The Alpha's Melded Mate

The One Where She Learns Her Lesson

"Deep breath in through the nose and hold for five seconds," Leon said, "And deep breath out through the mouth. 

Leon had arrived late last night; the specialist Neal had called in. He had stressed the importance and urgency in assisting me in learning control without divulging too much information about how truly dire our situation was. 

We had started with breathing exercises and yoga. We sat on mats with our legs crossed. My eyes were closed, and I followed Leon's instruction, Abbi sat on a mat next to me. She had refused to leave last night when my mom had gone home. 

"When you feel those strong emotions rising, I want you to repeat these breathing exercises."

I continued to breathe in, hold, and release as Leon spoke. 

"It is important to shift your mindset regarding your wolf, especially for someone who has gone as long as you have without one. There is not you and your wolf, you are one in the same. She is a part of you, and you her." His voice as soft. 

I could hear Leon shift from his mat, walking closer to me. I could feel him approach, my senses even more alert than they had been before. He pressed two fingers against the center of my forehead with one hand, and two fingers over my heart with the other while I took a deep breath in and held it. As I slowly released the breathe, I felt a line of heat and light through my body as if things were clicking into place. 

I felt my wolf inside yawn and roll over in her slumber.

My eyes snapped open. "What was that," I gasped, staring straight into his green eyes. 

"That was your chakras unblocking and aligning. You will want to make sure you keep yourself aligned and open. It will help with your transition between your forms. 

"How am I supposed to treat me and my wolf as one in the same when I can't even remember what happens when I shift?"

"The transformation is traumatic on the body, especially the first few times. You are likely to black out, as a means to protect yourself. It is common to remember little to nothing from your first few shifts. As you become comfortable with the change, you will remember more, and the easier the shift will become. 

I remembered Ophelia and how she had seamlessly slipped skin into her wolf just outside the house. I couldn't help but wonder if it would ever be possible for me to shift that easily. I wasn't even sure if Neal could shift that easily. 

"It is important to focus your efforts to maintain your form. Shifting uses energy, and as all things with magic, we have only a finite resource of magic within us at a given time. It is even more important for someone like yourself. While a new wolf needs to take care, you will need to be even more vigilant. If you use up your resources, you could be stuck, either as a wolf, or without your mentalist abilities to assist you. 

"Now, let us go outside and work on shifting."

"I haven't shifted on my own before," I said. "I'm not even sure I can."

Abbi gripped my arm, her touch pushing that feeling of comfort into me. 

"That is what we are to work on." Leon started making his way outside, and I followed, Abbi on my heels. 

We made our way to the front yard, the sun shining down. I studied Leon as he walked the perimeter of the yard, the sun gleaming in his shaggy blonde hair. Those green eyes intense as he stared at me, making his way back to where Abbi and I stood. 

He had been a brick wall as far as emotions were concerned. I could read nothing from him. 

"Controlling the shift is about controlling those feelings that rise up in you with the shift. When you shift, your body has similar responses to when you are angry or afraid. Your heartrate increases, your temperature goes up. You may feel your breathing become quicker."