“What's wrong?” I ask. Leena responds only by jumping around. “Leena, you have to turn back eventually. I know it's painful to turn, but it's still going to be painful to keep up this form.”
Eventually, I decided to just let her be, knowing she'll turn back when she's ready. The other shifters and I return to the pack house and clean ourselves up.
My shower this morning is a really long and refreshing one. By the time I'm out of my room, half of the pack is already preparing to leave.
Nate finds me opening the kitchen fridge for a bottle of water. “Heck of a night, huh?” he says, smiling.
“I'm sure it was for you,” I state, placing the bottle against my lips and taking a sip. “Where's Madeline?”
“She's upstairs.” The voice belongs to Graham, who's just joined us. “She's talking to Rose.”
“Hmm,” I note.
“We saw you with Leena last night,” Nate adds. His tone is normal, showing he may not think anything is out of the ordinary. I feel like Leena and I are the only ones who can sense that something is drawing us to each other.
“She didn't have the best transformation,” I comment. I place the bottle on the kitchen island and shake my head. “It was so bad.”
“That's awful,” Graham says with genuine empathy.
“She's been avoiding transforming,” I explain, looking from one man to the other. They focus on every word I say like I'm telling them a secret. “Leena is still in the woods, and I guess she'll be there for a bit.”
“I wouldn't be in a hurry to turn back either,” Nate sympathizes. “How long do you think she'll be like that?”
“I'm sure she'll tire herself out. I would've stayed with her some more, but there's work to do.”
“Shouldn't she be working with you?” The larger of the two asks.
“She's earned a couple of days to herself,” I reply, before picking up the bottle of water and emptying the rest of its contents. “How long are you two going to stay?”
Nate shrugs. “Maybe an extra day or two. We're not exactly in a hurry right now.”
“That's fair.”
It takes three full days for all the wolves that don't live in the townhouse to clear out. I do my best to spend time with Leena, despite being swamped with work. She stays in the part of the land that’s not too close to the house.
As the last cars drive off, I begin my stroll into the woods to find Leena. I'm used to the path she takes by now, plus her scent is still in the air. It leads me further into the forest before I finally locate her.
Every time I see Leena's wolf form, I'm in awe. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything as beautiful. She moves around with grace that's stunning to watch. However, there's something wrong today.
The morning breeze seems to make her sway more than usual. I can tell that she's weak, since the full moon is becoming a memory.
She sees me and stumbles in my direction, falling when she just reaches my feet. Leena breathes heavily, trying her best to fight the transformation. I sit on the ground next to her, stroking her fur gently.
“You have to turn back,” I tell her, running my fingers through her soft fur. “You can't stay like this forever. It'll only get worse.”
Leena doesn't even have the strength to respond to me. She keeps taking measured breaths, blinking slowly. I lean in closer to her, trying to soothe her pain, but she's not going to feel better until she turns back.
After continuously fighting the urge to transform, I hear the first crack.
Chapter 12
LEENA
My entire body is on fire. Everything Grant has ever told me feels like a lie. This has to be the most painful transformation yet.
As my bones shift and start reforming themselves, the alpha takes a step away from me, giving me room to fully turn back. My body tears apart, rebuilding itself and repeating the cycle all over again.
I can't… I can't do this.
