Awakening the Wild

ELIZA

Change. Change was coming and I didn't know how to handle it.

My life wasn't exactly a fairytale. From the moment I was old enough to remember, it felt like the world around me was made of cracks.

Growing up in a small, chaotic home, I learned to stay out of the way. My parents were always at odds, fighting loud enough to rattle the walls. But long silences were somehow even worse. If there was happiness between them, I couldn't see it.

My safespace became my room. I'd sit for hours, making up stories, pretending to be anywhere else. Despite the mess I'd seen growing up, I was a hopeless romantic at heart.

I failed in love many times. More times than I can remember. I was someone who believed in holding out for the right person, someone who would make me believe in fairy tales again.

Well, I learned the hard way that fairy tales are just that...fairy tales.

But that day at the local park changed everything. My life took a whole new turn and surprised me with things I wasn't ready for.

The park had always been an escape for me to clear my thoughts. The familiar paths stretched out before me as I walked. I took my time, letting the crunch of gravel underfoot and the crisp air calm my nerves. This was my place...the one corner of the world where I could think freely or not think at all.

It was a long stressful day. I spotted an empty bench under a sprawling oak and sat down. The gentle sway of the branches above me made the world feel calmer. I leaned back and exhaled, trying to let my worries wander away.

Then, out of nowhere, a man appeared.

He wasn't just anyone...he was strangely handsome. Tall, maybe 6'4", with a strong build. His black wavy hair was tied back with a leather band, and his face looked like it had been carved with precision.

Handsome didn't even begin to cover it.

I glanced at him as he sat beside me. It was hard for me not to stare but I still tried. He set a sleek black briefcase on his lap and pulled out a piece of paper and then started to write something.

Who even writes on paper anymore?

But then, my thoughts betrayed me as my eyes flicked back to him. I've never seen anyone so...attractive.

I shook my head. Keep it together Ellie.

I just turned 19 a week ago, and he looked like he was in his late 30s. He must've been married. Or engaged. And even if not these two, then he must've had a woman in his life.

I tried to be discreet, but it was impossible not to notice the way he carried himself; the confidence, the jawline, and those crystal blue eyes that practically glowed when the sunlight hit them.

Before I could stop myself, I was staring. Again.

He stopped writing, turned his head, and looked right at me. I couldn't even turn my head away. For a moment, his eyes locked on mine.

My heart stuttered. Busted!

"Do I know you?"

Gosh that voice. How do I respond? Do I say no Sir? Or...

"Eliza..." For a second, I couldn't even remember my own name, "But everyone calls me Ellie."

He nodded and continued writing. I knew it was time for me to leave.

Ellie get up and stop embarrassing yourself.

"And what about you?" those words came out of my mouth without me knowing. His eyes shifted to me. "I...I mean your name."

"Ethan," he replied, setting the paper down on his briefcase.

Ethan. The name rolled in my mind. Something about him felt...different.

ETHAN

I spotted her as soon as I entered the park. I hadn't planned to stop; I needed a quiet place to jot down my thoughts before the pack meeting. But something about her made me pause.

And before I realized it, my feet carried me to her bench.

I sat down, casually placing my briefcase on my lap to start writing, but my focus didn't stay on the page for long.

There was something about her...something distinct.

It wasn't just the way her golden-red hair caught the sunlight, or her dazzling blue eyes that seemed to holdme in place. It was her scent.

Sugar...and chocolate?

The sweetness filled the air around her, awakening my senses. I wasn't sure why it hit me so strongly, but it made me feel grounded and...curious.

I allowed my gaze to drift, taking in more of her. She was soft, with curves that made her presence comforting rather than intimidating.

A quiet thought slipped into my mind before I could stop it: More of her to love.

I blinked. Where the hell did that come from?

Love? It was just an abstract noun to me. It was supposed to be something one could feel, something that kept people together. But to me, it only brought pain.

"Is it still halloween for you?"

"No..." she said confused, "Why?"

"Because you smell sweet." I answered, trying hard not to look at her face, "Like candies..."

"Well, thank you...Ethan." she smiled fixing her hair.

I turned my gaze at her, "That wasn't a compliment, Eliza. You seriously smell like a whole bakery."

That sweet fragrance. That was enough for me to keep sitting on that bench close to her.

"I..." she hesitated, "I'm a baker at the Black Cat Hotel. That explains the sweet candy smell I guess..."

