╭ ⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸ ╮

𝑬 𝑽 𝑬 𝑹 𝑮 𝑹 𝑬 𝑬 𝑵
❝ 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚕 ❞

╰ ⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸ ╯

ㅤ"𝐀 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅..." Billy muttered as he stared wide-eyed at the horse-sized wolf in front of him, hands gripping the arms of his wheelchair tightly. He then looked up at Old Quil and Harry Clearwater who were standing beside him. "You know what this means?"

"The legends," Old Quil nodded, eyes staying firmly on May Black's hulking wolf form, nearly as large as Sam's wolf, and even bigger than Jared's despite the younger boy being taller in his human form. "It spoke of the appearance of a white wolf, meant to suggest that the pack it has joined will be large and powerful, and will bring forth a significant change in the community; it did not spoke of what or how."

"The white wolf of legends is considered a true alpha," Harry added, admiration in his tone. "Never has there been a white wolf, until now. And there was no mention anywhere of it being a she-wolf."

"Makes sense; it was said that the white wolf will lead with the warmth and strength of a mother, like the myths of Rome," Billy continued. "And like the myths of Rome, it was said that the white wolf will lead the pack to greatness. And now, she is here. And she...she is my daughter."

Standing on four paws was something May never expected to experience. Neither was standing in front of all these men like as they gawked at her. In her head, she was surprisingly calm. Though she was admittedly shocked and scared out of her mind, she had her FBI training to fall back into; it was the only thing that was keeping her from freaking out.

Sam was standing beside her, still in his human form. As the current—and will soon be ex—alpha of the pack, it was his duty to lead and set an example. So, after his old babysitter shifted, he was quick to call Billy and the rest of the council members. He'd also called Jared, but the boy was still in school and couldn't be there until his classes were over.

With arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed, he addressed the council. "What happens now?"

The three men exchanged looks, and as the eldest, Old Quil was the one that spoke. "Accalia Black is now the official alpha of the pack. She is technically the rightful alpha regardless of her status as the white wolf because of her lineage, but now that she is revealed to be the white wolf, she is the true alpha. Even if she rejects the title, pack members will be obligated to follow her."

May whined, and nudged Sam's shoulder. Even without the ease of speaking through each other's minds—which can only happen when they're both in wolf form—Sam was quick to realize her train of thought.

"She wants to shift back," he verbalized.

"I've brought your clothes," Billy shrugged. "We'll just all turn around, or you can find an area for your privacy. Can you shift back?" He couldn't help but smile when he heard her huff and watched her roll her eyes. "Of course you can. Still, Sam can help."

May huffed again, and stalked forward to grab the clothes her dad was offering to her with her mouth, before quickly bolting away, but not before giving Sam a look. With a nod, the young man followed after her.

As they disappeared into the woods, a loud howl rang out through the forest, its call echoing as goosebumps arose on the skin of the council members. And unexpectedly, the forest seemed to awaken; birds and insects seemed to chirp louder, the wind blew harder, and the few animals that jumped passed them appeared to be following the sound.

This was when Billy realized the true power his daughter actually had.

"She shifted back within seconds," Sam informed Billy, just as he entered the Black household.

After the fiasco in the woods, he and May got back into his truck as soon as she got dressed, the entire ride plunged in silence. Understandably, May was in shock. Full-on, can't-speak-and-can't-move shock, to the point that the only thing that calmed Sam was the sound of her heartbeat and her breathing.

Silently entering behind Sam, May tried her best not to collapse on her knees as the reality settled in. She was a shifter, a wolf, meant to protect their tribe from the dangers of Cold Ones. She shakily sat down on their couch, and immediately lied down. She took a deep breath, and allowed herself relax at the comforting scent of Spencer on her t-shirt—or, to be specific, his t-shirt, that she stole. She hadn't even realized she took it with her, but as soon as Sam handed the shirt to her after she shifted back, she was calmed; just enough.

Billy sighed, watching as his daughter stared off into space, eyes trained on the wall. He shook his head and regarded Sam with a nod. "That's good."

"It was an easy transition from human to wolf, and back. She was faster and smoother than Jared and I at gaining control," Sam added. "Speaking of Jared, he's a little bummed that he's the smallest now."

"She's bigger than him?"

"Significantly. She's nearly as big as me, but I don't understand why she didn't have a sudden growth spurt."

"It's probably 'cause I'm already an adult," May muttered, as she shifted to lie on her back, unblinking as she stared at the ceiling. "I've reached my full height before I could shift."

Sam, moving to sit beside Billy in the dining table that was close to the living room—it was a small house—nodded in agreement. "Probably. But how are you larger than Jared?"

"It could be because of her status as the white wolf," Billy shrugged. "We're in unexplored territory here. We only know the basics of normal spirit warriors, not the famed white wolf. She's an exception. Not only that, she's also the only recorded female shifter in history; we don't know anything."

"She's a direct descendent of two tribal members," Sam noted. "The great granddaughter of Ephraim Black and Quil Ateara II. She's bound to be powerful."

"So will Jacob," Billy pointed out with a sigh. Though, in his youth, he'd wanted to become a spirit warrior like his youth after hearing the legends, but as he grew older, he realized how dangerous it was to be one and hoped his children wouldn't bear the responsibility. But with May shifting, there was no denying that Jacob will too. His eyes shifted towards his daughter's form. "You're alpha now, May. You have responsibilities."

"Please don't tell me you're gonna force me to stay here," May scoffed, rolling her eyes as she finally sat up. She was visibly pale and a little shaky, but her voice was strong and steady. "I didn't want this; I never did. I accepted my future role as a member of the council, but not as part of a pack. That is not my responsibility."

