"Sky?"
"Sky, can you hear me?"
Hearing the voice of her brother and feeling his hands on her shoulders, Skyler blinks open her crimson eyes only to find a pair of the same color staring back at her.
"Sam?" She asks groggily. The last thing she remembered was lunging at Samuel's throat with the intent to kill.
She didn't really want to harm him but her wolf knew nothing of love when she was angry.
Realizing what happened she hurriedly jumps up and rips his shirt off easily to examine his body. Finding no wounds Sky breaths a sigh of relief.
It was then that she finally noticed it.
She felt a barrier between her and her wolf side. She could feel it's presence but she didn't need to suppress her instincts.
She had no desire for chaos. She didn't feel like running through the forest with the wind in her fur. She didn't want to kill anyone or anything.
She hadn't felt so in control since her first shift.
Seeing his sister start spacing out Sam began to worry the witch had lied to him despite knowing they're species was incapable of doing so.
"Are you alright?" Sam asks cautiously. He knew from experience that she was easily angered so he didn't dare be too bold with her still sitting on top of him.
Normally he treated her like any other sibling would, while keeping his guard up just enough to prepare for any sudden attack but with him still unsure about the amulet be didn't dare be too reckless.
"I feel... free." Sky whispered in response.
It was then that she noticed the necklace. Or more accurately the flow of magic coming from it.
"Thank you." She whispers greatfully as she hugs her brother.
Then it hit her. The power of the necklace belongs to Sam's wolf. And his scent was different from her memories.
Tears began flowing from her eyes as she frantically sniffed his neck in hopes of catching even a whiff of Ajax.
She felt a wave of sadness. Not only of her own but also that of Astra. With the confirmation of her wolf she knew her assumption was correct.
She desperately wished it wasn't true but Astra's nose was never wrong.
She should have known immediately. The only way to supress a wolf is using the soul of another.
"You used Ajax?" Sky whispers painfully as the tears flow down her face.
"He begged me to. It took a while but he managed to convince me it was the best choice. He really loves you Skyler."
Hearing Samuel say so not only failed to make her feel better but she began to cry harder.
Sam and Ajax were different from her and Astra.
Their mother gave birth to Sam while she was in wolf form so the first few years of their life were spent as a wolf.
Most gain the ability to shift at age 8 but Ajax became Sam when they were only 5.
As a result he was significantly weaker than most males his age. Of course human boys are still weak in front of Sam.
Being only 2 years apart Ajax played with Sky until she was 3 before she even met Sam.
After that Sam still had a preference for his wolf form so Sky spent more time with Ajax than with Sam for almost 6 years.
At that time he had to start going to Young Wolf Academy so he was in human form most of the day.
2 years later she finally shifted and their life changed forever.
Astra was agressive. Even as a child she would attack anyone if they angered her.
Sadly that included her own parents.
Astra severely wounded their mother and as a result she was driven out of the pack along with her brother who couldn't bare to see her leave on her own.
They were both young but they survived with Ajax's hunting skills and Sams quick thinking.
Astra couldn't be trusted so Sky almost never let her out.
They only left the forest 5 years later when Sam was able to convince a highschool principal -who happened to be a wolf himself- to let him join the school even though he didn't have the necessary papers or a guardian.
The man even helped him find a part time job.
Now 6 years later they live together in a mid-sized apartment. Sky almost never leaves but Sam has a group of friends from highschool he still hangs out with. Most of them are off at college and he can only see them a few times a year but his best friend -like him- chose not to go despite his amazing grades.
The difference is that Ashton started his own company and earns enough to live comfortably while Sam works as a bar singer and can barely afford the rent and groceries.
Luckily Sky was able to earn some money as a fairly popular game streamer.
She didn't dare play fighting games for fear of accidentally releasing Astra but with her sweet voice and frequent interactions with fans in the the comments she had amassed a large following of both men and women. She always wore a mask or she would have long become famous for her beauty.
Finally calming down she slowly pulls away and moves to sit on the edge of the bed as she wipes her teary eyes.
"Now he'll always be with you." Sam says with a sad smile as he gently taps the pendant.
Sky gently held the pendant and silently thanked Ajax in her heart.
She would miss hanging out with him but she felt comforted knowing his soul would always be with her. Even if she couldn't see him his presence calmed her.
"Thank you. Both of you." Sky says quietly with a genuine smile on her face.
Sam was momentarily stunned. He hadn't seen a genuine smile on her face since the day they left the pack.
