Chapter 16: Promises

                                    

                                          
Alison's POV
A week of school and Amelia testing the limits of my magical capabilities blurs by. Time only seems to slow down enough to breathe properly when I'm with my mates. With all the magic fires and AP Calculus homework, it's Sunday again before I know it. 
I've made less progress with Chris than I'd expected of myself. There's just-- It's some kind of mental block. I can't bring myself to be comfortable taking my clothes off in front of him. With Cameron, it's almost an instinct. Almost like something I need. I don't even think about it anymore. 
Why can't I just get over myself? 
Rolling over in bed, I rest my head against Cameron's chest. We ended up in his room last night when Chris was working late in the cells. He'll be in his own bed by now, leaving Cam and I alone until we're all awake. 
I flip the covers off of me and onto Cameron. The A/C must be malfunctioning because I've been sweating all night. Rolling over, I brush the hair out of my face as I hang my legs over the side of the bed. 
The fog returns to my mind as I turn on the bathroom light. Nessa grumbles at the sudden brightness. I ignore her and do my business as fast as I can so I can crawl back into bed. Cam is sitting up when I open the door again, turning off the bathroom light behind me. 
"Are you okay?" He asks, looking at me strangely. 
I stop, nodding at him before continuing back to the bed. "Yeah, still a little groggy. I just woke up. Why?" I ask him. The vibe I'm getting from him right now doesn't sit well with me. 
"I don't know, there's just this weird feeling when I feel for you through the bond." He tells me. I'm pulled into him as he grabs me and leans back against the headboard.    
My head tilts back to look at him. He's right, that's odd. "Hmm, I'm a little tired. It was too hot in here all night. Maybe I'm getting sick." I reason and snuggle further back into him. 
'We should shift.' Nessa eagerly insists. 'It's good for our immune system.' 
She isn't incorrect but, I've been avoiding shifting. I know that it's going to hurt after so long and I may not even remember how. It shouldn't be such a stresser for me, most wolves shift fairly often. The twins have been taking turns hanging out with me so the other one can go let their wolf out but, I become riddled with anxiety every time I think about going along.  
Technically, we could try. Nessa is stronger than she was. My senses have been steadily improving along with my weight. There's no good reason not to, which I hate immensely. 
'Shift! Shift! Shift!' Nessa starts repeating to me. 
"Agh, shut up!" I exclaim out loud on accident. My hand comes up automatically to smack the side of my head. This would do nothing to Nessa but seems warranted at the moment. 
Cameron's reflexes are fast, catching my wrist right next to my head. "Woah, Nessa being a little loud in there?" He asks as he gently sets my hand back down. 
'If he calls me that again then I'll show him how loud I can be.' She sasses, pushing forward against the front of my mind. 
Sighing exasperatedly, I run my hand back up through my hair. "Yeah, she's in a mood or something." I write off Nessa's behavior, pissing her off even more. 
"Maybe she's just all cooped up." He suggests. "I know you said that you didn't think you could but, trying to shift may be a good idea." 
I hate when he catches on without even realizing it. It's even worse when he's on Nessa's side. All she needs is another reason to whine my ear off about how her argument is sound and I'm being unreasonable. Anyone who has ever said that wolves are perfectly matched to their human counterparts can bite me right about now.