The Black Cat Hotel? Ran by me? How come I never noticed her before? I'd been in and out of the place enough times over the years, and the hotel's staff was hardly forgettable.

She wasn't just pretty; she had her own charm. I wanted to be with her a little longer but the pack meeting was looming, and I couldn't risk being late.

I got up and without saying a word, I started to walk away.

"It was nice meeting you I guess..." her voice followed, making me softly grin.

I stopped in my tracks. I wanted to turn around and look at her one last time but I drifted my thoughts and continued walking.

The hotel only hired shifters. But she seemed human to me. I couldn't sense her animal. Who hired her and why?

As I walked, a thought crossed my mind: Does she know what her bosses are?

ELIZA

What the actual F...!

I couldn't believe myself. I never talked to strangers, especially the handsome ones. You couldn't be too careful these days...I knew that better than anyone. But something about the man...Ethan, felt oddly different.

And did I just tell him where I worked? Do I want to be followed or worse...stalked? What was I thinking?

But who was I kidding. Was he even going to follow me? His actions told me otherwise. And stalking? Bet I was more likely to stalk him because him stalking me felt nothing more than a dream.

Back at the Black Cat Hotel, I tried to focus on my baking, but my mind kept wandering back to Ethan. There was something about him, something that felt impossible to explain.

And burn my cakes if I was wrong, his charm and aura were irresistible. It wasn't just his icy blue eyes or the way he looked at me.

It was more than that.

Was that love at first sight? No. Not again. I couldn't be in love. My past lovers, they all proved to me I wasn't worthy of anyone's love and trust. I shouldn't...

But Ethan...he wasn't like any of them.

As the afternoon stretched on, I found myself stealing glances at the clock, wishing for the workday to end. I didn't know if I'd ever see him but I was impatient to see him again.

"Ellie, did you get yourself in trouble?" Danial, a fellow chef, asked me in a tone just above a whisper.

"What?" I was confused.

"They called for your file," he told me.

My head wandered to every possibility that would get me in trouble. The bosses here were pretty tough and there were no second chances here. I couldn't lose this job.

And then a staff member appeared out of nowhere, "Eliza, Miss Margaret called for you."

I exchanged looks with Danial and took a deep gulp. My heart thudded faster with every step. My stomach curled up to my chest as I knocked on the open door of Margaret's office.

"Eliza, you know that the hotel's 100th Anniversary is in three weeks." she spoke as she wore her glasses, "I want you to stay on top of your schedule for the dessert."

"Yes, Ma'am," I managed to say, "I have a few ideas already. I'll pitch you them tomorrow maybe."

She nodded and gestured to me to leave. That was a close call. I almost thought this was my last day at the hotel.

ETHAN

I sat at my desk, trying to focus on the reports in front of me, but my thoughts kept drifting back to her. A sharp cough made me jump back to reality.

Landon, my second-in-command, stood in the doorway with an eyebrow raised, clearly aware that my mind was elsewhere.

"Alpha," Landon began, "the pack meeting's tonight. The elders are concerned about the recent crimes involving the hotels in the area."

I nodded, though my mind was still half on Eliza. "Landon, can you check on the staff at the Black Cat Hotel? Focus on the kitchen...especially the pastry team."

Landon tilted his head. "The kitchen staff? May I ask why?"

"There's someone I need information on. A chef. Her name's Eliza. Ellie maybe."

"Eliza or Ellie? Do you have her full name, Alpha?"

"All I know is that she works on the confectionery side."

Landon gave a nod, "I'll see what I can find."

Thomas and Margaret were old friends. They owned 50% shares of the Black Cat Hotel. I had known Thomas since college, and while we belonged to different groups, we had always worked well together.

Grabbing my phone, I dialed Thomas.

"Ethan!" Thomas answered.

"Thomas, I need to talk with you. Can we meet tomorrow?"

"Of course. Why don't you stop by for lunch?"

"Perfect. I'll see you at the hotel tomorrow."

As soon as I hung up, Landon returned with a file in hand. "Alpha," he began, "her name is Eliza Angelica Potter. She's nineteen and moved to Luparan about two years ago from Tigrath. She lives alone in a small rented house by the river. Both her parents are deceased, and she has no siblings."

I leaned back in my chair as I absorbed the details. Parents deceased, no siblings, living alone.

"Does the hotel let humans work?"

"Alpha, you know that's against the community rules."

