Chapter 4 Kate, My Wolf
Lya's POV
"I'm your wolf, silly. My name is Kate. Are you ready to see what I look like?" The voice in my head was clear now, feminine and strong with a hint of playfulness that felt oddly out of place given the circumstances.
"Y-yes," I managed to respond mentally, still disoriented from the pain that had suddenly vanished.
"Good. Now open your eyes."
I hadn't realized my eyes were closed. When I opened them, I gasped—or tried to. The sound that came out was more of a whine than anything human. Looking down where my hands should have been, I saw paws instead—large, powerful paws with shimmering fur that caught the moonlight in a way that seemed almost magical.
My heart raced as I stumbled forward on four legs, awkwardly at first, toward the edge of the crystal-clear pool beneath the waterfall. I needed to see myself—to see Kate.
When I reached the water's edge and peered into its reflective surface, my heart stopped.
This can't be right.
In the supernatural medical academy, we'd studied extensively about different types of wolves. Alpha wolves were large and commanding, with coloring that typically matched their human hair. Beta wolves were slightly smaller but still powerful, usually with darker, more practical coloring. Gamma wolves were average-sized, and Omega wolves were the smallest.
First shifts typically followed bloodlines. As the daughter of a Beta, I should have been a smaller wolf with coloring that reflected my heritage.
But the creature staring back at me from the water was nothing like what I'd expected.
Kate's fur was a beautiful blue-silver, almost translucent and glowing in the moonlight. Around her neck was a massive black crescent moon marking, stark against the ethereal fur. Her paws and the tip of her tail were pure black as well, creating a striking contrast that seemed to absorb the very moonlight around them.
But what shocked me most was her size. Kate was enormous—easily as large as some Alpha wolves I'd seen. Her body was sleek but powerful, with muscles rippling beneath that otherworldly fur. Her eyes glowed with an intensity I'd never witnessed in any wolf at the academy.
What are we? I asked mentally, unable to tear my gaze away from our reflection. This wasn't a normal wolf, not even for a werewolf. This wasn't anything I'd studied at the academy or seen in any of the textbooks.
I turned my head slightly, watching how the blue-silver fur rippled like water under moonlight, creating an almost halo-like glow around us. The black markings seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, creating a mesmerizing contrast that made my heart race with both fear and awe.
"Kate, what type of wolf are we?" I finally managed to ask, my mental voice trembling.
"A special type," Kate replied, her voice warm in my mind. "You'll learn more as time passes, but know that the Moon Goddess has blessed you and me, Lya."
I stared at our reflection, confused and not knowing what to say. Nothing in my studies had prepared me for this. I'd always been different, always been the outcast, but this—this was beyond anything I could have imagined.
Then reality crashed back in. Airina's funeral. I need to get back.
Panic flooded through me. "We have to go back!" I told Kate, feeling my newfound wolf heart pounding against my ribs.
"Slow down," Kate's voice was calm in my mind. "First, you need to shift back. Focus on your human form. Picture yourself as you normally are."
I tried to follow her instructions, focusing on my human appearance—my copper-brown hair, my blue-green eyes, the freckles across my nose that I'd always hated. It took several attempts, but finally I felt the change begin—bones reshaping with a series of uncomfortable pops, fur receding into skin, my body returning to its human form. The process was faster and less painful than the initial shift, but still uncomfortable enough to make me grit my teeth.
When it was over, I found myself naked and shivering beside the pool, the cool night air raising goosebumps across my skin. Looking around frantically, I spotted a large t-shirt and shorts hanging from a nearby tree branch—men's clothing, much too big for me.
Where did these come from? I wondered, but I wasn't about to question this stroke of luck.
I pulled on the t-shirt, which hung to my mid-thighs like a dress, the fabric soft against my skin but carrying an unfamiliar male scent I couldn't place. I left the shorts—they would have fallen right off my narrow hips. I found a pair of sunglasses on the ground nearby and put them on, grateful for anything to help conceal my identity and the strange glow that sometimes appeared in my eyes.
"Keep wearing the sunglasses for now," Kate advised. "Let the pack think you haven't shifted yet. They can't know about us—about what we look like. Not yet."
I didn't fully understand, but after what I'd just seen in the reflection, I decided to trust Kate. Whatever we were, it wasn't normal, and drawing attention to that fact in a pack that already barely tolerated me seemed unwise.
I hurried back toward the packhouse, my bare feet moving swiftly over the forest floor. I was amazed at how different everything felt now—scents were sharper, colors more vivid, sounds clearer. I could hear the distant murmurs of the funeral gathering, still ongoing despite my absence.
When I reached the Beta family residence, I slipped inside, hoping to make it to my room unnoticed. But as soon as I entered, I saw my mother standing there, her eyes red from crying but now blazing with anger and accusation.
"Where have you been?" Victoria's voice was low and dangerous, her golden hair disheveled from running her hands through it in distress. "How dare you make a scene at Airina's funeral! Have you no shame? Are you so selfish and self-centered that you care about no one but yourself?"
I stood frozen, unable to form words. I could feel Kate stirring restlessly inside me, wanting to protect me, but I kept her at bay. This was my mother—regardless of how she treated me, she was grieving the loss of her daughter. I understood her pain, even if I didn't deserve to be its target.
Before I could respond, Victoria's hand connected with my cheek in a stinging slap that echoed through the empty house. The familiar pain bloomed across my face, a sensation I'd grown accustomed to over the years.
Her grief seemed to transform into rage as she continued, her hands striking me again and again. I felt each impact, the pain sharp and immediate.