The next day Doctor Rory removed my stitches and made sure I understood that I was to take it easy until after the lunar festival, once again.
Other than that, the day passed by quietly until it came to an end and the next day greeted us with blue skies and sunshine. Even if the approach of winter was making each day colder than the last.
This was the day Grace and most of the pack members returned home from their mission to the Shallow Waters pack.
Detsy and I were sitting in the living room and entertaining some of the pups so their mothers could have some social time when we both caught Grace's scent at the same time.
Very quickly Detsy convinced Lydia to watch the pups for us as we both raced outside to see nearly 80 werewolves as well as a dirty and tired looking Grace.
Detsy immediately flew into her mates arms and met her with a deep kiss. Although Grace wasn't the only one to be welcome back to the pack house like this as other people realised that there mates had returned home.
Grace finally broke away from Detsy when she realised that her mate had no intention to stop.
"We can continue this after I've had a shower." Grace promised a pouting Detsy. "But right now I smell worse than a warthog in a dung heap."
"What happened?" I asked as Grace started to move to the front door of the pack house.
"There was a pack there, just as you said." Grace said while giving me a warm, but tired smile. "Unfortunately all the males were gone who knows where and it was just the females left with lots of pups. No one has any idea where all the males have gone."
'What the hell?!" I exclaimed.
"That's what we thought." Grace replied. "No one has ever heard of the males of a pack disappearing and leaving all the females behind. Alpha Leyton and Alpha William have both left werewolves behind to stake out the Shallow Rivers pack territory and try and track where the males went. Although both Alpha's agreed to immediately start splitting up the no man's land between the two packs so it will be much harder for the wolves to approach both packs like they did before."
Grace was talking as she walked and only finished when the elevator dropped us off on the top floor.
She wasted no time heading into the bathroom and stripping off for a long overdue shower.
Detsy followed her and before long I heard noises coming out of the bathroom that were not consistent with someone having a shower and were making me incredibly embarrassed.
So I left the mates to it and went back to the pups I was previously entertaining. I didn't see either Detsy or Grace for the rest of the day and just to be safe I slept in the living room.
The next day wolves started to arrive from the Royal pack to help set up for the lunar festival. All up about fifty additional werewolves arrived to help. Needless to say, the pack house was full and some of the guests even slept in the living room as all the beds were full.
"Why is the lunar festival held five days after the full moon and not on it?" I found myself asking Grace as I watched her direct the wolves from the Royal pack.
"Think about it like this." Grace told me without taking her eyes off the stage that was being built. "If we were to hold the festival on the night of the full moon, how would the packs deal with the wolves that have their first shift on that night?"
"Ah." I said in understanding.
"It's five days after the full moon so the packs that have to travel can help the new shifters recover, then they still have enough time to get here." Grace said before her attention snapped back to the construction that was taking place.
So this continued on for a few weeks. Grace, Detsy, Saffron and Derrick were all busy helping set up for the big festival that was going to host the King and Queen themselves and all I was doing was following behind them. I was still on an enforced rest period. Even though I'd fully recovered after a week.
I was called into the Alpha's study the day before the full moon. It had been the first time in nearly a month that someone told me to do something other than rest so I was excited, even if it was only a trip to see Alpha Leyton.
I knocked on the door as best I could. I've been a member of this pack for over two months and I still can't figure out how to knock on doors very well. Wolf paws just aren't made for it.
Luckily for me Alpha Leyton heard me and I heard a gruff "Come in." from inside the study.
I entered and the first thing I noticed is that Alpha Leyton looked tired. Between the stress of the festival six days away and trying to find the rest of the Shallow Waters pack without much success, the Alpha looked like he could use a vacation.
"Ah Eva." Alpha Leyton greeted me as he flashed me a genuine smile. "How are you feeling? I've heard from Doctor Rory that you've made a surprisingly fast and clean recovery."
"I feel perfectly healthy thank you." I replied to him honestly.
"Good." Alpha Leyton said. "Because if you're feeling up to it then I would love your assistance with the first shifters tomorrow night. You seem to have a real gift helping them through the pain."
"Of course I will help." I said with excitement in my voice. I was finally being given something to do. I'd learnt through my last month of inactivity that I was not born to sit around.
