The Transfer novel Chapter 10

The run back to the pack was agonising. My leg was bleeding badly and it throbbed painfully. Trying to run was ridiculous, but Kade and Alfie held me up as best as they could. They pushed me to run faster so we could get back to the pack doctor quicker.

"I could speed you back to the pack, Ali. It would take a few seconds," Ezra told me. I shook my head as Kade pushed me back up again.

I was in pain. I was hurting so badly that I felt like I might pass out. But I knew that I couldn't give in and let Ezra take me back. I had to show everyone that I was capable of taking the hard route and getting back to the pack without Ezra's help.

"It's fine, Ezra. It doesn't hurt that bad anyway," I told him. I looked down at my leg, noticing that the bullet hadn't even gone through my leg. It had only grazed the skin, but it still hurt. It was still going to need medical attention.

When we reached the pack, all eyes turned to us almost immediately. Henry and Melissa rushed off. I could feel Henry's anger. I knew that he had to go and deal with the situation. Seeing humans so close to the pack was concerning.

Kade's friends stopped and shifted back into their skin. They slipped on clothes and watched as Alfie and Kade carried me towards the pack doctor. Lila, Brayleigh and Ezra followed behind us.

I entered the pack hospital and Alfie bounded off to help Henry with dealing with the situation.

Kade helped me over to a bed and nudged me onto it. Then, he stepped back as the doctor — Cameron, also Brayleigh's mother — appeared in front of him. Kade and the others were quickly pushed out the room. Cameron grabbed the curtains and closed them, so no one could see in.

"You're going to have to shift back, sweetheart. It'll hurt. But the quicker you do it, the sooner we can fix you up," Cameron told me. I sighed and nodded. I shifted back into my skin.

She was right. It hurt. My bones shifted and and skin changed, my bullet wound seeming to expand as I turned human again. I yelped in pain as Cameron slipped a baggy shirt over my head. I held my arm to my chest and let the tears fall.

I was bleeding badly. My arm was covered in blood. The wound throbbed painfully, like it had its own heartbeat.

Cameron wiped away most of the blood and then made me lie down. I did and held my arm out to her. She motioned for me not to look, and I didn't.

I turned my head and gritted my teeth as I knew the pain was about to come. I clenched my fist and curled my toes as Cameron placed a blanket over me. I gripped fistfuls of it with my non-injured hand.

I felt Cameron dabbing at my wound with the cotton bud and I cried out in pain. It stung like a bitch and I wanted to punch Cameron in the gut for it.

"It's okay. Just a little longer, sweetheart," Cameron said, trying to soothe me. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my jaw so hard that it hurt.

When Cameron finished attending to my arm, she wrapped it in bandages and then left me to rest. The others bounded back into the room moments later.

"Are you okay?" Lila asked me immediately. I could hear how worried she was. It made my gut twist.

"I'm fine. It was only a graze," I muttered tiredly. It had been a long past few days and I needed a long sleep. But it was hard with the nightmares.

They came every night. It used to be every so often. But they were there every time I shut my eyes. They scared me half to death and most nights, I woke up in a sweat and crying. Some nights, Ezra had to wake me up because I was yelling in my sleep.

They were getting worse. I had no idea why but I needed to find a way to make them disappear. I was tired of being tired.

"Stupid humans. They always have to ruin everything," Brayleigh muttered bitterly. I chuckled a little at her. I'd never seen a human before. But today was strange. They smelt odd.

To be quite honest, they didn't smell like a dog.

"It's fine, Bray. We can go hunting another time," I told her softly. My eyelids felt heavily and I felt like going to sleep.

"I think we should let you rest, princess. Just call if you need us, okay?" Ezra said suddenly. I was thankful that he knew me so well. I was exhausted.

"I'm staying. I'm going to sit right here," Lila said, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. She smiled at me and I nodded. Ezra walked over to me and kissed my crown before leaving the room. Brayleigh waved goodbye as Kade pushed her out the room.

"Rest now," Lila told me. She smiled softly at me and I nodded. I let my eyes shut and then let myself drifted into a sleep.

///

The following two weeks were hard. After recovering from my gunshot wound, I got straight back into training. Every day, Alfie pushed me harder and harder. I was getting stronger, filling out more.

My legs became only muscle. Lila always made jokes about me and I quote 'popping someone's head off with my thick thighs'. She said she couldn't wait to the day that she was to see me decapitate someone.

I grew toned abs. They weren't incredible like some people, but they were abs and I had never had them before. I was proud.

My arms were toned and all muscle. I could lift my body weight plus more and I felt powerful whenever I threw a punch.

Over the weeks, I grew much closer to Lila, Brayleigh and Kade. My pull to Lila only grew stronger and stronger. But she never said anything. I wasn't sure if she felt it and just didn't say anything. I didn't say anything because I was nervous about what it might mean.

It wasn't a mate pull. I knew that it would be stronger than what I felt with Lila. It wasn't a negative pull, but it made me feel protective of her. The pull made me want to guard her and protect her against any harm that came to her.

I didn't feel anything like that with Brayleigh or anyone else. It was just with Lila and it made us closer.