Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack #1)(15)

Something nudged me, and I turned to look at the wolf beside me. Mira had kept her coloring, a comforting dark brown, with eyes that still looked like her own. She smelled of the sea, salt and sand, along with something uniquely her, and I knew how wolves scented each other so easily now.

Mira rammed her head into my side, just hard enough to get my attention. I opened my mouth to laugh, before remembering that I couldn’t do that as a wolf. I nuzzled her head, trying to convey the overwhelming affection I felt toward her. She’d stuck with me this whole time, and now that we both had our wolves, we’d be set. It didn’t matter what life threw at us, we’d be better, and stronger.

Mira growled playfully and bowled me over. I let her, reveling in my ability to respond so easily to the play attacks. My wolf body was stronger than my human body could ever hope to be, and for once I felt like I could keep up with the full-blooded wolves.

We tussled for a few moments before settling, and I took the time to look around at the rest of the shifters. The glee was palpable, and I couldn’t help but get caught up in it. I felt as if some part of me had been asleep for my whole life, and it’d just been woken up. Of course, I’d heard that from everyone who had gone through the Convergence, but I’d figured they were romanticizing it.

Now I knew they hadn’t been. This was the best I’d ever felt, the most like me. With my half-human blood, I wasn’t sure what it would be like when I shifted, but there was no difference between me and the other wolves. I was even tempted to howl at the moon.

The witches began chanting again, and I felt the shift coming in my bones. It was an odd sensation, like being yanked by a cord right behind my naval. I scrambled to hold onto my wolf form with a soft whimper. I wanted to stay for a bit longer in this sense of belonging.

It didn’t make a difference. No matter how much I wanted it, I couldn’t hold my wolf when the spell was cast by the Sun Witches. It was just as painful turning back human as it had been to shift. Everything burned—my muscles, my bones, my skin. I knew each shift would get easier, but as I settled back into my human form, I almost vomited from the sheer amount of pain running through every inch of me.

“Apologies,” Evanora said. “We would have more time for you to explore your wolf bodies, but the night grows long, and we must move onto the mating ritual.”

I took a few deep breaths, trying to reconcile my human form. It was strange, how foreign it seemed now. I’d spent maybe ten minutes in my wolf body, but now my human body didn’t really feel like mine. I reached down for the blanket that had fallen off me sometime when I’d been shifting and wrapped it back around my naked shoulders.

“You can return to your packs and dress,” Evanora said, spreading her arms wide. She had a serene look on her face, and I let out a breath. I’d gotten through half of the night. Now at least I knew I could shift, and that my wolf form was just as strong as a full-blooded shifter. There was nothing marking me as half-human when I was a wolf. Thank the gods.

But the knot of anxiety in my stomach didn’t ease. This next ritual was the one that would determine my fate.

I dressed slowly, trying to regain my breath. The two forced shifts had really taken it out of me, and after my hike, my body was ready to call it a day. Something felt different, underneath the bone-deep exhaustion. I flexed my fingers, testing the strength inside me. I’d have to try to pick something up or go for a run to be sure, but I was almost positive that I was stronger.

As my gaze traveled up my arm, I realized something else—my bruises were rapidly fading. Where they’d been vividly angry before, now they were hardly smudges. I tilted my arm so the light would catch it better just to be sure. Yep. As I watched, they faded away completely. The remaining aches and pains from the beating I’d received yesterday from Brad and his friends were also gone. I stretched, reveling in the way my body felt. Now I felt like I belonged, and even Dad’s cruel words couldn’t convince me otherwise. I was a shifter, and I had my wolf to prove it.

“Ayla!” Mira was beside me again, bouncing up and down. She’d also dressed, and had the same gleam in her eye as her wolf had. “Can you believe it? We shifted!” She launched into a detailed retelling of what happened, and I huffed out a breath. Typical Mira.

“I almost didn’t even need to be there,” I said to her as she wound down, ending with us shifting back. I made sure to keep my tone light. Mira rolled her eyes at me.

Wesley trotted up to us, grinning like a loon. “Mira giving you the replay?” he asked, and I didn’t miss the way Mira blushed. He gave me a sympathetic smirk before his face softened and he grabbed me in a tight hug. “Your wolf is beautiful, Ayla.”

“Thank you.” I let out a relieved laugh as some of the tension left me. “I didn’t expect it to be white.”

“A rare color, but one considered lucky by the Cancer pack,” Wesley said.

“I could use all the luck I can get for this next part.” I glanced back at Dad and Jackie, but their faces were hard, and they didn’t even give me a small nod. My heart sank at their lack of acknowledgment. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but couldn’t they have been the tiniest bit proud of me? And how could it still hurt so bad when my parents showed me for the hundredth time they didn't care?

Wesley put a hand on my shoulder. “No matter what happens with the mating ritual, you’ll always be my sister, Ayla. I’ll always love you.”