noun ~ a medical condition in which the body temperature is higher than usual

CHARLIE

I was on edge all day.

I couldn't rest, my every thought worrying about Calida.

This morning, she felt nauseous; we put it down to nerves.

At lunch time she had a temperature; we said it was just the June heat.

By dinner time, she ached with exhaustion. And we knew we couldn't use any more excuses.

We have spent the entire day curled up together. I was by her side for everything, absorbing the comfort and her humanness before it all changed forever. Sundown was due at nine-thirty, but our plan was to be in the forest for nine.

I don't think she'll make it another hour. She was in and out of consciousness, her body beading with sweat as she fought off the change like an infection.

Nobody has witnessed a change like this in centuries, and definitely not recorded one. Nova had scoured her family history, calling her aunt and everybody up north to find answers, but they had none. Nobody but the original lycans turned a human, and all but two were dead. Dawn and Apollo. One-a grumpy, isolated woman, and the other a traitor.

Calida groaned, distracting me from my thoughts. I hummed soft words to her, smoothing my hand down her temple.

Harry Potter wasn't working anymore.

"You're okay." I mumbled.

"Everything feels heavy." She muttered. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

A soft laugh escaped me. "This is only the beginning. You'll be okay."

"How do you know?" She whispered. "Nobody knows what's going to happen."

"Nova is strong and very instinctive. Whatever she has done will work." I reassured her.

She hummed, her head falling back onto my shoulder. Frowning, I glanced at the time.

Opening the mind-link, I searched for an alpha wolf. I don't think we can wait much longer.

Phoenix responded. 'Bring her. I am just finishing everything here.'

Is Nova prepared? I wondered.

'She is frantically reading her grandmother's book for any clues.' He sighed. 'Completely in a zone I cannot get her out of as she tries to see.'

Tell her it's fine. She needs to stop stressing herself out.

He snorted a laugh. 'Come here and tell her that.'

That bad?

'She made her nose bleed just ten minutes ago.'

I let out a low breath, shaking my head at her perseverance. Nova, when wound up, often forgets to slow down. I heard she defeated Kelsey earlier when Molly brought food to my room. It impressed me so much I hunted down Sean's bond for a recollection of what happened. Unable to push out his beta, I got every juicy detail I needed.

Nova was different. There was a determination in her eyes that I hadn't seen before. The tension within the pack was admirable; people have never seen someone fight so well in a long while. Kelsey has been the head female for years. But through the entire twenty minutes of that fight, Nova only fought defence, leading people to want more. I could only imagine what the outcome would've been if she switched to offence.

From the look in her eye, I bet she'd have Kelsey pinned in two minutes.

Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I gently nudged my mate. Her eyes were darker as they flickered up to me, a blank slate lacking emotion.

"Come on, it's time."

She blanched, staring up at me with wide eyes. "What?"

Her voice was barely noticeable, shrouded in fear. I winced at the ferocity of it, holding out my hand.

I wanted to see if she could stand.

Her sweaty palm slipped into mine with a grimace, her body slowing pulling itself to a sitting position. I could feel her weight tugging against me, her muscles unable to cooperate with her mind. She couldn't do it; she was just sagging back into the sofa.

Her pouty expression killed me, and without another thought, I was turning around.

"Come on, piggyback."

"Charlie..." she muttered a complaint. "I'm not a child."

"Piggyback or you walk." I taunted her.

She groaned, and I took that as a win, squatting to perch on the edge of the sofa. She scooted closer, her feverish body pressing into my bare back. I pulled her legs around my waist and made sure her arms were secure around my neck. Double checking she was ready, I pushed myself to my feet. Her limbs slipped weakly, and I quickly curled a hand on both her ankles and wrists.

"I got you." I told her.

"You always do." She whispered.

The smile on my face was pained, her words holding too much gravity. Pushing through any emotional turmoil, I left the pack house and headed toward the woods. It took a lot of stubbornness for Phoenix to agree with this; he seemed to think newly shifted wolves were dangerous. Between a cell underground and a forest of freedom, we settled with chains in the forest, far away from any civilisation.

