"The land is steep there, Hollister," Aver called out through the window.
I turned my face and grinned. I might have liked his overbearing care, but he didn't have to know how much I liked it. "Don't worry," I called back. "I'm very—"
"Hollister!" Aver yelled a moment before I was struck from behind.
I shouted and fell forward, turning in time to see a goat watching as I fell down the short ravine. The creek was cold but shallow enough that I didn't have to worry about the water rushing over my head.
I tried to call out to Aver to tell him I was okay, but my voice wouldn't work. It felt funny, like—
"Hollister!" Aver came to a skidding halt, freezing at the top of the ravine just like the goat had done. "Hollister." He said my name again, but this time, it wasn't spoken in fear, but reverence.
Again, I tried saying I was fine, but I couldn't get my mouth to work. I gathered my legs under me, trying to stand, but I couldn't do that either.
I looked down and spotted the problem immediately.
I didn't have feet.
Aver slid down the slope, gliding like a surfer to the bottom where he picked me up. Water fell from me in streams, but it didn't feel as cold as it would normally if I had nothing but bare skin. I had fur now.
Fur, four paws and, if that black thing at the end of my face was my nose, I knew I had one of those too.
"Hold on." Aver's tone hadn't changed, except that it held less worry. "You need to see you." He carried me to the truck, and I tried to make sense of our reflection.
I was a wolf. My fur was golden, like my hair, and though it was wet now, I was sure when it dried, it would flow in the wind.
"Can you shift back?" Aver asked gently. "It's okay if you can't. This process has been different for each—"
I knew when I'd done it because Aver had to adjust his hold. He let my feet hit the ground and waited for me to gain my balance before letting go. "Did that really just happen?"
Aver's smile couldn't have been wider. "Yes. That happened."
"I'm a shifter now?" That part was obvious, but, if my journey followed the same path as the others, then that meant… I looked down at my stomach, frowning when it was still flat. Everything else had changed so quickly; I thought maybe that would too.
"Is everything okay?" Paul asked from the porch.
"It's fine," Aver replied. "Will you please call Branson and tell him that Hollister has shifted?"
There was so much pride in his voice—why didn't he call Branson? I only needed a single extra second to answer my own question. Things still weren't settled between them, but Aver was still proud enough that he wanted his family to know.
My heart twisted, and I swore the next thing I'd do was figure out how to repair any damage my presence had caused. Well, after I explored my new skills as a freaking wolf!
Aver looked at my face and grinned. "You want to go for a run?" He shifted. His wolf was darker than I was and much larger, but that meant I'd be faster. Aver threw his head up, launching his front feet in the air in a gesture that I took to mean, jump on in; the water's fine.
I closed my eyes, but when I opened them again, I was still me. The human version. I huffed and closed my eyes again. Aver stepped near, licking my hand and starting a reaction that made my body feel like it was made of fluid. This time, when I opened my eyes, I was several feet lower.
I looked to Aver, swallowing rapidly at the feeling that came over me. Something in me recognized Aver's wolf on a different level than I had before. My front legs bent as I bowed until I was laying on the ground in front of him.
Aver's ears perked up, and he padded forward, sniffing my face. He licked my cheek, and my tail wagged. The feeling was so strange I had to look back at it. My tail was fluffy. Much fluffier than Aver's. I tried to move it, finding I could maneuver my tail as easily as I'd been able to move my parts in my human form.
Aver barked before taking off into the forest with a wolfy grin.
My predator's instinct kicked in, and I took off after him.
***
It turned out I wasn't faster than Aver. Not even by half. Even though I could run faster than I ever had on my four legs, it was never fast enough to catch up with him, unless he let me.
We wound through the forest, jumping over logs and into puddles. Animals scurried away, keeping their distance as their tiny claws scratched into the dirt. As we ran, it was as if the world had opened up. I could smell scents I'd never smelled before. I heard sounds that had been too quiet for me to hear as a human. I imagined the moment could have been overwhelming if I hadn't had my alpha to guide me.
I'd realized as I ran that that had been what I'd felt. Aver's alpha nature had been not much more than a title to me before. Now, I understood better what it meant.
Aver turned, and I followed, jumping and propelling myself off a tree as I did. I tried to shout with joy but ended up making a yipping sound. Ahead, Aver leapt over a fallen tree, his powerful body having no trouble clearing the obstacle. I jumped after him, grazing my back claws against the bark, but I made it.
If I'd been a human, I would have gasped at the sight in front of me. We were in a large meadow, encircled by tall pine trees. The grass had grown several feet, and among the blades, there were tiny purple flowers that stretched as far as the meadow.
I followed Aver's scent, finding that just smelling it gave me a sense of comfort that I hadn't had before. Was this how Aver felt when he smelled me? I wasn't sure how to ask that question, but to do so, I'd have to find Aver first.
I sprinted forward, but the grass was too tall. Whenever I'd gone with Sam to help him with outreach, we had a rule that if we got separated, I would stay put, and he would come to find me. I decided that was a good a plan as any and skidded to a stop, whining softly in the sudden stillness.
Aver came out of nowhere, making me think he'd had an eye on me the entire time. In my fear, I shifted, but so had Aver, and when he landed next to me, he wrapped me up in his human embrace. "You are amazing," he murmured, kissing my cheeks and down to my mouth.
"Amazing," I panted. "And out of breath. I thought shifters were naturally athletic."
"They are, but you're blessed."
"So what? Does that mean I stay wimpy?"
"No, pet. You just need time to grow into your new body."
The words grow and body in the same sentence reminded me of the other thing this might mean. "Do you think I'm… ?"
Fire burned in his gaze. "We'll need to get you tested to be sure, but if you are, it is very early. With Riley, he became pregnant and then shifted, but Phineas shifted before they knew he was pregnant." Though his words were informative and slightly clinical, his hands had gone for my pants.
"Where do the clothes go?" I cried out.
"Shh, don't question it," Aver soothed. He picked me up, laying us both down on the tall grass.
"You don't tell me what to quest—oh fuck!"
Aver's wet mouth encircled my dick. He drew me deep in his mouth, using his tongue to swirl around my shaft.
After our forest run, my adrenaline still coursed through me, colliding with the endorphins Aver's skill had rapidly released into my body. My dick swelled, aching despite the attention it was already getting.