Chapter 4 Awakening Instincts

A day later... I remained a human. I at least emerged from a deep, dreamless slumber in my regular, human body.

Pun intended for Ivy, it was the definition of a letdown.

I was thereafter thrust back into my regular schedule, as is customary with my father. Flint specifically stomped my ass across the entire surface of those mushy, black floor mats.

Flint began teaching me defensive techniques today after it became clear that I couldn't hit him with a punch and that he was capable of tossing me around like a ragdoll. I was no better at defensive fighting than offensive combat due to my ongoing inability to understand how to free myself from fundamental binds.

I was lying on the floor, Flint's knee in the back of my lower back, and I inquired, "How is this helping?" "How?"

This man moves like a friggin ninja, for real.

With his knee pin still in place, Flint moaned, "You're holding back, Princess." "Get up."

I murmured, "You make it sound so easy," as I struggled to get free of his massive frame that was choking me. I kicked his leg out from beneath him and was able to roll onto my side after that.

He grumbled, "Better," leapt to his feet, and motioned for me to stand. "Again."

He stiffened up, his spine stiffening and made him appear two inches taller. "Can I please get a fucking br -" I stopped talking.

His hazel-brown irises glistened as pools of gold spilled into them. His pupils then shrank until his eyes were completely black. From my vantage point on the floor, I could see them glaring at the gym entrance door as his fists tightened and his nostrils flared. His not-sweating face developed a pink flush.

I felt a strong internal impulse to be more observant, as if I had been expected to understand the significance of his altered reactions. However, because I saw Flint's response-a callous, soulless, reactionless, and feelingless Flint-I had no idea what was going on.

"Flint?"

His eyes flashed to a brilliant cobalt blue and shone like a ring light as he disregarded me. His lips split, and I swear I heard a deep growl rumble from the back of his throat as the veins and muscles in his wrists and shoulders clenched.

"Flint?"

I turned my head in his way and looked at him. The smallest, most unthreatening female figure caused my eyes to enlarge.

Ivy?

She was holding a number of books close to her chest as she stood in the doorway. At the nape of her neck, her hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, but soft, wayward brown curls framed her face. She awkwardly adjusted her posture and leaned on the door frame, appearing to draw power from it in order to stand.

She gave him a frozen, donut-like stare with her brown eyes that reminded me of my own.

When the blur that had formerly been Flint moved, I was unable to say "what the -".

In the space of one blink, he was next to Ivy. His broad, powerful figure loomed over her petite frame, and he encircled her by placing his palms on either side of the door frame. He took a big breath and bent forward, resting his nose in the crook of her neck. Rather than a startled, agonising "what are you doing!?I observed her enjoying the conversation as I watched the reaction I felt in my gut.

Wait... she... is this enjoyable for?

Ivy's lips parted, her eyelids fluttered shut, and her cheeks flushed pink. Soft, musical chuckles emerged between the seam. She turned her head, tipping her chin up as if she were giving him greater access and encouraging him to continue acting strangely animalistic.

His nose slid up her neck and slipped behind her earlobe as the books dropped from her arms, abandoned in slow motion, and shattered at their feet. His lips moved into words that only she heard as the solid muscles in his shoulders and upper back tensed into angular shapes. She giggled once more before covering her lips with her palm and letting her eyes flash a similar bright blue. Her chin bobbed as if she were replying quietly.

I pushed myself up onto my backside while my palms braced the floor mats that I was all too familiar with. My own lips split at how they moved and spoke as if they were the only ones present, bracing my weight in my hands.

I turned away as my face warmed up from watching at their interplay. I got to my feet by pressing my palms firmly into the exercise mat. I cleared my throat and grabbed my elbows since I didn't know what else to do after running my hands over my jeans.

They wouldn't have noticed if I had said that I had neglected to walk my goldfish.

I became immediately clear that I was a third wheel after a few more huddled murmurs. They didn't notice as I excused myself and slipped past them at the doorway to the closest lavatory. After removing the tape from my knuckles, I grinned at the apparent attraction it had sparked between them before washing my hands at the sink.

Perhaps this is the beginning of Flint developing a heart.

I felt the surge of a headache's light-headed onset as I knelt down to wash my face. My forehead, the area surrounding my eyes, and in between them all felt dull. Rapidly intensifying pulsations in the same location were accompanied by a growing pressure inside my skull that was pulling my eyes forward.

My entire body experienced a flush of heat that seemed like a slight increase in body temperature per second.

I gulped and grabbed my head with both hands, "Oh..."

Both of my legs gave way, and my palms, damp and cold, brushed on my cheeks. My knees immediately began to hurt as they thudded into the chilly, hard floor. My entire body was suddenly radiating heat, and the floor was doing little to help. My bones were now being pierced by hot, stabbing needles as I squeezed my elbows to my knees and tightened my core muscles.

