Mated To The Lycan King
Chapter 99

Miranda POV

My eyes snapped open and I sat up in bed. I felt hot, burning hot. I needed to shift. I don’t want to die. I need to shift. I felt my heart in my throat as panic sat in. How am I going to shift? How is this done? What am I going to do?

“Hey, hey, hey. Easy love.” I heard Brent and I turned to where his voice was coming from. I looked him up and down and took a deep breath. My eyes widened and I let out a playful growl like purr. My hand clamped over my mouth and I heard him chuckle.

“What was that?” I asked aloud.

“That was me.” Seraphine was in my mind.

My hands covered my ears because it was weird sounding. It was loud but not really loud all at the same time. It was like she was standing right next to me, but she was in my head.

“Woah.” I frowned. “That is going to take some getting used to.” I heard her laugh in my mind and it made my eyes widen.

“Take a deep breath through your nose. One, I want to smell him and see if we need to wait to shift for his scent. Two, I don’t want you to hypervenalate.” Seraphine told me.

I took a deep breath through my nose and the only thing I could smell was the cranberry handwash, cleaner, and the fabric softener from the sheets. “Drats. But look at him. He is handsome. Come on, let’s work on shifting.”

I looked across the room at Brent and he was looking over me slowly. “Hi, sorry.” I apologized to him.

“It’s okay. I know it can feel overwhelming.” He motioned for me to follow him. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat. You need to have full strength tonight when you shift.”

“Why tonight? Why can’t I try after we eat?” I walked with him.

“You can use the moon’s energy to help with your shifting.” Brent pulled my chair out and I sat in it.

I watched him walk around the table and sit across from me. I looked down at the table and there was a giant covered dish. I pulled the top off after he did and a plate of cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits smothered in gravy, hashbrowns, and a giant bowl of mixed fruit. Off to the side, I lifted another top off of a dish and there sat three large pancakes covered with syrup. There was no way I would be able to eat all of this.

“Oh yes, yes we can.” Seraphine told me.

We ate and talked about what I should expect when I shift or attempt to shift tonight. I wouldn’t be alone in shifting. Brent will be by my side, as well as Avalynn and Everest will be there for support too. If I am successful tonight, we will go for a run and then tomorrow will be my crowning ceremony.

I went for another bite of pancake and frowned when I realized everything was completely gone. I made a pouting face and heard Brent chuckle. “Still hungry?” He asked and I nodded my head to him.

He snapped his fingers and another plate of food was brought out to me.

“I don’t understand how I can eat all of this.” I sighed as I lifted off the cover, revealing eggs, bacon, and toast. “I feel like I am eating for five people.”

“It’s normal to eat a lot. You burn three or four times more calories as a Lycan than a human. I was unsure how much you would eat on your first day, but it looks like you have a normal and healthy appetite. That is great news and promising. It means that your body and your Lycan are accepting one another. Which means when you shift it may be easier to do so. Do you have any questions about your first shift?” He took a large bite out of the sausage and biscuit sandwich, chewing as he looked across the table at me.

“Uh, let me think about it.” I chewed my food slowly and thought about whether I had any questions. I had read a lot before this all happened. I wanted to be well educated about what would be going on with my body.

“Take all the time you need. I will try to answer your questions the best way that I can.” He smiled at me and continued to eat.

I racked my brain as I ate. “Oh, I have something.” I swallowed my food. “How bad does it hurt to shift for the first time?”

He finished chewing his food and, with a small shrug of his shoulders, “I am not going to lie, it is painful but not as painful as a wolf’s first transition into their beast. Your bones will crack, pop, and elongate. You will be bigger and taller, faster and stronger. Oh, and a lot more hair, everywhere.”

“How painful was your first shift?” I asked him, pushing the plate of food away, finally feeling satisfied.

“I’m not going to lie, it was pretty painful. My family was attacked by a rival Lycan group. I was just seventeen. My Lycan actually came early. I didn’t tell anyone, but I couldn’t shift yet because my body wasn’t ready. He forced the shift the night my family was attacked. I am one of the youngest shifting Lycans of our kind. It is so extremely rare for something like that to happen. But I am thankful he forced the shift. I was able to help my family that night and help save them. I even saved my brother. Wish I hadn’t, a lot of this could have been avoided.” He sighed.

