Shift

The Discussion

"I'd hate to continue to overstep, here," Adrian said, "but I think it's a terrible idea. Her first shift needs to be outside, in the woods, in view of the moon."

"Are you a lycanthropy expert, now?" Nat replied.

"No." Adrian ran his fingers through his hair as he took a deep breath. "But you know that I'm right."

Nat clicked his tongue as he paced. Adrian sat on the couch next to Scarlet, whose leg bounced nervously as she watched Nat walk back and forth in front of her. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, and she hadn't been able to for days since their conversation in the basement.

On the other side of the room, Ben sat in the chair with Cameron perched on the heavy wooden arm of it. Lucas sat on the floor with his knees up, listening intently to the conversation.

"I'm sorry, Nat, but I have to agree with Adrian on this one," said Cameron.

"Me too," said Ben. "We don't know what could happen if she's restricted like that her first time. Might piss off the wolf, put us all in danger."

Nat nodded, taking all of their opinions into consideration. He turned to Lucas.

"Not that I asked for anyone's input," he said, "but since everyone seems to be giving it, what's your opinion?"

Lucas glanced around at his pack before gazing up at his alpha. He shrugged. "The pack shifts together, right?"

Nat gave his favorite progeny a quick smile. "Good point."

"So why don't we all shift in the woods this month," said Cameron, "together."

Adrian let out a small, quiet chuckle.

"Out of the question," Nat said. He eyed Adrian, irritated with him.

"We have to come to a decision on this," Ben said. "And personally, I think Scarlet should be allowed to choose. She's free to make decisions for herself, we're not in control of her. She's not even part of the pack, yet, so..." he nodded toward her. "What do you want to do?"

Scarlet's leg stopped shaking when Adrian laid a reassuring hand on her knee. She glanced over at him, taking a breath for what felt like the first time in days. The news that she was a werewolf was still fresh, and she wasn't entirely sure what any of it meant.

"I have no idea," she said. She looked at Nat. "What do you think I should do? I mean, what would be best for me?"

Adrian stared at the floor.

Nat looked at Scarlet, a sideways smile playing on his face. His influence was strikingly effective on her, and it seemed to excite him whenever she looked to him for advice. She knew he had this unnatural hold on her, but she didn't really have the energy to care.

"It's not his decision to make," Adrian said to her.

Nat glared at him, his expression turning from gentle sympathy to burning annoyance in an instant.

"It's not yours to make, either," Nat said. "If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut. You're still on my shit list."

"Yeah, well, you're on mine, too."

"Alright," Lucas said, standing up. "Let's not do this, okay? We're family, fellas, let's try to remember that."

"Family?" Adrian laughed. "That's rich. Being brainwashed and threatened into sticking together, that's family?"

"Enough," Nat said. His voice boomed through Scarlet's body. "You and I can sort this out later. For now, Scarlet needs to make a choice."

"Scar," Adrian said, turning to her. "There is a possibility that your wolf is going to hate being confined like that. This is the first time you're setting her free. She won't be happy if her first shift occurs chained up in the dark."