{ When I talk about Sophie being inside a white and gold light, imagine something kinda like that picture above. You can see her and the wolf at the same time. It's not like she's lost behind the light. }

"No.. I have to be with Chief.." Sophie groaned as she tried to push herself to her feet. She couldn't get farther than on her hands and knees.

"Not like this, you can't." Cortez spoke seriously with his hand on Sophie's back.

"I'm gonna throw up." Sophie cupped her mouth to keep from spewing all over the place.

Cortez grabbed the trash can next to him and slid it under Sophie. She held on to the trash can as she violently vomited into it, that flicker of white and gold appearing around her again. Cortez could only tentatively rub her back and try to comfort her with his voice. He kept telling her not to fight it and just relax but Sophie kept denying it.

"I'm not shifting." She spoke through heavy pants. "I don't even know how. I can't do this."

"Relax, Sophie." Cortez gently pet Sophie's soft brown hair with a soothing tone to his voice. "You don't have to know how. Let her take over. She'll take care of you."

"Who?" Sophie glanced at Cortez.

"Your wolf." He answered simply.

Sophie didn't want to believe it but she could feel it. She felt uncomfortable in her own skin, like she was being trapped inside her own skeleton. The sensation was almost itchy but she didn't know where to scratch. And suddenly, Cortez could see Sophie's nails grow into claws as they tore through the wood floor. His eyes widened. This was happening a lot faster than it usually did. He was worried.

Sophie could hear everything again, just like the first time. She could hear her heartbeat and heavy breathing, Cortez's heartbeat and breathing, the sound of footsteps echoing through the walls from the pack members in the house. It was all so loud. She had her eyes squeezed shut from the pain but she knew they were glowing. She could feel her eyes burning. Even her sense of smell. She could smell her own sweat as her body began to panic and overheat.

There was on odd instinct within Sophie that was yelling at her to escape. She felt as if she was being stalked by a predator and all she wanted to do was run to safety. But there was nothing but herself. Sophie didn't know how to run from herself. It was so frustrating, she wanted to claw at her own skin and escape the prison she was trapped in. That only made her claws dig further into the floor.

"Sophie, calm down. Take a few deep breaths. You're getting too riled up." Cortez gently coached as he could see Sophie's muscles visibly tremble with anger.

"I can't. I can't. I can't do anything." Sophie shook her head with a low groan.

"Breathe, Sophie."

Sophie took a deep breath in and out for a moment, trying her best to clear her thoughts to nothingness. She slowly let the breath out but it still stuttered and faltered from how much she was trembling. Cortez praised and encouraged her to do it again. Sophie tried it once more but was stopped when another spark of pain shot through her spine. She fell into whimpers and whines that got Cortez all anxious and restless.

The pain was suddenly at the back of Sophie's jaw and getting a tingling sensation, much more painful and aggressive that the sensation of Cortez's touch, through her gums. A moment later, Sophie screamed out in pain. It felt like someone was violently pulling out her teeth with a pair of pliers. She could feel the bone scratch her gums as it extended from her skull. And then it stopped, the tinkling and pain fading until she was simply numb.

Sophie reluctantly slid her tongue across the the roof of her mouth until it hit her teeth. Immediately, she noticed her canines were sticking out further than any of her other teeth, to an alarming degree. And as she slid her tongue around them, she noticed just how sharp they were. She had fangs, essentially. And for some reason, that terrified her.

With a shaky voice and tears pooled idly in her eyes, Sophie sat up to look at Cortez. It pained him to see the absolute, raw terror in her beautiful emerald eyes. She raised her hand to touch her teeth but stopped when she noticed her claws. They were terrifyingly sharp, just like her new fangs. The tears welled up in her eyes fell as she stared at her hands in front of her. She felt like a monster.

"You're okay, Sophie." Cortez gently grabbed Sophie's wrists. She looked up at him, spotting his warm smile and extended canines. He was showing her his fangs. "You're alright. It's normal."

Sophie sat in silence as she stared at Cortez. Why hadn't he ever shown her he had fangs? On him, they looked even more intimidating than she originally thought. They were sharp, glistening with spit, pairing perfectly with his sharp jawline and piercing black eyes. Sophie watched as Cortez retracted them, the horror never fading. She was shocked. She had no idea he had the ability to extend and extract them whenever he pleased.

