Gray Valley

t w e l v e

I WAS ALONE. Although I was not tied up, I was locked in the room with no one to keep me company.

The pain in my skull had stopped, but the memories were somehow more agonising. What I saw, proved that I was a Werewolf and also that I was an orphan. Neither my father, nor my mother had any siblings and so my only family remaining was West. Nice brother, he was. Kidnapping his sister and locking her up.

But then more agony came. It wasn't in my head, though. My knees began to burn and forearms stung. I froze, more shocked then affected by the pain. A large crack echoed throughout the room and pain exploded in my joints, weakening my stance. I sunk down to my knees, screaming in agony. My heart raced and my blood burnt like fire in my veins.

"LUNA!" I yelled. "LUNA, SAVE ME!" The door swung open and several people bombarded in at once. One grabbed my hand and checked my pulse.

"It's happening," he stated. I glanced down at my wrist and found a dark-skinned hand gripping it tightly. Some far away part of me recognised him. He was his friend, Martyn.

"Where's Liam?" I winced. I didn't know why, but I needed him to be with me. "I need... my Liam."

"What's happening?" another voice, vaguely familiar, asked. Bryan Mitchell, the back of my mind told me.

"She's shifting," Martyn answered, releasing my arm from his grip.

"But, how?"

"Liam," I groaned, my spine cracking. "Where's my Liam?"

"That's how," he muttered. "Will must've strengthened her bond or something."

"Alpha is going to kill him when he finds out."

"Who am I going to kill?" a new voice demanded. I didn't even need to try to recognise who it belonged to. West Grayson. "What did you morons do to her?"

"She's shifting," Martyn explained. "Her bones have just started to-"

"How did this happen?" His voice was increasing in pitch, as he gradually lost his temper with them.

"It wasn't us!" Bryan exclaimed, a little too quickly.

"THEN WHO WAS IT?"

"Me."

The voice was calm and composed, contrasting West's outraged tone. He only said one word, but it was enough for the pain to evaporate, many times faster than it had arrived and I felt my heart return to its normal pace.

"Liam," I breathed.

He ignored West entirely and kneeled beside me, slipping his hand into mine. My eyes locked with his and I could almost talk to him without words.

"You'll be alright, Lyn."

The pain practically vanished, as I began to lose myself in the endless storm in his eyes.

"Do you know what's happening?" he whispered.

"I'm shifting?" My reply came out as a question rather than a statement. It was what Martyn had said repeatedly, but I wasn't sure of what it meant.

"Yes, Lyn. You're shifting... Shifting into a wolf, for the first time. Usually for a Gray Wolf, it first happens around 12 or so but since your wolf has been suppressed... It's resurfacing soon after the bond was recreated."

"But it's not full moon..."

"Full moon has nothing to do with it," Martyn explained. "At least not for Gray Wolves. However, Brown Wolves are a different story. They-"

A sharp crack of pain attacked my joints and I screamed.

"It's only the first time that hurts," Liam assured me. "If you pass this... There's nothing better than being a Gray Wolf. You get insane speed, enhanced hearing, a strong sense of smell and tracking qualities along with it."

I opened my mouth to reply but found that I couldn't speak. A quiet whine fell from my lips and I felt a tear slide down my cheek.

"You've already started changing internally," he told me. "You won't be able to talk until you shift back." He ran his other hand through my hair and smiled sadly. "Look at me," he murmured. "You're going to get through this, Lyn... No matter what."

I focused on him; only him.

Soon enough, the rest of the world seemed to fade away and all I could feel was his presence. Every cell and vein in my body ached for him... For his presence to be forever.

"I love you, Weslyn."

"I love you, too, Liam."

My voice was no longer a sound but rather, an echo in my head. I didn't even need to see my silvery-gray fur to realise that I had already shifted.

I had shifted into a Gray Wolf.