Filed to story: The Rejected Werewolf Princess (Camilla & Tyson) by Didi Adeyemi >>
As if someone heard my prayers, the pain dulled for a second and was nothing more than a ringing in my ears. I blinked my eyes open only to see Eve and Steven pacing the length of the room in worry.
“Are you okay?” Eve asked when she noticed my eyes open but I couldn’t bring myself to form a single sentence.
“The Alpha will be here soon.” Steven cut in, “He knew something was wrong before I even mind linked him. He’s running here, just hang on.”
I wanted to respond, but what came out was a choked out s ob as my entire arm felt like it was being burned off. I couldn’t describe what was happening to me even if I tried, it felt like someone had taken hot lava and poured it over my bones. The pain was inside of my skin and in that moment, I desperately wanted to reach in and pull my entire b*dy out of my skin.
Within two minutes, the door to the room burst open and Ryker rushed in looking panicked and worried. Only his slacks were on, his shirt was nowhere to be found and I knew he must have not bothered to put it on after he shifted back.
He rushed over to my side and slowly pushed back the hair that had stuck to my forehead because of the sweat.
“This is why I never like to leave your side,” he whispered as he took me in, “Something bad always seems to happen when I do.”
I wanted to assure him that I was fine. Even in pain, it was still my instinct to lie to him but when I opened my mouth, all that came out was an ear splitting scream as I felt every single bone in my hand snap and rearrange itself.
Ryker ́seemed to notice the action too because his eyes widened and understanding filled his features.
“She’s shifting,” he said more to me than anyone else.
I could hear the collective gasps from the other two people in the room but Ryker didn’t even turn to them. He lifted me in his arms despite the fact that I was still screaming as the other bones in my b*dy decided to take a cue from my arm.
I vaguely registered him carrying me out of the room and into the forest.
I could feel the wind whipping past my ears as he ran with me in his arms until he got to the training field.
He slowly deposited me on the floor and I realized in that moment how being in his arms had made me forget about the pain.
I felt my spine snap in two and tears leaked from my eyes.
“Ryker,” his name was on my l*ps, “Please make it stop.”
I felt him by my side immediately and he pressed a k*ss to my temple, “it’ll be over soon. You’re almost there.”
I wanted to tell him that I didn’t want to shift; I just wanted the pain to stop because it was blinding. If this is what they go through every time they shift then I am more than happy to not have a wolf.
“The first time is the worst time,” he whispered as if he heard my thoughts, “You’re almost done, I promise you. Everything will be fine soon.”
The pain that overtook me in that moment was worse than everything I had felt earlier and I swear I blacked out for a second. When I opened my eyes, I could see claws erupting from my fingertips and fur growing over my skin. My back bowed in pain as I felt my bones break and reset into my wolf form.
It was over in one second and I was standing on all fours. Everything felt and looked different. All of my senses were heightened beyond measure and I could hear the river from our waterfall which I knew was still a few feet away. I could see the bugs that were moving around on the tress and I could smell everything, from the food in the kitchen to a rabbit that was hopping around a few miles away.
I was so overwhelmed by the scents and sounds that I didn’t notice Ryker had shifted beside me until he nuzzled my side with his wet nose. I looked over at him and for the first time, I felt what he felt with our mate. bond.
It was overwhelming and I wanted nothing more than to stay by his side and never leave. I got his natural scent for the first time and it was the best thing I have ever had the privilege of coming across. I sniffed his coat less than discreetly and I could feel his amusement rushing down the bond.
His wolf was a jet black color with fur as soft as silk and he was a lot taller than in wolf form impressive considering he was taller than his human form by a lot. His eyes were as dark as midnight and I couldn’t help but wonder what I looked like. From what I could see, my paws were a snowy white color but I couldn’t see myself fully.
He nudged me with his nose and I heard his voice in my head, “Do you want to go for a run?”
“I’m not sure I can even walk like this.”
“Just try,” he said back, “I’m right here to catch you if you fall.”
He sounded so sure and I believed him. I believed that if I fell, he would grab me and he wouldn’t let me get hurt. It was that assurance that had me sighing deeply and taking the first step.
I wobbled on my first step and just like Ryker promised, he was right there next to me using his large b*dy to hold me up. It took me a while to get used to walking on four feet and the moment I did, I took off in a sprint.
I heard Ryker’s yap of pleasure from behind me before he chased after me. He would playfully nip my tail whenever he got close enough and I would push my paws to go faster. I knew from his sheer size that if he wanted to catch up to me, he would, but for some reason, he was enjoying the sheer pleasure of the chase as much as I was..
He finally collided with me when we got to our waterfall. I paused at the thought- I didn’t know when I started seeing the place as ours but I guess. it was fitting considering it was our place.
We tumbled to the floor but he absorbed most of the impact with his b*dy and I landed on top of him. His large tongue licked the side of my face and I yelped and jumped off him. I walked over to the lake and glanced inside. It was so surreal to see the large white wolf staring back at me with bright amber colored eyes. There was something on my shoulder but I couldn’t make out the shape.
Having a wolf is everything I have ever wanted and all I needed to do was just be patient for it. I have a feeling that Ryker had something to do with my shifting. I don’t know why but I just do and I felt grateful for him. It took me a second to realize that my walls were down and my emotions. were wide open for him to read.
He walked up to my side and nuzzled my neck with his nose and I let him. He sat on the floor and gestured for me to do the same. I wasted no time in joining him there and I placed my head against his front paws while he alternated between licking the fur around my head or nuzzling me.
“How do you feel?” I heard his voice in my head just when I could feel myself dozing off, “Did it live up to your expectations?”
I knew what he was asking but I had a different question, “Why didn’t you tell me that it was like this?”
“What do you mean?” even though he was curious, he never once stopped grooming me.
“The bond,” I explained, “What I feel now is only a fraction of what I used to feel before. Has it always been like this for you?”
He hummed, “It’s a little more than that actually. The bond an Alpha has with their mate is completely unrivaled. It’s not something that can ever be explained.”
“How did you deal with it? Especially when I wouldn’t even let you come near me.” Instant guilt filled me, “I’m sorry, if I had known-,”
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” he cut me off, “I’m glad you didn’t know because then you weren’t forced to be around me because of pity. I wanted you to come to me because you wanted to come to me and not because of the bond.”
“So if I never wanted that. If I wanted to leave, would you have let me?” “No,” he didn’t waste any time thinking before he responded, “At first I tried to convince myself I would have but the moment you actually voiced out that you wanted to, I knew I couldn’t. I’m never letting you go Camilla; even if I have to scour the ends of the earth to bring you back home I will.”