Sophia’s POV

“Again Sophia, you need to focus. You are not focusing.”

Oh how I wanted to knock that man on his ass. For three days we have been “practicing” as he calls it, but I call it torture. Who knew all this magic stuff was so difficult. I just thought with a wave of my finger and a twitch of my nose and bam I can make an apple float across the room.

But no – nothing is that easy. Instead of floating the apples keep exploding, or catching fire, or my personal favorite turning into a frozen red snowball. And you would think as the days progressed I would get a better handle on all this, but you would be seriously wrong.

The closed gym where we were training was a complete mess. Even when I tried my cleaning spell things went haywire. After a few dumbbell’s slammed against the walls we cleared out all of the equipment for safety reasons.

Luckily Ella did not have to go through all of this as her powers we learned are not yet matured. The most she was able to do was grow a few flowers. Vlad thinks that her powers will gradually appear as she matures. So after the first day she and Noah were excused and I think it was mainly for their safety as I had things exploding everywhere.

Alex and Jane were the sitting back with Knox watching me fail yet again…it was so embarrassing. It confused me on how I was able to do what I did in the office and even my Mary Poppins trick in our bedroom. Now it was like all my wires were crossed and nothing was getting through.

I concentrated on the apple in front of me and have to say I am really starting to dislike this fruit. It was simple, move apple from A location to B location, then catch the apple on fire, put it out and return it to normal. Simple right? Nope. The apple flew directly at Vlad’s head and he had to duck, then it burst into flames before exploding. That was the fifth apple in a row.

“Again Sophia, you need to focus. You are not focusing.”

“You know what Vlad, shut the fuck up. I am to focusing. I have been focusing for 3 goddamn days and nothing is getting better. The harder I try the worse I do. My body feels like it wants to explode like that apple. I feel uncomfortable in my own skin and you want me to focus. Screw you!”

Turning my back to him I head over to grab my water. Focus. What a prick. I am really regretting my decision on having Knox ask him for help.

“Shit. I cannot believe I am so stupid. Knox is it a full moon tonight?”

“Yes. Yes it is. It makes perfect sense. It should have dawned on me earlier.”

“What are you two morons talking about? Who cares if it is a full moon tonight or not? The problem is I suck at this magic shit.”

“Baby, we mated a couple days ago. That mark on your neck is not just a symbol of our connection it is also your connection to your wolf. A newly turned wolf will shift for the first time on their first full moon. After that they can shift a free will. Tonight baby, you will have your first shift.”

“And you think this is why I am having so much trouble with all of this?”

“Yes Sophia, Knox is right. I should have also figured it out. Let me simplify it for you. There are essentially three parts to you. Human, wolf and goddess. Right now your wolf part is dominating the other two as it prepares for its first shift. And since you are in your human form, your goddess part has more or less, stepped to the back burner. That is why your magic is all haywire. I am sorry that it surpassed me as well. Once you shift, things should go back to normal.”

I don’t know why but the fact that there was a reason why I kept screwing up and not because I was a failure comforted me immensely. In a way it made sense. The past two days have been hell being trapped inside.

My body craved being outside and my skin itched and hurt. It was like I had all this energy running through me with nowhere to go. The phrase being uncomfortable in your own skin made perfect sense to me. Now I know why.

I honestly forgot about shifting and I felt bad for my inner wolf. She was there and I felt her, but I was focusing so hard on doing my magic that I guess I ignored her. I am such a bitch. A confused bitch. None of this made sense, but at the same time it did. It was hard being 3 things at once. I struggled on managing all of them.

No worries Sophia, after our shift we will no longer have any more discord amongst us. The three will be one.

Oh Gaea, I am so sorry. I am such a horrible person.

Again, no worries. I feel what you feel so I understand. I promise that after our shift we will be unified as one and our powers will return to normal. I have been embracing my new wolf side and cannot wait for tonight.

Walking over to Knox, I rest my head on his chest and breathe in his scent. A calmness covers me as his arms surround me. I don’t like this feeling of uneasiness.

“Don’t worry baby that feeling will disappear tonight. I remember my first shift. Come on, let’s get you in the bath before dinner. You need a few moments to unwind.”

Knox reached down and picked me up. I suddenly felt so drained and my body was shutting down. I closed my eyes for a few minutes hoping that would help.

When I reopened them, Knox was lowering us into the tub. The water felt wonderful against my sore muscles. His hands grabbed the soap and gently washed my body. I was so tired I didn’t even get aroused by his touch and that worried me.

“Shh, baby. Just relax and let me take care of you. Your body is saving its energy for tonight. Lean on me and relax. After our bath I will tuck you into bed for a quick nap while I get you some dinner. Then later when the moon is up, we will head outside for your shift.”

True to his word, my mate took excellent care of me. After dinner, we snuggled up in bed together as the kids told me about their day. Noah was super excited about my shift tonight and wanted to stay up for it. Knox vetoed that idea as we didn’t know what was going to happen.

I have to say I truly love my new son. He holds a special place in my heart and I could not ask for a better mate for my daughter. Sure it still weirds me out that they are now technically brother and sister, but hey I have just learned to go with the flow on certain items.

After putting the kids to bed we headed outside to the common area to walk around. Whenever the moonlight would hit my skin tingles began to dance just under the surface. I still had another hour until midnight and I was getting antsy.

As we made our way back to the porch, Vlad, Alex and Jane stood waiting for us. As a group we made our way to the west training field. Vlad had his warriors surround the area so we were protected. Since vampires all had some type of magic we figured they were better prepared for whatever could happen.

Vlad did some research and never came across a goddess that was mixed with anything else. Mainly they mated with other gods and well since there are apparently none of them around, yeah so let’s just say we are walking into uncharted territories.

The closer it got to midnight the more nervous I began to feel. I was scared of what would happen. Gaea told me to stop being such a worry wart and all was good. Like me Knox was also a bit apprehensive about my shift. He was picking up on my feelings and tried to soothe me the best he could.

Vlad on the other hand was smiling like a fool. He was so excited that he kept glancing at his watch and fidgeting with it. The vampire was seriously starting to freak me out a bit. Since I met him the man was nothing but controlled and serious, but to look at him now you would never guess he was the King of Vampires.

We reached the center of the field and with Knox and me in the middle, Alex and Jane shifted in case there was any trouble and stood next to Vlad.

“Knox, I don’t know what to do and I am scared.”

He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. My body instantly relaxed against his. I loved the feel of his lips on mine.

Leaning back he pecked me one last time. “Baby you got this. Just close your eyes and tilt your face up to the moon. We will leave your clothes on as they will just rip when you shift. When the pull towards the moon increases just picture yourself in your mind as a wolf. Nature will take care of the rest. Remember that I am here with you and I love you. I cannot wait to meet your wolf.”

With that Knox stepped back and I took a deep breath and waited. With my eyes closed and face tilted to the moon I could feel the energy flow through me. I imagined what I would look like as a wolf. Would I be black like Knox or brown and white like Jane?

As I pictured running through a field with Knox as a wolf my body was engulfed in an intense heat. My bones and muscles began to bend and break until I was thrusted forward to the ground. I wanted to scream out in pain but before I could the pain was gone. Relief settled over me as I collapsed to the ground completely.

As I opened my eyes the world before me looked different. More focused…more colorful…more detailed. It was amazing.

Looking up I noticed Knox was still in his human form staring at me, his expression was hard to read. Turning I looked for Vlad and when my eyes met his he gasped.

“Holy Shit...Gaea…”