same feeling of something that was ripping through my skin, but I actually felt my body change. I heard popping and ripping. I could see my hands changing into paws, I felt my teeth getting longer, and my face becoming longer.

I screamed but it came out in a gurgling sound. I fell to my hands and knees, then fell completely to the floor. After a while, the pain became dull and it was silent. I lay there on the floor for a moment, as I breathed I heard light growls and whines. When I opened my eyes, I was seeing through her eyes.

"Tay! You changed!" shouted Ivy in excitement, jumping up and down. Eva, Ivy, and Walker stood there looking at me. I got to my feet, all four of them. I stumbled a little but walked forward, flexing my muscles, and just feeling my own strength.

"I can't believe it, Maia actually did it!" said Eva in shock, her eyes still following me around.

"Why do you sound so surprised? I mean she's a medical researcher after all," said Ivy. I hadn't known that, I just assumed she was a doctor.

"This has been a challenge for Maia, but it's good to know how bad things can get." said Walker, still looking at me, as I walked around.

I couldn't figure out just why he was so tense, until Maia walked in. All I knew was that my wolf suddenly jumped at Maia, I called on the change and when my body slammed into the wall I was human again.

Walker had slammed into me, sending me flying into the wall. The change was quick but I could feel my wolf still fighting to gain control. My breath was coming in gasps and heavy as I laid in the fetal position. The girls carefully walked over to me, but I put a hand up to stop them.

"Tay, what's wrong?"

"Wait!" I said sternly as my wolf kept fighting inside of me. After a while, the choking feeling was gone and I started to get to a sitting position. Ivy came and covered me with a blanket. I looked over at Maia and Walker.

"I'm so sorry, I have no idea what happened."

"You need to reestablish your connection with your wolf, it's been a few years." said Maia, still looking shocked.

"Are you hurt?" asked Walker. I was sure he didn't care at that moment. I mean, I just attacked his mate. Carefully, I got to my feet and shook my head.

"I'm fine. If you'll excuse me," I said, walked out of the room, and up stairs. As I reached the first few steps, I caught a scent. Realizing that's why. Walker and Logan shared even a small amount of the same scent, but in human form I knew the difference. My damn wolf, however, didn't and attacked who she thought was the competition.

"i***t!" I scolded myself, as I continued up to my room. I grabbed my clothes and headed to the showers. I was alone in there. Thankfully. I let the hot water calm the remaining tension. Once done, I dressed and headed downstairs, where I found Logan with Darcy. After I asked Ruth for my food, and sat down at the table across from Logan. Who looked surprised.

"I heard the change went well."

"It did, but I really wish you would've had the...pair to actually go down with us."

"Pair of what?" asked Darcy innocently. Logan wasn't so happy about my comment.

"I thought you wanted distance?"

I huffed a laugh, just completely cold as I took a bite of my food.

"You know how to play stupid, very well. As a wolf, you should know more than I do. You, watching from the stairs, made me attack Maia. She smelled Walker and confused your scent with his. My damn beast almost ripped her head off!"

"Mommy!" gasped Darcy and ran out of the kitchen to the basement.

"Darcy, she's okay!" I called, but she was already gone. I glared back at Logan, who was still glaring at me too. I got to my feet with my plate and went up to my room, and finished eating there.

(Logan's POV)

Since Tayla told me to stay away, my control has been waning. My wolf is more and more angry, but I understood why things had to be this way. She needed space to finally accept me, now that Brielle wasn't here. I just hoped it wasn't that long. If I had asked to join her, her wolf would've been overwhelmed. I still caused trouble by just watching from a distance.

"You're such a b***h!" my wolf growled at me, nothing I wasn't used to. But he knew if he kept pushing this, we could lose our mate forever.

( Tayla's POV)

The month of September was soon upon us, and up here the cold hit hard. Eva and Ivy were stumped, the uniforms in the forest just disappeared as much as they dug, nothing came up. Even Logan was having a hard time, not that I was actually...you know, paying attention. It had been a couple of weeks of him coming into my room, or even if we were in the same house, he never crossed a word with me.

