Spirit Wolves - 7. Chapter 7

Reilly woke slowly. His eyes remained closed as his senses tried to process what had happened to him. He felt like a computer that had been shut down and was now rebooting. He gradually became aware of his surroundings. He couldn’t figure out why waking up was so hard. His eyes opened and he took in the unfamiliar sight of the room he was in. Sebastian. He was in Sebastian’s bed. Reilly stretched tentatively, anticipating the sharp pain that his knees gave him every morning, having stiffened up during the night. When that didn’t happen, he realized that he wasn’t in any pain.

Reilly bolted upright, taking in a deep breath as he did so. Odors assaulted his senses and for a moment he was overwhelmed and had trouble processing everything. He could smell! Reilly threw back the covers and looked down. His legs were normal looking. The knees weren’t swollen and misshapen. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. No pain! He took several steps..... still no pain!

What the hell?

The door to the bedroom opened and Reilly turned, smiling as he saw Sebastian coming through with a cup of coffee in one hand. Coffee that crashed to the floor as soon as Sebastian saw Reilly standing there. In the next instant, Reilly was in the big man’s arms, enfolded in the most magnificent scent ever. Sebastian smelled like a wide open forest, pure musk and an exotic spice shop, only better.

Sebastian inhaled deeply, his wolf needing the reassurance that his mate was OK. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!” he murmured into Reilly’s neck.

“What happened?”

Sebastian carried Reilly over to the couch and held him on his lap, not willing to let go just yet. “Right after we mated your wolf showed up. He was all mangled and broken. Shit Reilly, I’ve never seen so much damage to a wolf before. Neither had Donovan. He and Kellan came running when I yelled. Kellan told us that he suspected something like this might happen. Altus had told him it was possible that when you found your mate, the mate bond energy might be strong enough to help your wolf heal. No one was sure if you could heal completely or not.”

“Kellan never told me any of that,”

“He didn’t want to give you false hope. Altus told him it was only a remote possibility. I shifted and stayed with you all night. Believe me, it was torture at first. Your wolf was in a lot of pain. My wolf was pretty freaked out. It took a few hours, but eventually you stopped crying and seemed to be in less pain. Your legs twitched all night as they healed. Eventually we both drifted off to sleep. I woke up and you were still out cold, so I shifted back and went to get some coffee. When I got here you were standing there with a big smile on your face.”

Sebastian pulled Reilly in close and kissed him. As the kiss deepened, Reilly became aware that he was naked. He let out a soft moan as Sebastian’s tongue slid inside his mouth and teased his taste buds. Abruptly, the sensation was gone and Reilly opened his eyes to the sight of Sebastian’s gorgeous brown eyes looking at him with amusement.

“As much as I would love to take you back over to the bed and devour you from head to toe, your Lambda is on the verge of a nervous breakdown worrying about you. Why don’t you jump in the shower while I clean up the coffee I spilled? Then we can go set Kellan’s mind at ease. He’s had a rough night too. It seems he's agitated over more than what just happened to you.”

Reilly gave Sebastian a quick kiss and agreed. He had a suspicion about what was the source of Kellan’s additional angst, but decided to keep quiet for the moment. His dick gave a jump when Sebastian ran his hands over his ass as he stood up. Reilly playfully swatted the hand away. They’d have time later to explore each other some more. As he crossed the room toward the bathroom, Reilly couldn’t quite pinpoint what felt different, other than his newly rediscovered sense of smell and lack of pain. It wasn’t until he caught sight of himself in the mirror that he actually saw the difference. His transformation had affected his whole body.

Muscles that had been frozen in lanky teenage form, had filled out. Granted he was still not huge, but now his ribs were covered by extra meat and not prominent like they had been. His abdomen wasn’t hollow, but rather covered by a lightly defined six pack.

His shoulders were wider and his arms sported rather nice biceps, not bulky, but with just enough definition to qualify as guns when he flexed.

His legs were nicely defined as well, drawing attention to his cock and balls that now looked perfectly proportioned rather than out of place on a too thin body. He was taller too, maybe two or three inches, still short for a shifter, but average for a human guy.

Reilly stepped under the warm spray and washed up. It was weird, like he was washing someone else, but he enjoyed the new feel of himself. He ignored his hardening cock. He’d rather have Sebastian take care of that later.

Once he was clean and rinsed, he grabbed a towel and dried himself off. It wasn’t until then that he realized he had a new problem. There was no way any of his clothes were going to fit him now.

Shit.