The walk would take five minutes to run to, but with Calida's slipping weight, I had to constantly adjust her.

That was one thing I've noticed about this change. A wolf becoming of age to shift usually experiences the opposite. Increased attention, hormones, senses and energy.

Calida was drained.

Nova's bite, or venom, or blood, or whatever the fuck it was, was acting like a poison. Calida's body was suffering with the change.

I could smell the alpha pair before I saw them. We had requested only Phoenix and Nova attended to not freak out Calida's wolf. Nova, as her blood-bonded alpha female, and Phoenix was her soon-to-be alpha. If everything went sideways, we were going to force a pack bond and hope it calmed her.

The alpha couple was silent as I stepped beside them. Phoenix eyed my naked chest before glancing at the female clinging to my back.

"Calida." Nova breathed.

Calida half-heartedly waved, her head lolling onto my back. "Nova, hi."

"How is she?" Phoenix muttered.

"Boiling, exhausted, in pain." I answered, my eyes scanning the area. "Where are we..."

I didn't have to finish my question, already spotting the intended tree. Iron chains interlocked around a tree, with two cuffs lying loosely on the floor. I swallowed the lump in my throat, hating the harshness of what I had to do.

"I'm going to set you down now, baby." I murmured.

Calida hummed softly as I approached the chains. I squatted softly, grateful when Nova came to help guide her onto the ground. Calida smiled softly, her head falling into Nova's palm.

"Hey, look at me." Nova smiled.

Calida blinked, her pupils blown. Nova's smile tightened, locked into place as she scanned Calida's face. Then Nova's eyes glazed, but within a second, she was back, frowning.

"Did you see anything?" Phoenix wondered.

"Nothing." Nova's eyes twitched, forcing away a scowl. "Stupid gift. How is it even helpful when it won't even work?"

Phoenix stopped beside her, rubbing his hand down her scalp. "It's okay. It will be there when you truly need it. Have hope, remember?"

Nova huffed in annoyance, before shaking her head and focusing back on Calida. "Are you comfortable in your clothes, Calida?"

My mate didn't answer verbally, but kicked out her legs. I understood immediately and shimmed her shorts down her legs. They were so sticky; it took a few tugs, and soon, she gestured for her shirt to follow.

"It's like she has a terrible infection." I explained. "She's hot, lethargic..."

"I doubt that will last long." Phoenix muttered. "I'd get the chains on now."

I really didn't want to chain my mate up, but I knew it had to be done. I picked up one of the cuffed ends, eyeing it with contempt as my mate slumped weakly against the tree.

"Is it necessary? Look at her." I pointed out.

"That will change when the shift happens." Phoenix shook his head.

Nova took the cuff from my hand, taking it into her own hands as she secured it around my mate's wrist. Calida barely jolted, watching the scene through slitted, dark eyes. Nova applied the other one, before smoothing my mate's hair from her face and taking a step back.

"Now what?" She wondered.

"We stand over here and wait." Phoenix suggested. "We could be here for hours."

Nova nervously chewed her lips, her arms crossed against her chest. I stayed beside Calida for what felt like hours, making sure she was comfortable and okay. But she barely moved, staring blankly into space.

Ninety minutes in, that changed. The sun was so close to sitting beyond the horizon; the forest shrouded in darkness. Nova and Phoenix leaned against a nearby tree, whispering to each other. I was mid-way to finding somewhere to piss, knowing Calida was safe with my friends, when her head snapped to the side. Her hand curled around my ankle, and I jolted.

"Shit!" I jumped. "I'm just going for a-ah!"

Her grip tightened so freakishly tight my lips parted with pain. I tried pulling my ankle from her hand but her nails, no, her claws, sank into my sink and held me there.

"Goddess, Calida!" I gasped. "Let me go!"

Those once slitted, tired eyes were open wide. Black voids stared back at me, her expression just as blank as before. Her upper lip twitched, and I whimpered, hating how much she had changed the moment it grew dark.

"Calida! Let go of him!" Nova snapped, coming close.

