Chapter Nine

Bessi

Nothing is what I thought it was. At least some of the things I thought. Not all the things. I still love my sisters. Still love Fluff. I still want to bake my life away. And I am still me. I am still Bessi.

Only now...no, I think I am something else. Something more. I believe in magic, and now I think I might have magic of my own. A magic that Edon has awakened within me.

Walking through the woods, hand laced tightly with Edon's, it seems as if I am awake for the first time. I smell the moss beneath our feet, I can hear the little critters running through the thick roots, and I can feel the warmth of the breeze and the coolness of the stars.

Ahead of us, a handful of young campers walk the trail, talking about this special place he is taking us to. We joined them after he told me it was a place he wanted to show me as well. We've hiked for a while, heading towards the Whispering Pines' summit. It is the first time I have ventured so far into the expansive lands of Moon Haven.

"It is so beautiful here," I breathe as he leads the way through thick forests, sprawling hills, and beautiful valleys.

That night I found those campers setting up at that lovely meadow was fate. I was meant to find them. To find Edon. Because he will help me find more of myself. I know who I was before him. But I am curious about who I can become now .

"Yeah, it is," he replies, his whole face lighting up. "This is the first place I could be myself. First time I could let the wild inside of me out to play. I am not sure where I would be without this camp."

We trail behind his campers, holding hands and mooning at one another, but I think they've taken notice of our little romantic outbursts. They snicker and giggle, looking back in hopes of catching us. I sense these campers, and the camp itself, are very important to him. Which automatically makes it all important to me.

Catching up to the campers as we crest a plateau, he introduces me to them. He does not just give me their names, however. He tells me their animals, what they will become right before my eyes. It feels very special that they're willing to let their animals out with someone who is not yet one of them.

Edon has done his best to explain what they are as we've been hiking. Shifters, they call themselves. Humans most of the time, with a wild animal that is a part of them. They can shift between these two creatures, human and wild, at will. Well, in time they will be able to do it at will, he explained.

"It takes some time to perfect a shift. It can be painful at first."

"Have any of them...any of you ," I correct myself as we watch the campers spread out on the plateau overlooking the camp below. "Shifted without meaning to? Without having control of it?"

"Yes," he answers softly, quietly, his eyes flashing to the young campers. "For some of us, our first shift is a shock. We had no idea we had this other part of ourselves. I had no clue this was possible before I just...changed one night. No one was there to make sense of it for me."

My heart aches for him, for the idea of what he must have gone through. Not knowing what was happening, what this voice inside his head was, how it would take control of his body. I would hate to have to go through that alone.

Knowing I will be going through it, if I choose to let him mate me with his bite, does not scare me. He will be there with me. He wants me to be part of this world with him. It is fascinating to me and explains the voice in my head as well as how I was drawn to him and to the camp itself.

"Should I be here?" I whisper as the campers spread out, breaking into clusters defined by their animals, bears, wolves, cats.

"Yes, sweetheart. I want you to be here. I want you to see it. I plan to show you all of my world, if you will let me."

"What if I can't handle this world? I mean... what would that mean for...I mean, for...well, this?"

Edon's eyes flash with an intensity that makes my heart double time in my chest. " This does not change. You're my mate. You were made for me. I was made for you. It is why nothing else, no one else, was ever enough. My mate was off baking cookies and being sweet."

Flushing, I bow my head as warmth spreads through my limbs. I always feel this way when I am with him. As if nothing can touch me. Nothing in the world could hurt me. With Edon, I am invincible.

Darkness falls inky and dark around us. Overhead the skies glitter with a blanket of stars that I find myself lost in. It is really so beautiful out here. Moon Haven is quiet below us, lights burning in a few homes, and I can see the whole campground as well.

Edon explains to all of us how the camp got started. "Jonah and Jetta found each other outside of their packs. They were cast out due to jealousy. Jonah was meant to be an alpha, but he had no pack. Until he found Jetta. They created this place to start again, to start their own pack. It's made up of different shifters, different species, something that is unheard of in our world."

Sat around some glowing lanterns, the entire group seems enthralled with his story. I know that I am. I want to know everything about this place, about this world. I am so infatuated with the magic of it, and with Edon, I need to understand what it is.

"Jetta wanted a place where we could just be...us. Just be kids, just be wolves, just be wild, just be...free. We camp, we hike, we go fishing. We shift together, hunt together, we train together. It is the best place to spend your summers while you navigate this life."

The others give a hum of understanding. My heart aches for them, for how difficult this must be for someone their age. If it was not for Edon and the camp, they might be out there all alone going through this unbelievable metamorphosis.

"For me it began at fourteen. I heard my wolf talking to me. Wanting to protect me. It felt as if I was going crazy at first. Hearing this, feeling this, this creature inside of me. I could not know that there were so many others out there with their own wild inside them."

Edon nods towards the camp where even up here, we can hear peals of laughter and growls of different animals. They're playing games. Chasing each other through the camp. Being kids as they should be allowed to be.

Moving closer, I rest my head on his shoulder. I wish I could take some of his pain. Some of the loneliness he felt for so long. He does not have to be alone now. And neither do I. We have each other. Whether we're this form or something else, we belong together.

Nodding at the others, he tells them they can begin their shifts. Two of the bigger boys stand first, tearing at their clothes. There is no shame or shyness. With a roar and a crack of bone and twist of flesh, they explode into two huge cats. One is black, thick, gleaming fur and bright green eyes. The other is sable colored with glowing gold eyes.

They are beautiful. I ought to be shocked. Scared. I ought to be something after seeing this amazing transformation. They push at one another with their noses, making sounds that sound similar to laughter. Ducking their heads at Edon, they head further up the mountain to do whatever it is big, shifter cats do.

Next, two younger girls stand up. Their shift is fast. Before they can even get their shorts or tops off, they've become something else. Two sleek, gray wolves with shimmering blue eyes. They circle each other, then the rest of us, before running up the mountain side.

"This is not their first shift," Endon explains as he nods at the campers who now frolic above us, chasing one another or hunting.

There is just one shifter left, besides Edon of course. He is small, quiet, with shaggy brown hair with one shock of white running down the center. Taking heaving breaths, he crouches on the ground after tearing his clothes off. I watch in rapt fascination as he twists, shakes, and then roars as he stands on his hind legs. He is a thick tufted bear. Even in his wild form, you can see the strip of white in his dark fur.

"That was good," Edon says gently, reaching out to stroke the young bear. "Much better this time. Remember to breathe, to let him take the lead while you shift. He would never hurt you. It is his job to protect you at all costs. Now, go, play with the others."

Nodding his head in a very human gesture, the bear turns to wander off. I can still hear the others above us, chasing each other, rocks skittering, brush crunching beneath their paws. I smile at Edon. Because he was right. This is the best place for them. For all of them.

Standing, I reach out to Edon. Taking my hand, he stands, tilting his head at me. His eyes ask the question I am ready to answer.

"Do you want to do this, sunshine? Be part of my world? If not, we will create our own world. Just you and I."

"Yes, Edon, I want to find my wild. I want to let her be free."