Her panicky eyes shot up to look at me and I could feel my heart hurting again. Just seeing her worried, pained me. 

I shook my head and said, " Why would I mind? " To which she looked at me surprised but quickly lowered her gaze as she continued to trace the rim of her cup. 

" Um... So... Where do I even start? " She mumbled to herself as she figured out what to tell me. 

" So, my current pack, my only family is the Laneri pack. And I met them two years ago while I was combing through the woods for some shelter. " She started and I could already feel my eyebrows furrowing. 

Why would she have to "search" for shelter? I asked in my head. 

" And before that um- " She stuttered as she opened her mouth to continue but quickly pursed her lips when she found trouble picking the right words.

With a small sigh, a bitter smile crept up on her face as she looked to the forest ahead and continued. 

" So uh... I'm an orphan. I've never really had a constant family growing up. " She started slowly and I had to consciously keep up emotions in check. 

If she was an orphan how did she - 

" I switched from one foster home to another and when I was sixteen I shifted for the first time. I... Didn't know what was happening and I freaked out, I guess. " She continued, the smile now twitching into a frown. 

" It was painful, as you would know I guess but I couldn't change back because I didn't know how to and in a frantic attempt to calm down, I ran away from the house. And was on the run since then. Till I met this pack that is. " She said with finality as her face softened again. 

Without a word, I stared at her dumbfounded. " What? " She asked me as she turned to face me. My silence had started to intrigue her. 

" You... went through your phasing... alone? " I asked as I felt my expressions betray me and show her the concern and sadness that was welling inside me. 

The first shifting or phasing as we werewolves call it is one of the most painful experiences we undergo in our life. Over time, we get used to it and it becomes as easy as breathing, but when it happens for the first time it's not exaggerating to say that it feels like the entire body is going through hell. 

And to hear that Lyla went through all that alone, with no one by her side was heart-wrenching for me. 

" Hmm. " She said with a nod, her eyes far away in thought. 

" How did you manage it all? " I asked with newfound respect from her. 

Most of the fiction out there in the world about werewolves made it seem so easy to shift between forms. Entrapped by them, it's easy to forget the pains that come along with this destiny if you aren't a werewolf yourself. 

" The first few days after I shifted I couldn't figure out how to change back into my human form. Well at that point I was sceptical as to if I could even change back. " She said as she fiddled with the handle of her cup. 

" During that time I found a nearby town and well... I may or may not have borrowed food and necessities from there. " She said with air quotes for the word " borrowed " with a small smile. 

My face lit up to see her in a better mood even though she was probably reliving those horrible memories while narrating them to me. " Did you ever return the borrowed goods? " I asked as I chirped in to lighten the mood further. 

" About that. " She said with the cutest shrug ever that made my heart leap.