Lone Wolf (First in Lone Wolf Series)

Chapter Thirteen

“Are you ready, Dawn?” Grange asked with a mixture of nervousness and excitement in his voice. Dawn’s own stomach was being plagued by nervous jitters that nearly made her feel as if she was going to be sick on the forest floor but she held her chin up and nodded as if she wasn’t afraid at all.

“I’m ready.”

“We will leave you alone to shift. We will be out of sight but close. Just accept the wolf and she will come out. Whatever you do remember not to fight against her during the shift.”

Dawn nodded, remembering the intense pain she had felt that day in the bakery when she had been fighting so hard to stop the shift that had been coming.

“You’ll do just fine.” Nickolai assured her, though his voice was emotionless just as it was most of the time.

“Sure she will.” Trig agreed as he nudged her in the ribs with his elbow and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. “She’s one tough broad.”

“Broad?” Grange asked with a raise of his brow and Trig grinned.

“Did I say that? I meant to say a tough alpha female.” Dawn was too nervous to laugh at Trig’s usual antics but she managed a small smile.

“Of course that’s what you meant.” Grange gave Trig and Nickolai both a look that had them backing away and disappearing into the dark forest full of shadows.

“Do we have to do this at night?” Dawn asked Grange as she looked uncertainly at the darkness that seemed to be pressing down on them from all sides.

“Your wolf won’t be bothered by the dark, Dawn, I promise. And yes it is safer for you to shift at night. Especially the first time. There’s less chance that you’ll be seen if you happen to wander too close to humans. But don’t worry, Nickolai, Trig and I will be right there with you once you shift to help keep you in line.”

“I just don’t want to screw this up and disappoint you.” Dawn admitted and Grange smoothed her hair from her face and ran his thumb along her jaw.

“You could never disappoint me, love.” he assured her. Then he kissed her brow tenderly. “I wish there was a way I could make it so you wouldn’t feel pain. Just remember that the more times you make the change, the less it will hurt.”

“I’ll be okay, Grange. I’m tougher than I look.” she promised before raising on her toes and kissing the bottom of his jaw. Grange nodded though he had his doubts about that. Dawn was so soft, so delicate, she didn’t even realize her own fragility.

“You’ll want to take your clothes off before you change.” he stated and then he kissed her lips softly and walked quickly away into the woods, disappearing into the darkness and shadows.

Dawn was trembling as she slid out of her clothes. She hoped that Trig and Nickolai had their heads turned and, knowing Grange’s possessive nature, they did.

She breathed deep, taking in the scents of the surrounding forest. The water of the pool Grange had brought them to for their shifting, the trees, Grange. She could smell Trig and Nickolai as well but Grange’s scent was the strongest.

Then suddenly his scent changed. It became more wild, more dangerous. He had shifted. She could tell. And the wolf in her responded. It fought to get out and at first Dawn panicked at the strange feeling of her body being taken over. She fought against it momentarily and then felt a razor sharp pain in her arms as her bones struggled with their urge to shift and change.

She was afraid. Afraid that if she shifted, if she allowed this change, she would no longer be Dawn. Afraid that as a wolf she would lose what made her herself and become a wild bloodthirsty animal.