“You couldn’t have known what he was capable of.” I stood and walked over to him. I placed my hand on his shoulders, leaning down and placing a k**s on his cheek.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap. A giggle passed through my lips as he buried his face into my neck, inhaling deeply. “Woah. Your eyes.”

“My eyes?” I frowned.

“Yeah. They’re like a blueish silver color. They’re more silver than blue. Absolutely fascinating and beautiful.”

I could feel Seraphine watching through my eyes. “I think it’s Seraphine.”

“Seraphine? Is that your Lycan?” His head tilted to the side a little as he studied my face.

“Oh yes, she is.” I smiled. “She is very pretty too.”

“I can’t wait to meet her.” He told me. “Are you finished eating then?” He motioned to my three plates on the other side of the table.

“I am. Everything tasted better than before. It’s a bit interesting. How is everything just all around better now? Well, from a food standpoint I guess.” I smiled up at him.

“Because your senses changed and heightened. Let’s go for a walk and then get some stretching in. It will help with your first shift.” He told me.

“Okay sounds great.” I said cheerfully. “Let’s do this!” I hopped up from his lap, spinning around to face him.

“Would you like to change clothes or are you comfortable going out in what you’re wearing?” He stood up from his seat and took the last drink of orange juice from his cup.

I looked down at the clothes I was wearing and figured it was not appropriate attire to wear for a future Queen. “Uh, I would like to have some leggings and maybe a tshirt too.”

“No problem. I went ahead and brought some of your clothes down here for you.” He nodded his head to follow him and I did so. He opened a drawer and showed me my clothes.

“Thanks, babe.” He smiled and nodded his head as if it was no problem. He exited the room to allow me a moment to change.

“Holy boob Batman, where in the world do you come from?” I said aloud to myself. I walked over to a mirror to look at myself. My eyes were cool looking and it appeared that I had slimmed down too, and gotten taller. When a few minutes passed, he softly knocked before entering. I loved how respectful he was towards me. Giving me privacy even if he has seen my body and made it do things no one else could. I bit my bottom l*p thinking about our moment together before he marked me.

“You better stop biting that bottom l*p unless you want me to keep you in here all night.” He let out a playful growl.

I gave him a wink and he crossed the room in a few strides. He pulled me into his arms and placed a k**s on my lips. “Come on, let’s get going. They’re probably waiting for us.”

“Okay, let’s go.” I told him.

“Awe, I wanted to have some fun.” Seraphine whined.

“I am sure you will have some fun soon.” I told her as we all walked with Brent.

We reached the pathway that we were going to go walking along. Avalynn and Everest were already there waiting for our arrival.

“Hey you two!” I greeted them cheerfully.

“Hey! Woah! Miranda! Your eyes!” Avalynn moved closer to me.

“Yeah, I know. It’s Seraphine.” I told her.

She linked her arm with mine and we began walking. Our mates walked protectively behind us. I told her everything. How I was feeling. How I was handling the change. How having Seraphine in my mind felt weird to me. She, in turn, told me how she found out she was a Lycan. How her Lycan showed up out of no where. How it took time to get used to hearing someone in her mind.

“Did it hurt?” I looked up at her.

“Shifting?” She questioned and I nodded my head at her.

“Not really. I shifted quickly my first time.” She went on to tell me the story of her shifting.

“I hope I am that lucky.” I sighed and she hugged me.

“I am sure it will happen the way it is supposed to happen.” Avalynn smiled. “By the way, I think you’re taller.”

“Yeah, I noticed that.” I agreed.

“It’s because of your Lycan,” Brent called from behind.

“Yeah, getting your Lycan changes your body. You basically get the perfect body. Everything fills out the way it’s intended to be. It is to help you be the lean mean killing machine nature intended us to be. Not that you have to be a killing machine.” She laughed and I joined her in laughing.