I then had only anguish in that little moment. My entire body was licked and pumped with searing, burning pain that locked my fingers and toes in a spread-out position and shot down my arms and legs into my palms and soles. My ears, which even felt painful and pressed upon as though they were about to burst, were wrenched up from my shoulders.

Every part of my body trembled, spasmed, and writhed as the pain intensified to an agonising level. I tried to scream, but the anguish swallowed my words and made it difficult for me to breathe. My tongue was covered with dryness, and my throat tightened up on itself.

The most agonising ache I'd ever experienced was followed by ear-splitting, stomach-churning noises.

Crack.

My pelvis withdrew and my chest expanded, making my spine seem as though each vertebra had been broken. I backed up and then my head lurched into a sharp point of contact.

my shoes.

my shoes? This is not possible.

Crack.

My elbow, shoulder, knee, and hip joints all dislocated with a gut-wrenching anguish. I watched helplessly as my body moved and behaved on its own. My mind was paralysed and unable to grasp what had transpired as it assaulted itself.

Then, when my head jerked laterally and my chin came into contact with the pointy bone sticking out of my left shoulder, a wave of fear about the unknown licked up the back of my neck.

Crack.

My forearms and shins broke like if they had been struck by imperceptible weapons.

Crack.

My entire body felt as though it had been hammered by a thousand hammers, shattering every bone from the enormous femurs in my thighs to the smallest bones supporting my ears. My body twisted into unusual angles and positions like a contortionist, and the pressure pressed on my flesh like a knife cutting its way out of a plastic bag.

I closed my eyes and wrapped myself in total darkness. The last remaining bones in my body, my ribs, were pushed into oblivion as heat raged through my veins. Every inch of my flesh seemed stretched and peeled off my body as I let out blood-curdling, loud cries from my lips.

My dark eyesight was dotted with white patches.

Nothing followed that.

Silence.

A dull agony swept over me, as if my body couldn't take any more discomfort. My body started to feel empty and hollow. My eyes, which had been constricted, stopped being sore, and I fell to the ground.

I must have passed out from the discomfort since I suddenly dreamed something I hadn't had in days. The wolf returned with paw steps on her broad, white paws. Her electrifying, bright blue eyes were staring at me, and the light captured the wispy movements of her fur. She didn't flee this time instead she just gazed at me with dilated pupils.

Wait... What made me think it was a she?

I heard a voice within my skull say, "You are female." There seems to be an additional 'dumbass' indicated, in my opinion.

Say what? What causes me to hear voices?

The tone and volume of the voice remained consistent.

'Nova.'

I shook my head while clenching my eyes shut. The hammering throbs that sent a feeling of disorientation through me told me that was a poor decision.

This is who. Am I losing my mind?

As I held my breath and awaited the reaction, it started to burn in my lungs.

You have a wolf.

Between my shoulder blades, a knot of stress and tension uncurled and vanished.

Do I have a wolf?

'Yes.'

I'm having wolf thoughts.

'Yes.'

So, do I address you as Wolfie?

In the back of my mind, I snorted.

'No.'

My lips twitched just a little since I had doubts if this was a real dialogue but it felt like one.

Tell me your name.

Her response came to me after a protracted delay.

'Reya.'

Instead of warmth coming from a new friend, I felt as though a part of me had been opened and introduced.

Reya, you are stunning. similar to how I dream.

She gave me a half-snort, half-exhale-sound as she chuffed at me, showing no interest in compliments.

No, Nova, not dreams. Wake.'

My eyelids fluttered like though I had been startled out of a strange dream. As my mind tried to separate reality from my dream, fuzziness covered my eyes like lenses and a whirling sensation engulfed my temples. My uncertainty increased as a strange, foreign energy pulsed through my body. I took a deep breath out and felt electricity tingle through all my senses.

I eventually realised I was lying in a heap on the ground after shifting my movements and a few eye blinks. I laboriously lifted myself halfway up and strained to sweep my hands behind my shoulders, ground them far from my body's sides. I squandered what little energy I still had within of me, and my arms gave way, causing me to fall back to the ground.

I was exhausted, yet my tenacity encouraged me to try again. As I struggled to stand up, I locked my arms and pressed harder against the ground, fighting both exhaustion and gravity.

I caught a glimpse of the same azure blue eyes staring back at me from a nearby window. A long white snout, a grey nose, and all-white fur that reached the tips of her ears were added to those features, though. Her body was covered in flawless, iridescent, snow-white fur, with the exception of a few almond-colored hairs in her ears.

Reya.

She had to be the wolf. In the dream, had she spoken to me?

No... It's not feasible.

My uncertainty was overcome by her perseverance and the angry tone I'd come to identify with her.

'Yes.'

She was there. The voice in my head, which is both unfamiliar and familiar.

My chest felt constricted and crushed as my heart beat rapidly. My pursed lips caused me to puff out my breaths, which then turned shallow as reality set in rather than panic. Reya was in front of me, her chin protruding and her eyes flashing down her nose. A few hot, sharp, panted breaths were released from her wide chest as it widened at the ribs towards me.