"Great. We'll see you in the first time shifters building after dinner tomorrow." Alpha Leyton beamed. Just after that his phone rang and he dismissed me before answering it.
I almost skipped back to the room I was sharing with Grace and Detsy. My tail hitting a few innocent people on my way past as it wagged in happiness.
I open the door to the room and came in with my energy still overflowing.
Grace and Detsy were on the bed and I don't think the couple could get their limbs any more intertwined than they currently were.
"Judging by the happiness pouring off of you, I'm guessing that the Alpha asked you to help tomorrow night?" Detsy asked sleepily from her pillow of Grace's shoulder.
"Yes he did." I yipped in excitement. "I finally get to do something. Although I must ask, how in the world is that position you're in comfortable?"
Both Grace and Detsy had a chuckle before Grace replied. "It just is and who knows, maybe one day you'll have a mate and will experience this for yourself."
I snort at her. "Sure, Sure. You've been saying that since I met you Grace. I still don't believe you. I'm just a wolf which means no mate for me, unless I get really lucky."
"I believe you'll get a mate as well." Detsy interjected in her half asleep state. "You're too adorable not to. But for the moment get your butt up here with us so we can sleep."
I obliged and took my usual spot at their feet. I must admit I was not looking forward to the day Grace and Detsy left the Roaring Hills pack to go back to their royal duties.
The mood in the pack house the next day was just as tense as it was the last time there was a full moon.
Everyone of age to shift was once again on edge. At least this time we didn't have anyone who was guaranteed to shift this evening. Maybe we'll get lucky and no one will shift tonight at all.
Although that thought didn't do much to comfort all the teenagers who were in danger of going through their first, painful shift.
By the time dinner came the mood had intensified even further. By pack law everyone over the age of 11 was not allowed to be alone by 6 pm on the evening of a full moon until they undergo their first shift.
So family and friends had already gathered around anyone that this rule applied to and wouldn't leave them in peace until dawn.
Grace, Detsy, Saffron, Derrick and I all sat at the same table. Derrick was trying to make small talk but everyone else seemed to be lost to their own thoughts. Except Saffron, she just looked plain worn out.
"Are you sure you're going to be ok for tonight?" Derrick gently asked his mate.
"I'll be ok." Saffron replied with a soft smile. "Alpha Leyton has already told me to rest once we get there unless there is an emergency."
Some of the worry left Derrick's eyes, but not all of it as he embraced his mate.
"It's time." Grace announced a little later as I turned to look at the clock to realise that it was 7 pm. Normally first shifts would start after 9 pm but it's not unheard of for them to start a bit earlier.
I followed Grace and Detsy out of the dining hall and through the front door before we turned down the small, but well maintained, path to the small building designated to help first time shifters.
We found Alpha Leyton and Luna May already inside. Everything was already set up as I looked around. A noise came out of the medical supplies room and I realized that Doctor Rory was also already here. Derrick and Saffron joined us a few minutes later.
As we waited Grace began to pace around the room. I could only watch her for a few minutes before I had to say something. "Are you ok Grace?"
"I'm fine, just nervous." Grace replied with a tight smile on her lips when she looked at me before resuming her pacing.
"Don't worry." Detsy told me from where she was sitting beside me. "She always gets like this when waiting for the shifts to start on a full moon."
"How long will we be waiting?" I asked before a yell from outside interrupted me and a young male pup was bought inside. His name was Michael and he was groaning and whimpering in pain as he was gently put on the table by what appeared to be his father. He was only 14 years old.
I got up to go and help but Detsy held me back. "The Alpha and Luna are taking care of Michael." She informed me. "We have to wait in case anyone else comes in that needs our help."
I nodded at her before I sat back on my haunches and waited. An hour went by and Michael was already halfway through his shift, he would be finished long before the night would be over for most others.
Grace's pacing was only getting worse until I decided I'd had enough and got up to go and calm her down.
"Grace are you sure you're ok?" I asked in concern as she paced.
I never heard her reply because as I was walking over to her there was a loud snap as the bone in my left leg suddenly decided to break cleanly apart.
The sudden pain was enormous and to add to that my face hit the floor because my leg couldn't support me anymore.
Grace and Detsy darted over to me the moment they heard the snap, but unfortunately both were too far away to catch me before my head hit the floor.