Reilly wrapped the towel around his waist and headed to the bedroom. Sebastian had finished cleaning the floor and was stripping the sheets off the bed. “Hey Sebastian? I don’t have any clothes that will fit me now.”

Sebastian stopped what he was doing and looked at him with a heated stare, “I rather like the look you have now.”

Reilly snickered.“OK. If your wolf doesn’t mind me looking like this, let’s go. I’m sure Kells and Doc are getting impatient.”

Reilly outright laughed when Sebastian growled, “Don’t move. I’ll find you some clothes.”

He went back to the bathroom to dry his hair while Sebastian found him something to wear. Shifter households always had extra clothes available. Shredded clothes were common in packs with young shifters who sometimes had trouble controlling when they shifted or adults who needed to shift quickly.

Reilly had just walked back to the bedroom when Sebastian strode in.

The bigger man dropped the clothes on the bed and uttered, “Cheeky pup!”

Reilly responded by turning his back to Sebastian and dropped his towel. Sebastian chuckled as his new mate reached for the black boxer briefs that were on top of a pair of jeans and a Lord Huron concert tee. It was at that moment that Sebastian realized Reilly was going to challenge every belief that he had regarding mates. He rather liked that thought.

Reilly dressed quickly, and looking down at his sock covered feet he knew that his old shoes weren’t going to fit either. Sebastian told him they had plenty of extra and he could try them on to see what would work. Together they went down the hall, back to the kitchen where Kellan was pacing back and forth. Sebastian had told him that Reilly was OK, but his wolf needed to see for himself.

“Holy shit!” Kellan exclaimed as he caught sight of the new Reilly.

Reilly smiled broadly as he took in the familiar scent of his best friend for the first time in over eight years. He was across the kitchen in a heartbeat and threw his arms around Kellan. He could feel the tension drain from him. Kellan sighed as his wolf finally settled down.

They broke apart and Kellan looked his friend over from head to toe, still in disbelief at the changes in him. “Damn it Reilly, you scared the shit out of us.”

“Sorry Kells. I didn’t know that was going to happen,” Reilly replied contritely.

Donovan cleared his throat, “I think now that everyone has gotten over the shock, are you hungry Reilly?”

He was. Ravenous in fact. He rubbed his belly. “I’m starving!” He’d used up an enormous amount of energy during the healing and rebuilding process. Calories and nutrients were what was now needed.

Donovan nodded, and he and Sebastian started pulling food and pots and pans out of the refrigerator and cupboards. It wasn’t long before there was a huge platter of pancakes along with plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and a giant bowl of fruit.

Reilly stacked five of the hotcakes on a plate, scooped a huge portion of eggs, and added a handful of bacon plus half a dozen sausage patties. Another bowl was filled with chunks of fruit.

He doused the whole plate with real maple syrup and within a few minutes was in his own little slice of heaven as the aroma of the food enhanced the taste tenfold. He had forgotten how much smell affected the taste of food.

There was no way he could hold back a moan of delight as he chewed a rather large mouthful of pancake and bacon.

The other three shifters laughed as his eyes rolled back in his head with the sheer enjoyment of food for the first time in a long time. By the time Reilly was done he had managed to devour three stacks of pancakes, two helpings of scrambled eggs, an entire pound of bacon and a dozen sausage patties, not to mention two bowls of fruit. His belly was so full it pooched out far enough that it made him look pregnant.

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and groaned. No matter, he knew that his body would process the calories in short order and he'd be back to normal

Once his appetite had been sated, he looked over at Kellan. He should've been happy, but his brows were drawn. Clearly something was bothering him.

“What’s wrong Kells?” he asked.

Kellan gave him a lopsided, half smile and replied, “Nothing really. I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something.” Wanting to change the subject he turned to Donovan and asked him, “Don’t you need to look Reilly over and make sure he’s alright?”

Donovan looked at Sebastian and asked, “Is it alright if I take Reilly over to the clinic and check him over?”

Sebastian started to answer, then caught himself as he saw Reilly’s eyes narrow. “You’ll have to ask Reilly himself,” he said as he winked at his mate.

Donovan, realizing that the Alpha’s mindset was shifting, addressed Reilly directly, “Well, what do you say Reilly? Shall we go see exactly what changes have occurred?”

Reilly nodded and followed Donovan toward the door. He turned his head and over his shoulder beckoned to Sebastian. “You coming?”

Sebastian jumped up and followed. He wasn’t about to decline the invitation.

As they were leaving Kellan called out after them, “Yeah, um I’ll stay here and clean up. Thanks.”

Reilly snorted.

