The light from the moon almost felt like it was making my skin itch. "It's time," Trinity told me, her voice soft and reassuring, even as my anxiety rose along with the moon.
Talia, my parents, Alpha Jack, and Luna Diane stood with me in the clearing as I gazed at the circle of stones I was to step into. I heard voices nearby, and much to my surprise, King Maddoc entered the clearing, accompanied by his Beta, Alexander, and a couple of his warriors. What were they all doing here? I looked at my parents; my dad shrugged, looking just as confused as I was. My mom, smiling softly, reached for my hand.
"It is unusual for a werewolf to shift on their true birthday; the moon has blessed this day. The King requested the honor of observing such an event, and I couldn't deny his request." She glanced nervously at her hands, then at the group that had joined us. My mom was acting strangely, but I didn't say anything about it.
"That's fine," I squeaked, closing my eyes as my skin began to feel hotter, and my stomach performed flips.
"Tara, it's time," Trinity told me, her tone more urgent than before. I faced the circle of stones again, gathering my courage.
"I didn't know it was possible to be more nervous, but he is going to watch me shift?" I asked Trinity.
She didn't reply, and my panic began to rise. She had been calm most of the evening, but now she was pacing frantically back and forth in my mind, seemingly ignoring me. Was this part of the shifting process? I silently called out to her, pleading for her attention, "I can't do this alone!"
She heard me and slowed down a bit, but she seemed lost for words. I told myself she was just excited to get out, and I tried to steady myself. I focused solely on my wolf, forgetting everything and everyone else.
"Here we go," I told her, managing to take a few steps forward, then a few more until I stood in the spot where the Moon Goddess would help me shift. I now stood inside the circle of stones.
I had imagined this moment so many times, always envisioning it as a beautiful experience. Now that I was here, I felt just as scared as I was excited. I had changed into a dress designed to come apart during a shift. It was white and beautiful, and I was relieved it wouldn't get torn when I let Trinity out. I could easily cover up when I shifted back by arranging the dress around myself. In time, I would learn to be less self-conscious; werewolves quickly learned that seeing each other naked was part of life.
Trinity became more frantic as the moonlight brightened, making my skin feel even hotter. She gathered herself enough to tell me, "Here we go; it will hurt, but not for long, and then we will become who we were born to be."
I looked anxiously at King Maddoc, who stood there looking almost as nervous as I was, his eyes shifting from lavender to black to almost silver as he watched me. I couldn't help but stare into his eyes; they called to me, needed me, and I wanted nothing more than to get closer to those captivating depths.
"Holly shit, what the fuck!" I screamed, unable to control myself as I felt a burning sensation spread all over my body, like fire.
I screamed at the snapping sounds that I realized with horror were my bones breaking. The pain was unbearable. This couldn't be right; no one could survive pain like this!
Everything blurred in front of me. I could hear someone screaming, but it sounded far away. It was me! I was screaming in agony! Everything seemed to shake around me, the earth itself tilting unnaturally.
Something was wrong! I tried to scream again, but nothing came out. I found the King's eyes again as my vision cleared. The pain was gone, and then my… paws? hit the ground as Trinity made her debut.
She shook herself and stretched, then stilled, pulling a scent into her nose. Something smelled amazing! She searched for the source, while I tried to get used to being in her space and surrender control of my body.
I could hear everyone cheering, remarking on how beautiful she was, which made her happy. Then she located the source of the scent, overpowering every other sense and rational thought. I heard her joyous exclamation: "MATE!"
Wait a minute—MATE?
This crazy wolf of mine started running straight toward the Lycan King! I tried to get her to stop, but she ignored me.
"What are you doing, Trinity? You have to stop! They are going to think we are attacking the Lycan King! Have you lost your damn mind? Are you trying to get us killed?" Then suddenly, I understood.
The smell of caramel popcorn, roasted marshmallows, and a hint of campfire washed over me. The realization hit me like a double-decker bus: the Lycan King was my fated mate!! How could this be happening? It was just a silly crush!