"That's why I was curious about this woman." I spoke, letting out a sigh.

"What's so special about this woman, Ethan?"

"I met her at the park today." I hesitated before answering, choosing my words carefully. "I think she might be my mate."

Landon's eyebrows shot up. "Your mate?"

"Yeah, and I bet she doesn't know what she is," I said, more to myself than to Landon. "I think she doesn't know about shifters. And I'm certain she's a shifter as well because she's working at the hotel but maybe...she hasn't shifted yet."

"But isn't it strange for a shifter to not shift till nineteen?" Landon curiously spoke.

"That's what's worrying me. Maybe she's a human adopted by the Potter family since they had no other children. Or maybe she's been shifting but she isn't aware of it."

I had to help her. She had to know who she was and the truth about where she worked. She had no one else to tell her the truth about the part of the world she was dealing with.

That evening, the pack meeting confirmed what I had feared. A rogue pack of wolves had been causing trouble in the area, and their actions were escalating. Being the Alpha, I wasted no time organizing a group to track and neutralize the threat before it grew out of control.

Later that night, as I lay in bed, my thoughts returned to Eliza. There was something about her scent that had sparked something in me which I hadn't felt in years.

Infact, I ever hadn't felt that before. That scent told me she was my mate. A shifter or not, I knew she was mine.

ELIZA

Something was happening to me and I had no idea what. That morning as I jogged, a strange sensation washed over me. My skin tingled, almost as if it was rippling beneath my clothes. I glanced at my hands and was startled to see my bones shifting, moving as though they were alive.

That never happened before. I was hallucinating.

Panic surged through me, and I bolted toward home. Everything around me blurred as I sprinted faster than I'd ever thought possible...too fast for anyone to notice me. My heart raced in panic as I slammed the door behind me. I leaned against the wall, breathing hard.

What the hell is happening to me?

As I glanced at the time, I realized I was getting late for work. I forced myself into the shower. As the warm water ran through my body, my nerves relaxed and I was able to feel normal again.

Slipping into a lilac short dress, I drove to work. Ethan wasn't even close in my thoughts. All I could think about was what happened at the jog with me. Without wasting a minute, I decided to call Julia, my psychiatrist.

"Will you be able to adjust me in your schedule in the evening?" I asked.

"Of course Ellie. Are you sleepwalking again? "

"Doc I think I'm hallucinating..." I said as I focused on the road, "Like something is shifting inside me. My bones moving...my face changing and stuff."

"Don't worry, you'll be just fine Ellie." She said, "My last appointment is at seven. You can see me after that."

Good. It was hard to get an appointment with her, especially when you call at the last minute. But she was my best friend's Aunt. And I was like a family to her.

I headed straight to the locker as soon as I reached the hotel. I slipped out of my dress and sandals, replacing them with my black-and-white checked trousers and crisp white jacket; the uniform of the hotel's kitchen staff. I pinned my hair up, securing it with a hairnet and hat, and slid on my safety shoes.

It was a weird day.

The morning passed quickly. My focus was on the desert schedule for the 100th Year Anniversary. But something felt off. I experienced what I called "fades"; moments where my focus wavered, my vision blurred, and my body felt like it was out of sync with itself.

By lunchtime, I couldn't take it anymore. All the noise in the kitchen, the heat and people, it was all too much for me today. It felt like my senses became ten times stronger but hard for me to handle.

"I'm stepping outside for a break," I told Danial.

I rushed to the river that ran behind the hotel, opening my jacket buttons. I took a long deep breath trying to calm myself. It was much quieter there. I closed my eyes and focused on the sound of the river.

It was relaxing. I was relaxing.

But then my stomach crunched and a strange burning sensation ran throughout my body. A searing pain overtook my body. I gasped, clutching the bench as my skin seemed to ripple unnaturally.

"What...what's happening to me?" I screamed as I saw the bones in my hands moving. My body felt out of control and it felt like the temperature around me rose to a hundred degrees.

I got up to call for help but my legs betrayed me. I could see someone rushing toward me but my vision wasn't clear.

And then I stopped the struggle.

"Eliza!" was the name I heard before I dropped myself into his arms and Ethan's face was the last thing I remember before I fainted.

But that had to be a part of me hallucinating.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I found myself wrapped in a blanket. I slowly got up and Margeret came rushing to me offering me a glass of water. I could hardly carry the glass with trembling hands, so Margeret helped me drink. I thought I'd drink a sip or two but the glass was empty in a second making me want for more.