Donovan’s clinic was a short, five minute walk from the main house. It was set back in the woods with a stone path leading to the door. The inside was a little cool as Donovan kept the heat low when no one was there. The air was chilly in the early November daytime up in the mountains. It wasn’t unheard of to get snow either. The day was sunny and the air was crisp. Reilly relished the smell of the fallen leaves that had eluded him for the past eight years.

Once inside, Donovan turned up the heat and it wasn’t long before the chill was banished. Donovan turned on his computer and pulled up the images of Reilly’s legs that he had taken the day before. The image showed bones that were warped and the lines where the old breaks had occurred stood out starkly. Even an untrained eye could see that something was seriously wrong.

Sebastian’s eyes glowed amber at the thought of what his mate had endured to get those injuries. He silently vowed that whoever was responsible was going to pay, and pay dearly. Reilly took his hand and immediately his wolf calmed down.

“OK young man, Take off your pants and shirt. You can leave your underwear on. I need to take new x-rays, so hop up on the table when you’re ready.”

Reilly did as he was told and still couldn’t believe that he could move with such ease. Yesterday he needed Donovan’s help and a stepstool to get on the exam table. Today he hopped up with ease.

Donovan positioned his left leg first and covered his torso with a lead apron. He and Sebastian stepped back out of the room and Reilly heard the soft clicks indicating that the machine was taking an image. Donovan repositioned Reilly a few more times for different images and then did the same for his right leg.

While they waited for the computer to process the images Donovan weighed Reilly and took some measurements. He noted Reilly’s height, then measured his waist, chest, arms and thighs before telling him he could get dressed again. Each measurement was entered into the computer. He printed out the comparison between yesterday and today. Reilly was astonished at the results. He was three inches taller, now topping off at 5’11. He had gained forty pounds and several inches between his waist, leg and arm measurements.

Donovan was amazed at the results as well.

Sebastian was a little more practical. “I think twenty of those pounds are just from your breakfast this morning,” as he poked him in his still slightly protruding belly.

Reilly just laughed and swatted his hand away.

Donovan pulled up the images of Reilly’s knees on the computer. He had a 50 inch flat screen TV on the wall that was connected to the computer. The images that appeared sobered them all up quickly. The difference between the images from the previous day to the ones just taken was stark. Today’s images were pristine compared to the ones taken not even twenty four hours ago.

“Wow,” exclaimed Reilly.

Sebastian pulled Reilly close and kissed the top of his head. He still towered over his mate and outweighed him by a good amount. “Wow is right. It’s hard to believe you were able to walk with that kind of damage.”

“I kinda got used to the pain. It's been normal for me,” Reilly sighed.

“Well it looks like you don’t have to worry about that any more. So can you sense your wolf now?” asked Donovan.

“Yeah, he’s there. He’s still a little skittish though.”

“I’d be surprised if he wasn’t. I think he’s just going to need some time and the attention of his mate,” Donovan noted as he looked pointedly at Sebastian.

“That isn’t going to be a problem,” retorted Sebastian.

Sebastian’s phone chirped and he smiled as he read the text. “Hunter just entered our territory. He should be here in about fifteen minutes.”

Reilly smiled brightly and then laughed. “C’mon, let’s get back to the house. This I’ve got to see!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” asked Sebastian.

Your beta. If my hunch is right, he and Kellan are mates. Kellan’s not the only one Altus told secrets to!” Reilly snickered.

“But Hunter is straight.”

“So were you..... until yesterday, and so is Kellan. That’s why we need to hustle, I don’t wanna miss the look on his face when he realizes his mate is a guy!” Reilly grabbed Sebastian’s hand and dragged him out the door. Donovan was chuckling as he closed the door and hurried after them.

Back at the house Kellan was still in the kitchen putting away the last of the cookware from breakfast.

“Your timing is impeccable, as usual,” he quipped.

“Sorry Kells. Can’t be helped,” Reilly grinned at his best friend.

“So what’s the verdict? Are you going to live or should I start rehearsing your eulogy?” teased Kellan.

“Har har, I’ll have you know I’m good as new. Everything has healed perfectly and my wolf is back. Still a little leery, but he’s working on it.”

Sebastian’s phone dinged again and he looked at it and said “The driveway gate just opened. Hunter should be here in a couple of minutes.” He looked over at Kellan, who was completely oblivious.

Within a couple of minutes they heard the sound of a truck door shutting. What happened next was comical to say the least.

They heard the front door open and within a few seconds they heard a voice call out “What the fuck is that smell? See-bass!? You here?”

Sebastian smiled as he heard his beta’s voice. “In the kitchen,” he hollered.

