Break Away (On Hold)

Chapter Twenty-seven

I run all night with the pack. Everything is new; the enhanced sight, the enhanced sound, the new smells, the fast running. I love it all; the wind blowing through my fur, the sunrise that I can see clearly with my wolf sight, and the smell. There's this scent. It smells almost like Bash's cologne, but it's different. More musty. He told me this would happen before I shifted. He also said it was him. Mates can smell each other from a mile away, and Bash is my mate.

The sun inches higher in the sky, and before I know it, the light of the full moon fades away. I begin to shake violently, my form turning back to human. It's not as excruciating as it was before, but I can still feel the pain of shifting back. What I didn't expect was to be completely naked. I lay on the ground in a daze, wondering how I'm going to get out of this situation.

"Here," his low voice reaches my ears from where he stands, his back turned to me.

Bash's hand sticks out behind him, holding what looks like clothes. I sigh in relief, reaching out and snatching them from his outstretched hand. Slipping on the underwear and giant tshirt, I approach him from behind. My fingers find his sun kissed shoulder, and I hesitantly brush my fingers across the skin there, succeeding in getting his attention. He spins around, catching my fingers in his iron grip. I expect him to start kissing me or something, but he crushes me in a bear hug instead.

"How was your first shift, Luna?" Bash whispers in my ear, emphasizing the Luna part. Since I've shifted, I'm now the rightful alpha female to this pack.

"Exhilarating." I whisper back.

I can feel him smile. We stand there, in the middle of the forest holding each other, until the sun is high in the sky. At this point, I think we should get back to the pack house. The other wolves are probably wondering where we are.

"Bash?"

"Hmm?"

"Um... It's getting late."

He loosens his grip on me so that I can look clearly at his face.

"Let's head back then."
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I get back to my room, a little nervous for tonight. It's already around six, and the sun is going down at a rapid pace. Once the moon comes up, there's no telling what could happen.

Deciding a good old fashioned shower is in order, I walk into the bathroom. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I realize that I look... different. My skin has a little glow to it, my hair looks darker, my lips fuller, my eyes bluer and brighter. A side affect of the shift I'm guessing. As I look myself over, something else catches my attention. I examine the mark on my collarbone. It looks like a I got a deep cut and the doctors had to stitch my skin back together. It's just a little scar where my neck meets my shoulder, nothing special, but when I touch it something magical happens. A shock of pure ecstasy flows down to my stomach and curls my toes. I gasp in shock and quickly remove my probing fingers, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks. What the hell was that? Touching it again, the same thing happens. It's like I'm getting marked all over again, without the pain. I didn't know this would happen, but I'm not complaining. It feels great.

Stepping in the shower, I take my time to do my usual routine: Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and shave. By the time I get out, the mirror is totally fogged up. Grabbing the brush, I pull it gently through my wet hair before drying the last bits of water out with a towel. I put lotion on and open the door, goosebumps crawling up my naked body at the sudden rush of cold air.