Another spark of pain shot through Sophie, the white and gold light violently flashing. She fell to her hands and knees again as she whimpered in pain. Cortez attempted to soothe her as the flickering continued, getting brighter and more violent. He watched as it pulsated down the length of her wolf again, revealing it's size and power.

Cortez couldn't deny how excited he was to see her wolf but first, he wanted to make sure she was okay. He had seen wolves shift multiple times when they had come of age and so far, the pain seemed to match with everyone else's. Expect, she was shifting to quickly. It usually took hours before there was any sign of claws or fangs. It only took two hours for Sophie. Cortez couldn't figure out if she was rushing this on her own or if it was her wolf.

All he could do was hope for the best. Everything looked alright so far.

Until Sophie stopped trembling, stopped crying, stopped panting. Simply froze up. The shape of her wolf flickered and then died out. Then, her eyes fell shut and her body went limp and she fell over sideways. Cortez nearly choked on his heart as he rushed to her side. He cupped her face and begged her to look at him or say something, but she didn't. He listened for her heart and her breathing, both were slow and weak of any power.

She was lifeless. Nearly dead.

This isn't how this usually went.

"Sophie.. Please, my angel, you have to wake up." Cortez pleaded as he caressed her face in his hands.

There was nothing.

Cortez carefully snaked his arms around Sophie's small figure and pulled her into him, holding her head against his chest with his other arm around her shoulders. He let his eyes fall shut as he refrained from getting too caught up in his emotions. It was hard. This felt too familiar. Cortez hated pleading for her life. He had done it too many times. It hurt so much to see her in pain. It was even worse seeing her on the verge of death.

As Cortez held Sophie in his lap, he felt her skin grow hot at an alarming speed. He opened his eyes to see the white and gold light steadily shimmering in the air. The white and gold tangled, crossed, brightened, and faded all around her. Cortez slowly laid Sophie back on the floor and scooted away from her, seeing the shape of her wolf surrounding her like a fluorescent ghost made of electricity.

Sophie's wolf was manifesting. It was taking over and bringing itself to life. Cortez anxiously watched as Sophie disappeared into the white and gold light. Slowly but surely, somewhere within the light, the texture of fur started to appear. Cortez was tempted to reach out and touch but he knew not to. The appearance of a regular wolf slowly took over the light until it had faded into nothing.

Finally, laid before Cortez, was a wolf. She was of average size, maybe slightly smaller than other werewolves but properly proportioned to Sophie's small figure. Her fur was mostly white but faded into black towards the end. There were a few places were the black appeared more red but it blended in nicely. But for the most part, the wolf was equally as white as it was black. She looked healthy and gorgeous. A true beauty.

A flash of gold drew Cortez's attention towards the wolf's head. She was blinking, the bright gold in her eyes fading into darkness. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at Cortez. He was knelt on the ground in his room, simply staring at her with so much hope and excitement in his eyes. Sophie's head was fuzzy. She couldn't remember why she was on the ground. Or why her body felt so heavy.

"Hello, Gorgeous." Cortez smiled and reached for her face. Her took her ear gently into his hand and pet it just as he did with Daisy.

Sophie flinched at the weird feeling and wiggled her ear. Why could she wiggle her ear like that? In slight panic, Sophie tried to stand up. Naturally, without thinking, she pushed herself on to all fours. Cortez's eyes sparkled even more as she met him eye to eye. She still proved to be smaller than an average wolf but she was definitely bigger than Daisy. He couldn't stop admiring her.

Meanwhile, Sophie was panicking. She was dog. She was stood on all fours like an animal. Sophie tried to turn and look at herself, only spotting white and black fur. As she moved, she felt all four of her paws hit the wood floor, the feeling of her paw pads and nails completely unfamiliar. She felt muscles that she never had before move in her back, shoulders, hips, and legs. It was surreal. It was incomprehensible.

"How do you feel?" Cortez asked as he watched Sophie turned back and forth to look at her body.

Sophie looked at Cortez. What is this? What's happening?

Sophie didn't say it outwardly and that slightly frustrated her. She went to say it again before a voice sounded in her head. You shifted. This is your wolf.

As if the sound was diving in from above, Sophie ducked and started frantically looking around. Cortez chuckled and began rubbing his hands over her fur.

"Don't panic. That was me." Cortez reassured. Sophie looked back at him. "Werewolves have the ability to communicate via something we call a mind link. It's necessary in wolf form but we're able to use it as humans as well. As my mate, we're automatically connected. But for other wolves, the process to mind link involves a lot of trust."

Sophie internally sighed. So, you can hear me?

