Rejected

Chapter 8

Amber's POV

When I woke up I was shocked to be face to face with a huge gold and dark brown lion, and when I looked down at myself I was at a loss for words, I had paws instead of hands. Granted I was a spotted cat, but I had shifted... and into a cat. I stretched and my new form let out a grunt that turned into a roar towards the end. The sounds that came from my new form were unlike any that I had heard come from the wolves that I grew up around, but they sounded better than the barks and whines from the wolves.

The door to the room opened quickly and in walked the familiar faces that 'welcomed' me when I woke up the first time. I pinned my new cat ears to my head and lowered myself into a position that made it easy to pounce if needed, or at least that's what I think my body was doing... The instincts were sending different signals that I didn't understand yet. The lion turned to the wolves that entered, grumbled, and then shifted back to his human form.

My goodness, he's a giant... He stood about half a foot taller than the Alpha's son, making him about six foot five. His shoulders were built like a linebacker that still had his pads on, his neck thick and strong with dark hair then fell around his shoulders and looked more like a mane than anything else. His skin, dark and smooth as honey with eyes of melted gold.

"Go easy on her; she hasn't gotten a hold on her new form yet. I'll be right back." The lion told the others as he turned to walk out the door as naked as the day he was born. When the lion was gone I became more and more anxious. I didn't know what to do or how to shift back. My thoughts became jumbled as I jumped off the bed and quickly padded over to a corner. I curled up with my new front paws under me and my thick, muscular tail curled around me. Tab came towards me slowly; he held his hands up in surrender and spoke softly, but his calming words fell on deaf ears. I was too busy trying to figure out how to shift back and when I saw him so close I hissed at him. The sound surprised both of us and caused him to jump back and let out a breathy chuckle.

"Okay, you like your space. Got it." He joked then retreated back to his pack mates and father.

"Well... shift back and we'll talk." The Alpha said expectantly. I gave him a quiet cat-like huff and lay down with my head on my paws.

"I don't think she knows how to shift back." One of the boys said.

"Is it the same for cats as it is for wolves?" The Alphas asked as he looked at everyone else. He was answered with a bunch of shrugs and mumbling. "Damn... Where's Kole when you need him?" He asked no one in particular. Tab came up to me again, only this time my full attention was on him. He sat down on the floor in front of me and looked at me. I didn't quite understand, and apparently I wasn't the only one. His father and the other boys looked at him like he had three heads.

"Tab, what are you doing?" one of the boys asked, but Tab didn't answer. He just extended his hand towards me and waited. "Tab?" he whisper yelled. I looked into Tab's eyes, trying to understand what he was doing. Suddenly the exchange I had with the lion came to mind, when he let me imprint his scent into my memory then did the same to me. I slowly lifted my head and leaned forward. Tab smelt like Cedar and manly musk, and his scent tickled my nose and made me sneeze.

"Bless you." Tab said around a chuckle. "Now, are you ready to shift back?" I looked up at him and tilted my head just a little to the right. I've never shifted before this and I don't remember how I did it the first time, plus I've never had anyone explain how it works before. "Just relax, think of yourself on two legs again." I closed my eyes to concentrate. My bones popped as they moved and reshaped themselves to fit my human body. I had watched other kids shift for the first time and expected it to hurt more than it did. I hardly felt anything at all. When it was over I was face down, with my elbows supporting my weight and my knees tucked under my chest. Somewhere in the distance I heard Tab asking Myles to get a blanket to cover me, but my mind was quickly redirected to the heat I was feeling in my burning joints. I let out a groan and put my forehead on the cold tile floor.