Easily Breakable

Chapter 26

The pain had miraculously eased. It didn't hurt as much and the pain was more bearable, but it still hurt like hell. Just a watered down hell. I didn't want to open my eyes. I don't know why, but it felt easier to have them closed. I knew that Dani was here, I could hear his soothing and reassuring words, though there wasn't much of a reassurance. 

        After a while, whatever was making me feel better went away and once again, I was screaming at each new break in my bones. The pain was mind blowing. I would've never been able to imagine something like this if I wasn't living it now. It felt like hours and hours of pure torture and I wasn't sure how much more I could take. No wonder there was a chance that I wouldn't survive, but to be honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to at this point.

        At last, the darkness that had been playing at the edge of my vision came in, consuming me from all sides.

Kaleb's P.O.V.

       Her screams and yells were abruptly cut off and I immediately whipped my head around to see that she was no longer moving. "Kathy," I called, though she was still right there by me.

       "She should be okay. You know they usually pass out right before the shift takes place." She was right. I did know that. But that didn't mean that she wasn't… I listened intently and heard her shallow breathing, causing me to let out a soft breath of relief. 

       Suddenly, her unconscious body started jerking and that's when I knew that her wolf was breaking free, just as it had in all the other werewolf shifts I had witnessed, though I had only been able to stand through two, what with all the blood and everything. "Step back, Dani," I cautioned. I had no idea if he's ever seen a wolf transformation before, but he silently  stepped back a few paces.

       This is when the explosion happens. We all look away reflexively and when we turn back, a huge wolf that stood taller than even I did looked down upon us. She was beautiful to say the least. 

       Her big bushy tail was different colors, speckled with brown, gray, and white, with a black tail tip. Her legs were long and lean, already well muscled, but the weird, but cool, part was that each leg was speckled just like her tail, her humongous paws were black. Her eyes were the color of melted caramel. Her body, torso and chest, was plain white all the way up to her head except her ears and snout were the same jet black as her paws.

        She had the most unique werewolf coat that I had ever seen, and I had seen many in my centuries of living, if that's what you want to call it, I guess. We didn't have a chance to examine her long. Her massive head whipped toward us and her lips pulled back over her teeth in a snarl.

       She crouched and slunk over to us, growling fiercely. The rusted chains were still shackled around her ankles, but they still gave her enough room to walk closer to us. 

        My arm shot out and I pushed Kathy behind me and stood in front with a protective stance. I knew that Arianna wouldn't mean to hurt us, but she was still a young werewolf. Her instincts and defensive nature would overpower her logical thinking. 

        Suddenly, she lunged and I braced myself, but it never came. Instead when I braved an open eye, I saw Dani's arm in her mouth while she bit at it savagely. I knew he couldn't feel it, but I also knew that he wouldn't fight against Anna, no matter what she was doing to him in whichever form.

        I walked forward cautiously just as I heard Dani's arm break. His eyes were panicked and I felt the same. Quickly, I reached up and grabbed the tip of her ear between my index and thumb and applied just enough pressure to it so that she yelped slightly and let go of Dani. "Hurry and move," I warned him quietly," then when I saw he was a safe distance away, I swiftly let go and raced back to the other side of the room with vampire speed.

         I knew that pinching that pressure point wouldn't hurt her, but it was enough to piss her off and once she regained composure, that's when all he'll broke loose.

         She jerked and yanked on the chains, her snarling echoing throughout the large underground room. She lunged and pounced, trying to get us but the chains held her down.

        She stopped abruptly and lifted her head, her ears perked, hearing something in the distance with her newfound enhanced sense. I stopped and listened too and that's when I heard it. There was howling in the distance. Her pack was calling to her. Then she threw back her head and howled, which was loud enough with human ears. With my extrasensory hearing, it was just earsplitting torture and on impulse, I threw my hands over my ears, tryong to block out her loud calls. 

         I heard a snap, then two, then three, then four. The chains were breaking. She was yanking and pulling, trying to make her way to the stairwell. Finally, they released her and she ran up into the night. "Anna! Come back," I called after her, but she paid no attention to my voice calling after her.

         

Arianna's P.O.V.

         I felt so much better as I ran through the thick underbrush in the forest. She was calling to me. I didn't know how I knew, but it was definitely her, I could tell. I heard her distinctive howl again and I pushed faster. The speed was exhilarating and I was reminded of the run to the cellar with Kaleb.

         The trees blurred and my giant paws barely touched the ground, making it feel as though I were flying through the forest. I wanted to run forever and relish the freedom that I felt. I felt a thrill that I had never felt before and it was amazing. I never wanted it to end, but I knew it would at some point. For now though, I ran towards her while she called me, bounding through the forest.

       The howling became closer and closer until I got to the point where a strange scent smacked me in the face. I came to an abrupt stop, sniffing the air, trying to figure out the foreign smell. Then, she walked out of the thick underbrush. 

        She was smaller, but she was lithe and beautiful. Each tip of her body was a jet black, like mine, her ears, paws, snout, and tail. The only difference was that the rest of her body was a shocking white and her eyes were the color of a blue sky trying to break through the dawn morning. As many times as I had dreamed seeing her again, I never pictured it like this, but she was still beautiful.

        She walked slowly forward and stopped before me. She tentatively brought her nose closer and inhaled my scent and when she pulled back, her eyes were shining as she looked up at me. 

        Anna. You're so big! I've waited so long for you to come to me. I could feel it when you shifted so I put out the call for you. I'll explain it later but for now… I missed you baby. All this she said through the connection we had as wolves and I looked down at her small frame. 

        I missed you too Mom.