Yes. Cortez answered, his mouth never moving as he maintained eye contact with her. Maybe this will feel less weird for you if I'm a wolf as well.

Unlikely. Sophie countered.

It didn't matter. In the blink of an eye, Cortez shifted and stood on all four as a giant, black wolf. Sophie slightly cowered at his dominating form. He was bigger than her. She recognized him though, not only because she had seen this particular wolf a few times before, but his scent was the same. And the look in his eyes. She knew it was Cortez. It was simply weird to be staring at his wolf as a wolf.

How are you feeling, Sophie? Cortez asked as he began walking around her to examine her wolf.

Sophie watched him and moved away as he got closer but he still followed. I don't like this.

I don't expect you to like this right out of the gate. It's an acquired taste for everyone. It takes some getting use to. But how do you feel physically?

Sophie looked down at her front paws and lifted on, setting it down to lift the other. She felt fine. Nothing hurt, she wasn't sore like she was awhile ago, and she felt warm. It was odd to her that she felt fine and comfortable but in her head, she was on the verge of an existential crisis. Sophie wondered why she was so mind blown. She already had glowing eyes and could hear through walls. Turning into a wolf shouldn't be too shocking at this point but it was.

I feel fine. Sophie answered.

Would you like to go for a run? Cortez asked as he appeared in her line of sight, again, after circling her.

A run? No. I have to get back to Chief. How do I turn back into my human self?

Cortez internally frowned. I can understand your urgency, Sophie, but this is your first ever shift. You should learn the ropes a little bit before you decide you're done.

And what about my grandfather? I'm suppose to run around as a wild animal while he lays in a hospital on the verge of death, of which I caused?

It's not your fault. And besides, he's well and sleeping. You should...

I'll have this wolf for the rest of my life, right? Sophie interrupted.

Cortez paused before answering, already understanding where she was going with this. Yes. You will.

Sophie let her wolf sit. I can shift again today, tomorrow, or the next. My wolf isn't going anywhere. I can't say the same thing about my grandfather. Now tell me how to shift.

Cortez released a defeated sigh and shifted back into his human form. Sophie marveled at how easily he comfortably he did so, his human figure rising to it's full height. Just remember yourself as you were. Picture yourself as the human version of you. Concentrate and you will shift.

To Sophie, that sounded a little too easy to be true. But yet again, every time Cortez shifted, he did it so effortlessly. So Sophie closed her eyes and did as she was told. She remember what she was like as a human. Which wasn't really hard considering she had been that for the majority of her life. All she had to do was remember her hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, and all that junk in the middle. Even her brown hair, it's short length, green eyes, normal human teeth.

As Sophie was trapped in her memories of herself, she felt a strange, hot, tingling sensation faintly vibrate all over her body. She felt like she was phasing between realities, which she pretty much was doing. There was a faint humming of energy around her. It felt like it was working but she was careful not to lose focus and become literally half wolf and half human somehow.

Sophie curiously popped open one eye and noticed something replicating a forcefield was in front of her. The white and gold light danced between each other, fading and illuminating like ripples of water gently colliding. Her other eye opened as she stared in awe at the light all around her. She couldn't tell that it was her wolf from the inside, but from the outside, she looked absolutely magical.

Cortez instantly fell in love with that look in her eyes. Sophie looked as if she was watching fairies fly all around her. Like a kid in a candy store, or better yet, Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. He liked looking at this scene much more than her unconscious body. She was gorgeous.

And just like that, the white and gold atmosphere sucked in around her just to disappear into nothingness. The dazzling glint in Sophie's eyes faded as she lifted her hands and looked at them. Everything looked back to normal. She could feel everything as a human, not as a wolf. It all felt familiar.

"Hello again, Gorgeous." Cortez smiled. He stepped towards Sophie and gestured his hand towards her.

Sophie looked up at Cortez and placed her hand in his, using his weight to pull herself off the floor. She immediately noticed how wobbly her legs were and how uncentered she suddenly felt. Her hands clung to Cortez's arm as she tried not to topple over like a lifeless doll.

"The back and forth takes some getting used to." Cortez chuckled as he helped stabilize Sophie's small frame. "How do you feel?"

"I feel strangely violated. Especially, since you somehow invaded my thoughts." Sophie grumbled as she stole a quick glance at Cortez.

Cortez only grew more amused. I intend to be there a lot.

Sophie cringed, her hands flying to cup her ears. "You can't read my thoughts now, can you?"

