Chapter 119

Agonizing screams tore through the air, coming from deep within my chest.

I had never experienced pain like this before.

The pain was relentless, sharp, and unforgiving, a sensation that felt like I was being torn apart from the inside.

With every move I made, it felt like I was being tortured.

I struggled to make sense of the sensations that took over me. I had no idea what was happening.

Amid the chaos and confusion, I could hear Lucas's voice reach my ears, but the words made no sense. It was a bundle of incoherent meanings, almost as if I had gone deaf.

As I felt this sudden shift within me, my perception of reality underwent a profound, severe transformation. My ears rang with a piercing high-pitched tone, drowning out all other sounds. I squinted my eyes, trying to steal myself from the agony.

When that didn't help, I opened my eyes in a panic. My vision shifted dramatically, transforming the world around me into a surreal strange world of vivid colors and intoxicating scents. Every sensation felt heightened.

At the same time, my very being felt different. I felt like I was out of my own skin. It was an unsettling discomfort that hinted at an intense change taking place within me.

My gaze fell upon Lucas, trying to seek comfort, and his expression mirrored whatever I was feeling.

With wide eyes, he stared back at me. His face was a mixture of shock, fear, and confusion. It only worried me more.

Stepping away, he held his hands up in a placating gesture as if he was trying to let me know he wouldn't harm me. His lips were moving quickly, but I couldn't make out what he was trying to say due to the disarray in my mind.

There was only one word that I could understand, and that was the voiceless mouthing of my name: Shana.

I blinked, and suddenly, I understood what had happened. I looked down at myself, seeing nothing but white fur.

In that disorienting moment, the chilling realization pierced through the fog of confusion— I had shifted into a white wolf.

This was not usual for a female of my kind, and due to Lucas's terrified reaction, I was much bigger than expected.

I looked at Lucas again, who still had his hands raised in surrender. I tried to decode the words he was speaking.

You... No— not you.

Your eyes...are...red...

My eyes, once a dark, muddied brown, now burned with an eerie, fiery red glow.

Was that normal? I had no clue.

Something took over me then, perhaps it was my inner wolf as I wrestled to control it. It felt as if my body was plunging me into a more primal state. I could do nothing but obey my wolf.

I wanted to run. It felt like an itch within me I needed to scratch.

Without a second thought, my inner wolf had surged forth, stealing all control from my human self.

It felt so free to run so quickly. I had no idea how fast I was going as I ran around Grandma Jo's backyard.

The trees, grass, and flowers looked as if they were breathing. Everything appeared so much more intense and vibrant in my wolf form.

I spotted my favorite rose bush from across the backyard, and I could smell it as if my nose were inside the petals itself.

How?

My mind was amazed as I kept running around, testing all of my senses.

Through the blur of my movements, I spotted something running in front of me.

It was Lucas.

He stopped before me, his eyes wild and frantic. His mouth opened and I heard a deep growl.

Was he trying to use his Alpha voice on me to stop me from running around?

If he was, it didn't help stop my wild instincts. My wolf remained untamed, unaffected by his attempts.

I dodged him and kept running wildly throughout the garden.

Lucas must've recognized the ineffectiveness of his efforts because he made a sudden momentous decision.

One moment, Lucas was human and in the next second, he was transformed.

A magnificent wolf stood before me.

It was big, a little larger than myself and black in color.

Its eyes were a bright blue, a familiar shade I had seen many times before.

It was then that my brain processed that this wolf was Lucas. I was stunned for a moment, finally seeing him in his true Alpha form.

His eyes radiated a bright blue, reminiscent of the moon hanging in the night sky.

Lucas approached me cautiously, eager to get me to stop. I could sense that I had no control over this situation. I couldn't stop myself from wanting to explore and take in all of my senses.

In Lucas's blue eyes, I not only found understanding, but a deep sense of comfort. Although he couldn't speak to me directly, a part of me was able to tell exactly what he was thinking.

He wanted me to calm myself down.

I didn't know exactly how to do that, but the only thing that felt right was closing my eyes.

Once my eyes were closed, I tried to take deep, calming breaths.

I tried to reconnect with my human self through relaxation, sensation, and emotion.

In one deep breath, I focused on the rhythmic thumping of my heart, the rise and fall of my lungs, the sensation of my feet moving with purpose, and the memory of how my toes and fingers could wiggle.

I thought about everything my human self could feel, allowing the mental images to serve as a lifeline to my wolf self. I hoped that this practice would guide me back to my human form.

Then, as if guided by an innate understanding, it happened— I shifted back.

My human form reemerged, and I stumbled forward, suddenly aware of Lucas's presence.

I fell to the cool grass, my legs feeling heavy and wobbly beneath me.

Lucas had also returned to his human state and was there to comfort me.

"Shana, are you okay?" His arms enveloped me in a protective embrace. His voice sounded strained and breathy as if he had just run a mile.

"Shana?" he asked again when I didn't answer. He was filled with genuine concern, his eyes reflecting the worry etched across his face.

I nodded, still trembling and in shock by the unexplainable events that had just unfolded.

"Oh dear!" I heard a voice shout from the backyard door. Turning my head, I saw Grandma Jo whose face was full of fear and concern. "I'll go get you some clothes, Shana!"

Her tone was frantic as she rushed back inside the house. I wondered if she had seen everything...

But wait, why did she need to get me clothes? I was already wearing...

Glancing down, I finally noticed the state of my clothing— or more like, my lack thereof.

I was almost completely naked. I looked over to Lucas with a blush on my face.

God, this was embarrassing.

I must've shredded all of my clothes during my transformation, leaving me exposed and vulnerable.

"Look away," I told Lucas.

"But I’ve already seen you naked before so it doesn’t really matter—"

"I said look away!"