“Do you want to talk about it?” Audrey asks me after helping me into the hospital gown and onto the exam table in the privacy of an exam room. It's clean, but the thin cloth of the gown makes me feel so exposed and vulnerable. I don't like it at all.
I just shake my head at her, not wanting to break down again trying to talk to her about it. This has been, unequivocally, the worst day of my life, and I don’t want to think about it again just yet.
I sit on the table and wait with my hands folded in my lap and cross my ankles just as my mother had told me a good Luna should always do. It seems silly, crossing my feet at a time like this, but I don’t know what else to do.
“She’s too young to shift,” I hear the Alpha say, clearly trying to keep his voice down so no one will hear him. “And without the moon for her first shift. She’s lucky to be alive.”
“Her father is one of the strongest,” I hear Audrey’s father tell him. “I can’t believe this has happened. He had to have taken him by surprise. I can't imagine how anyone could take out a wolf that strong, and the boys as well. They were young, but they were strong.”
“How much danger do you think the pack will be in by taking her in?”
“David, I don’t know. She’s just a little girl, but she’s gotta have one hell of a wolf to have shifted so young and made it out of there alive. If they didn’t want her before, they will once they find out she has her wolf.”
“They’ll come for her. It’s rare for a shewolf to carry the Alpha gene. He’ll want to sell her, or maybe just mate her himself.”
Ralph sighs. “She’s just a little girl. I know you aren't much older, Alpha, but she's my daughter's age. She is much too young to be going through this.”
So that’s why he wanted to sell me. I know it’s really rare for an Alpha to have a daughter. Genetically, their first is always a male, to carry the line and typically their second is as well. Most Lunas can’t carry a third baby, and it’s not guaranteed to even be a girl. I’ve traveled with my dad to a few Alpha conferences and there’s rarely any other daughters there. But I am, well… was, the youngest of four, with three older brothers.
There’s a knock at the door and it opens to reveal an older man with black and white hair and kind green eyes. “Hello,” he greets me with a sad smile. “The Alpha tells me that you shifted tonight for the first time?”
“Yes, sir,” I whisper, looking down at my feet.
"And you were all alone?" he asks and I just nod. "You poor thing. That must have been very scary for you."
Audrey walks over and takes my hand in hers. “Can I stay with her?” she asks him, hopeful. “She’s really scared.”
“Of course, Audrey,” he says and she squeezes my hand. “What’s your name, dear?”
“Celeste,” I respond meekly and look up at him. He looks nice, like how you would picture a fun, old grandpa.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he says and sits on a stool in front of me. “How old are you?”
I look at Audrey and she nods encouragingly at me, silently telling me that it's safe to trust him. “15, sir.”
He nods and tries to hide it, but I can see the surprise on his face. “I’m sure you’re very sore, but is there anything that hurts more than the rest?”
“My shoulder, sir,” I tell him, chewing on my lip. “The right one.”
He nods and walks up to me, reaching up to the gown, but he stops. “I need to pull this down so I can see your shoulder. Is that alright?”
I nod and he gently moves the fabric over, taking my arm in his hands and stretching my arm out, moving it around. I wince a few times, tears springing to my eyes from the pain.
“It looks like your arm is out of place,” he tells me and I nod. Really, that’s not that bad for the way that I shifted. “I’m going to check out the rest of you and then we’ll get that set in place, alright?”
I nod and he places the fabric back, moving to check out my other arm. He moves around and checks my spine, thumping my back in a few places and feels across my ribs. He helps me lie back on the table and checks my legs and hips, helping me to sit back up. All the while, Audrey never leaves my side, squeezing my hand to comfort me.
“You did a great job, Celeste,” he tells me with a small smile. “Your wolf should be very proud. She did a wonderful job protecting you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, knowing that he’s right. If Willow hadn’t been able to shift, we wouldn’t have made it out of there.
“We need to fix your arm,” He tells me with a look that tells me this won’t be fun. “I’m going to need the Alpha to help hold you while I pull your arm.”
Audrey steps up at this, shaking her head at him. “I can do it. She’s had a really rough night.”
“Unfortunately,” he tells her, walking over to the door to open it. “If she’s as strong as we all suspect, you won’t be able to hold her in place. We don’t want to take a chance of making the injury worse. She's been through enough for one night.”
He opens the door and Alpha David walks in, a very unsure look on his face as he walks towards us.
“Celeste,” The doctor states, lifting my hurt arm a little as his other hand rests on my shoulder, feeling around. “This is going to hurt, but once we have it back in place, it will feel much better. I can give you something for the pain after and we’ll get some ice on it immediately, alright?”
I nod as he begins to explain to the Alpha exactly how to hold me to help him. As instructed, he wraps his arms around me tightly, holding my other arm against him so that I can't move. Audrey just barely moves out of his way and squeezes my hand, unwilling to leave me, even to make it easier for her Alpha to help.
“Mom is getting some clothes for you,” she tells me and I nod as the Alpha leans into me, holding me in place, preparing for the doctor to begin.
The Doctor pulls on my arm and turns it a little and I can’t help but scream and cry from the pain. It feels like he’s ripping my arm off, but then, there’s a small pop and it suddenly feels better. I can’t help it, though. The pain was all that I needed to set off the tears again and I begin to cry into the Alpha’s neck, missing my family. He moves a little, but he doesn’t let go as he turns so that I can cry into his chest. I release all the emotions I feel from my family being gone, from having to shift alone while scared and unable to make any noise.
“I know, it’s been terrible,” he says softly to me. “You’re safe here, though. I'll protect you.”
“I need to leave,” I say softly, pulling my head back a little. “No one here will be safe. They’re going to come after me.”
“No,” he tells me sternly and looks down at me, reaching a hand up to push some of my messy brown hair back from my tearstained face. “We can discuss it tomorrow, but you’re staying tonight, at the least. The Zev's are going to let you stay with them for a few days and we will figure out what to do from there.”
"I don't want to put anyone else in danger," I begin to protest.
He shakes his head at me, unwilling to listen to me. "That's a problem to fix tomorrow. You're staying here tonight."
Audrey’s mom, Mrs. Carolyn walks in the room, walking straight over to me and shoving the Alpha over. “Oh, sweet Celeste,” she says, wrapping her arms around me. “Let’s get you home.”
Aksara