I hope you enjoy this chapter. I've been getting super spikes in reads. Thanks :)
Pic of Jonathan (Wade Poezyn) on the side for a treat >>
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Chapter 23 Nicole
“So you’re okay with this?” Lisa asked Nat.
“I guess…I’m still gonna slap the crap out of Jonathan when I see him,” she crossed her arms. “Nicole, did the shift hurt you?”
I shook my head. “Not really, I mean yeah there was one little pain but…other than that no…But don’t forget I am different.”
“Do you think it’ll hurt me?” she asked timidly.
I paused to take a deep breath. “…I honestly don’t know, Nat. I think it’s likely but…I don’t know.”
She sighed. “Why did my stupid hormones get the best of me?!” she moaned letting her head fall into her hands.
I heard the sound of a door opening from downstairs. I scrunched up my nose before darting downstairs where Jonathan was entering the house.
“You stupid bastard!!!” I screamed running at him. I let my hand come across his face, making a loud cracking sound.
“What the hell was that for, you bitch?!” he yelled, outraged, as his hand touched his red cheek.
“Go, Nicole!” Natalie cheered from behind me.
“Jonathan,” a voice said making us all turn to look at him.
Magnus stood with Liza, Chase, and Mack at his side.
“Magnus, I know what this is about but you don’t understand she—“
He was cut off by Chase walking forward and punching his face. When he pulled his hand back there was blood on Jonathan’s lip, where Chase’s ring cut him.
“Chase?! Are you serious?!” Jonathan yelled.
“You bit Natalie and now she’s going to turn into one of us. You didn’t even ask her,” Chase accused.
“She wanted it! I know she did. Now she’s my mate. She and I will complete the mating process once she turns tonight,” Jonathan snapped.
“Jonathan…” Natalie sighed. “Sure I said I wanted to be a werewolf. We were…doing stuff and I wasn’t thinking. You bit me without asking me…without making sure I was actually…sober or whatever. Jonathan, I do like you, I do. But this was kind of…too much.”
“I didn’t mean to bite you,” he sighed. “I just…I was so…caught up in… everything, that I just did it. I didn’t think, and I’m sorry. You just don’t get what it’s like to be alone as a werewolf.”
Natalie bit her lip, her eyes beginning to look like mine when I watched Bambi.
“Liza, I ran that stuff you asked me to run!” Kelly called from the top of the stairs.
“What did you find out?” Liza asked her eyes moving to Kelly, who was running down the red carpeted stairs.
“All of them are from the same line,” Kelly grinned. “That’s why they all became friends, that’s also why they have failed to turn.”
“So wait, Natalie was already a werewolf? And Lisa is too?” I gasped, my eyes widening. “You guys are what…my cousins?”
“Yeah,” Kelly nodded, answering all of my questions with one small word.
I looked over at Natalie’s face, it was shock mixed with something unreadable. Lisa’s expression replicated Nat’s.
“I’m a…a,” she swallowed loudly. “I’m a werewolf?”
“Lisa, are you alright?” Mack asked stepping forward.
“I…you…” she panted.
I walked to her. She was breathing in and out heavily. “Lisa, I need you to slow your breathing down. I need you to calm down. It’s okay. I promise I will help you through this.”
“Since tonight is a full moon all of you will probably turn like if you were bitten…even if you’ve already turned Nicole,” Magnus said pity in his eyes as I met them.
I pulled in a shaky breath and turned back to Lisa. “Lisa, it’s going to be okay.”
Her breathing picked up. “I…can’t…do this…”
I rubbed her back. “Lisa, you can and you will.” I looked over at Mack, whose eyes were tear filled as he looked at Lisa. “Mack…come over here and help her calm down.”
He gave me an unsure look.
I nodded. “Yours.”
His eyes widened a bit and returned to Lisa’s shaking figure that stood two inches shorter than me. “Lisa,” he said cautiously, stepping over to her and laying his hand on her back. “Lisa, calm down. It’s okay. We will all help you through this.”
Lisa turned and allowed Mack’s arm to curl her to his chest and hug her tightly. He lightly kissed her hair and met my eyes with a silent thank you.
I nodded and walked to Natalie, who was still frozen in place. “Natalie? Are you okay?”
“…I don’t know. I guess I can’t really be…like Lisa about this. I dealt with this five minutes ago. Just to know that I’ve been one my whole life…changes things. And the fact that we’re cousins, it makes it awesome…I just don’t know how to…”
“I understand, Natalie,” I nodded patting her uninjured shoulder. “Want me to look at the bite?” She turned around allowing me to see. Nothing was there. “Nat…the bite is gone.”
“Werewolves heal fast,” Jonathan supplied.
“That’s got to be it,” said Natalie turning back around.
I looked over at Jonathan. “Sorry for slapping you,” I said lifting a shoulder.
“I shouldn’t have bitten her,” he waved it off.
I shrugged, couldn’t argue with that one. Chase walked to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “What time is it?”
“It’s five forty. It will be dark very soon,” Magnus said, sending a thoughtful glance to one of the large window beside the door.
“So should we get ready?” I asked looking at Chase. “How do we even get ready for this?”
Chase shrugged. “We just go to the back yard.”
“That’s it?” I asked tipping my head to the side a bit before shrugging. “Okay.”
