The Lycan

Lycan

A small crowd came rushing in from the direction of the buildings, among them a worried Sebastian and Matheo.

Sebastian rushed forward and scooped them up into his arms, creating a protective barrier. If he had more energy Jasper might have debated escaping but he was slowly becoming drained and rested his large body into Sebastian, almost knocking them over.

The alpha stood from over the body of the rogue he had not been able to kill. He turned and approached with a soft smile on his rough face. He was tall, taller than any other alpha he's seen. He had light hair and dark eyes that flashed red at the drop of a hat. "So you're their lycan mate I've heard about." Jasper flinched back from the accurate accusation.

"Lycan!?" Sebastian and Matheo exploded.

The alpha chuckled deeply. "I'm surprised you guys didn't figure it out yet. Just hearing about him I figured that's what he is. Although, I sense his human closer to the surface more than you would with a true lycan. I'm Paul."

Sebastian gazed down at his mate in wonder and Liam looked more confused than anything.

"What is a lycan, exactly?"

"A lycan, essentially, is a wolf that is more wolf than human. Their instincts and decisions all come from the wolf. The human is the voice in their head, instead of the other way around." Matheo piped up.

For Jasper it was a little different. Yes, his brother was a true lycan but Jasper was a created lycan. He was more in tune with his wolf, and yes his wolf called the shots, but he was closer to the surface than most lycan like Paul had so keenly observed.

"No wonder he hasn't shifted yet, he doesn't want to."

Jasper stood up at that statement, as a sign of protest. He couldn't shift, he never had himself, without the human side pulling itself all the way forward, which they didn't think would be possible, his wolf had more of the control and he did not feel completely safe yet. There was too much to do.

"I think you're wrong about that one, Liam." Paul clapped his hands together "Let's get him shifted."

---

They had Jasper in the middle of the sparring circle, his mates and Matheo stood just outside of it, trying to give him some space and the alpha stood directly in front of him, looking each other in the eyes.

"Do you want this?" Jasper had to take a moment for his human self to push forward to nod his head.

The alpha mirrored the action, then finally looked Jasper deep in the eyes, he could feel the alpha in his mind pulling and prodding, looking for what? He didn't know. When the alpha finally grasped what he was looking for, his eyes shone red, making Jasper submit "Shift."

With that one word, it started. Jasper collapsed to the ground, his fourth leg being the weak link. Sebastian and Liam held onto each other, watching fearfully through the painful and enduring process. Matheo stood behind them, ready to pull either back if they tried to move closer. 

Unfortunately, when shifting for the first time after a long time willingly, mates should not be close to each other. Their wolves want to sooth them as much as possible, no matter what, and it often results in the shift not working or becoming longer and more excruciating.

At first it sounded off like the cracking of knuckles but quickly escalated to the sound of firecrackers as bones broke and shifted under his skin. It came in waves, first, his appendages, the feeling of his legs breaking. Then came his ribs and guts, he swallowed as bile rose and his stomach dropped, a permanent nausea came forth. Strangled breaths and pants left Jasper's mouth as his snout flattened and his teeth dulled. It ended in a couple deep snorts. His skull reshaped as hair and claws started to recede, the hour long process was finally ending.

Jasper could feel sweat and tears run down his face and body, as he cradled his sore limbs to his center, eyes closed.

Liam's soft voice sounded from the edge of the circle, "Is it over?"

Someone must have answered because soon he felt a tingly hand hover over his light caramel skin. Jasper made no move to show that he even heard them. He felt exhausted and sore, it didn't help that the shift both ripped open some wounds and healed others. If his body was used to the shift it simply would have healed him but his skin was not used to being stretched and shrunk.

Sebastian only let out a small whimper seeing Jasper's exposed body for the first time. Finally looking around, Jasper saw sad and remorseful faces.

"Let's get you to the pack doctor." Sebastian grabbed a blanket from Matheo's outstretched hand and spread it over him. Jasper had survived more and worse injury than this, as obvious by his skin littered in scars, but he knew neither of his mates would be having it.

It felt odd having hands again. His elbows shifted in a gangly way he was not used to. How long has it been since he last shifted? It had to have been more than a year since his last 'checkup'. But that was induced and he was half high off of drugs and tranquilizers to even realize what was happening around him.

Jasper found himself simply staring at his fingernails. His human fingernails. Normally his brain, especially the wolf side, would keep his instincts on high alert, and although the wolf was still in charge Jasper felt he had a lot more control on his side in human form. It also helped that the wolf was forming a bond with its mates already and felt relatively safe being a little off guard around them.

The hand rubbing his back paused as he came out of it, his brain still fuzzy from the shift. He didn't appreciate how close his mates' faces were to his, but bit back his disgruntled feelings as he realized they meant no harm in it.

"Hey honey, are you here now?" Jasper gave a short nod and gripped the fabric of the blanket tighter with his hands, clenching and unclenching.

Sebastian stood behind him and gently lifted Jasper by his armpits, standing him on his feet as he held the blanket closed around his waist. Liam stood soon after and steadied him as Sebastian prepared to carry him.