Page 26 of Crystal Luna

“You survived. You shifted for the first time all by yourself only to shift again to your human form moments after—by choice. You ran for miles to escape where other pups can barely stay on their feet the first night.”

“It was more of a stumble than a run,” she murmured. He made it seem as if she’d done something extraordinary.

“I know it’s hard for you but take the compliment,” he chuckled.

She ducked her head to hide the flush rising to her cheeks.

“You left the territory that same night, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“When did you run out of food and start your first hunt?”

She tried to remember, but those first few days blurred together.

“Maybe the second or third day?” he mused. “It must have been within the first week.”

“I can’t remember but it was soon after I crossed the border.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I was getting tired and hungry, so I slowed down and tried to catch my breath. Up until then, she was quiet. She doesn’t really talk much.” She paused, feeling stupid for having phrased it that way. “I mean I know they don’t talk to us, but…” she trailed off, unsure of how to phrase it.

“We have our own language with our wolves. Mine uses his feelings and by now, it feels like he uses words.”

“It feels like she shows me how to do certain things or even nudges me in the right direction. She showed me how to follow a scent and track prey to hunt.”

“She is a clever wolf. It takes many wolves years to learn that, a few months if they’re lucky.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“That’s why we’re meeting like this.”

“Have you ever half-shifted before?” she asked, a little timid.

“Just in those situations I’ve mentioned.” A grin formed on his face and suddenly he seemed much younger. “I had a bad temper; always quick to anger. There was a period of time where my palms always had scrapes from my claws digging into them.”

She followed his gaze to where his palms laid open in his lap. There was nothing there, but she tried to picture him in his younger years, attempting to conceal his rage.

“And of course, when I marked Laureen. That was more of an instinct than a conscious decision.”

She’d never heard him talk about her. His smile faded as he remembered his late luna.

“Most wolves only half shift when either they’re in danger or their loved ones are. Alpha Kaine of the Silverliners told me about a time where his luna had been attacked by a hunter. It had been in their house and the hunter was holding her from behind, a knife to her neck. Had he shifted fully, he would’ve hurt her too. He used the half-shift to take care of the hunter while preventing his luna from getting hurt. It wasn’t a conscious decision—he didn’t think about it until afterwards.”

“I didn’t think about it either.”

“No, you didn’t. But your life wasn’t at stake. You just needed your wolf’s strength to shut Rayan up.”

“It felt like it,” she admitted quietly.

“As if your life was at risk?”

She nodded.

“It might have, but I promise we will take care of you.”

“How do I do it again?”