"I'm just glad you're okay." Samuel says, gently rubbing the top of her head affectionately.
...
1 week later.
"Oh, come on! I'm not that bad!" Sky says to the camera as she clumsily operates the character on the screen.
This was the first time she had tried a shooting game and it would be an understatement to say she was bad at it.
She was wearing a mask like usual. It was a high tech screen that covers her face like any other mask. On the screen a cute animated face with heart shaped eyes was tracking her face movements and copying them in real time.
Ever since she let go of her worries about Astra she was able to be more natural when talking. As a result she had gained a large number of new fans in just these few days. Her income had even doubled as more people where giving her gifts.
"Thank you 'MissSodaLover' for the gift!" Sky says to the camera. Only to turn back to the game and find her character lying dead on the ground.
The shock was visable on her face, making the fans laugh at the silly expression on the screen.
"I blame you guys." She says pointing to the camera with her gloved hand while simultaneously starting a new round.
This time she lasted a little longer but she still died pathetically.
"This game must be broken!" She concludes childishly as she hurriedly switches to the farm game she had been playing on her streams lately.
"Hey! I saw that, Lionmaster57!" Sky says with a laugh as she reads a few messages from the chat while playing.
After streaming for another half an hour she gets a text from her brother saying he's almost home so she ends the stream.
...
A month later.
It took some time but Sky eventually got more comfortable interacting with people other than Sam.
It took a lot of trips to the coffee shop and visits to the mall.
It was overwhelming at first but after repeated practice she could finally order her own beverages without holding her brothers hand.
It was still too much to expect her to go out into the city alone.
As for this moment?
Skyler was out with her brother for dinner. She wanted to try ordering at a restaurant today.
As they were about to go in Sam's phone suddenly chimed and the siblings stopped in their tracks while he pulled his phone out to check.
At first he thought it might be work but then he saw that it was a text from his best friend, Ash.
The message was in the group chat with Sam, Ash, Tyler, Liam, and Nico.
Apparently Ash was in the area and wanted to see if anyone had time to meet for dinner.
Immediately after, Liam and Tyler agreed to meet. Nico took a few minutes but he too eventually said he would be coming but he would have to be a little late.
It was almost 4:30 and the invite was for 5:00.
Just as Sam was about to refuse Sky stopped him. She had never met his friends before but she knew a little about them from Sam and she thought they were probably good people.
After all Ajax approved of them, and he was really sensitive to people's nature.
"I wanna meet them." Sky says slowly when she sees the confusion in Sam's eyes as he gazes at her.
"I'll ask."
Saying so, Sam hurriedly types out a response.
Sam: I'm really close but I'm with my sister. Do you guys mind if I bring her along?
Immediately after his phone started vibrating 4 times in a row as his friends replyed.
Liam: The mysterious little sister?
Tyler: The same sister you always make excuses to keep us from meeting?
Nico: Your sister? I'd love to meet her!
Ash: Bring her along! Everyone can just meet in private room 8.
With permission from the others, Sam gently took Sky by the hand and led her in the direction of the agreed upon restaurant.
It wasn't far so they arrived in under 35 minutes.
Upon seeing the obviously nice restaurant, Sky hesitated. She had never been to such a nice place as she couldn't bare to waste her brothers hard earned money.
Gathering her courage despite her plain clothes that clearly didn't fit in, Sky slowly stepped inside hand in hand with Sam.
The server immediately led the way when she heard they were guests of Ashton.
As they neared the door, Sky began to squeeze Sams hand tighter in an attempt to keep her body from shaking.
She was scared.
It's not a feeling she had very often but the thought of meeting her brothers friends made her anxious.
She didn't have time to think as the server opened the door to the private room, revealing a table of men. For the most part they weren't particularly good-looking, but then her gaze landed on him.
Ashton Hawkins was the most handsome man she had ever seen.
His black hair, perfectly styled to frame his face. He was tall even while sitting but he wasn't skinny. He had visibly defined muscles on his arms but it wasn't obvious at first glance. His face was perfect as far as Sky was concerned. He had a sharp jawline and perfectly kissable lips. His eyes were a bright green color, much like a forest or a field of grass.
Sky was captivated the moment she layed eyes on him. She felt it was a pity he was human. If he had been a shifter or another non-human species she might have asked him out.
She knew it was against the laws of the council to mate with humans and she had no intention of breaking any more laws. Just using Ajax to suppress Astra was considered a major crime, and she wasn't about to go breaking even more laws.