I was enthralled by this flawless animal and wanted to gaze at her indefinitely. My lips split apart, dry and cracked. The rest of my body was so feeble, yet I was desperate to speak to her one more. My upper body weight caused my wrists and elbows to tremble, and I eventually lost my balance.

My eyes rolled back with the hard thud, and blackness sucked me beneath.

"Uhh..."

My eyes sprang awake as I noticed the whiteness all around me. Unlike Luis' fur, which was a clear, crystalline white, this white was duller, older-looking, and yellowed where it met the floor. Where a fluorescent light flickered and hummed on the ceiling, white paint began to flake off.

There was only a window along the wall next to me; there was no door. I quickly realised that I was in a room meant for someone who wasn't permitted to interact with the outside world.

Yet why?

Other than not punching Flint, my accomplishments were total ignorance and passing out. I questioned whether I was switching between different nightmares as a result of different coherence states. When I noticed that my limbs were drooping from exhaustion, the thought gave me a tiny bit of relief.

I've been sleeping for a long time, so why am I so tired?

My body ached and hurt more than after my hardest workout in Flint. My head began to ache as my brain tried to make sense of this.

I inhaled slowly and deeply and raised my hand to massage my forehead. Instead, my face was injured by a rough surface. I glanced down at my hands after blinking.

It was them... paws? My wrist motions caused white paws with light grey pads to roll. My light grey dewclaws, which appeared razor-sharp like eagle talons, stretched when I flexed my thumbs.

Am I a dog?

She was still present, standing exactly where she did in my dream, as evidenced by a brief peek back towards the window. Her aqua-blue irises flashed brightly at me around dilated pupils from behind the window, wide with interest.

When I recognised her, my throat tightened and my heart raced.

Reya.

Reality finally sunk in after a few seconds of coordinated, mirrored movements.

Wait... No windows here. Mirror.

The wolf moved with me as my weight changed two steps to the right. She moved to the left as I moved my feet. She followed as I ducked my head down, raising her hindquarters and her big, white tail in the air like a banner. I walked to the mirror on shaky ankles and smacked my nose against the rough surface.

Very elegant.

I couldn't take my eyes off of those stunning azure blue eyes. Like a gas flame, they burnt. Her pupils contracted as the dim overheat lights highlighted them.

I flinched as I raised a paw. The reflection followed suit. I thumped my tail in a strange sort of delight at the response. My back went numb.

How come I have a tail!?

I tried to talk, but all that came out was a whine.

Hearing a change in movement behind me, my ears perked up. I whirled around and blinked at the tiny, white creature that I couldn't believe I hadn't seen earlier.

A goat raised its head and bleated pitifully at me. "Meeeh-eeeh-eeeh."

My nostrils twitched at the scent of hay and fresh, meaty protein.

In my stomach, emptiness roared and gurgled like thunder. My vision became more focused on the tiny creature as my eyes twitched. My body began to heat up as a result of passion and frustration, which also increased my heart rate.

My entire body was overcome with the need to attack and destroy. It pulsed through my body, lighting my cells on fire. My lips automatically curled back as my head dipped between my front paws.

I was famished.

The goat's heartbeat made every hair on that animal stand up, its pupils constrict, and my ears tingle.

My chest rumbled, the muscles at the back of my throat tensed, and a growl came out from between my pursed back lips. My leg muscles twitched in an instant, and I lunged. As I pounced and slacked my jaw, long, sharp claws were pulled from my paws.

A shrill squeal that pierced my ears followed the short, bristling fur that touched my tongue. My tongue was covered in a warm, thick liquid as my canines dug into a warm neck. The metallic taste swelled and began to ooze out of the corners of my lips, awakening yet another primordial craving. to consume. The goat dropped limp in my hold as a bone crushed in between my teeth during a quick snap of my jaws.

My ears flickered as I noticed a small crowd as I ripped into and chewed the warm, sinewy meat to satiate my primordial desire.

Kira's voice mused, "She's farther ahead than we thought, Sir."

I was surrounded by white walls with blood splatters, and I was unable to see past them. But she sounded to me as if she were leaning over and speaking directly to my ear. She was on the opposite side of the mirror, watching me from the direction of the sound.

I assumed I was still inside my father's estate because he was the only "sir" there, so I assumed he was with Kira.

She gave one explanation out of the numerous that escaped me, a hint of wonder creeping into her normally quiet voice: "She burned off the lupron faster than expected. She bled heavily but her wolf is awake."

My father's icy, antiseptic voice reached my ears, even muffled through walls, saying, "She must control herself." He didn't express any emotion in his tone, thus it was impossible to tell whether he liked or disliked this knowledge. I'll call the other Alphas for the next first moon, her transformation confirmation will take place in two nights, and the pack ceremony will take place in two weeks.

Her answer vanished back into a void of nothingness while being concealed by her professional indifference.

Alpha Orion, "Yes."