Chapter 18:
Akeala POV
"Okay, let's try one more time, Keal" Uncle Seth says in exhaustion, er… thinks in exhaustion. It feels like hours that we have gone through this, but maybe it hasn't been that long. Time seems to all run together. One minute I was fuming with incoherent rage, the next I was a wolf, calmed by my mother's caresses. Now I'm just stuck. Trapped in a furry body and unable to change back into my own human form.
I do what he has instructed. I think about myself as a human, try and will myself to be human, but nothing. It's like a wish I am making with a penny into a fountain. I hope it comes true, but who knows if it will. I throw it out there and wait. Nothing. Shame washed over me.
Our ancestors want me to be a protector? This is all wrong. Who could I protect? I already feel like a failure.
"Aw, Keal. Don't think that. It can be rough the first couple days. Lots of us had trouble shifting at first. It's no big deal."
Even though I am aware of the possibility, I'm startled by Uncle Seth reading my thoughts.
"It just seems like a mistake," I think quietly.
"Not a mistake, girl.' Uncle Seth sounds assured. "Just because we don't understand something, doesn't mean it's not meant to happen. Even if we don't understand it completely."
I look up at him and see Ava walking toward us. She runs behind a rock and then shifts, effortlessly. The whole thing happens in under a minute.
"Hey Keal," She thinks in a kind tone. "Seth, can I have a few minutes with Akeala?" Seth looks over at me and then at Paul, still in human form standing with my mom and Omar's there too.
How the hell did he get here?
Paul waves Seth over, signaling him to shift back and he does after confirming I'm alright with Ava.
"Um, Omar came with me", Ava said, answering my earlier thought. I can tell she is hiding something from me, but she is able to shield her thoughts somehow. "Let's not focus on that now, okay? I'm going to help you shift back."
"I think it's going to take me days, Ava." I relent. "I feel nothing when I try. My mom tried to help me and Seth, but I feel like I'm making shots in the dark here."
"They're going about it wrong," She issued confidently.
"How do you know?"
"I saw it in their minds before. They try and will it to happen. And it can work that way. Obviously it does for those dudes, but I found a better way."
"You found a better way? After being a wolf for like 30 minutes?"
"Yep." I think nothing back to her. Just think about her as human. So beautiful, strong and confident. "Do you want me to show you or not?" She asks, seeing me thinking about her. She wasn't clipped or irritated, but eager to begin. I sent over my compliance through the mind link. "What's your favorite thing to eat?" She asks me.
"Um, I like ice cream?" Comes out as a question for some reason. She pauses, wanting me to continue. "Strawberry ice cream. In a sugar cone." I say more self assured.
"Try and remember yourself eating strawberry ice cream."
And I do. Immediately we both see it. I am in a small shop not too far from our house in Chicago with my dad. I'm sitting by the window, and probably 7 or 8, just a year or so before he died. It's cold, sweet and creamy. I can nearly feel it in my stomach. The ice cream is getting everywhere, all over my face and dripping in spots on my jean shorts, my hands and legs. My dad ducks down to lick the side, his eyes wide and brown. I am a mess, but he's not mad at me at all. And in my memory of this he chuckles and I can't actually fucking hear his luagh. It was Loud, like the beating of a drum, like I was actually there. And I feel it all. I feel the sticky ice cream, I feel the freezing air conditioning of the ice cream shop, I feel the longing for my dad. I feel what it's like to be human.
Ava POV
Within minutes of my shifting I'm able to get Ava to phase and I feel like a fucking badass for doing it so quickly. I'm not sure what Leah does or did, but the rest of those douchebags just try and push themselves to make it happen. I knew that wouldn't work for Akeala. She needs to feel it, to visualize it.
She's standing naked in the field as her mom runs over to her with some clothes yelling at all those assholes to avert their eyes. I paw over to the rock where my clothes are, shift like a snap and throw on my clothes. Omar is in aw as I saunter over. He's so fucking hot. Damn that imprint bond.
The rest of them looked shocked as I walked over.
"How did you do that so easily?" Asked Seth.
I crossed my arms and gave him my best shit eating grin. "And why should I tell you all my secrets?" I said snuggling beside Omar. In reality we hardly know each other, but there is no part of me that feels like that. It's as if our souls have always known one another and are relieved to finally be connected to one another again. Omar immediately accepted my physical gestures, and allowed me to fold into him, wrapping his hands around my middle.
Paul seemed unphased by our intimate gestures and is more focused on my apparent insubordination.
"Because he's your fucking Beta, Ava" Paul spits out. I can sense Omar doesn't like how he spoke to me, but I lightly brushed his hand, to show him I can handle it and he relaxed. I rolled my eyes, not intimidated by Paul's barking.
"Akeala can't be coerced into it. She needs to feel it. I had her feel immersed in an old memory so she could visualize her human form." They looked at me like I was from another planet.
"And how the hell did you figure that out after being a wolf for 4 minutes?" Paul is annoyed. Is he threatened?
"I don't know. Call it women's intuition." I know exactly how I figured it out, but I am keeping that bit of information to myself for now. He pursed his lips, settling his hands on his hips and then moved his gaze over to Seth.
Leah was off talking to Akeala, who seemed numb from the whole experience. Omar slowly looked over their way. He pivoted his head back to me and twisted my body slightly so I was looking right into his eyes that glistened like chocolate pools. I know he felt the bond as strongly as I do. I felt his emotions tingling all over my body.
"That was absolutely amazing, Ava. Thank you for helping my sister." He is the first, and only one to say that to me.
"She is my sister now too. Pack sisters." The notion washed over me. " We're going to have to look out for each other being around these meatheads all the time." I look over at Paul and Seth who have now phased and were staring at one another.
"Seth's not bad. He's actually pretty great. Has been like a dad to me after my own dad died," I looked longingly at Omar, wanting to know everything about him. Wanting to melt inside of him and become one with him. He pulled me in closer and with my head tucked over his shoulder I see we have gained the attention of his mother and sister. I take a slight step back.
"I think you should go be with your mom and sister now, Omar, but I'll come by later tonight. Okay? We can talk more about all this." He readily accepts with a nod. "I'm so glad it was you." I say and it's like my heart is speaking for me. He smiled broadly, his hands running over my cheeks before he headed toward his mother and sister.
As he jogged over I got a better look at Akeala and Leah. So different, but so close. And Leah, she was so strong, but also soft. All the stories that I heard about her made her sound like a badass that took no shit, and she definitely was that, but she also spent an hour licking her daughter in front of a group of dudes who always thought she was weak. And she gave no fucks.
I felt an unquestionable pull toward Omar. But there was another one too. Toward the only other female wolves. We were also one.