My pride would say that's how I wanted it, but my wolf and my heart ...hurt at this new coldness. The next hunt, which Walker was holding here at the house, would be in a few days. I was to join them this time, and I was nervous. I've been establishing my connection with my wolf again. I use the mirror. It's a little scary, because I'm flashing between her and me. Any normal person walking in would say I'm possessed. Like Mr. Osborn in Spider-man with goblin.

Apart from that, I was finally seeing Eva getting cozy with someone too. David and she have really been cozying up to each other, until I once saw them really cuddling and just lovey dovy. I'd been in contact with the other girls, and of those four only Cassi seemed to have luck with a mate. They wouldn't tell me who, but from the sounds of it, he had to be way older. Of course, what wolf wasn't older than my girls. It was a bitter sweet feeling. I wanted to be happy for them all, but at the same time, my old view of standing alone was still in place. They were happy. How could I go against what made them happy?

As the day of the hunt drew near, I was making a plan to leave after. I didn't really belong here, and after what I did to Maia, I needed to leave. My girls were happy and safe here, or at least that's what I've been telling myself.

"Penny for your thoughts." I heard behind me. I had been lost in my head while looking out at the lake.

"Nothing much to share honestly." I said, walking along the shore, Walker walked along with me.

"You sure? You seemed very lost in thought these past few days."

"It's the hunt, I really don't want a repeat of what happened with Maia." I said, finally turning to look at him.

As I looked at him, I just couldn't see it. He and Logan were so different.

"Tayla, far be it from me to get involved, but even a blind man can see it. The others have also noticed, and it's getting scary between you and my brother. Not to mention the s****l tension every time one of you walks into the same room as the other."

"Walker, not to be rude, but you really shouldn't...."

"I agree, but he's still my brother. You two need to work out whatever this is, before it ends up destroying one of you."

I glared at him, then away, but he didn't budge. Taking a deep breath, I nodded.

"Fine, I'll see what happens."

"That's all I ask," he finally said and walked away.

I looked back out at the lake, this damn pride was going to be the death of me. The reasons for not accepting Logan sounded so petty, but to me they sounded like good reasons. How do I get past them? How do I finally give Logan a chance? I growled and stumped my foot, like some spoiled brat.

After a while, I walked back to the house, and just stayed in my room the rest of the day.

The day of the hunt, Walker had Ruth and her husband prepare a lot of food for after the hunt. The hunt was starting just before dinner, but we were going out before that.

We headed out at about five, as it got dark, by the time we got deep into the forest, night was already here. I looked up at the sky, the giant orb peaked over the mountain. Her song whispered in my ears, her power was like a blanket over me. Soon the sounds of the change sounded around me, as I called on the change too. The girls and I were done before the guys. As we sat there waiting, I realized something. I yipped at the girls, they looked at me. My nose was in the air, it smelled like chemicals or plastic.

I looked back at Walker. I growled and whined as they finished their changes. Right when the last wolf finished, we could hear foot falls. I looked at Walker, and the same thought crossed his mind. "Scramble !"

Everyone ran in different directions, but not back to the house. I ran further into the forest, and I knew I was being followed. I dodged and jumped from side to side. They were shooting tranquilizers. I could hear them hitting trees or bouncing off boulders. I kept running, until I hit a dead end. I turned as the motorcycles finally caught up with me. I heard the tranque guns reloading. I looked around, the mountain around me was too slick to climb.

"No where to run." I heard the voice. To my horror, I recognized it. He was one of the men that took me to the lab.

His smug face came out of the shadows, as he and another came toward me, guns drawn.

"Coming quietly, I like that," he said with a big smile. I had no intention of going quietly, I let my claws extend, and I jumped up one wall of rock and jumped from side to side until I reached the top. What I didn't count on was the drop on the other side. I tried to catch myself but my claws didn't catch in time. My leg, however, got stuck between two falling boulders. One of my back legs was caught snuggly between two boulders. I tried to pull it out but between the surprise of the drop and my foot catching I was too slow. I felt my leg pop and a sharp pain shot up my leg. I yelped in pain but had to get it out. I pulled and pulled, making the pain worse. The motorcycles were coming closer. I switched back to human, and tried to push the boulders. I was too tired to move the rock. s**t, I was going back to the lab and God knows what they'd do to me.