Soul to Soul

Chapter Thirty-Four - Take Two!

Andrei Lupin...

Watching Eve pass out from the pain that came with her wings bursting free of her body was the hardest and single handedly the most terrifying moment of my entire life. I can remember that type of pain from my first shift.

The wolf in me contorting my body into its shape was agony the first time. Bones felt like they were breaking and repositioning themselves inside my body. My nails turned into razor-sharp claws scratching over the dirt in a way that felt utterly foreign to me. My teeth elongated and turned more, sharp than I was used to that I ended up biting through my cheek which had grown into my wolf's muzzle. Even the hair rippling across my flesh felt painful pushing through the flesh with rough coarseness. I have never been more thankful at the knowledge of it being a first-time thing than I was when I first shifted. Don't get me wrong, it is still uncomfortable but it's nowhere near the agony that first time caused.

I had watched the way Eve's back arched and then almost instantly caved in on her as she tried to fight the transformation. The beauty of the wings was irrelevant to her, and I couldn't say that I blamed her for that. When she passed out, I panicked.

What was I meant to do?

Should I wait for her to wake up?

Should I carry her back to the lair?

Should I phone Nathan and Kevin to come to us?

In the end, I made the decision to carry her back to the lair – any other option would take too long. And the longer we were out there the more likely the chance of someone stumbling across us became. I just couldn't allow that to happen.

I knew that if word got out around campus that my girl had sprouted wings, there would be more attention drawn to her and I knew that was the very last thing that she would want.

Eve was a private type of girl. I have watched her all but shy away from the attention of the other students. It was one of the things that I liked the most about her. In comparison to Kristy there wasn't even a question as to whom I liked more, even if Eve hadn't turned out to be my fated-mate.

By the time I got back to the lair, she still hadn't woken up. I was frantic. Terrified that she might never wake up. Carrying her with those wings proved harder than I had initially envisioned mainly because I wasn't entirely sure if she could feel pain with being passed out but I didn't want to risk it anyway so I had to find a way to carry her that wouldn't have her back being touched too much and the best way I could think of doing that was placing her over my shoulder. Obviously, I had to redress her first which had proven difficult with the wings, and in the end, I had to leave her topless. Thankfully I didn't run into anyone on my way back to the cottage.

Kevin was the first to demand what had happened. I hated having to tell him what we had been doing when it happened because that was a moment that I desperately wanted to keep for myself. Something private between me and my girl. Unfortunately, it didn't end up that way. I had told him everything, over and over again at his request. Clearly, he was as stumped as I was about the turn of events. Nathan had remained silent, holding Eve's head in his lap as he sat beside her on the bed where I had carefully deposited her. We all agreed what needed to be done and went about it – Nathan kissed Eve's forehead before leaving to do some research.

Nyx had arrived not long after Eve woke up. We listened as she explained that Freyja, who was Eve's mother, had told her that it was possible that Eve might develop wings. I wanted to believe her, and she definitely put on a good show of confidence and a real lack of concern but there was something that I couldn't put my finger on that screamed she was lying. I definitely didn't voice my concerns though because until I was sure, I didn't see the point in calling her out. It wouldn't get me anywhere. And I feared that it might scare Eve even more than she already was.