Found by the Lycan King by Natalie Winter

Chapter 103

Zenovia

I had barely managed to lift the spoon when Elijah’s question made me look up at him with wide eyes.

Cynthia too tilted her head, apparently interested in my answer

“Uh, not much really. It was just like the usual.” I mumbled, trying to focus on the soup.

Elijah did not seem convinced.

“Come on, there must have been something different. I missed being around you for your first shift. At least, tell me your experience and how you felt.”

For the first time in my life, I hoped Elijah would stop talking to me. I tried to force some food down my throat and thought of an answer.

"Uh, the alphas and betas were all in a big meeting yesterday so Drusilla helped me get dressed. Then I shortly joined the meeting and left to get some open air.”

I answered and forced some more food down my throat.

“That's it. You just went outside and suddenly turned into your wolf?" Elijah asked and I had the urge to just poke him with my fork.

I did not dare look at Callahan who was staring at the two of us with an amused expression. Cynthia tried to divert his attention from us.

“I am sorry I took so much of your time. I think you should get some rest. You look tired.”

She said and Calahan merely grunted. He was busy chewing on the piece of meat. “No, I...struggled a bit to be honest. For some time, I felt I would not awaken my wolf today.”

Elijah smiled, “Happens. Though it was good that you had the King around you, right?"

I hastily put a small piece of meat in my mouth to keep myself from answering directly.

“Yeah.” I managed to answer.

“Callahan really goes a long way to ensure that first time shifters have it easy. I am sure he made you comfortable.”

Oh, you have no idea, El.

I nodded, feeling that I did not have the mental capacity to form words.

Elijah seemed oblivious to my plight. And from the corner of my eye, I definitely saw a hint of a smirk return on somebody's face. The King seemed to enjoy seeing me squirm and struggle to explain everything.

Grrr.

"Y-yes” I managed.

I hoped now he was done with the interrogation but apparently not. Cynthia too wanted to know more about it.

So she jumped in, “So, were you able to shift completely in the first attempt? Or did you require more time?”

Okay, this was a question I could answer.

“Not really. As I said, I struggled a bit. First I felt something and told Cal-, I mean the King and he advised me to stand directly below the moonlight amidst the clearing. But then-"

She abruptly cut me.

“Clearing? What clearing? Didn't you not shift like I don't know, in the huge backyard of this mansion?”

Callahan almost sprawled on the chair, letting me fight for my life.

“Um, no. I...I was just feeling claustrophobic so....so I went outside for some fresh air.”

Elijah’s voice grew hysterical.

“Outside? As in outside the mansion? Do you know how risky it is? There could be rogues lurking in the forest and you simply ran off outside.”

No, your King drove me outside in his car. I also kissed him in the office and he kissed me back. And we just didn’t stop at that.

My gaze flicked to Callahan but it did not look like he would support my claims. Not that I was daring enough to admit to others that I was stupidly crushing on the King...or that I had to beg him to sate my heat.

"Uh, maybe" I offered, letting them arrive at their own conclusions.

Cynthia's gaze narrowed. “So, you ran outside the security of the mansion and Cal had to run behind you to ensure you stayed safe.”

Her words were simple but her tone implied I made her precious Callahan run behind me instead of herself.

“Maybe she wanted you to run into Callahan's arms,” Thunder said in my head, half-yawning, half- mocking.

Oh right. I forgot she could hear everything around me and just speak in my head out of nowhere. I tried to suppress a chuckle at her reply. Cynthia's eyes narrowed when she saw that.

“I didn’t want to be around people in case I failed to shift again,” I answered in a lame attempt all the while Callahan pretended to eat.

Maria came around to serve the second round of helpings and I hoped the discussion would steer in some other direction.

My hands were beginning to get clammy and the rats running in my stomach had suddenly begun snoring.

“Your wolf...did she ask just immediately launch into a run?”

I smiled at that memory. Thunder was quite sassy and had a quirky personality unlike me.

“I... felt a stabbing pain all over my body when my wolf was trying to take control but could not. She wanted me to name her first.”

"Ooh. Really?” Elijah’s eyes twinkled in excitement.

