Enchantress (Rewritten)

Running with the Wolves

I may be a seventeen year old girl with a broken leg, but these wolves had turned me into a frat boy. 

"I seriously can't believe I'm letting you guys do this." I said, chugging down my third shot of tequila. My eyes stung with tears as I swallowed the liquid, my stomach rumbling in response. The alcohol warmed my insides, and made the pain in my leg disappear. Eric had his arm wrapped around my shoulders, as he downed his fifth shot. Sean, Jackson, Nate, and Peter followed suit, all of us standing around my kitchen counter top. 

"What about you?" I turned to Damian, who had taken a single sip. He leaned against the fridge with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm the designated driver." 

"What do we need a driver for?" I wondered, slamming down my shot glass with a loud clank. Eric laughed when I twisted my face up in disgust, trying not to let the tequila creep its way back up my throat. 

"This is only our first stop on your initiation tour." Damian explained, checking his watch for the time. "And it's about time for us to head over to our next designation."

My head was feeling fuzzy from the three shots, mostly because of how quickly I had taken them--one after the other. My hands felt all tingly and my eyes glistened. "I agreed to take some shots, I really don't think I should be--" but before I could even get all the words out of my mouth, Damian had scooped me back up into his arms. 

"C'mon boys." He headed out to the back, and the rest followed.

"Damian, this isn't a good idea. Chase is going to be coming back soon...."

"Relax, Val." Damian laughed. "You're part of the pack, which means you got to learn to run with the wolves."

"Did you forget about my leg?"

"I didn't mean it literally." He rolled his eyes at me. 

"Am I the only one who is even slightly drunk?" I looked at Eric, Nate, Sean, and Jackson who seemed completely unfazed. I wobbled slightly when Damian set me back down on the ground. He steadied me with a large hand. 

"Yep." Sean replied. "You're going to have to work on your tolerance if you're going to hang with us."

"Give her a break, she's like four feet tall." Jackson came to my defense.

"She's small but mighty." Eric chimed in.

"And don't you forget it." I reminded him, my cheeks flushing from the alcohol flooding through my system.

Then, the boys began to strip.

"Wooahhh, slow down boys." I laughed, closing my eyes when they peeled off their shirts and unzipped their jeans. "This is not that kind of party."

I could feel my scar began to burn, and my curiosity got the best of me. I squinted, keeping my eyes partially open so that I could witness the boys begin to shift. First was Eric, whose body bent over and began to snap and pull in each direction. His shoulder blades protruded from his back, and his legs angled while his hands molded into elongated claws. Black hair expelled out from his arms and legs, covering every inch of his body. He let out a loud howl, fully transformed into his wolf form. My mouth gaped open in awe, looking at the large wolf in front of me--trying to grasp that Eric was inside of it. 

"Ready?" Damian asked, ripping off his own shirt. Damian shifted with ease, most likely from the years of practice. His wolf form was larger than the rest, looming over me with an almost terrifying presence. But unlike last night, this was a voluntary shift. He seemed to be in total control of himself, getting close enough to me that I was able to reach out my hand to press against his silky fur. 

I laughed to myself, petting the top of Damian's head. "This is the strangest thing I have ever done." 

The rest of the boys had shifted, leaving me surrounding my backyard with five full fledged wolves. Damian bowed his head, lowering his body to the ground so that he was touching the grass. "You want me to ride you?" I spurted out, immediately regretting my word choice. I looked around at the other Lawless, the sky darkening to night from above. Maybe it was the tequila, or maybe it was lasting side effects from last night, but I wasn't scared. Instead, I grabbed onto his fur with my hands, using that to lift myself up and onto his back. A giggle escaped my lips, as his body moved underneath mine. I readjusted my legs, straddling the sides of the wolf. He raised himself off the grass, so that I was now raised above the rest. My scar glowed more brilliantly now, and with the sky turning to black, it spurted light out like a lantern. 

Damian led the pack with one more howl, and I knew that meant for me to hold on tighter. I tangled his fur around my fingers, using it like handle bars to hold me in place when we took off into the woods.

The night air whipped against my body, blowing my blonde locks back and into my face. I lowered myself so that my face was closer to Damian's neck. I held on tightly, feeling the thundering of their paws as they hit the ground. My scar continue to glow, lighting up the way in the woods, and making it easier for the pack to follow. I could feel the swell of power and strength from underneath me, how it filled my body with the same sensation I had felt last night standing in the field with Damian, and I let out a small yell--wanting to emulate the howl and the release of control I felt as I let my body and mind give into the pack mentality. Loosening my grip, I positioned myself so that I was now almost standing. With one hand firmly holding onto Damian as we soared through the underbrush, leaping over fallen trunks, and manuring swiftly between debris, I lifted my other hand into the air. 

 A smile spread across my mouth, as the tingling in my hands traveled up my spine, and then expelled out through me--causing the light from my scar to glow even brighter. It burned this time, but I welcomed the pain, letting it be a reminder that my breath and body were connected to the nature around me. I could feel the grass underneath Damian, the pulsating of the plants and tress that sprouted from it, and it traveled into me--filling me with light.  I let the power overwhelm me, flooding my senses--and somehow, I knew Damian was feeling what I felt. That we were connected in this moment, more than just honorary pack mates, but as an Lawless and an Enchantress--stronger together.

And for the first time in my life, I think I knew what it meant to feel alive.