Greyson looked down in panic at Indianna as she groaned in pain. She was still unconscious, but that didn't stop the heartbreaking screams. He could feel her burning up in his arms, and he swore, trying to run deeper into the woods without hurting Indianna.
"Come on," Greyson muttered. "Fight, sugar, you can do it."
There was another loud crack, and Indianna screamed loudly. All Greyson could do was watch as one of Indianna's arms twisted at an unnatural angle.
Flanked by Kal and Ace, Greyson entered a small clearing deep in the woods, far away from the lake party. He gently placed Indianna on the ground just as her face screwed up in pain and there was another crack.
Greyson cringed and sat down next to her, holding her hand in his.
There was nothing he could do. He just had to watch.
"Ace, contact some pack members. I want this area surrounded and guarded," Greyson called, not wanting any harm to come to his mate while she was in such a vulnerable state.
Indianna screamed again, and her eyes flew open. She gasped, and immediately pain flooded through her body. She screamed, and Greyson cringed.
"G-Greyson!" she spluttered and tried to sit up.
"Don't sit up," Greyson said and gently moved Indianna so her head was resting in his lap. He soothingly stroked her hair, and she looked up at him in fear.
"What's-" A scream ripped from Indianna's lips, and she cried in pain as her spine crunched and her back arched upwards. "Greyson," she cried and gripped his arm. "It hurts! What's happening?"
"You're shifting," Greyson said. "I'm so sorry, sugar."
Indianna groaned and swore loudly as her fingers started to crack and bend at impossible angles.
"Make it stop!" she begged and screamed out again. "Make it stop!"
Greyson looked down at Indianna with sad eyes. He shook his head, and Indianna yelled out in pain.
"You can get through it. You're strong. You can push through it."
Indianna gritted her teeth and groaned, squeezing her eyes shut as pain rippled through her.
"How long does it last?" she whispered.
Greyson stayed quiet and didn't answer. Indianna knew what his silence meant.
It wasn't going to be over anytime soon.
Hours had passed.
Greyson hadn't moved from Indianna's side once.
Her screams had gotten so loud that he had to cover his ears. He didn't want to look at her. He couldn't bear to see her in pain.
She had bloodstains all over her body from where her claws had grown through and split her skin. The bleeding had stopped, but her fingers were red raw.
She had fallen unconscious three more times, but she had been wide awake for three hours now. She felt every bone that was breaking, and the pain grew stronger every minute.
Indianna was curled up into a ball, tears falling freely and whimpering every couple of seconds. Greyson was next to her, running his hand down her spine—his touch soothed Indianna only slightly, but it was better than nothing.
Kal watched from a distance, witnessing the horror in front of him. He had heard that the shifting of an Alpha or Luna was not like a normal wolf's shift, but he didn't realise how horrible it was.
His shift was over in 20 minutes.
His bones broke and reformed quickly. Indianna's bones were breaking slowly. Every bone in her body had to break and then reform into her wolf. It was an agonising and painful process.
Alphas and Lunas had much stronger wolves compared to average pack members. It meant that it was a lot harder for the wolf to first shift. The body had to fight harder to shift into a wolf. The human had to overpower their wolf side and force the wolf to shift. An average pack member's wolf wasn't as strong as an Alpha's, so they didn't struggle. However, Alphas and Lunas did.
They struggled an awful lot.
"How is she doing?"
Kal looked over as Kirstie and Mac arrived, their faces sombre. The whole pack knew that their Luna was shifting, and they were all concerned.
"You just need to hear her to find your answer," Kal muttered and flinched when Indianna screamed again.
"It's been going on for hours. It must nearly be over," Mac muttered.
"Greyson's shift took eight hours," Kirstie said. "How long has it been?"
"Five hours," Kal sighed, and they all froze when Indianna's scream turned into a strangled howl.
Greyson suddenly shot up from the ground and took a few steps back, giving Indianna the space she needed.
"Come on, sugar," he muttered. "You've nearly done it."
Indianna screamed again, but this time the scream turned into a powerful howl, and her back arched up. With a sickening crack, her spine twisted, and Indianna threw her head back. Wolfish ears started to grow, and Indianna's body bent painfully as it slowly started to sprout dark hair.
After minutes of Indianna thrashing around, her bones cracking painfully, a final howl escaped her lips, and there was a shredding sound as Indianna's clothes ripped to pieces. It happened so quickly that all they could see were bits of skin and fur, and then suddenly, a wolf stood in Indianna's place.
Greyson looked at Indianna in shock, surprised that it was over so suddenly.
"Indie?" he said cautiously.
The black wolf looked at Greyson with wide eyes before crumpling to the ground.
Greyson swore and rushed to her side, running his hand down her soft coat.
"Indie," he said, gently shaking her. "Indie, wake up!"
"Greyson!" Kal called and stepped forward. "Do you want me to get Doc?"
"Stay back!" Greyson snapped and looked at Indianna as her eyes fluttered open. "Indie? Indie, it's me."
She looked up at Greyson and blinked a few times. His hair suddenly seemed darker, and his skin softer. She breathed in deeply, and hundreds of scents overwhelmed her, making her sneeze in her wolf form.
Greyson moved next to her, and she jumped, processing the sudden movement a thousand times faster than normal. Her hearing picked up the sound of his feet moving on the ground, and she frowned.
She couldn't turn anything off.
The heightened senses didn't go away. They were going to stay forever.
Indianna looked down at herself, and she nearly had a heart attack at what she saw. Smooth, silky black fur covered her large body.
She was a wolf.
"Indie," Greyson said softly and gently scratched behind Indianna's ear. His touch ignited sparks deep inside her at an intensity she had never felt before. A contented growl escaped her lips, and she closed her eyes, not wanting Greyson to stop.
How do you feel? Greyson asked, and Indianna yawned.
Tired, she murmured. Exhausted. Everything hurts.
Close your eyes, Greyson said softly. "The first shift is extremely tiring. Just sleep."
Indianna didn't hear the last thing Greyson said as darkness consumed her, and she welcomed peace eagerly.