was
something he could say. The pain was too great. The fire was already building
within his veins for another bone breaking transition.
“When you find your mate this will all be worth it, son. I promise you.”
He shook as the heat gathered inside. For some strange
reason Scarlett entered his mind, but he immediately pushed her image aside. Closing
his eyes, Marshall tried to focus on something else. His
mate. She’d be so beautiful and worth every second of this pain. Once he
transitioned he’d be able to protect her from everything. He’d be big, strong, powerful . His little, private obsession over Scarlett would
come to an end.
“That’s it. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe
out.” He listened to his mother and father as they coached him through the
transition.
There wasn’t a way for him to contain the screams as
his body started to break. Bones crunched together, and his whole body shook.
Opening his eyes he saw his skin rippling as fur started to sprout out of his
pores. Lifting his head, he released a growl, staring up at the sky wishing for
something to take the immense pain away. He hated this, despised it, but there
was no stopping what was happening.
Mate.
Love.
Respect.
Pack.
Loyalty.
He thought about everything he’d gain as his parents
stepped back. This time he didn’t stop. His back broke as he was snapped in
half. Screaming out, he let everything go.
Mate.
Love.
Respect.
Pack.
Loyalty.
“That’s it, son. You’re almost there.”
Marshall growled again as the pain intensified.
Everything burned as if he was stood in the center of hell with no way of
escaping. Did he want to escape?
“He’s falling back, Luke.”
Something grabbed the back of his head. “You will turn
this time, Marshall, or so help me God, I will make sure you don’t have a
choice.”
The power of the alpha washed over his body.
“Come on, son, please. You’re scaring your mother, and you’re scaring
me.”
For his father, his alpha to admit that, Marshall knew
he couldn’t escape. He didn’t want to hurt his mother or have her worrying.
Sinking himself into the pain of the moment.
Mate.
Love.
Respect.
Pack.
Loyalty.
Mate.
Love.
Respect.
Pack.
Loyalty.
Mate.
Love.
Respect.
Pack.
Loyalty.
He kept repeating the same words over and over again
in his head. Finally, something exploded, and the pain simply faded as he
collapsed to the ground.
“Luke, he did it.”
Closing his eyes, Marshall let sleep claim him.
****
When Marshall opened his eyes, he looked toward the
single basement window to find it was dark outside. Glancing down his body, he
saw he was back in human form. Had it all been a dream? Then he saw that his
body was different, bigger, larger, more muscular than
before.
“Your mother’s fixing you some soup.”
His father sat in the corner on a single chair in the
room. Sitting up, Marshall brought his knees up to his chest.
“Hey,” Marshall said. His voice was croaky, hoarse.
“Did I, erm, did I imagine it?”
“No. You changed, son. You went through your
transition, and now you’ve got nothing to worry about. It will hurt at first,
but as you transition more, you’ll no longer feel pain but exhilaration.”
He nodded, rubbing at his eyes. His senses were
clearer. There was a spider in the room. He heard it running across the floor.
“You’re going to spend the rest of the summer becoming
aware and dealing with your senses.”
“Did everyone make it through the transition?” He
thought about the rest of the pack that were due to change this summer.
Some young wolves couldn’t handle the immense pain or
the continued bone shattering. They simply didn’t make it and died.
“Arnold, he lost his daughter Samantha. She gave up,”
Luke said.
“Jack?” Marshall didn’t know what he’d do without his
best friend.
“Jack made it through. He says you owe him and he’ll
never forget this shit.”
Marshall chuckled. What he owed him was