Okay, maybe not if Weston was the one telling it…
"Things finally changed when we got further away from the city. Mother had always been a bit of a tree hugger. She hated smog and cars and all that. It was either by luck or fate that Nero and I came across a small rural town close to the wildlife reserve. We had heard rumours about a werewolf in the area. Before Mother disappeared, I would have thought it was a bunch of junk, but after all that searching, I was starting to get desperate. I latched onto everything that might have anything to do with her."
Weston smiled, like he knew where this was going. "Let me guess. This werewolf was a shifter?"
A chuckle. "Yep."
I tried to condense what happened at Remington's manor into a digestible format.
That didn't stop it from sounding any less ridiculous, but it was what it was.
"That was when I had my first shift," I said. "I was terrified. I had no idea what was happening to me. One second I was in the same body I'd always been in, and then I was disoriented, panicked. I didn't realize what was going on. All I knew was that suddenly I was underwater, where I could somehow breathe, and that I was very small."
Weston's brows raised in earnest as he faced me now. "You had your first shift alone without any guidance or knowledge?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Nishiki, that's…" Weston was speechless, and he didn't strike me as the type of man to ever be speechless. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Every single shifter I know had their first shift at a young age with their parents or guardians to guide them. Especially to shift into a creature that’s so different from your human body."
I felt strangely warm and fuzzy at Weston’s sympathy. "It's okay. I got over it." I smiled. "Mostly."
I carried on with the rest of the tale, telling him about how the wild shifters who had saved me knew my mother and reunited us with her. Weston never once looked suspicious or incredulous, even though I was aware it might have sounded like a bunch of crap to anyone else. I guess truthwasstranger than fiction sometimes.
"Incredible," Weston murmured. "I'm glad you were reunited with your mother."
"It's just about where my story ends," I said with a self-deprecating laugh. "Nero went on to find a fated mate and have a baby and all that good stuff. Meanwhile, here I am napping and doing nothing until an osprey snatches me out of the water."
I noticed Weston's eyes flicker at the mention of fated mates. Maybe it was a bigger deal to wild shifters than to somebody like me who was new to his own culture.
"That doesn't sound like the end of the story," Weston said, smiling. "It sounds like just the beginning of one."
I paused. I'd never thought of it like that. When Weston said it, it sounded like the truth. I smiled in return, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "Maybe."
"Then I suppose it's safe to say you don't know much about shifting?" Weston asked. “Or about being an alpha?"
My shoulders sagged as I sighed and stared down at some riveting dirt on the ground. "That's right."
I suddenly went still as Weston reached over and put his finger below my chin, tipping it up so I faced him. My entire face went hot. There was no way he didn't see the blush taking over my cheeks.
"Don't be self-conscious," Weston said. "Given your circumstances, it's entirely understandable. There is no shame in a lack of knowledge."
He withdrew his hand. He was only touching me for a moment, barely even a second, but the feeling of his warmth on me lingered like a phantom sensation. After my short-circuited brain got over the fact that he had touched me, his words sank in. They were so kind that I could have cried.
"Thank you, Weston," I murmured.
"Don't mention it." He smiled. He led me to a fallen log in a clearing, gesturing for me to sit down while he stood. "You have a lot to catch up on, so consider this a crash course. If you have any questions, I'm here to answer them."
The difference in Weston's invitation compared to the awkwardness of Nero’s was stark. Unlike with my brother, I felt no shame or hesitancy with Weston. There wasn't even a hint of condescension in his tone. He genuinely wanted to help me. I knew realistically that Nero did, too, but it was beyond uncomfortable to talk to him about this sort of thing. Weston was a stranger—a very kind, understanding stranger. Plus there was the fact that he was noticeably older than me, which made it easier to think of him as a teacher.
Okay, I have got to get this Professor Weston fantasy out of my head.
"I don't know how much you know, so how about I just start with the basics?" Weston asked.
"That sounds good."
"Let's start with shifting. Each shifter has their own animal form, and can assume this form at will, unless something is preventing them from shifting. In this form, they are generally indiscernible from a mute animal, except for the fact that they may be slightly larger and are obviously able to speak. Every shifter species, in every form, can understand each other, even though our voices may be accented or distorted in animal form."
I nodded, thinking of the way Nero's voice sounded when he was a shark. It had a rough edge to it, almost a growl, but it was still distinctly him.
