Chapter 75

Cara’s POV

It’s been six years since I felt the presence of my wolf, Lucy. Six long years.

There are so many aspects of having a wolf that I miss, but perhaps the thing I miss most of all is the feeling of transforming.

During the full moon, werewolves shift into wolf form and run free, letting natural instinct take over. It’s an invigorating, unexplainable joy, running through the woods, wind blowing through the fur that covers the body.

In wolf form, everything feels more vibrant. More alive.

The smells are more pungent, tastes sparkle on the tongue like never before, and the eyesight is so keen that a wolf can see a fly floating on a summer breeze even from all the way across a field.

It’s an incredible experience, and one that I miss dearly.

I haven’t shifted since Lucy went away six years ago.

And I still don’t know if she’ll ever come back…

But I can’t worry about myself for too long. Instead, I need to focus on my children. Especially on Mia.

The doctors say that she’s expected to shift for this full moon, but that it’ll be dangerous for her.

Due to her rare medical condition, any shift to wolf form risks her being unable to shift back to human. When her little body shifted into the bright red wolf puppy form not long ago, the doctors worked tirelessly, trying medicine after medicine until she finally shifted back.

They worry that there may come a day where her condition becomes so severe that she will be stuck in wolf form forever, doomed to the life of a feral wolf, unable to tap into her human consciousness.

It’s an unimaginably terrible fate. I intend to do anything I can to stop that from happening to my daughter.

And that starts with managing Mia’s emotions. She’s already started to worry about the full moon.

“Mommy, I’m so nervous. Am I going to turn into a wolf again?” Mia asks me sweetly.

“Yes, my darling, but don’t worry. I will be there with you. I’ll help you through it all.” I assure her.

My brother Eamon is walking by as we discuss this, and he gives a smile to Mia. “All of us in the family will be there to support you, Mia.”

“Thanks Uncle Eamon. Will other kids shift, too?” She asks him, her bright blue eyes shining with wonder.

“Oh, yes. In fact, many of the children in the BloodyMoon Pack House will be shifting for the very first time. We’ll need to make sure that they are well cared for and don’t get into too much trouble,” Eamon replies.

“I can help out,” I say immediately. “I can work some overtime and help supervise the Pack House.”

It’s almost a reflex at this point, my instinct and desire to help the orphaned children of the pack.

“That’s quite alright, sister. We’ve got it covered. You deserve the time off. Stay with Mia instead,” Eamon replies just as quickly, as if he had been anticipating my offer to work.

I spend the days leading up to the full moon making all the preparations I can think of to ease Mia’s worries and help the big night go smoothly. Ethan insists that he wants to spend the night with his Uncle Ryan, who gladly accepts the invitation.

It will just be Mia and I at home, and I have to admit, I’m relieved to only have to manage one of my twin werewolf six-year-olds.

The two of us sit side by side on the couch, looking out the big picture window of the cottage, watching the sun go down.

“Am I going to be okay, Mommy?” Mia asks me sweetly, her nervousness and anxiety coming through clearly in the tone of her voice.

“Yes, you will be okay.” I squeeze her little hand, holding it in my own tightly. I continue to hold on until I feel, then see, little hairs start to sprout on the back of her hand.

Pockets of bright red hair appear all over her body, concentrated at first at her hands, feet, and underarms. Her facial features elongate, taking the elegant shape of the wolf. Soon enough, a cute little red puppy is sitting on the couch next to me.

Mia’s long wet tongue licks me across the cheek affectionately and I laugh heartily at the gesture. I stroke her little ears, petting softly, and a soft sigh escapes Mia’s chest.

Suddenly, she starts panting heavily. I grab a dish of water, thinking it might be her body’s thirst from the energy needed to undergo the shift to wolf form, but she refuses to drink.

Her panting turns to soft whines, and I frown.

This isn’t good at all.

I get Mia to lay down on her side, and I stroke along her ribs and belly, soothing her with my touch. She closes her eyes, and I’m not sure if she’s fallen asleep, or merely doesn’t have the energy to do more.

The sound of howls fills the air, a sign of all the wolves outside surrounding us, racing around the grounds. I can’t help but envy those other wolves a little, but the thought is fleeting. I’m too worried about Mia to spend too much time lamenting my own human state.

I keep stroking her as I dial the Pack DarkWood hospital, trying to get a hold of Mia’s medical team.

But no one answers.

Of course they don’t. They’ve probably all shifted themselves too.

“Shhh… shhh… sleep, my darling….” I whisper into Mia’s ears, hoping to calm her.

We just need to get through the night.

That’s all.

Just get through the night.

I repeat this to myself like a mantra, over and over again as the hours tick on and the wolf howls continue on outside.

By 4am, nearly the end of the night, Mia shows no signs of shifting back to human form. My worries grow with each hour that passes.

When Ethan, in his normal black-haired human form, walks through the door to the cottage, I know that I need to take Mia to the hospital.

He’s so young, far from the age where he can shift, which is also why Alaric didn’t recognize him as his son when they met. But today, I entrusted him to Aidan and Ryan...

“It was so awesome, Mommy! You should’ve seen it! I ran so fast, but I still couldn’t catch up with the wolf forms of Uncle Ryan and Aidan！ I chased so many squirrels and chipmunks—” Ethan chatters away at a rapid pace, so excited he barely pauses between words.

“That’s so wonderful, Ethan! I’m glad you had fun, but I need you to go back to Uncle Ryan’s, please. I’m so sorry, but I have to take Mia to the hospital,” I tell him, sadness apparent in my tone.

I want to keep discussing the night with him. I desperately want to hear all about his wolven adventures, but one look at Mia’s whimpering wolf form and I know that this is an emergency.

My daughter needs medical attention at once.

“It’s okay, Mommy. We can talk later. But…” Ethan suddenly looks very worried. He looks up at me with his green eyes, the spitting image of my own.

“What is it?” I ask him.

“Well… won’t you see that man again? Alaric? Won’t that trouble you?” Ethan says.

I stare at my son, once again shocked by his perceptiveness and intelligence. He knows Alaric’s name. And somehow he also knows that seeing Alaric can be a difficult experience for me.

I kiss him on the top of his head and smile at him reassuringly. “He might be there, yes. But it doesn’t trouble me at all, darling. He means nothing to me.”

Ethan squints his eyes at me, like he’s trying to decide if I’m telling the truth. Like he’s trying to read me.

Suddenly a loud whimper erupts from Mia and I know I’ve run out of time.

I’ve got to get her to the hospital immediately!