Two Days Later:
Emma woke with a start, disoriented and groggy. The room seemed unfamiliar, shadows playing tricks on her tired eyes. She blinked, trying to remember where she was. Slowly, the events of the past day flooded back to her consciousness.
Shift.
Annabel.
Rare humans.
She remembered that she had transformed into her wolf form after a long shift, her duties as a chosen one demanding all her strength. The change left her feeling strange, now she was in her human form. It was terribly intense. Emma wasn’t sure she would want to go another round. She wished it could be a one time thing. But how possible was that?
Rubbing her eyes, Emma sat up in bed, the sheets clinging to her skin. Her limbs felt heavy, as if they didn’t quite belong to her yet. She ran her fingers through her tousled hair, noticing how coarse it felt compared to usual. Everything felt sharper, more acute. It was like her senses had been turned up to their highest levels.
Glancing around the room again, Emma struggled to recall how long she had slept. A full day and some hours, she guessed, her internal clock still adjusting. She hadn’t meant to sleep so long, but the exhaustion from her shift just caught up to her unexpectedly.
Her thoughts were scattered, like pieces of a puzzle she couldn’t quite piece together. She wondered if others felt this disoriented after such a transformation. It wasn’t just physical; her mind felt different too, as if she had glimpsed another world and was now struggling to reconcile it with her human existence.
Emma swung her legs over the side of the bed, testing her balance. It took a moment for her muscles to respond properly, as if they were recalibrating to her human form. Standing up carefully, she steadied herself against the bedside table, feeling a rush of dizziness.
Amelia must have clothed her. She thought the next second, when she took notice of her outfit. A crop top and a short denim skirt. Emma literally groaned, before making the decision to leave the room, and find the others.
As she made her way towards the bedroom door, a flash caught her eye-a long mirror pasted on the wall. Reflexively, she turned towards it, pausing to take in her reflection.
What she saw astonished her. The transformation had left her not only feeling different but looking different too. Her features, always pleasant, now seemed imbued with a radiant quality. Her eyes, usually a forest green, sparkled with an intensity that was almost otherworldly. A strand of white hair fell across her face, and as she tucked it back, she noticed her skin glowed with a subtle sheen, a testament to her vitality.
The white hair itself rendered her speechless. She could no longer hide it, or dye it, considering it covered a reasonable amount of her red hair. Her red hair which now went past her waist.
“Amelia has to braid this…” She muttered to herself, shaking the mountainous mass of hair. She couldn’t let it affect her movements, and she wasn’t sure she wanted it cut either.
Turning sideways, Emma saw her reflection in profile. She couldn’t help but notice the curvaceous line of her hips, more pronounced than before. Her body seemed fuller, more womanly, yet still agile and strong.
But it was the tattoo that stole her attention-a swirling design etched from her shoulder down to her waist. It pulsed with a faint glow, shimmering as if alive. Emma traced its intricate lines with her fingertips, trying to decipher its meaning.
She couldn’t. It was a mystery.
She did a three-sixty degree turn, slowly, to see if she could find any other additions. She found none. Good. The tattoo was glaring enough. It would mean more hoodies, and clothes that can cover her body entirely. She had a feeling that exposing the tattoo to the world would bring more harm that good to her.
Taking a deep breath, Emma tore herself away from the mirror. She needed to find her friends, to reassure herself that they were not worrying about her.
Just then, Amelia burst through the door, the grimness on her lips suddenly giving way to a radiant smile, as she saw Emma standing right in front of her, looking hale and heart. Her joyous laughter echoed through the room as she rushed Emma and gave the redhead a bear hug.
“Emma! You’re finally awake!” Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Emma couldn’t help but smile back, her heart warming at the sight of her sister’s happiness.
Almost immediately, Prescott teleported into the room. He was in the hands of Annabel who seemed a bit bamboozled by the medium of transportation. They had heard Amelia’s laughter, and had known that Emma was awake, and kicking already.
Prescott’s expression was a mix of relief and concern. “Thank goodness,” he murmured, his typically calm demeanor slightly shaken. Annabel seemed to follow in a bit slowly. However, when she cleared the fog of her mind, she transferred Prescott to Amelia, and embraced Emma tightly to herself.
“We were so worried about you! You’ve been asleep for two days! How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty? We can get you anything you need!”
Emma laughed softly, feeling overwhelmed by Annabel’s care and concern.
“I’m okay, Annabel, really. Just a bit disoriented. What happened during my shift? Is everyone alright?”
Prescott nodded, before fillingEmma in on what had transpired while she slept. “The night was calm after you shifted. There were no incidents, and the perimeter remained secure. Everyone has been worried about you, though. We didn’t expect you to sleep so long.”
Emma shrugged her shoulders. “I hadn’t expected that too.”
Two days? Had the shift been that long exhausting? She had thought it was just a day.
“What do you guys think about my hair? I need to braid it, Amelia.”
Amelia shrugged her shoulders. “At your service, my Queen.”
Emma chuckled, and waved her sister off. She remembered Freya then.
The sister whom she had left at the pack.
She remembered the other one, the girl whom Amelia’s master had claimed that he had seen with her mother. She remembered her mother. She remembered that two days ago was Freya’s birthday too, and possibly her third sister.
Triplets. Emma still found it hard to believe. Her mother was really strong.
“So, what next? What are you thinking about?” Prescott asked Emma, reaching his short hairy arms to her.
Emma smiled softly, and welcomed him in her arms. She ruffled his hair just the way he liked it, before speaking.
“Well, we head to the location of the coordinates. But before then, I would like to speak with Freya.”