Dominantly Yours (Book 1, Dominantly Yours Series)

Chapter 1

Claire

Present day...

"Go back to where you came from, whore!" a voice yelled from one of the cars streaming past. Claire's eyes immediately locked on the candy apple red Camaro and its passengers before it started to become a dot on the horizon.

A low rumble escaped from her mouth. Just ignore it, Claire thought. She tried desperately to sooth her inner wolf, at least enough to where she didn't want to chase after them and rip them to shreds.

After a few moments, she managed to unclench her fists. Claire hated this. Hated that she had to constantly calm down the beast inside her because people found it amusing to make fun of her. While her human half had moved past it, barely caring what people said anymore, her wolf half loathed the fact that people would dare try and cross her.

But there was nothing she could do about it.

Claire walked along the side of the road towards home. It was a little over a mile to get from her house to school and vice versa. Not a really long walk when she could transform into a fast-running, stamina-crazy beast, but at least in her human form, the walk went by a little slower.

The cluster of trees that started a few feet down from the embankment accompanied her on her trek home. Trees were everywhere here in their little town. On every street corner, in every front yard. There were more signs of nature here than people.

Claire didn't mind. In fact, she loved nature. It was a part of her, part of her home. She loved the way the birds sang early in the morning. The way nature never slept—always making beautiful sounds, forming wondrous melodies even in the darkness of night.

What she loved most of all, though, was the ground itself. The way the dirt came up slightly under her paws when she ran and played. How the twigs snapped and cracked when she stepped on them. And even in the morning, she adored the coolness of the ground before the sun had a chance to rise and heat it up.

"Care!" Charlie, her six-year-old brother, yelled as she walked through their front door. As he'd grown up, Charlie had had a problem pronouncing her name right. It'd been so long now, the nickname had stuck. She actually sort of loved it.

He launched himself at her with all the force a tiny, not-yet-shifted werewolf could. Luckily, like every day when she came home from school, she was ready. Catching him easily, Claire grinned at her adopted brother.

"Care, you missed it! Jackie and I painted and then we played with playdoh!" Charlie proclaimed, bursting with excitement.

"Is that right?" Claire asked him softly, clicking on the tiny living room lights before leading Charlie into the kitchen. "Well, were you sure to tell her 'thank you?'"

Charlie's lips turned into a small round 'O.'

She chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Upon entering the kitchen, Claire gently nudged him in the direction of Jackie, his nanny, who was currently washing some dishes in their rusting sink.

Charlie rushed over and wrapped his arms around Jackie. With his smaller Omega size, he barely came up to her waist. "Thank you, Jackie."

The older woman peered down at Charlie with a forced smile on her face. "Of course, Charlie."

The air in the kitchen picked up weight and tension. Claire could practically feel how much trouble Jackie had holding herself together. "Charlie, can you do me a favor and give Claire and I a second to talk?" Jackie asked.