Trinity slowed, now standing before him, her head cocked to the side. She looked adorable, completely oblivious to the warriors who had shifted and were watching her every move, ready to defend the King.
He signaled to the guards to stand down, and they quickly shifted back to their human forms. Alexander finally broke the silence, taking a step back as he gazed at Trinity, grinning from ear to ear.
"You are the cutest wolf I have ever seen! Look at her, the way she tilts her head; she is fantastic!" he gushed. Trinity stood taller, soaking up the praise.
My fancy-pants wolf loved being admired. I laughed, calling out to her as I adjusted to her world, "Trinity, you're a superstar!"
King Maddoc snapped out of his trance-like state and growled, "MINE!"
He shifted into his wolf, who called out to Trinity, and her heart filled with such joy, such pure happiness. It filled my heart too.
Before me stood a splendid wolf with shiny black fur and purple eyes. His name was Koda, and the King's wolf was as beautiful as he was. Trinity leaped toward Koda, joyfully proclaiming, "MATE! Mate! We found our mate!"
I was aware of Alexander and the warriors as they shifted again, still uncertain and ready to protect their King. Fear flooded through me, but Trinity just ignored them. A growl from Koda had them backing off, and relief replaced the fear coursing through me at the sight of those gigantic Lycan beasts. They were beautiful and terrifying, like nothing I had ever seen in person. None of the images I had stored in my mind of the Lycan form from books and movies did them justice. Magnificent was the only word that came close to describing them.
But Koda—he was on his own level. Trinity fell head over heels in love, just like that. Love and joy filled her heart, and caution was thrown to the wind. Trinity tilted her head, looking at Koda and pondering her next move.
I couldn't see her yet, but Trinity was a fluffy white wolf with black paws and a black-tipped tail, and she was huge! Not as big as Koda, whose head was high enough to stand eye to eye with even the tallest human, but she was bigger than every Alpha I had ever seen. Trinity, in her newborn state, seemed to glow in the moonlight. Goddess, was she happy.
She jumped up and met Koda mid-air in a weird sort of aerial hug, then, inexplicably, she veered off toward the woods and ran like the wind, as wave after wave of euphoria hit me. She and I became one, the joy of paws on the ground and my newly sharpened senses were amazing.
We ran, and Koda chased after us. We could feel how much he loved to chase us. It matched our love of being chased! We jumped over fallen trees, smelled all kinds of new smells, including some sleeping squirrels and a few possums. The forest came alive with smells as we came alive with the forest.
Behind us was the delicious smell of our mate, in hot pursuit.
I had a brief thought of what my parents and sister must be thinking. I could smell a few Blue Moon warriors and the King's warriors keeping their distance behind us. Whether that was deliberate or because Trinity could run so fast, I didn't know.
Koda could almost keep up. Maybe we would have to let him catch us.
Finally, we came to a stop near the river, badly needing a drink. How did we get there so fast? I had lost all track of time.
Koda caught up to us, and after we drank our fill, we rubbed our noses against his, brushing against his sides, wagging our tails like happy puppies. Koda lay down in the grass to catch his breath, so we flopped down on our side, facing him so we could look into his lavender eyes.
What a sight we must have been—two huge wolves flopped on the lush grass by the river, panting, tongues hanging out the sides of our mouths, two tails that couldn't stop wagging.
"Mate," Koda said, and he was rewarded with sloppy wolfy kisses that tickled his face.
"Mate," Trinity agreed. "Mate makes me so happy." She laid her head against Koda's side. "Mate's fur is so soft," she purred, suddenly realizing how tired she was. She closed her eyes and blissfully fell asleep under the stars and the smiling moon.
Koda made sure they were properly guarded before he allowed his own eyes to close. He made it clear that the warriors were to keep them safe and undisturbed. He curled his body protectively around his sleeping mate and followed her into dreamland.
This was the best birthday ever.