I was never going to have children. If AJ was any indication, not only would I have a hard time commanding authority but I'd probably have a coronary before I hit my thirty mark. Of course not every child turned out like a depressed, temperamental teen but I wasn't taking any chances.
"Luce, you gotta stop that," Scar reprimanded me for the third time. Ignoring her, I continued to chew my lip as I paced back in forth on the porch. Occasionally I would stop, look, and listen for any paw steps but nothing. I was racking my brain with all the worst scenarios.
"It's only been two minutes," Laura commented somewhere behind me. I stopped, pivoted on my heel, and stared her down before asking, "What's your point? Minutes add up and soon it will be an hour, two, three, and so on. When do you think it'd be a suitable time for me to panic?" She opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. She sat there like a gaping fish. Two arms wrapped around my shoulders and I was engulfed in a familiar manly smell. It was amazing how just one person could calm me, and change all my emotions with one touch.
"I'm sorry," I muttered guiltily. I hadn't meant to snap at her. I was just so tense. Anything anybody said could set me off.
"It's fine, I understand," Laura replied, throwing my a gentle smile.
"He's fine, I'm sure of it. You know AJ can take care of himself," Scar tried to reassure. I nodded in agreement but it did nothing to ease my mind.
"You're heart is going to run out of beats to take," Mason muttered into my ear, referring to my abnormally rapid heart rate. I turned around so my head pressed against his warm chest. My mouth opened to reply when the sound of snapping twigs and low growling caught my attention. I turned to the right and saw AJ's chocolate brown wolf emerge from the trees. Removing myself from Mason's grasp, I raced off the porch to him. But I immediately stopped as a thought popped into my head. What if it wasn't AJ? What if I was considered a threat? What if his wolf had taken over and attempted to end my life?
"He won't harm you. He is fully aware of who you are. It's AJ, just in a different form," Mason reassured me from behind. I was still skeptical so I stayed where I was, a few feet away from his piercing blue eyes. He was rather beautiful and very alluring.
"Can he turn back... uhh—into human form?" I asked aloud, still watching him.
"Yeah, he just needs to imagine his human self and connect to it," Laura answered. AJ's wolf tilted his head to the side as if in thought. He stood still for a moment, probably attempting to do what Laura suggested.
"I don't think it's working," I mumbled, worried slightly. AJ's wolf growled in what seemed frustration before sitting back and lowering its head.
"What if he's stuck like this," I gasped in panic.
"That's not how it works. He will eventually have to shift," Mason told me, walking up beside me. It was quiet for a moment as we all waited. I was practically on my toes.
"Good news is if he never changes back we'll have a guard dog," Scar joked, laughing to herself. I couldn't even bring myself to smile, although it was a little funny.
"And I can even buy a Frisbee. I've always wanted to play fetch," She cackled behind us. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I was greatly thankful for her trying to ease the tension. AJ on the other hand was not. He stood back on all fours before baring his teeth at Scar and growling lowly.
"Wow, he's even more temperamental than before," Scar scoffed.
"Don't piss him off. We don't know what he'll do," I scolded her reckless talk. Suddenly, bones cracking and shifting sounded as AJ's fur turned to skin until he was full on naked before us. I shrieked in disgust before turning my head into Mason's shoulder. Oh, the horror.
