Chapter 19 - Change

-Zayne's POV-

It hurt, so much. Even the torture I had been through with my former pack was nothing compared to the burning agony I was being put through now. At first, I didn't know what was happening to me and judging by how the rest of the pack huddled into the room, they didn't have a clue either.

My wolf was strangely silent, as if he didn't care that I was in pain. It wasn't until the bones started to break that my wolf spoke to me in soft, cooing tones. "Its alright Zayne, stop fighting it, we're fine."

I whimpered, flinching and unintentionally digging my claws into Marcus' skin but the man didn't so much as flinch. In fact, my pained cries seemed to do more harm to him and the others than my claws digging into his leg.

Everyone instantly started to coo, whispering muttered reassurances that I was okay, that I needed to relax and everything would be fine. But I was still panicking, especially because I still didn't know what was happening.

That is until the second bone snapped like a dry branch, making me spasm in pain. An apprehensive and shocked look slid over Marcus' face before he glanced at the others and whispered the words that made my heart race in my chest, panic overwhelming my brain at the dreaded words.

"He's shifting..."

Shifting.

No! No, no, no I couldn't, the Alpha! Surely he'll kill me once he finds out, and he will! Somehow he found out where I was and sent the Beta after me and if the Beta could find me, surely the others of the pack could and they'd finish the job this time.

I whimpered, trying to leap of the couch and hide but I was scooped up by gentle hands as they held me against a wide chest, fingers soothingly sifted through my fur while a string of panicked yelps slipped from my muzzle.

"Shh Zayne, its alright to shift. Its only going to hurt more if you tense and fight the change pup." Marcus hushed, soothing some of my fears. I whined pathetically as I buried my muzzle against his neck, yelping when another surge of pain shot through me.

"Its not okay...HE will know and HE will kill me for disobeying his command!" I cried in his mind, feeling him tense underneath me and a low snarl rumble through his chest as he straightened up.

Marcus voice was steady, the anger underneath barely hidden. "Do you mean to say that your former Alpha forbade you to shift? You haven't shifted at all since you were a kid?" I shook in his arms before gritting out a pained "Yes!" when my hip snapped.

Gods, the pain...someone, please, make it stop!

"No wonder why he's in so much pain." The girl, Alice commented softly as she pressed herself against her mate Logan. "If he hasn't changed for so long, the change will be extremely painful. His human body was that of a child last time but he's an adult now..."

She paused, the silence heavy in the air, as everyone grew silent, waiting for her to finish her sentence. Alice sighed heavily before whispering, "His bones need to grow to adulthood. Judging from how he's reacting, he's going to be in pain for several hours."

HOURS???

I whimpered my complaint, snuggling closer to Marcus and sighing as the pain lessened a tiny bit. My wolf was urging me to get even closer to Marcus, that we needed the bigger wolf as close as possible.

But why?

"Mate." My wolf whispered before yipping happily. "He's our mate!" I could feel the joy and excitement rushing through my body, dissolving any anxiety and fear that crossed its way as I realized why it felt so good to be in Marcus' arms, why I always felt this pull and why it was only him I could trust blindly.

His skin against my fur dulled the pain a bit, especially as my wolf reached out to Marcus' wolf for the first time, stunning the gentle giant into silence before a happy grin slipped on his handsome features.

"I'm going to lay him down in my room, get him comfortable and somewhere quiet." Marcus stated before I felt myself being lifted in his arms, my tail swishing slightly with every step he took.

"Make sure you close the curtains, I'm sure his eyes are going to be sensitive during the change." Alice advice was accepted with a nod before we left the rest of the wolves in the living room.

My ears quivered as he brought me to one of the rooms I've never been before, nose twitching as he opened the door. His scent was heavy and curled all around me before he slowly laid me on his bed, a pained look in his brown eyes as another bone snapped.

"It's going to take a while for you to shift, but...do you trust me Zayne?" He quietly asked as he sat down on the bed, gently brushing over my fur. I panted before nodding, knowing that if there was one person I could trust, it would always be Marcus.

He nodded and shifted on the spot before hopping on the bed and curling around me so my head laid comfortably on his hip while his head gently rested on my back. " I need you to close your eyes and focus on our connection."

Following the gentle command, I closed my eyes while panting, feeling the pain starting to get worse as a burning sensation took over my limbs, thousands of pins and needles pricking into my skin while my bones seemed to be on fire.

