Grace peeked one eye open, the bright blue showing confusion. “Why?” she asked.
“One of the reasons the early transformations are so painful is because you instinctively resist your wolf at the beginning,” I said. “Your human body doesn’t yet get that it’s a part of you. Have you felt your wolf yet?”
Emma nodded. “Last year.”
“Most kids get several years to get used to their wolf before they start shifting, and even if they aren’t ready for those first transformations. Your wolf is a strong part of you, and she’s going to want to come out. Your human body and brain are resisting on instinct. Until your wolf and your human part are able to work in harmony, that resistance is going to make shifting a lot harder. So I want you to listen to your wolf. I knowyou probably don’t have a whole lot of practice with it yet, but it’ll help with some of the pain.”
Grace bit her lip, sniffling. Water sloshed around her as she tried to get comfortable. Hot water lapped against my fingers as it rose up the side of the tub. I watched as her face scrunched. Not in pain, this time, but in concentration. Her chest rose and fell, whimpers still escaping her mouth.
“Relax,” I said. “I know that isn’t easy to do right now, but the more you relax, the less it’s going to hurt.”
Hesitating, she peeked one eye open. “How do I talk to my wolf?” she asked.
I cracked a grin. At this point, that was instinctive. He was as integral a part of me as my heart or lungs.
To my surprise, it was Emma who answered. “Search inside. She’ll be in your subconscious, but she’ll be wanting to talk to you. She’ll make herself known once you start looking.”
I blinked, momentarily distracted as I looked at Emma. She raised one amused eyebrow, and the expression drove me wild. Something about the sassy streak that had developed in her only drew me to her rather than infuriating me.
“I may not be able to shift, but that doesn’t mean I can’t reach my own wolf,” she said, as if reading my thoughts.
“Right,” I said, then turned back to Grace. “So, go looking for her.”
Grace’s face screwed in concentration, then relaxed, her eyes closed. Her body loosened a little, and she hunched over a little less.
“Okay, now I need you to take several deep breaths,” I said.
Grace listened. Her body eased more.
“Better?” I asked, and Grace nodded. “Good. Now talk to your wolf.”
“She says she senses bad things coming,” Grace muttered. “She says it’s getting worse. That’s why she wants to come out.”
Gritting my teeth, I didn’t glance over at Emma, even as I could sense her stiffen behind me, could feel her shock and worry through the bond.
“Tell her we know about the danger, and we’re going to fix it,” I said.
Grace’s body loosened further, and she opened her eyes. “It still hurts,” she said. “But not as bad.”
Emma let out a relieved breath behind me, then she came to crouch next to me. Her finger touched the water.
“It’ll pass, sweetie,” Emma said as the water steamed. “For now, just relax a bit.”
***
The pain came and went for at least another hour. It was after 2 a.m. before the aches subsided enough for Grace to pass out from exhaustion. Emma bundled her up and carried her to bed before coming back out to speak with me, giant bags beneath her eyes.
“She’s asleep,” she said.
“Good,” I replied. “When she wakes up, it should be back to normal. Are you all right?”
“Shaken up,” she admitted, hugging herself. “I didn’t know what to do. But you did.”
“You did great,” I said. “I just helped a bit.”
Emma hesitated. A moment later, she flung her arms around me, holding me tight.
“Thank you,” she said.
