Shapeshifter

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Right Thing

Something nudged me and I groaned, swatting it away with my hand. My head ached with a headache and I had no energy to open my eyes. It nudged me again, following that was a whimper. Sam, I immediately thought and my eyes whipped open in a flash. I sat up and came face to face with Sam's wolf form. "Oh my god!" I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "You're okay!" He nodded and licked my cheek. I laughed. "Shift back, dummy."

He shook his head and I frowned. "Why not?" Then I remembered what Zac had said to me. The injection he gave me, it would stop me from shifting. "He injected you with it too? You can't shift back... oh my god! Is it permanent? Are you going to stay a wolf from now on? Oh god!" He yelped and I looked at him. His eyes told me not to panic. "Oh, Sam." I rested my head on his and tried my hardest not to cry. We couldn't talk anymore. I went silent and Sam whimpered.

I heard the deadbolt on the door being pulled out and Sam and I both jumped to our feet, growling at Zac. The door opened and my mouth instantly closed. It wasn't Zac, but his mother. "Quickly, before Zac wakes up." She said and I stared at her.

"I don't trust you." I said.

She nodded, understanding. "I don't like what my son has done. Sam, you know me. I would never want this. Now hurry, get out of here." Sam trotted out the door and I followed. Zac's mother led us outside and I paused once we were out the front door.

"Why are you helping us?" I asked.

"I don't agree with my son's plans, just like I didn't agree with his father's. This is the right thing to do. So please, go. Find your two other friends and go home. I'll deal with my son when he wakes up." She said, a small, apologetic smile on her lips. "And the effects of that serum will wear off in time. You'll both be able to shift again within the next day or so."

"Thank you."  She nodded and I turned, jogging after Sam as he sprinted off into the night. It was almost dawn and even though it was still dark, I remembered the way to where I ha left Sebastian and Leo.

Seven hours later...

We stopped at a cave. It was surrounded by thick forest and I heard a river that flowed past it, leading to who knows where. It was a few hours from the edge of Zac's territory. He'd be travelling a while before he found us. Sam and I were both exhausted, the injection taking a lot of our energy out. And our bodies were trying to get rid of it.

Sebastian and Leo trotted off to the cave, shoving each other and I watched their wolf and panther forms disappear, then turned to Sam. I kneeled down and cupped his snout in my left hand and stroked his fur with my right.

"You should go back to your pack." I said. He whimpered and pushed his head into my chest. I took it as no. "Look. You're safer away from me. You're the next Alpha to your pack. You need to be there." I motioned my head towards the cave. "The three of us have been through this together. They can't go home, just like me, except they aren't on the run from jackasses. We've been through this together for so long. Its better that you just stay away from me and you won't get hurt, or killed. We don't stay after we've been tracked down. So," I paused. "If we get back, we'll be leaving."

He stepped back, locking eyes with me. I saw the pain in his beautiful blue eyes. He whimpered and sat down. Tears slipped from my eyes. "You can't shift back for who knows how long. Go back to your pack. Find a way to get the poison-thing out of your body or wait it out. I know you can't see me get hurt but I can't see you get hurt either. Please, just go to the pack. I'll be fine with Leo and Sebastian. We've looked out for each other for over a year, they'll protect me."

He made a whining husky-like noise saying, 'But you can't shift.' I sighed, nothing was going to get him to leave. "I know. But Leo and Sebastian can." I said, tears streaming down my face. "Please just go back to the pack."

'No.' he whined.

"Sam. Please. I promise I'll come see you before I leave." I reasoned.

'No!' he barked out, standing up.

I sighed. "I'm not letting you help. I'm not letting you get hurt. He wants me. He wants to turn me against you all. He'll turn me into a weapon that'll kill you and Leo and Sebastian and everyone else that I love. Please, Sam. Please just leave." I whispered.

'No!' he barked again.

"Sam. I don't... I don't want you," I paused. I saw the hurt in his eyes. "I don't want you coming with us!" He whimpered and lowered his head. I stood up. I was too tired to argue anymore. I was too tired to do anything. I turned and walked to the cave, leaving Sam.

~Sebastian~

Cj walked into the cave and I looked up. Leo and I sat next to each other and watched her glance out of the cave. She walked over to us and scratched both of us under the chin. I closed my eyes, putting my ears back, and purring. Cj laughed and hugged us both.

"Let's go to sleep." She said, even though it was daylight. I laid down, Cj laid behind me and Leo laid with his head near mine. Cj's breathing slowed straightaway. She must have fallen asleep already. Sam walked into the cave and looked at us, looking down with sorrow. I looked up at Leo.

"Come on. Let him be with her." I said quietly, so Leo heard and not Sam. Leo and I got up and walked towards Sam. I stopped next to him while Leo kept walking. "We'll go outside and keep watch. You go lay down with her. I know what it's like to want to be with your mate. I was the same with my mate."

"'Was'? What happened to her?" Sam asked. I lowered my head and looked away. "Thank you." He said, noticing that I wasn't going to explain. Sam walked to Cj and laid down in front of her. Leo came back to me and watched the two as well.

"I thought I told you to leave." Cj said. I mentally chuckled and kept watching them. Cj moved closer to Sam and put her left arm and leg over his body. Sam wore a grin and closed his eyes. I shifted back and so did Leo. We walked to the mouth of the cave and leaned against the wall. I kept watching the two with a smile, remembering memories from my past.

"Remembering Saskia?" Leo asked quietly. I looked at him with a sad smile.

"Yeah. Not a day that goes by that I don't think of her." I said and Leo patted my back.

"It must be hard knowing you won't be able to see your mate again and seeing those two together and happy." He said. I just shrugged.

"As long as she's happy. You two are the closest thing I have to a family right now." I said.

"It's the same for the three of us. Especially for Cj." Leo said and I shook my head.

"No. She now has Sam and his family." I stated and Leo kept quiet. "She'll want to run again. I know it."

"I don't want to leave."

"Neither do I. But Zac knows where we are. He'll head straight to the pack. We'll have a war on our hands."

"And we'll fight. Sam is her family now. The pack welcomed us, three rogues, and gave us a rank. Even if that was just because Cj is Sam's mate, we'll still fight with them."

"Damn right we will. We owe them that much." I said, looking at Cj again. "We're not running anymore."

Edited 02/12/2017