“I’ll take you three there,” Chase offered putting his arm around my shoulders. He walked me towards the back of the house with Lisa and Nat behind us. Both Lisa and Nat had Jonathan and Mack trailing behind them.
A sharp pain made its way up my spine, making me cry out and double over.
“It’s starting,” Chase warned us, his voice panicked.
I felt my legs fly out from under me and my body being carried outside. The cool air did nothing to suppress the heating fever that had begun to coat my skin. A second later my body was lying on cool grass. I heard two screams around me. Lisa and Natalie were lying on the ground with me…they were starting to shift as well. An angry scream ripped out of my mouth when the pain ate through the bones in my legs. “Chase! Chase! Make it stop! Please make it stop!” I howled arching up as the pain up my spin intensified. I could feel a headache making its way around my scalp. The fever was growing, I could feel sweat coating my body, matting my hair. I could feel every bone in my body breaking…reforming. My hands and feet started to break and reform seconds after the headache took place. It hurt so much. My ribs and back started to reform and move, making my nerves go mad…making me go mad. The only things I could hear was the cracking of my bones, the screams leaving my mouth, the loud pounding beats of my heart.
Suddenly it all stopped. I lifted my head, but it was…different…heavier than usual. I scanned the area and my eyes saw Chase. I tried to stand up but it only resulted in me falling back down. I looked around again. Mack and Jonathan gave up two laughs. I saw Natalie and Lisa. They both screaming so loud it hurt my eardrums. I looked back over at Chase and opened my mouth to speak when a low bark came out. I’d done it. I’d shifted.
“I know, Nicole. They’ll be okay,” Chase nodded. He took a few cautioned steps towards me but stopped mid-way. I cocked my head to the side and let out another bark, slightly louder. I wanted him to come over to me. “Can you stand up?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, but tried again…another failed attempt. I noticed he was choking back a laugh and made my glare more noticeable.
“Chase,” his mother warned.
“I got it, mom, she’s not going to hurt me. Right, Nicole?” he asked looking back at me.
I dipped my head and tried to crawl forward.
“Help me stand up!” I shouted in his head.
He walked forward and stroked a hand over my fur. His other hand made its way under me, lifting me to my feet. I stumbled for a moment before I was able to straighten my stance. I swiveled my head to where I was looking at Natalie and Lisa. They’d shifted. Natalie was grey and beautiful; she had white markings through her fur it was like a giant V on her back. Lisa was red with a big brown X on her back. Both girls were looking at me, trying to figure out how to stand up. I looked over at Jonathan and Mack. Their eyes were on Natalie and Lisa. I barked at them. “They need to go help them,” I mind-linked to Chase.
“You two; go help them stand up,” Chase ordered as his hand stroked my fur.
I turned my body and pressed my head into Chase’s chest. His hand ran down my neck as he petted me. Now I oddly know what a dog feels like. I looked up at Chase, before scanning the woods behind his house. I let out a soft bark.
“You can go, you can run,” Chase whispered. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I took off like a rocket, ducking under branches, jumping over tree roots. I could feel the wind hitting my fur and my eyes. I could feel salty tears coming out of my eyes from the wind as I ran, but I didn’t care…until I started to slide. I yelped and crashed into the grass. I’d slid over shallow mud. I whined once, a bark followed it out easily. I shook my fur out and stood back up, looking around myself.
“Nicole? Where are you?” Chase’s voice asked in my head.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.
Something whizzed past my ear making me jump to the side. The bullet crashed into the tree behind me. I yelped and swiveled my head around looking for the person who sent that bullet after me. I yelped again when my eyes caught a figure, standing behind the trees watching me. He was barely breathing as he tried to remain silent and hidden.
“Chase, help,” I thought in a quiet panic.
“What is it? Are you alright? Howl so I can find you,” he replied, worry flooding his thoughts.
I lifted my head up and howled loudly. I sensed the human jump and I heard the leaves break under his feet. I dipped my head down a bit and neared him.
“D-don’t come near me,” the guy said.
It was one of my guy friends from school…Landon. I gave him a soft bark and took a cautioned step forward. Chase came barreling through the trees at that moment, angry growls coming from his throat. I turned to face him. I let out a low growl, telling him to back off.
“It’s fine, it was my friend Landon. He doesn’t know I’m me. Go. Let me talk to him,” I spoke.
He looked behind me once, his growls halting. He met my eyes again and nodded, before galloping away.
I spun back around. I barked at Landon and nudged my head. He was shaking still but his eyes turned from terrified to confused.
“Are you one of them?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
I dipped my head.
“Can you turn back?”
I, again, dipped my head.
“Then do it.”
I got down on my stomach and willed my body to turn back. My body cracked changed as I let out a howl which turned into a deadly human scream before I was myself again. The pain was less than it had been at first. It was less intense. The breaking and reforming of my bones was faster and easier.
“Nicole? You’re one of them?” he asked, his voice just slightly above a whisper.
I nodded, standing up. “Yes, I am. What are you doing out here so late?”
“I got lost. Missy led me out here with her friend Josh…they left me…I got lost.”
“Come with me, I’ll lead you back,” I smiled. He nodded, still shocked. I put a hand on his arm and started leading him back the way we’d come. “Where’d you get the gun?” I asked.
“I brought it in case of bears or something,” he shrugged. “Sorry about shooting at you.”
“It’s okay, you didn’t actually hit me,” I shrugged.