Grace gently picked me up and put me on one of the shifting tables. The moment my front right leg hit the table there was another loud snap as the bone in that leg broke as well.
I whimpered in pain as my legs broke. I could feel every second of it excruciatingly clearly.
"Eva, I need you to breathe." Grace instructed me. She was now very alert, all traces of her previous nervousness gone.
I tried to do as she said and was just managing to calm my breathing down as something in my front left shoulder snapped. I howled in pain this time.
"What is happening to me." I demanded as I finally found enough mental concentration to send something over the mind link.
Grace and Detsy both looked at each other for a long time before Grace turned back to me.
"You're shifting Eva." Was all Grace said.
"How can I be shifting? I'm a wolf!" I demanded as my back leg broke this time.
"Apparently you're actually a werewolf." Detsy said from where she had gathered everything she needed to help me.
"How?" Was all I managed to get out through the pain as a lot of smaller bones began breaking.
"We're not sure, but you were definitely born as one." Grace told me. "We can do twenty questions later Eva. Right now I want you to focus on matching your breathing with mine."
Trying to follow her breathing worked until my ribs started to break. Not only was that the most painful break yet, but my body was starting to move and rearrange itself. Regardless of how much pain it was causing me.
Over the next hour I could feel every excruciating movement my body made as I looked at the world through my vision of red. From my four legs resetting themselves into arms and legs to the face feeling like it was in some sort of crusher as my snout withdrew into my body.
"You're halfway there and doing well." Detsy said after what felt like days but in reality was just an hour.
At this point I was way beyond being able to communicate or even think clearly. I just wanted to pass out as Detsy tried to cool me down a bit with wet cloths.
Grace was still giving me instructions and I was trying my very best to follow them.
Saffron had been over a few times to offer me support but Grace and Detsy always seemed to send her away so they could have full access to help me.
Half an hour later, not only did my body feel like it had just crawled out of the fiery depths of hell, it didn't feel like my body anymore. Detsy had just informed me that it wouldn't be much longer. Not that I could reply anyway. I just wanted to sleep, but the pain wouldn't let me.
After what felt like another few years I felt my canine teeth retract into my mouth and my body relaxed, apparently done. At least all the pain suddenly faded away like it was never there to begin with.
"Is it finished?" I tried to say while my eyes were firmly closed. But I soon learnt that I no longer had the ability to talk in the language of the wolves as the human face wasn't constructed for it. So I sent it over the mind link instead.
"Almost." Grace and Detsy replied together before Grace continued on. "The physical side is finished. All that remains is for your wolf to awaken, then it's finished."
"Wait, I'm going to have a wolf in my head just like you and Detsy?" I asked in a panic.
"Yes you are." Detsy replied. "But don't worry about it. You're wolf is a part of you just like you are a part of them. Don't think of them as a separate voice in your head."
Detsy didn't get to say anything else as pain exploded in my head. It was the worst headache you could ever feel, but at least it only lasted a few seconds.
As the pain faded I heard a new voice talking to me. "Hi I'm Aurora, your wolf."
"Um hi Aurora, I'm Eva and I'm pretty sure that I'm the wolf and you're the human." I reply.
"Unfortunately for you, I'm actually the wolf. I've been with you since you were born and been through everything you have as well. I just couldn't communicate with you before unless I was desperate." Aurora said
"Wait, so all those times a voice spoke to me in my head, that was you?" I asked.
"Bingo. However we can discuss this at length later. Right now you should open your eyes as Grace and Detsy are worried about you." Aurora informed me.
I focused on what was happening outside of my head and realized that my wolf was right. I groaned and opened my eyes.
My vision didn't seem to have changed much which I was thankful for. Apparently humans had worse vision than wolves.
The first thing I saw was Grace leaning over me with a concerned expression on her face.
Aurora suddenly said a word in my mind that also came out of my lips involuntarily "Mate."
Although neither Grace nor Detsy seemed surprised at my declaration.
I then turned to Detsy in fear that she was going to kill me because my wolf was trying to claim her mate as my own, only to have Aurora declare "Mate." a second time the moment our eyes connected and for a second time, the word also came out of my mouth.
Both Grace and Detsy looked extremely pleased as they bent down and embraced me.