Chapter 5 5

Lyra stood in the woods in the dark of night, the wind gently caressing her face and playing with her hair, she could feel the moon powering her every breath. Law had shown her that forest was a good spot to shift, run and hunt freely without human interruption. Her relationship with the old man had evolved and taken a shift since she met him which was running a little over a month now, one could consider them friends. She got to learn more about him and she shared what she could.

Law was the Beta of the Footloose pack, right there in Middlesex, they tend to lay low around, no frenzy hunting but loved their moon runs and he had invited her to take said runs with the pack but she politely turned him down every single time, she didn't want to get wrapped up in packs and the drama they come with again.

After taking a deep breath, she shook her body in a loosening up manner and tried to shift but yelled in pain and fell to the floor, her claws were out, so were her fangs and she was all furry like a wolf but she couldn't shift. She tried again but her bones hurt so bad as though she was shifting for the first time except they weren't even making the effort to shift. She tried again and again forcing herself when suddenly, her leg snapped, she howled so loudly in pain, it could be heard around most parts of town. She lay there, not being able to move, not healing, not shifting completely, just hurting and crying.

Some twelve minutes later, three hazel werewolves arrived, she was so scared because she wasn't sure they were friendly and she wasn't in any shape to protect herself. The biggest of the wolves looked at her so concerned and walked closer to her, but slowly so as not to pose himself as a threat. She looked into his eyes and saw something familiar, not one she could explain.

"Law?" She asked and then he moved closer to her rubbing his jaw and mane on her neck and face.

He went low and put his face underneath her arms, giving her support to carry herself unto him, when she was balanced on him as best as she he nodded at the other wolves and then ran ahead with both of them following behind.

The werewolves made their way through the night, following routes that Lyra could not believe; tunnels, alleys, places that didn't have any human citing. At some point, she went unconscious and when she came to it in painful screams she saw herself on a table in a Law's sitting room, mostly filled with books and antlers hanging on the walls, she's been here twice with Xanthe and she could never get used to it's countenance. She sees Law and four other people standing around her of whom she only recognizes Law's wife and his short tempered young son, although one of the faces stood out, strangely familiar, the only black person in the room, Aniya. They quickly grab her to prevent her falling off the table but she struggles with them. The pain she felt was like that of having several nails jammed into her bones over and over again especially at the joints.

"What is wrong with her?" Aniya asked, so concerned.

"I'm not sure! We need a shaman to know." Quintessa replied energetically, trying to hold Lyra down.

"She won't stop fighting, we need to sedate her!" Law's first son, Jim, shouted.

The last son quickly opened a drawer, pulled out an injection and handed it to his mother, Quintessa, who administered it to Lyra. The sedative took some seconds to kick in, but it finally did and Lyra stopped her struggle.

Lyra fell into what felt like a deep sleep but she quickly raised her head but she wasn't in Law's sitting room any longer, she was in a field with children running around, playing... she saw her's and Glen's younger selves. She could remember this memory, it was the first time she saw werewolves. She knew her parents were werewolves and that she was one who just hadn't manifested, she knew the pack but she hadn't seen a real werewolf in front of her. The Laurent Struggle was still raging at that time and they were supposed to be indoors but they had sneaked out to go play in the fields. Their excited giggles and out loud laughter was interrupted by a loud roar followed by the sight of a humongously frightening light brown werewolf making its way towards them. She remembered the fear she felt that day, she was so scared she couldn't move, neither could Glen, she saw two werewolves behind it, chasing it, trying to clip it down before it gets to them, but it was strong and did not stop until it was seven feet away from them... and in that little moment before it could reach them, she saw a shadow grab the brown wolf from the side as though it appeared from thin air, ripping out it's throat and tearing off it's skin with its teeth. With its bloody fangs, jaws and claws, the charcoal black werewolf looked at Lyra and Glen and slowly shifted back to her human self using the hide of the wolf she just killed to cover herself.

"Hello, I'm Aniya. You're safe now." She said with an odd bright smile on her face covered in blood and fresh wolf hide.

That was the first time she saw Aniya "Wraith" Peckerwood, Anacostia's non-identical twin. She was everything Anacostia was not, cheerful, friendly, talkative, caring and wild. She shared her family's strength, and light wolf paw that makes her move without being noticed, killing her prey before they even realize they're in danger, hence her wolf name, Wraith.

Lyra sprang off the table she was on. It was morning and the lights pierced her eyes like pepper, there was a loud banging on the door that infuriated her even more. She felt an odd weakness that she couldn't understand, barely able to drop her legs from the table and walk.

"Mom, she's awake!" Law's young son shouted when he saw her trying to stand.

Aniya and Jim ran in to check on her while Greenwood went to check the door.

"Aniya," Lyra called her name in a weak yet suspicious manner.

"Awwwn, you remember me!" Aniya said happily.

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I was enjoying a night out with my husband and in-laws before we heard your howling cry."

"Husband? In-laws?" Lyra was much more confused now.

"This is my husband, Jim. He's Law's eldest son." She said so sweetly. "Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"The pain is still there, just a bit more subtle. But I feel so weak right now, I don't think I can walk."

"Sorry hon, we're still waiting on the Shaman. Hopefully he'll be here soon. Old bugger's been saying that he's coming since last night."

"I wasn't there when you first turned and I've never seen your wolf form. My God, your fur is beautiful." Aniya spoke with a fanatical tone as she tried to touch the fur on Lyra's body. "A real gray wolf."

Lyra sluggishly pulled her arm away from Aniya, she didn't trust her, she found it discomforting that Utah knew where she was and asked Law to watch over her, despite the fact that they now had a relationship... and now she found the coincidence to be a bit baffling that of all the towns and cities in England she had settle in the one Utah's daughter and in-laws lived in.

Lyra's wolf ears stood at alert when she heard Xanthe's voice from outside, he was arguing with Kris, Laws young son. He had come looking for her but Kris was handling the situation senselessly and Xanthe was finding him annoying.

"I said, I'm looking for Lyra. Call your father or let me go fetch him myself."

"And I'm saying, I don't know what a Lyra is."

"Kid, I'm not in a joking mood." He scolded him.

"What did you call me?" Kris growled.

"The hell you doing sounding like a bloody animal!"

Kris angrily pushed Xanthe off the porch, roughly 10 feet away. His face turned hazel and fur began growing out his skin, his fangs and claws emerged and he dove on Xanthe, shifting fully into his werewolf form with his jaws wide open and about to rip out Xanthe's neck.