"But as the great white wolf--"

"I don't give a damn!" She exclaimed, covering her face with her hands as she groaned before slumping down lazily against the back of the couch, clearly exhausted. "I have a career in the FBI. I'm doing real work. And I understand that I'm supposed to be this mythical being or whatever, but I don't care! Now that I know why I've been sick, I can just go back and live life as if this never happened."

Her outburst caused Billy to sigh, shaking his head as he maneuvered his wheelchair away, and into his room. He didn't care to slam the door like a juvenile, but the way he exited the scene caused a pit of shame to bubble within May. But she shook it off and lied down on the couch again; yet she could still feel Sam's eyes on her.

"What?" She snarked.

"We..." He trailed off, looking down at the hardwood floor as if ashamed to even utter the words. After a brief moment of silence and an audible gulp—one that May easily heard with her super hearing—he let out a breath. "We...we didn't have a choice either. I hope you can see that."

That night, after retiring to her childhood bedroom, she tossed and turned fitfully. As a person who couldn't sleep without a blanket or a comforter, she struggled to get comfortable now that her body heat was at a constant 42ºC. Every time she tried to snuggle in, she'd get irritated with how fast she started to sweat. She groaned, turning over to shove her face into her pillow to, once again, try to suffocate herself.

Still, she couldn't sleep.

Finally, she sat up and immediately glared at the sight of her digital clock that mocked her with a bright 01:41. She huffed, then pushed off her covers, standing up from her bed. She hurriedly put on some slippers and headed out of her room, and eventually out of the house. Still in Spencer's t-shirt and a pair of sleeping shorts, she sat down on one of their back porch chairs and stared out into the woods.

Despite the chilly weather—being December and all—she could barely feel the temperature, and only realized how cold it must've been when she saw that her breath was forming clouds. But she shook it off, and grumbled to herself when she realized how different she was now.

She meant every word of what she said to her father, how she refused to stay and wanted nothing more to head back to DC with her team. But what Sam said to her made her feel, in her mind, disgustingly guilty. She knew that he was right; he didn't have a choice, none of them did. Yet at the ripe age of nineteen, the little boy she once babysat stepped up and became an alpha when it wasn't even his calling.

She sighed as she snuggled in to the chair, crossing her legs under her as her eyes began to grow heavy. She knew it wasn't ideal to sleep outside, but the breeze licking at her skin offered her enough comfort to the point that, slowly, she began to drift away.

But then her eyes shot open.

Sharp eyes blinked rapidly as May breathed heavily, her heart pumping wildly in her chest. Because as she looked around, the place didn't look...right. Though she knew she was in La Push, in her dad's house, everything looked gray, like she was seeing everything through a black-and-white filter.

She looked around, and realized that she was actually standing. On all fours. Her furry feet planted firmly on the ground. By then, she began to assume that she must be dreaming, but after another look, her stance faltered when she saw her human-self asleep.

"What the fuck," she muttered to herself, and was surprised to hear her own voice instead of something wolf-like. "What the fuck?"

"Come, child." A voice rumbled through the stillness of this dream-world, the timbre so deep and full that she felt a chill go down her spine and a sudden urge to follow it. She tried not to move, weighing her options, but her wolf just began to stalk towards the source against her will.

In her head, she fought with herself, trying to get out of the sudden trance she was put in. But it was like she was being pulled, manipulated like a puppet. And the closer she got to the edge of the woods, the stronger the trance. And all of a sudden, she felt the need to lower her head in submission.

The dream-world was, on its own, silent. The trees' leaves still seemed to move as if being pushed by a breeze, but there was no sound. Birds were flying all around, yet not a single song was heard from the animals. The only thing that ever made a sound was her, and whoever was calling her.

"Come, child," the voice—a man's—repeated again. And rather than fighting it, she entered the woods on her own accord.

Soon enough, she found herself at a clearing, where the evergreens surrounding her seemed to loom over her. She longed to smell them, but somehow, even scents did not exist. That was until an overwhelming flow of power came bursting from in front of her, just as another wolf came into view.

It was large. Larger than her, and from what she could assume, even larger than Sam who's said that they were near in stature. The wolf stalked forward, but instead of feeling afraid, May wanted to get closer. And she did.

The wolf looked down at her when she stopped right in front of him, a twinkle in his eyes as it addressed her. "Accalia May Black, one of my descendants. The prophesized white wolf...the true alpha. And the only one blessed with the ability to travel into the spirit realm."

"Who are you?" She asked, bowing slightly to acknowledge him, acknowledging his strength and power that radiated so much that she could feel deep in her bones. She watched as he chuckled, his voice sending a pleasant, comforting chill down her spine and her fur seemingly standing in attention. "What?"

"Do you not recognize me, little kwoli?"

"...no, I wouldn't be asking if I did."

He chuckled again. "Little one, my name is Taha Aki."

author's note: yeah ik its been a while oopth

been busy tho!! since my school has 3 terms per year (instead of the usual 2), our schedule is really packed. like, we literally only have 3 weeks before finals so,,, u can understand why i've been dead. 

BUT,,, i loved this chapter. probably one of my favorites so far. i tried to truly include a lot of the lore that was created for this fictional quileute tribe, so i deep-dived into their history. especially since may was groomed to become a council member, i feel like it would be a crime not to include the history and stuff. 

so, i hope you guys enjoy, and buckle up for more wild shit from this point on, because may's a true spirit warrior. and she's badass. dw tho, won't be a mary sue; you'll see :D