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“Just fucking shift Kalani. You’ve been doing it for months now. You’re a strong Shifter.” I growled and both girls turned to me with a glare, obviously upset with my attitude.
But I couldn’t help it. Shifting into your creature’s form was second nature. And Kalani had been a quick learner, taking to her wolf easily and with grace. But now, it seemed as though there was a wall up around her, preventing her from accessing that innate power.
“If I could do it, I would be already. Obviously, this isn’t as simple as with my wolf. And right now, I can’t even feel my wolf, only whatever else is inside of me.” Kalani snapped back and Halley held up her hands between the two of us.
“Okay, we obviously need to calm down here. All this snapping back and forth isn’t getting us anywhere. Kalani, Madden is partially right. You’re a natural when it comes to shifting and your wolf was easy. Now, we just need to figure out how to make your new creature the same. And Madden, you need to lay off a bit. You don’t even know what happened to her, so you can’t expect her to just magically be able to do it.”
Although I hated when someone pointed out I was wrong, I had to admit Halley had a point. If Kalani and I continued to butt heads, we would get nowhere. And with our regular schedule returning tomorrow, we needed to figure something out. Kalani couldn’t show up to her Shifter class without being able to shift intosomething.
Pulling my hair from the tie I had it in, I tugged on the strands, thinking. Although Professor Josephine oversaw helping new Shifters through their first shift, I was always there as well, guiding them into their role in the pack. Unlike other Sectors, our power had almost its own mind inside of us. The mind of our creature. And when we first shifted, we were instructed to focus on that power and let it take over. Thinking back to Halley’s ability to speak to Kalani and I in our creature forms, an idea sparked.
Interrupting the girls in whatever conversation they had going on; I shared my idea. “Kalani, your wolf, it had its own aura, right?” She nodded and I continued, turning towards Halley who may not understand as much as we did. “Our creatures, they’re created by our power, but they have their own mind. Their own instincts.”
“Holy shit,” Kalani whispered, and I knew she had figured out what I was thinking.
“What am I missing?” Halley questioned, her eyebrows scrunching in an adorable way.
“You can speak to Kalani and I when we’re shifted. Well, who’s to say you can’t speak to the creature when it’s just her power. Coax it out.”
Kalani jumped on her toes, clearly excited with the prospect and I grinned, happy with myself. I knew I could figure something out. But Halley, she didn’t share in our excitement.
“You want me to speak to her power? Speak to an intangible entity inside of her? Are you nuts?” Halley stammered, clearly unsure about her ability to do this.
And I had to admit, the idea was pretty crazy. But fuck, everything was crazy right now. Nothing in our current world was as it was supposed to be. So, why not try something else out of the norm.
Walking towards Halley, I tipped her chin up with my fist, meeting her gaze. And I saw the fear she so desperately tried to hide, the worry that she would be inadequate. But I knew my girl, she just needed a little push.
“Come on sweetheart, a distraction, remember?” I whispered, but her gaze stayed the same. “Scared you’re not strong enough?” I goaded and I hid my grin when Halley scoffed in return.
Squaring her shoulders, she turned towards Kalani and this time I let my smile split wide when I saw that familiar fire in her gaze, heating me up from the inside.
Chapter Eighteen
Halley
I can do this. I can do this.I chanted in my head, hoping the mantra would spread to the rest of my body. If I said it enough, maybe I would convince myself of this insanity. Talking to Kalani in her shifted form was as easy as breathing these days, but this was a whole other playing field. I mean, talk to her power? Did that even make sense? I knew that Shifters had a different power swirling in their chest than I did, but that didn’t mean it was anactualvoice I could speak with. And if it was, what was I to say?Hey creepy creature that is now part of Kalani, want to come out so we can figure out what you are?Yeah, that would go over well.
But as I saw Kalani staring at me with hope in her gaze, I knew I would attempt it. My best friend had been through more than the rest of us in the last few days and if I could ease her concerns even a bit, I would try.
Thankfully, I had gotten plenty of rest last night with Eli and the barrage of emotions from earlier was swirling the power in my chest in strong waves. I knew I had the energy to try, now it was just about the skill and intent. Two things I still struggled with. Focusing all my attention on Kalani, I ignored the rest of the room, pushing it all aside. Pushing my power towards Kalani, I could feel the familiar power I was used to when we spoke, but I was only greeted with silence. Kalani wasn’t a part of her power right now, not able to communicate with me. Still, I pushed my thoughts out, hoping some part of her was listening.
Hey there, we need some help here. We need to figure out what’s going on.
I felt like a complete idiot, speaking to nothingness, but right when I was about to call it quits, I felt the flare of Kalani’s power, as if it was responding to my words.
If you can just come out for us, we can figure this out. Help Kalani.
I tried again, and the power swirled even more, until suddenly, Kalani was shifted yet again. The creature was as intimidating as the first time. Larger than her wolf, Kalani stood almost as tall as me on all fours, the smoke encompassing her sharp fur.
Can you hear me still?I questioned Kalani, hoping to hear her voice in return.
It worked Halls! Holy shit. It was so weird, one moment I felt like myself, and then the next, it was like the shift was taking over me.
Kalani’s voice reverberated through my mind, and I breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked. But as my power continued to push into Kalani’s mind, I couldn’t deny that I still felt the pulse of her power. As if there was something else in there with her.
As sudden as the shift happened, Kalani was standing back in front of us, a smile on her face, the first I had seen since the disaster of this weekend. We both smiled at each other, the happiness reminding me of each achievement we had together.
The sound of Madden clearing his throat brought us both back to the moment and I smiled wider when I saw Madden looking away, giving Kalani privacy. I knew Shifters had no regard for nudity and his modesty had everything to do with me. It made my heart melt a little bit more for the big, surly man.