“Honestly, my boobs and slimming down were the first two things I noticed when I was changing earlier. Then I noticed how tall I was. My legs seem longer and leaner. I almost didn’t recognize myself in the mirror.” I smiled.

“Well, you look absolutely fantastic. It suits you.” Avalynn said.

We walked along the trail and, for the first time, I was able to keep up with them all. I didn’t need to take a break or have them help me on some of the tougher parts of the trail. I felt accomplished.

We made it back to the main part of the castle and ate some lunch. After lunch, we moved to the gym to do some simple stretches. I stretched and stretched. The more I did it, I could feel Seraphine relaxing more into my body. I felt more in sync with her. The sun was slowly beginning to set outside. I took a bottle of water and walked over to the window and looked outside. Butterflies crept into my stomach and I felt nervous.

“We got this. No need to be nervous. We will crush it, together.” Seraphine spoke confidence into me. I knew she was right.

A few hours later

The moon was high above our heads. The energy it was radiating was remarkable. I looked up into the night sky and smiled to myself. Brent’s hands were on my shoulders. He kissed the side of my head. We stood there in silence as we waited for the right moment for Seraphine to tell me we were ready to begin. A few moments later, I felt her.

“Miranda, I think it is time that we try to begin our shift.” Seraphine spoke.

I turned in Brent’s arms and looked up at him.

“Is it time?” He asked me and I nodded my head. He placed a k**s on my lips and I returned the k**s.

I looked over at Avalynn and she nodded her head at me. “We are here for you, for your support. You got this. You can do this. We believe in you.”

Brent looked at me for a good while before finally taking a few steps back from me. I was in the center as everyone watched. Brent cleared his throat, looking up at the sky and back to me. “Listen to my voice as I help instruct you. Listen to your Lycan and all her in. Allow her control. Do not fight for control, even during the pain, give in. Concentrate, you can do it. Call your Lycan forward in your mind.”

“Okay.” I closed my eyes and tried calling on Seraphine.

“Seraphine. Are you there? It is time. I am ready.” I told her. I could feel her presence. “Seraphine? Hello?”

I looked at Brent and he motioned for me to calm down. “Be patient,” he told me.

I sat down on the ground. I inhaled deeply and felt her. My eyes opened and I looked around. Everything was brighter, almost like it was daylight outside. This must be Seraphine.

“Her eyes.” I heard Avalynn whisper but I pushed it out of my mind.

Then the pain hit. I let out a short scream as it caught me off guard, but then just began to breathe through the waves of pain that hit me. I let the pain roll off my shoulder. I soon heard cracking and popping noises. My face felt like it started to contort. I kept my eyes closed but I felt hair sprout under my hand. It was soft and warm. I was sitting up now as the last stretch and crack was heard. It was loud and disturbed the quiet that was around.

When my eyes opened, I was no longer looking out my own eyes but watching through Seraphines. It was like looking through a window. I could see everything she saw. Then the scent hit me, us. It was the smell of fresh cedarwood. Seraphine let out a possessive growl as she lunged forward to Brent and tackled him. He managed to shift before she reached him as they rolled on the ground together. She rubbed her body all against his and he did the same. She playfully nipped at him as he nipped at her.

“Hello.” I heard Brent come across my thoughts.

“Hello?” I said back, confused.

“We are linked. I can hear you and you me. Cool, huh?” Brent asked.

“Very,” I said happily.

“If you ever need me, this is a direct link to me. The link that binds us will always be open to one another. I will never close it to you.” He smiled.

“I will never close it to you either.” I smiled.

“Want to go for a run?” He asked us and both of our Lycans let out a howl.

I looked over and Avalynn and Everest were already shifted. We all took off running through the woods that were on the inside of the castle walls. It wasn’t a big run, but it was enough to bond with not only my Lycan but give Seraphine a chance to bond with her mate.

When we were done, we all met back in the clearing. Everyone shifted in midstride as I stood there. I frowned and pushed myself forward as Seraphine stepped back, allowing me control. I shifted back to my human form slowly.

“Good job. It will get faster with time and practice.” Brent smiled, wrapping his arm around me.