Cortez narrowed his eyes at his mate, a curious glint sparkling in his eyes. "Why? What are you thinking about that I'm not allowed to hear?"

Sophie's eyes widened as her cheeks turned hot. She pulled her hands off her ears and attempted to walk away, stumbling a few steps before she regained her balance. Cortez snickered to himself and rushed to follow Sophie.

"Why did you take me all the way here, anyways? Now we have to drive all the way back to the hospital." Sophie asked as they descended down the stairs beside one another.

"I wasn't going to let you shift in the hospital bathroom. I also didn't think you'd immediately shut down the opportunity to get familiar with your wolf. Usually, those that shift for the first time go for a run, hunt a deer, learn fighting techniques. You're the first person I've ever seen that wanted to be human immediately after shifting." Cortez explained.

Sophie did feel a little deprived of the experience but she had something else on her mind. Her grandfather. There was no way she could run around in this fantasy world while her grandfather was unconscious in the hospital. She just couldn't. It was unfortunate that she never got to enjoy things and simply relax with so much going on lately. She was growing tired but couldn't stop moving.

~

"Just got off the phone with my parents." Cortez said as he walked into the hospital room.

He stuffed his phone in his jean pocket before sitting in the chair beside Sophie's. As if on instinct, Sophie lifted her legs to rest her feet on Cortez's. He didn't question it, simply letting his hand rest on Sophie's leg as she stared intently at the pad of her thumb.

"They said they can take care of all the legal stuff. I would do it myself but elderly wolves have more experience with human interactions. And they have special connections between worlds that can handle stuff like this." Cortez explained.

"Stuff like what?" Sophie's eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked up at Cortez.

"Compromising situations." Cortez answered simply. "You're house burned down, you're without a legal guardian, the police want to know how it happened, and you can't tell them the truth."

Sophie sighed and dropped her hands into her lap, her eyes wondering towards her grandfather as she fell into thought. Cortez gently rubbed Sophie's leg in attempt to comfort her. He felt guilty that she hadn't been able to relax in so long. The last time they both were completely carefree was their dinner date. Everything kind of went to shit right after it though. Ever since then, it's all been very stressful. Even for Cortez.

Sophie found herself wondering what it would be like if their date had ended like any normal date. She wondered if they would have kissed that night, if he would've brought her home and kissed her at the door. Or maybe her grandfather would've caught them and banned them from ever seeing each other again like he had tried before. Would Cortez continue to date her like a normal people dated? For how long until he exposed himself?

What would life be like if she was never bitten? What would life be like if Cortez wasn't a wolf? He probably wouldn't be in love with her and none of this would've ever happened. She didn't like that, but at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder. Would she have ever fallen in love with a man eight years older than her if it weren't for something as strong as their mate bond?

"Want to see something?" Sophie muttered lowly as she turned to Cortez.

Cortez's eyes were soft as he nodded. "Sure."

Sophie lazily lifted her hand and extended her pointer finger. Slowly, she pushed her nail until it turned into a claw. She then brought it towards her thumb and dug the claw into the pad of her thumb, not once wincing. Cortez frowned, not enjoying the view of blood pool from his mates body. Although, she didn't falter for even a moment. Her face was expressionless as she let the blood pool around the claw and then drop down her hand.

Bringing her thumb to her mouth, she licked the blood away and looked at it. Her eyebrows shot up but there was still little expression in her eyes. "Look. It's already healed. No scar or anything."

Cortez looked at Sophie's thumb and simply nodded. He was slightly concerned. He didn't want Sophie to harm herself for her own amusement or curiosity. It maybe wouldn't have been such a big deal if she didn't look so dead inside while she did it. But Cortez could tell it was only because she was tired. Sophie had faint bags under her eyes, her eyelids constantly low, and limps lazy. The stress was taking a toll on her.

"You should rest." Cortez advised.

Sophie looked to her grandfather. "What about Chief?"

"He's resting."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "I don't want to be asleep when he wakes up."

Cortez's eyes strayed towards the old man laid in the white sheets of the hospital bed. He didn't want to say it aloud, he actually didn't even want to think it, but the old man didn't look like he'd be up anytime soon. Henry had too many tubes and cords sticking out of him and attaching him to machines. It looked like he would be here awhile. A long while.

If one more thing went wrong is Sophie's life. Cortez feared for Sophie's sanity. He feared he'd somehow lose her. Hopefully, this old man woke up.