10.

The shift was just as agonizing as the very first time she had done so when she was 10. The feeling of her bones breaking just to realign is just as unpleasant as it sounds. It took the last drop of strength in her body not to cry from the pain, she couldn’t cry in front of these people, not now. Once the shift was complete it became a sort of, out of body experience for the person. Like being placed in the backseat of the car you had just been driving.

For the first shift, however, it was like being ripped forcibly from the car with no choice in the matter. The wolf that stood up and slowly shook out her fur was not the russet furred Namia that Farryn knew years ago. The wolf that turned her large head to the alpha in front of her was almost twice his size though Farryn had come to realize after Ian told her how he got his title, that he wasn’t actually the size of an alpha. Not being around wolves for a few years had made her forget just how large they really got, his wolf was a large Beta, but the wolf that he was looking at was the size of a true alpha, maybe a bit larger. Her fur was pure white, no trace of any other color was found, and her eyes were a soft blue that looked almost cloudy, almost as if she were blind, but the way she held the smaller wolf’s gaze showed she wasn’t.

Her wolf took one step forward, lifting her large head and curled her lips back with a sharp snarl. The command was clear, submit, or face the consequences. His ears fell back against his head, his eyes even darting to those who stood behind her before she snarled one more time, her patience was already thin enough as it was, and his stalling was not helping. Finally, the male released a soft whine as he lowered himself to the ground, twisting his head to expose his neck. She gazed at him for a while, waiting to see if he might be pretending before she turned quickly towards the crowd and gave them the same sharp snarl. Anyone who felt they had the right to challenge her was welcome to, if not then they needed to submit.

The pack looked among each other, those who had been standing by Ian didn’t hesitate. They, including Amelia, lowered their heads. Slowly the rest fell in line, even Emily. Once the she-wolf was satisfied she relinquished control back to Farryn, forcing her to shift back to her human form just as quickly as she had appeared. Once she had shifted back Chandler had too, the latter who wouldn’t lift his gaze to anyone. Movement in the crowd snapped Farryn back to reality however, she was now faced with the entire pack. Her shoulders were tense despite the show of submission they had given her, she was still an outsider to them all.

The movement had come from Ian who had taken off his shirt and moved forward, offering the clothing to her while trying to hold back a smile. Farryn averted her gaze quickly as she took his shirt and put it on, the hem falling just above her knees. Finally, she looked back to Chandler, her mouth opened before it closed, unsure of what exactly she should say so it was perhaps better to say nothing instead. Someone else in the back brought Chandler a pair of briefs that he accepted just as wordlessly as she had. Amelia was the first to make a sound, clearing her throat and drawing several eyes to her attention.

“Do you need me to get Rosemary, Alpha?” Farryn touched one of her shoulders while Chandler cringed. All of her wounds were already closed, and bones were put back in place after shifting back. “No, I’m fine, I don’t want to waste her time.” Amelia nodded her head and looked over her shoulder, to her sister who was doing her best to keep a neutral face.

“Well, now that you are our Alpha there is a lot we need to go over.” Emily was not pleased with the results of the challenge but knew better than to argue it. Farryn however shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Could that wait? I just…I need a minute.” Farryn put her hand up as Emily began to argue before walking briskly away from the pack. As she walked away, she could hear the hum of chatter beginning to grow the further she got.

She didn’t get far before the pack's chatter was traded for the padded sound of footsteps behind her, a glance over her shoulder and she found it to be Chandler, though Ian and Amelia both weren’t far off in case another fight broke out. “You lied to me.” Chandler’s eyes looked empty of all anger. He wasn’t trying to accuse her of anything but actually looked hurt that she would lie to him. Her eyes bounced between him and the pair behind him who were trying not to look obvious but was listening to their conversation.

With gritted teeth, she grabbed Chandler above his elbow and dragged him along with her further from the others. “I didn’t.” She insisted as they walked. When they were a far enough distance, she finally released him and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I didn’t lie. That wolf… I don’t know who that was, that was not my Namia.” Chandler turned his eyes away.

“Enjoy the title while you can, it’s obvious it’s only yours until your mate comes along. You’re nothing more than a Luna.” He began to turn away from her but Farryn stopped him with a hand on his bare chest, her eyes finally taking in the sight of his body before snapping up to his.

There was certainly no doubt that he was an attractive male, but his personality was horrid. “Why do you need to do that? Why do you feel like you get to act like such a pup when you don’t get your way?” Chandler looked confused as Farryn scolded him “You don’t believe me? That’s fine. You think I lied about my wolf? Okay, whatever. But you don’t get to act like that when you didn’t take the challenge seriously. Had you tried, you probably could have killed me Chandler and we both know that you weren’t trying, so do not think you get to start speaking to me as anything less than your new alpha.”

The muscle in Chandler’s jaw twitched but he lowered his head in what was a mock show of submission. “Of course, you’re right. Though a word of advice from one fallen alpha to a new one? Choose your allies wisely. This is a dog eat dog world after all.” Farryn scoffed as she lowered her hand to allow him to pass, though he paused at her side. “And I didn’t kill you when I had the chance because I couldn’t, even though I wanted to.” Farryn dragged her hands through her hair as he walked away, the other two finally trailing along behind him and officially leaving her alone.

Slowly Farryn began to reach into her mind, into that same corner where Namia used to reside, and nearly reeled back in horror to find the presence of the white wolf there. Her stomach flipped over as the wolf seemed to look back at her expectantly. She could tell from the moment she had shifted that everything in her body seemed to spiritually realign. Her senses were heightened again, she finally felt truly healthy. But the realization didn’t comfort her, it angered her. Who was this white wolf and why was she acting as if she had been there from the start?

Her eyes lifted to the tree line with a grim smirk. “I don’t know what you think you are doing interfering with my life, but you aren’t welcome in doing so.” The feeling of the wolf stirring inside of her turned her attention back to the white female. “The same thing goes for you. I don’t know who you are, but you are not welcome here.” She growled, though the female inside only seemed to laugh at her in response. The weight of the wolf just lounging in her mind was a fresh reminder of what she had lost and what she now stood to lose.