But I couldn't ask my boss to offer me more water. They weren't the friendly kind of bosses.

I scanned my surroundings. I was in their office, lying on the sofa.

Oh gosh, this is embarrassing.

There was Margeret, right next to me, and Thomas, who was talking to someone whose back was on me.

"Eliza..." Margaret put her hand on my shoulder and slightly rubbed it, "We've called our family doctor. He's on his way."

I looked at her but it was as if I was on drugs. My vision was still foggy and then it happened again. The burning. The rippling. I leaned back, stretching my body as I screamed, clenching my fists tightly.

"She's shifting," I heard Margret yell.

Shifting? What did she even mean?

But I didn't have the power to think what it meant.

Fear overtook me as tears spilled down my face. I couldn't comprehend what was happening; why my body felt alien, why I couldn't control it. Then, mercifully, the pain subsided, and I slumped.

As soon as my vision cleared, I saw Ethan next to me. So close. He scooped me into his arms as if I weighed nothing, carrying me inside to the common room. I didn't know what was happening.

Why is Ethan here? Who called him? Gosh, I was embarrassed!

As soon as he put me down on the bed, Thomas and Margeret came inside with a man. He was tall, perfectly built, bald and black. "Hello, Eliza," he sat on the chair beside the bed and approached me with a kind smile, "I'm Mason, a doctor."

So he was the family doctor Margeret told me about. I nodded trying to steady myself.

"Can you tell me if this has happened before?" he asked.

"No doc," I told him, "This is the first time it's happening."

He exchanged looks with Ethan and then turned his head back to me, "You're positive nothing like this has happened before?"

I took my time to respond. "Well, there was a time in my early teen years, I started to hallucinate and I would get a fever but it wasn't even close to what happened to me today."

"And did you tell your parents about it?"

That question made me want to scream my lungs out. How could I tell my parents? They were always too busy making my life a living hell. I never had anyone to talk to. I learned to do and manage things on my own. I was never my father's princess and my mother was never my best friend.

I nodded, "No, I..."

"I would like to have a word with your parents, Eliza." Mason didn't let me finish my sentence. Maybe, he saw the hesitation in my words.

Ethan responded before I could even think of what to say. "Mason, her parents passed away."

My gaze shifted to Ethan as my pulse pumped. How does he know?

Mason nodded and then turned his head to me, "I'm guessing you're in your early twenties."

"Kinda..." I responded, "I just turned nineteen."

Without saying another word, Mason got up and went outside, followed by Thomas and Ethan.

My head was wrapped around only one thing: What was Ethan even doing here? Did he know my bosses?

"She's shifting," I could hear Mason say.

And then Ethan's voice cut in, "But why now? Shouldn't this have happened years ago?"

"Her lineage must be unusual," Mason replied. "Or maybe, she suppressed her animal. It's rare for someone to delay their first shift until adulthood. The process is harder on the body when it happens later."

"I didn't know we could control the shifting..." Tomas's voice lined with curiosity.

"She is the first case I've seen as well..." Mason spoke, "She needs rest. This must be very painful for her."

"She can't be alone." Ethan's voice stormed through my ears, "Not when she doesn't know what's happening to her."

"The penthouse suite is free." Thomas responded, "I'll make arrangements for her there."

"Good," Mason agreed. "She needs complete rest. I'll give her something to ease the pain and help her sleep."

Mason returned in the room followed by Ethan and Thomas, making Margeret stand on her feet.

"Is it what we think it is?" Margaret asked, trying to keep it a secret.

Thomas nodded.

Margaret then called for a glass of warm milk for me. I could hardly open my eyes. It was getting hot in the blanket. I slowly got up and pulled it away.

"Eliza," Mason spoke as he sat next to me, "I'll give you something that'll help you with the pain and will help you sleep."

I glanced at Ethan, whose eyes were stuck on me. I could tell he was worried for me.

His identity was still a mystery for me because what was he even doing with my bosses in the first place? I'd never seen him in the hotel before.

Mason mixed something in the milk and asked me to drink it. As soon as I drank it, my body reacted in a different way. I could feel my muscles getting relaxed. The pain was going away. The reaction was ten times faster than a typical pain killer.

And before I knew it, I was almost asleep. The last thing I remembered was Ethan grabbing me in his arms...again.