“Got it.” Jaime paused, as if carefully picking his words. “I know this isn’t your first rodeo, but it’s mine… Is she going to be all right?”
Dominic couldn’t lie, but he knew the full truth was not what a worried father needed to hear. “We will take care of her the best that we can. Just keep in mind what it was like for you and try to be sympathetic. She’s going through a lot right now.”
Jaime gave a huff of a laugh. “When it was my time, my dad just threw me out into the woods and came to get me in the morning. I didn’t exactly have help.”
“Then be the help to Madison that you wish you had. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Dominic ended the call and pushed himself out of the rocker. Madison may have been seventeen, but he hadn’t expected her to mature this early. Coming from mixed parentage often meant young wolf shifters didn’t experience their first shift until well into their college years. He knew of a few who refused to leave their hometown until their first shift, specifically so they would not shift alone in a strange place with no help. Madison should have counted herself lucky that she shifted in Tolstone, though it was unlikely she’d feel lucky at all that night.
He hopped in his truck, safely sped down Crescent Lane and toward the Gabors residence on the other side of town. They, unlike Dominic and some of the other shifters of Tolstone, lived in a newer subdivision where the houses had similar floor plansand automatic irrigation systems. While most homes boasted privacy fences, the Gabors’ fence was incomplete. The entire back of their property was open to a stretch of woods that, if followed, led to Larson Caves Park. The nature preserve was ideal for their kind, and the Gabors strategically planned their home on the edge of the neighborhood to have access to the park. Jaime could come and go and run as he pleased. And now, so could Madison.
He turned down his radio as he approached the Gabors. Familiar cars and trucks lined the curb along their block and Dominic shook his head. Gwen must have invited the entire pack, and then some. He spotted a few cars that belonged to shifters of packs who took up temporary residence in Tolstone, those who may not have known Madison but may have been acquainted with Jaime. A big crowd was the last thing Madison needed, and the other wolves should have known that.
A small group had gathered on the front lawn and casually shared stories of their first shift. From inside the home came more chatter, and he could just barely make out the flustered tones of Madison and her mother. The moment Dominic slid out of his truck and made his way toward the Gabors’ driveway, all heads swiveled in his direction.
Some threw up a hand in a respectful salute, while others dipped their chins out of respect for his position. He should have been used to the attention, being Prime Alpha of Tolstone for some time now, but Dominic still felt that pang of awkwardness each time wolves decades older than himself regarded him as a superior. He returned their greeting and hurried up the walk to the front door. Dominic let himself in and slipped past the other house guests, following his ears to Madison’s bedroom.
Gwen stood just outside her daughter’s door, exasperation written on her face. “Sweetheart, you can’t shift in there. You’ll tear everything up.”
“I don’t care! I’m not coming out!”
As Dominic approached, Gwen turned and let out a breath of relief. “Thank God you’re here. Please talk some sense into her. I just bought her a new mattress and I’m scared she’s going to ruin it if she stays in there through this whole thing.”
Though the wolf side of a shifter was fairly tame, with the human consciousness intact, the first shift could be dramatic as both human and wolf settled into their new life together.
Dominic came to the door and gave a casual rap of his knuckles. “Madison, it’s Dominic. Can we talk?”
About this time, Jaime made his way down the hall to join his family. All three held their breaths as another pain gripped Madison. It passed in a few moments, and she panted for air. “Tell everyone to go away, Dominic! I don’t want them to see me like this.”
Dominic passed a pointed glance at Gwen. “I know exactly how you feel. My dad invited every alpha in the state to see me shift for the first time. That was a lot of pressure from a bunch of strangers, but everyone here cares about you. We’re here to show our support and to help you.”
A long stretch of silence settled over that part of the house.
“I don’t know how you can help.” Madison’s voice came out so softly that only Dominic and Jaime could hear her.
“Would it help if we shifted with you? Me and your dad?”
Dominic checked Jaime for any sign of disapproval but found none. It was a lot to ask of any wolf to shift on command, but the father appeared ready to do anything to comfort his daughter.
“Gross! I don’t want to see my dad naked like that.”
“You don’t have to look,” Dominic assured her. “And we won’t look at you. Do you have a robe you can wear?”
“I have one she can borrow,” Gwen added before hurrying to their bedroom to fetch it.
“See. Your mom is getting you a robe. Now, it’s best that you don’t shift inside. Let’s go into the backyard. You’ll be more comfortable out there.”
Another pause, and Dominic heard the rustle of sheets as Madison stood to come to the door. It opened and Madison met their gazes with gold, wolfish eyes beneath a mass of dark, disheveled hair. She looked more like she had just woken up from a long, feverish sleep than struggling with shifting pains. Dominic gave her a sympathetic smile and stepped aside so she could lead the way.
The three of them arrived in the living room, the pack parting to let them through to the sliding doors that opened onto the back patio. They gave her hushed words of encouragement as they passed, but Madison seemed no less anxious about what was to come. Gwen scurried after them, a plush purple robe clutched between her hands. They guided Madison a short stretch into the woods beyond their backyard, not only for privacy but so that the forest might absorb the sounds of her shift. Sometimes, though not always, Dominic heard that shifting among the trees also appeased the inner wolf of the shifter, making the transformation a little smoother.
Dominic sensed the next wave of shifting pains would come over Madison soon, so he rushed through his instructions on how to ride the pain, how to breathe through it, and how best to welcome her wolf forward. With their backs turned to her, Dominic could smell her fear mounting as she deftly stripped beneath her mother’s robe.
“It’s all right to be scared,” he said. “Everyone gets scared for their first time.”
Madison gulped. “I think I already know the answer to this, but… how bad will it hurt?”
Dominic and Jaime turned to see her shaking hands gripping the closed edges of the robe against her chest and stomach.Again, Dominic didn’t want to lie but felt obligated to the Gabors and their young daughter. “It’s going to be the worst pain you’ve ever experienced in your life, but it’ll get a little easier with time.”