"Yes. I was not really in a condition to think of a name.”

“I understand. The pain is overwhelming. You have to loosen your muscles to help ease the tension” Elijah offered while sipping on his orange juice.

"Yes indeed. King Callahan even offered to help me with a name.

The smirk disappeared from his face and his gaze flicked to me for the first time he sat on that awfully big chair of his

"Please tell them what my comment was...all of it” Thunder supplied, amused by the change in his body language.

“That is great. So what did you finally name your wolf?”

I looked at Callahan and his eyes seem to glare at me. I looked at Elijah and answered innocently. “I was too confused with the choices.”

Thunder snorted in my head, “Really?”

I suppressed a laugh as I saw Callahan almost stab the potato with a fork.

“Yeah. Rose and Thunder."

Elijah dissolved in a fit of laughter, “Rose? That is even ancient than my great grandmother's name. Please tell me you chose Thunder.”

I smiled too sweetly at Callahan and saw a muscle tick in his jaw. The smirk was gone.

Finally, I had managed to get under his skin. Why was only he supposed to get to enjoy my misery? Thunder added, “You are not telling them the entire stuff, girl”

But Elijah was already cackling with laughter and his laugh was so infectious that Cynthia began to laugh too.

Any other alpha would have simply snapped his gamma’s neck for laughing at him but I guess Elijah received a free pass on almost everything.

Elijah wiped the tears off his face and suddenly went quiet. Callahan only stared at him pointedly and he immediately sobered

Callahan got up from the table, apparently done with lunch and walked away mumbling that he had work to do.

Elijah nodded politely and Cynthia tailed him, hastily finishing the last few bits from her plate and drinking water from a glass.

"Hey, wait for me”

In her haste, Cynthia stabbed her toe and tripped. She would have almost smacked her face on the floor if not for Callahan turning around and breaking her fall in time.

And I saw the way his hands grazed her skin when helping her back on her feet. And I felt a hot wave of jealousy course through me. It was unlike the short pangs I had felt before.

This one was much more intense, much more deeper.

My nails scraped the tablecloth as they walked away and I saw him put a hand on the small of her back when she swayed again.

She had probably sprained an ankle. But why was I suddenly feeling so jealous?

"So, did you name your wolf Thunder?” Elijah asked

When I did not answer Elijah, he poked his elbow in my left side and I tried not to roll my eyes. "Why are you even so interested in finding out? You must have seen plenty of wolves shifting for the first time all your life. What is so special about me?”

I asked, my tone growing a bit harsher.

And I realized the mistake the moment the words slipped out of my mouth. He was just being his usual goofy self but I had raised my voice unnecessarily.

Blame the King.

Ugh

Elijah’s face fell almost instantly and he looked away. The hurt was visible on his face.

I took a deep breath and lowered my voice.

“I am sorry. I should not have said that” I mumbled quietly, but he did not reply.

I heard a light scoff from the other side of the table and did my best to ignore it.

When Elijah did not reply, I slowly reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“It... it was confusing as well as magical. I waited for almost an hour to feel something, but there was nothing. And then, all of

a sudden a rush of energy overwhelmed my senses. Was that how you felt at your first shifting?” asked Elijah, tilting my head to gauge his expression.

There was a soft clink of a spoon against the bone china dish, but I again ignored it.

"El, talk to me,” I whispered, my grip on his hand growing just a tad little tight.

He turned his head to me and looked at me with a dead serious expression.

“No, when I first shifted I only saw a huge arachnid.”

I blinked.

"A what?" I stared at him and he answered.

"Spider. A huge one”

Then he lowered his voice and added, “Have you not heard of it? There have been cases of wolves spotting wraiths. In some cases, we saw ghouls too.”

When I did not react, he added, “You should look at your face. Damn, you scare so easily”

Elijah seemed to be having the time of his life.

"As long as there are no banshees, we should be fine,” I mumbled, and he broke out into a burst of laughter, clearly missing the way I was staring at Cynthia as she and Callahan disappeared above the stairs.

Maybe, I could hit two birds with a stone.