Reilly looked at Kellan, wanting to see the look on his face.

Kellan looked over at the doorway as a large masculine body filled the space. Various emotions cross over his face as his wolf became aware of Hunter. Confusion, amazement, trepidation, happiness, disbelief and lust were a few of the expressions that flickered over his countenance, all in the span of a few seconds.

Kellan took in the sight of the shifter that had just entered. Hunter was 6’1” and extremely fit. His chest was broad and muscles well defined. His hair was black like Sebastian’s, only it was threaded with silver at his temples. Sexy. Green eyes that mirrored his own reflected Hunter’s own confusion as to what was transpiring.

Reilly was biting the inside of his cheek, trying not to laugh out loud as he watched his best friend process the fact that his mate was male. Sebastian was also finding amusement watching Hunter’s reaction.

Kellan finally broke out of his trance and exclaimed, “What the fuck is going on here?”

Sebastian chuckled softly as he answered, “Isn’t it obvious? You’ve found your mate.”

Both Hunter and Kellan exclaimed, “But he’s a guy!”

Reilly couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out into laughter. “Admiral Oblivious, meet Captain Clueless."

Sebastian stepped in at this point and addressed his beta, “Hunter, welcome back. This is Reilly, my mate. That’s Kellan, your mate,” as if saying it out loud would reinforce the fact.

Hunter took a good look at Kellan. He had to admit to himself that he liked what he saw. His wolf whined in agreement. Kellan’s scent tickled his senses and surrounded him. “Hey,” he said, looking directly into gorgeous green eyes.

Kellan’s brain got back into the correct gear and he replied, “Hi. Nice to meet you.”

Hunter stared back and smiled, “Now what?”

Donovan shook his head and suggested, “Why don’t you two get to know each other a bit. I’m going to go visit Rosalie. I think she’ll get a kick out of what's going on.” Donovan nodded at Sebastian as he headed out the door.

Sebastian asked Reilly, “What about you, would you like to go see Rosalie too? I think we should give these two some privacy.”

Reilly looked at Sebastian with excitement and said, “I’d like to run. My wolf has never had the chance to run. That’s what I want to do.”

Sebastian pulled him close, inhaled his scent deeply and replied, “Then that’s what we’ll do.” He turned to Hunter and Kellan, “The house is all yours for a couple of hours. Figure it out.”

He then took Reilly’s hand and led him to the back of the house, out onto a large deck that overlooked an expansive backyard. The yard abutted the forest, and the mountains beyond. This was their territory and Sebastian was eager to show it off to his mate.

They quickly stripped off their clothes in the brisk air and left them in a pile. Sebastian’s body transformed itself quickly, nearly in the blink of an eye.

Reilly’s change took a little longer, as the process had not been embedded into his muscle memory yet. The pops, cracks and snaps of bones rearranging themselves seemed loud in the vastness of the open air. Sebastian’s wolf watched intently until finally Reilly’s wolf stood before him.

The two magnificent creatures stared at each other. Their human sides were still very much aware, and they were momentarily paralyzed at the sight of their mate’s wolf.

Sebastian’s wolf was black, his legs were silver, tapering from dark to light until becoming pure white at his paws. His bushy tail tapered as well, the tip mostly white, with beautiful strands of mahogany threading throughout the snowy end. His ears matched his tail.

Reilly, having never seen his own wolf, didn't know that he was a negative image of his mate. His body was pure white, silvery legs turning into the same shade of black that was in his mate’s coloring, ending in solid black paws. Where Sebastian had white coloring, he had black. Tail and ears were reversed as well. Neither of them knew what it meant.

Breaking free of the paralysis that had gripped him, Reilly’s tail started wagging furiously and he dropped both front paws down in the typical canine “let’s play” stance. He yipped twice and took off running, knowing that his mate would give chase.

Sebastian’s wolf let his mate get ahead of him, always keeping him in sight as he chased him through the trees. They zigzagged through the forest, jumping over fallen trees, leaping small brooks until they came to a huge field. Reilly’s wolf still had plenty of energy and put on a burst of speed that surprised Sebastian. The little wolf was halfway across the field and was pulling ahead by the time Sebastian’s wolf gathered steam and took off like a shot, not wanting his mate to get too far ahead.

The big black wolf caught up to his mate and with a swipe of his huge paw he sent the smaller wolf tumbling across the dead vegetation. The black wolf pounced and covered his mate’s body, one quick sniff telling him that he was fine. The two wolves wrestled for a few minutes, both enjoying the freedom and the nip in the air.

