Her Fate

LUCY

“Got it, Dad,” I reply. “I’m just dropping off these books at the library. Derrick’s with me. Love you.”

I practically slam the end call button as I leave the school. Derrick’s waiting for me by the flagpole, as usual. He chuckles at my annoyance.

“Tough day?”

“Dad’s just too much sometimes,” I grumble. “He can’t stand that I have to return these books.”

I show Derrick the Maximum Ride series book I’ve been engrossed in. James Patterson, one of my favorite authors.

“As long as you’re quick, he won’t be too upset.” Derrick grins and starts his car. “I need a book for an English report I have to do, anyway.”

***

“I’ll be in the history section upstairs,” Derrick tells me, heading for the stairs. “I’ll come get you in fifteen minutes. Don’t dawdle.”

I dismiss him with a wave and drop my books in the return slot. The librarian gives me her usual friendly smile and points me to the fiction section.

“We rearranged for the spring season,” she explains. “It’s at the back of the library, to the left.”

“Thanks.” I smile and follow her directions.

I trail my fingers over the large oak bookshelves, lightly coated in dust. The stacks of books give off a musty scent in this corner of the library.

I locate the Maximum Ride series and groan when I see the next book isn’t there.

“Alright.” I huff. “There are plenty of other books here for me to read.”

I scan the shelves for something—anything—to read for the next day or two until the last book is returned.

The heat in this part of the library is starting to get to me. I can feel my teeth and ears beginning to lengthen. A sweet scent wafts over me.

“Lu, find anything?” Derrick suddenly appears beside me. I yelp in surprise.

“Appreciate that.” I grit my teeth and clutch my chest. That scare made my heart leap more than usual.

“Whoa, you okay?” Derrick catches me as my body convulses.

My head feels like it’s being pounded into concrete. My hands and feet throb in time with my ribcage.

“Well, shit.” Derrick scoops me into his arms and quickly carries me to the front desk. “I’m gonna borrow this one.”

The librarian nods and bags the book for Derrick. “I hope she’s alright.”

***

“Damn it!” I growl, my voice sounding more animal than human as my mother douses me with a bucket of cold water.

My family forms a circle around me in the backyard. I’ve been home for what feels like hours. My bones have been aching since Derrick put me in his car.

“It’s not her birthday yet,” my mother says. “How can she be shifting so soon?”

“I don’t know, Flora.” My father touches my forehead, then quickly pulls his hand back. “But this isn’t a false alarm. Her wolf is going to be here by tonight.”

False alarms only happen to female wolves. It’s like labor for human females, but much worse. Males just have one painful shift and they’re done.

Crack.

“There goes the ribcage,” someone comments. I can’t be bothered to see who.

I wince. The stories I’ve heard from my mother and older friends about their shifts are terrifying.

One of my friends resisted her shift, so her wolf forced it. Her wolf is now one of the smallest in our pack. My friend also has difficulty walking, so she’s homeschooled.

My mother’s wolf emerged full force as soon as she met my father. She was barely fifteen at the time and her body nearly gave out from the pain. The curse of being mated to an Alpha.

My wolf, however, isn’t making this hard for me. I feel as if she knows what I can handle and won’t push me beyond that.

“How long does this usually take?” I ask, my voice strained from the shifting of my ribs. My blood rushes to the areas that need it most to help extend the bones and muscles.

“It depends on you and your wolf.” My father sits next to me on the ground. I scream as my clothes start to tighten around me.

“And off they go.” My mother cuts my clothes off with a pair of scissors. When did she get those? A blanket is thrown over me.

“Derrick, shift into your wolf,” my mother instructs. “Drax will be more help than my wolf or your father’s.”

I watch with envy as Derrick effortlessly shifts into his magnificent black wolf. Drax whines and gently licks my cheek.

“Let’s see…” My father examines my body. “Feet…ribcage…hands…neck… All that’s left for your shift is your spine and she’ll be here, Princess.”

I have to give it to my family for staying so calm. Yes, shifting is natural for us, but parents usually freak out when their children shift for the first time. My parents are just oddballs, I guess.

“Lucy, it’s crucial that you relax your spine,” my mother warns. “One wrong move, and your spine will shift out of place and paralyze you.”

“Great, thanks for the pep talk.” I groan.

“Anytime, Sweetie.”

***

I scream out a string of curses as my last spine vertebrae cracks and extends. I can already feel my tail tucked between my legs.

“How long have we been out here?” I ask, my words distorted by my elongated canines.

“About eight hours.” My father strokes my hair. “Some of the fastest shifting I’ve seen.”

From the look on Drax’s face, I know I must look like some kind of deformed naked mole rat. He’s been here the whole time, just watching me.

My parents have been busy in the kitchen, cooking up a storm in anticipation of my wolf’s arrival. They know that the first thing she’ll want to do—what we’ll want to do—is eat, to replenish the energy lost during the transformation.

The smell of raw beef, pork, and blood-soaked deer meat wafts through the air, making my mouth water. I can feel the fur sprouting in thick layers over my arms and legs, my hands reshaping into paws, my mouth stretching into a snout.

Lyla...

The name echoes in my head, embedding itself into my memories. My heart feels like it’s about to burst from the love that’s radiating from my wolf.

“Beautiful,” my father murmurs, reaching out to stroke my wolf’s snout. “I’m surprised you’re black and white, just like your old man.”

But before I can respond, hunger gnaws at my stomach and Lyla springs into action. The scent of the raw meat lying in the grass behind us fills her nostrils.

I urge her to eat it, but Lyla resists. She wants a real hunt.

“Lucy,” my father warns, “this is all you get until I can teach you.”

My wolf flicks her ear in annoyance but finally gives in, burying her face in our meal. Her white snout is soon smeared with blood.

“White body,” my mother observes. “Black tail, eyes, and paws. Very cute, Lucy.”

My wolf wags her tail in response, then finishes our meal. She turns to meet her new family. Drax is the first to welcome her, licking her bloodied snout.

Lyla is filled with joy at meeting her new brother and licks him back. Surprisingly, my wolf is almost as big as my brother’s. Most female wolves are about three-quarters of the size.

“Lucy,” my father says, a smile in his voice, “what a beautiful, strong wolf. Our bloodline is a strong one.”

Lyla bows in respect to her new parents. My mother and father transform into their wolves.

My father’s wolf, Damien, is entirely black with white-tipped ears. My mother’s wolf, Fiona, is a simple brown with white-dotted legs. Derrick’s wolf is the only one that’s solid black.

Lyla sniffs and greets Damien and Flora, accepting them as her new parents. All of our wolves take the time to memorize each other’s scents.