Miraculously, the pain begins to subside, and the ordeal becomes bearable with Nina by my side. My head rests on her lap, and she strokes my arm, now covered in fur. More bones snap, but with Nina's presence, the agony heavily reduces. My face swiftly morphs into that of my wolf, and the remnants of my clothes shred away as I complete the shift.
I roll onto all four paws, my tongue lolling out as I pant with newfound joy. Nina continues to stroke her fingers through my fur, awe and disbelief evident in her expression. The gathered onlookers gasp in astonishment.
‘He is a pure white Alpha. Aren't Alphas supposed to be black?’ Flint voices his amazement, echoing the surprise of the crowd.
I keep my eyes fixed on Nina's face, though a curiosity tugs at me, prompting a gaze downwards at my paws, now adorned in fluffy white fur. The onlookers are right—My coat of fur is white like snow!
‘Magnus, this is amazing,’ Nina breathes in awe, studying my face with a gentle touch along my back.
In disbelief, Nina turns to Flint, Josie, and May. ‘You have to tell me I’m dreaming?’ She says, her eyes searching the faces around her.
Flint crouches down beside her. ‘You’re not dreaming, Nina. It’s incredible, though, and I’ve never seen a wolf this big. Magnus is even bigger than Dad’s wolf,’ he states in shock, patting my head before stepping back.
Nina leans in closer, her eyes locked with mine. The same regretful look in her eyes mirrors my own. ‘Thank you, Magnus, for saving me back there. Moss suddenly vanished. I came outside to see if he was outside and instead found Sean out here, who, well, you saw the rest,’ she explains and looks away. I hear a sob escape from her lips.
I nuzzle closer to Nina, my warm fur offering comfort as I gently wipe away her tears with an affectionate nudge. She responds by wrapping her arms around me, surrendering to a torrent of emotions that burst forth in tears.
Moss returns in a bad mood. ‘What’s going on out here?’ He demands, striding through the crowd. The group parts, revealing me in my majestic wolf form and Nina, tear-stained and embracing me. A low, menacing growl escapes me as a silent warning to Moss, causing the onlookers to shiver.
Nina lifts her head, catching sight of Moss. She lets go of me, and I instinctively position myself in front of her, teeth bared and growling. The crowd watches with fear and curiosity.
Moss takes cautious steps backward, and I advance a few more, my growls intensifying. ‘No, Magnus,’ Nina intervenes, racing around and crouching in front of me. ‘You can’t hurt him, Magnus,’ she asserts sternly. I give her a sorrowful look before redirecting my glare at Moss. Nina shakes her head. ‘It doesn’t matter now, Magnus. Regardless, Sean’s actions are not Moss’s fault.’
Nina was right; it wasn’t his fault, but I'm still overwhelmed by the unsettling feeling around Moss. My wolf tries to fight for complete control, with teeth bared and growls reverberating as I move toward Moss. However, I stop abruptly.
‘Magnus!’ My parents shout, approaching with Zak.
Seizing the moment, Moss grabs Nina’s arm and pulls her back. I growl in response, a protective instinct surging through me.
‘Magnus has shifted!’ my father, Ryker, exclaims.
‘And he is pure white like my wolf,’ Astrid adds, stunned.
‘Have you ever seen a white male Alpha before?’ Ryker asks.
‘No, but like me, he is a direct descendant of the Moon Goddess. Perhaps my grandfather was a white wolf or a grandfather before him, or he could be the first pure-white alpha wolf to exist. But either way, the Moon Goddess has bestowed this on him,’ she smiles, turning her attention back to me. ‘You are so beautiful, my son,’ she hugs me.
‘Can you shift back?’ My father asks me.
I don’t want to shift back just yet. Instead, I gaze towards the trees and let out the loudest howl the pack has ever heard.
‘A run it is then,’ my father smiles.
My parents shift into their wolves and stand beside me. My wolf is at least six inches taller than my father’s.
As all three of us unleash our powerful howls, the pack members watch in awe, witnessing as we run together towards the woods. In the midst of this, Claire emerges from her house, her fresh dress swaying in the wind. She surveys the scene with a perplexed expression.
‘Who’s that wolf, and where’s my Boo-boo gone too?’ She asks, oblivious to everything that just happened.
Zak, taking charge, approaches her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘You might want to sit down for this,’ he advises with a grin. With a quick catch-up on the recent developments, Claire, overwhelmed, collapses, much to the amusement of the onlookers.
In my wolf form, the wind whips through my fur, and the thud of my paws against the earth resonates with my heart as the sense of freedom and power takes over. My massive tongue hangs out, collecting the occasional flying bug as I revel in the wild abandon of the moment. My parents, a few strides behind, share in this primal joy.
As our howls echo into the night, more wolves from our pack celebrate my early shift. I run again through the woods and then return home to the packhouse alongside my parents, Seth, Leon, Mia, and Amelia, who had joined me. They shift back into their human forms, then stare at me, waiting for my transformation.
My father approaches with a reassuring smile. ‘Relax, son, close your eyes and imagine yourself in human form, and you will shift back. It won’t hurt,’ he assures.
I follow his guidance, closing my eyes and envisioning my human self. However, as the shift begins, an unexpected surge of pain courses through my body. A howl of agony escapes my lips, transforming from a wolf's cry into a human cry of agony.