They finally settled down with Sebastian’s wolf curled around his mate, nuzzling and licking his fur, grooming him gently. Gradually their panting subsided and Sebastian guarded his mate as Reilly transformed back to his human form. Sebastian changed back as well.

“Holy shit, that was incredible!” Reilly exclaimed. “I’ve never felt such freedom before. It felt like I could run forever, and I wanted to. Is it always like that?”

Sebastian smiled and told him, “I can’t speak for every wolf, but yeah, it’s like that for me. I don’t get a chance to run as often as my wolf would like. Too much to do, not enough time. But now that I have you, I’ll make the time.”

Reilly snuggled up to Sebastian and kissed him. Their tongues quickly became reacquainted and before long they were both panting again. Reilly shivered as Sebastian broke the kiss. “As much as I would really enjoy ravaging you right here, it’s too damn cold. Let’s run some more before we head back. I want to show you my favorite place.”

As much as Reilly wanted to continue kissing Sebastian, his mate was right. It was too damn cold. Even with his shifter’s natural ability to generate more heat than humans, goosebumps covered his skin and the hard-on that he had was now wilting in the cold air. He could feel his balls drawing up close to his body, trying to retain warmth. He sighed as he broke away from Sebastian and summoned his wolf. The change wasn’t quite as painful as before, but it wasn’t quick and easy like Sebastian’s.

This time Reilly stuck close by Sebastian as they jogged briskly up a faint trail. When they reached the end of the trail Sebastian stopped and stepped aside so Reilly could take in the view.

They were at the peak of one of the lower mountains, the taller, larger peaks behind them. The rock outcropping they stood on overlooked a narrow valley. Reilly could see a waterfall flowing out of the mountain about halfway down. It wound its way down the mountain into a gorge that gradually widened and led the way to a narrow river that flowed through the bottom of the valley. Even with the leaves stripped of their leaves, the sight was beautiful.

Reilly leaned against the large wolf and enjoyed the serene peacefulness of the moment. Before long the wind picked up and they could both see clouds forming in the distance.

It was time to head back. Sebastian once again led the way, Reilly close by. They easily loped down the mountain, once again jumping over every obstacle that came their way. It was late afternoon by the time they reached the McDen, as Reilly referred to it in his head. The sun had retreated to the other side of the mountains to the west and the temperature was starting to drop rapidly.

Sebastian wouldn’t be surprised if there was snow on the ground tomorrow. Someone had left a light on the back porch and had folded their clothes and left them on a table.

They changed back and got dressed quickly in the cold air. Sebastian couldn’t help but to steal another kiss from his mate before they went into the house. He would never get tired of the feeling and taste of those amazing lips.

They wandered into the kitchen, expecting it to be empty, but instead saw Hunter and Kellan there, fixing dinner together. They were covered in the other’s scent. Apparently they figured out that the mate pull was real. Sebastian noted that neither one of them had a telltale bite mark on their neck, so the mate claim had not yet been sealed. They all knew that it was only a matter of time.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, silently questioning his beta.

Hunter lowered his eyes and tilted his neck slightly, acknowledging his Alpha’s unspoken question. “Um, yeah, about this whole mate thing. Well, we were going to go through with it but, uh, um, you see, uh, we hit a snag,” he stammered.

Sebastian leaned back on the counter and crossed his arms and inquired, “What do you mean? You hit a snag?”

Reilly snickered, knowing full well that they probably had trouble figuring out who was going to be top and who was going to be bottom. They were both betas, and both had dominant traits.

Kellan was blushing profusely and pointedly glared at Reilly, muttering, “It was easy for you.”

Hunter stood next to Kellan and tried to hide his own blush, and failed miserably. “Well, not only could we not figure out that part of it, we got kinda of freaked out when our wolves came out. It’s like we’re opposite images of each other. I’ve never seen anything like it in male-female pairings. It’s really weird.”

Reilly’s laughter was cut off immediately at Hunter’s revelation. “Guys, something freaky is happening. I don’t know what it is, but I think someone should get Donovan and Rosalie.”

Seabstian grabbed his phone off the counter and called Donovan. He was still at Rosalie’s house and Sebastian asked him to bring her up to the main house. Sebastian had always chalked up the similarities in his and Hunter’s wolves’ color pattern as a byproduct of their Alpha-Beta relationship. Now that Reilly and Kellan were in the mix, it had to mean something.

When they got there Donovan and Rosalie stopped dead in their tracks as they entered the kitchen to the sight of four wolves, all sharing variations of the same exact colors but in interchanging matching patterns.

“Oh my!’ Rosalie exclaimed. “It’s real.”