Calida's head jolted, and her hand uncurled from mine with a hiss. I swallowed, taking two steps backward. Nova shifted awkwardly as my mate's dark gaze landed on hers, uncomfortable.

With bated breath, we waited. Calida's chest rose and fell rapidly, her hair turning wetter with every passing minute. I stood beside Nova, with Phoenix on her other side, as we all waited for what was going to happen next.

The creaking of bones held my attention, a gyrating squeaking that hurt my ears. She was grinding her teeth, and fucking hell, ouch. I winced, calling her name softly. But then she wailed, her soft tears of pain turning louder as her body shook.

I stumbled a step closer, but Nova wrapped her fingers around my forearm and pulled me closer. I knew she would command me if it was necessary, but for now, she was just warning me.

The first bone breaking was always the loudest.

From that shattering within your own body by an invisible force came the flurrying heat. It was a pain I did not wish upon anybody; one that was so engrained in my brain I shuddered whenever I thought about it.

My wolf was whining with every sharp cry of pain that left my mate's mouth. Bone by bone, she broke. Fingers, wrists, knees, ankles. Her shoulder popping forced her to the ground, her rich skin glistening with sweat under the moonlight.

"Here we go." Nova whispered.

I felt her hand curl around mine and glanced briefly at her to see her do the same to Phoenix. It was as clammy as mine, the three of us frazzle with nerves.

When Calida's ribs shattered, I looked away with a sharp wince. It was nauseating.

"Still need that piss?" Phoenix wondered.

"I'm good." I whispered.

There was a moment's pause between the screams of pain and the snapping of bones. In those seconds, Calida pleaded, and my heart wrenched.

"Charlie, please." She begged. "Please make it stop. It hurts so bad. Charlie..."

"It's okay." I called, staggering forward a step. "It's nearly done. You are doing so well, baby."

She whimpered, looking up at me through her lashes. I fell onto my knees before her, my entire being in agony. I had locked away the mate bond, not wanting to hear the fear within her heart. I feared it would affect me worse than her, and I didn't want to see it.

Calida whined, an animalistic sound, as her body shook. She wasn't supporting her own weight anymore, her body stuck at gruesome angles as we waited for the final part of her to give into the shift.

The spine.

Her hands dug into the earth, her body vibrated. Soft cries turned to whimpers and, with an odd fascination, I watched the fur try to push through her skin. It sprouted before retracting, repeating the process a few times. It looked so damn itchy. I only empathised with what she must be feeling.

Her breath hitched, and my eyes shifted to her face. An ear-splitting scream erupted just as her spine curved into splinters. I winced, my ears ringing as her scream died off with unconsciousness. All of us were silent, watching, waiting for her wolf to appear.

Bated breaths, shaking nerves.

"Is she okay?" Nova whispered.

"I don't know." Phoenix muttered. "Her heart is still beating. But I do not sense a wolf yet."

I swallowed, slowly opening our bond. Immediately, I left with alarm.

It was chaotic in there.

Screaming, shouting, growling.

Calida was at war with herself. The wolf, sent from the goddess herself, was trying to find its place among her soul. Pain and anguish came hand in hand.

My wolf growled, pacing in my mind. My hands shook at my sides as I forced myself to remain still. I had to keep him calm. Wolfing out would make this worse.

Thirty more minutes passed, Nova mumbling the time softly behind me. The two of them were silent, waiting as badly as me.

It happened so quickly next.

Her body began to snap and shake as dark fur sprouted from her skin. I sat, wide-eyed and amazed, as Calida's body formed that of a wolf. Hands to paws, arms to legs, head to snout. I watched every single detail possible, a warmth in my chest that made me excited.

She was nearly there.

When the shift stopped, she remained standing with her head bowed. Brown fur coated her body, a mixture of black, chocolate brown and sand. Her spine curved, claws digging into the dirt with tension. Her pants were harsh and quick, her body trying to catch up with the change.

Nervously licking my lips, I called to her. "Calida..."

But the reaction I received was not one I expected.