"It hurts!"

Marcus whimpered along with me as his tongue lapped over my head soothingly. "I know it does Zayne but try to focus. Now, I need you to allow my wolf and I completely in your head, while I'll do the same for you. No secrets, no lies, nothing of that between us...okay?"

When I nodded meekly, I got another lick before I felt a squirmy sensation in the back of my head. At first I felt scared and wanted to hide further in my head but realized this was just Marcus trying to fully connect.

As soon as I lowered my walls, I felt the presence of Marcus wolf, yipping happily as it nudged both my mind and my wolf's before they curled up together. A warm and safe sensation overwhelmed me as Marcus' mind connected completely with my own.

"How do you feel?" The question made me realize that the pain was pushed to the back of my mind, still present but not as overwhelming as before. Obviously I didn't need to tell him that; he could feel it through our connection.

He nodded and huffed before grooming my fur. "My wolf and I are channeling most of the pain away. Try to sleep pup, you'll be shifted as soon as you wake up."

The combination of his soothing scent and the warmth he provided made me wriggle a bit closer to him before I allowed my mind to drift of, knowing that Marcus was keeping me safe and that I hardly felt a thing from the previous pain.

------

I don't know how long I was asleep for but my mind felt hazy as I slowly woke up. My eyes were still closed as I basked in the warmth that surrounded me. I yawned tiredly and slowly opened my eyes, blinking a few times to blink the sleep away before I frowned.

Why is it so dark in here?

Looking around, I could vaguely see the outlines of the room, though I did flinch when I craned my head to look around. My whole body felt extremely sore, almost as if I had been beaten to a pulp again and again.

The sound of deep breathing made me frown before I tried to lift my head out of the pillow, frowning at the lack of strength and the overall shakiness of my body. But when I went to place my paws underneath me to push me up, I had to swallow back a yelp as saw an arm coming closer, even if I could distinctly feel a pair of arms around my body.

I blinked in the darkness, trying to control my body before I realized that the furless arm was in fact my own. My mind couldn't really process this; it has been so long since I shifted that I hardly had any control on my limbs. I mean, I couldn't even curl my fingers!

Frowning slightly, I gritted my teeth as I tried to push myself up a little before turning my body to the side. Instantly I felt the arm around my chest tighten, pulling me back against a warm, muscular and bare surface.

I huffed; feeling a ticklish sensation on my forehead before I realized it was the human version of fur and blew my hair out of my face. My muscles twitched and cried in protest as I wriggled and grumbled, trying to turn around before I sighed happily when I managed to twist myself around in Marcus' arms.

He was still asleep, a slight frown on his face before his arm coiled further around me, pulling me flush against him in a way that made my cheeks heat up as I realized that we both were naked on the bed. I was expecting him to wake up any moment but instead he continued to sleep, puffing out soft breaths that rushed over my face.

"Wake him up..." My wolf yipped from where it was still happily snuggled with Marcus' wolf, completely sprawled out over the bigger wolf as its tail wagged like crazy. I licked my lips, wanting to speak but frowned as I only managed a slight croak, my cheeks heating up once more.

I never learned how to speak!

Okay, I couldn't speak out loud, but that didn't mean I couldn't connect to him mentally. Searching for the connection, I tired to nudge Marcus awake. "Marcus? Wake up." The man huffed slightly, his frown deepening before I let a bit of my wolf take over and licked his nose.

He woke up with a start, blinking wildly before his eyes settled on me. They widened considerably as I squirmed slightly before managing to give a soft yip. Marcus chuckled and shook his head before tugging me closer.

"Ah pup,...my little Omega..." He nuzzled my cheek, succeeding in heating my cheeks again while my lips twitched slightly. He must've noticed my silence as he gently squeezed me closer and placed a reassuring kiss on my forehead that set my cheeks aflame.

"Don't worry about speaking, I'll be happy to teach you my pup. Its still night though, so try and sleep some more. You need to rest." I frowned and let out a soft huff, squirming once more as I felt the ticklish sensation of Marcus' stubble rasp over my sensitive skin before my mate laughed quietly, shaking me with his jarring chuckles.

His lips whispered over my neck as he murmured against my skin. "Go to sleep." One arm snuck underneath my head to create a comfortable pillow while his other kept me close. Even if I had slept half the day away, I still felt tired so after a lengthy yawn, I closed my eyes and buried my nose against Marcus' throat.