There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re a shifter, like me. That’s why my wolf chose you.” I smiled down at her. “I know you hurt, but shifting is a good thing. You’ll heal and quickly. Your body knows what to do. Don’t be afraid, you’re going to be just fine.”
My words must have penetrated because she stilled. I felt the frantic beat of her wolf heart beneath my palm, the silkiness of her fur. I saw the gunshot wound, staining her cinnamon fur a fierce red. The blood wasn’t pumping from her now but slowed to a trickle.
That eased my own wolf. “That’s it. Just relax. Let your wolf heal.”
I looked into her eyes, just as I had a few moments before and tried to comfort her. “You’re so beautiful as a wolf. Didn’t know you had it in you, huh?” I smiled.
Finally, I was at peace. She wasn’t going to die, but she needed to be talked through the healing process, the shift back to human form. If she’d never done it before, she wouldn’t know how.
My parents had talked about our first shift for years. I never remembered a time when we hadn’t talked about it. What it would feel like. What I’d do when I shifted. How I shifted back. If a first shift came early, there was some danger that a teen wolf couldn’t shift back. Sometimes it took an alpha command to make it happen. I’d been called in a few times to help new wolves who got stuck.
I remembered what Willow had told me about being in foster care as a child. That part was probably the truth. She’d given me the truths she could. Maybe she hadn’t known one or both of her parents at all—that’s why she hadn’t known she was a shifter.
I wondered if she’d had any hints of wolf, if she’d had any clues to it. Signs she wouldn’t have known were the need of her inner wolf to be revealed.
“Holy shit.”
I looked up when Boyd and Audrey came rushing in but skidded to a stop as they stared down at us. Audrey had her assessing gaze on Markle for about two seconds, then to us. Dead was dead. No matter how skilled a doctor Audrey was, she wasn’t fixing Markle.
“Um… Rob,” Boyd said. “Is that—”
“Willow’s a shifter.”
He grinned. “No shit.”
No shit.
“Did you know?” Audrey asked, squatting down beside me. From what she and Boyd told me, she’d seen James get shot by Markle and shift, and she’d watched him heal so she knew what was going to happen. There really wasn’t anything for her to do to help.
“Had no fucking idea,” I said, continuing to stroke Willow’s body, pet her head, rub an ear, her belly. Stroking all of her to let her know I was here, that it was okay. “The pain from being shot must have triggered it.”
“The wound’s already closing up,” Boyd commented.
I looked down, saw that it was no longer bleeding.
“I’ll help her shift back.” I looked down at Willow on the ground. “Right, angel? I’ll help you when it’s time. You heal faster in wolf form, though, so we’ll give it a little longer. Then you can call your boss, and we’ll get this mess here sorted out.”
“Got a blanket in your truck?” I asked Boyd. Willow’s clothes were in bloody tatters beneath her. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel self-conscious after she shifted back… naked.
“I’ll get it,” Audrey offered, starting to stand.
Boyd set a hand on her shoulder, keeping her from getting to her feet. “No. You stay here. I’ll get it.”
“I’m not an expert on shifter healing, but she’ll be fine, right?” Audrey looked to me.
I nodded. “Yes. I’d say… oh, there it is.” The bullet was starting to emerge from the wound, and she whimpered. If I wasn’t used to seeing this kind of healing, it would have been weird the way a wolf’s body expelled foreign objects.
Willow whimpered but went silent as the bullet slid from her and onto the packed dirt floor.
Boyd returned, and I took the blanket from him. “Come on, darlin’,” he said to Audrey. He held out his hand, and she took it, rising. “Let’s give them a little privacy. We’ll go get some clothes for her. Let us know how she wants to play this. Audrey can be her doctor if she needs to go to the hospital. She’s used to fake injuries.” He gave Audrey a wink.
They walked off