The Alpha's Princess (Sneak Peek)

Chapter II

Mara's POV:
I pull up to my grandmother's house, parking beside her blue truck in the double driveway. Hearing the car, she came out of the house with her arms open. The twins rushed to her and she hugged them both tightly, kissing their heads before telling them to take their backpacks and jackets inside.

She came down the drive and I give her a sad smile. "What happened, sweetheart?" she asks, hugging me as tightly as she had the twins.

"I don't know, Grams. I was putting dinner down in front of Violet and Ryan when she called. She was frantic. She was talking in a rush and none of it made sense." I shake my head. "She said I was special for some reason. It was more than a mother's last words, though. She said I couldn't tell anyone what I was. It's like she thought I wasn't human or something." I sigh. "Then, I guess being chased by gunmen would make anyone say crazy things." There was a look in my grandmother's eyes that made me question the situation. "Grams, it was just nonsense. Right?"

"Let's get you inside. Then we can worry about what your mother said." Her voice had a chill of worry. One I had never heard. All I knew from this woman was patience and warmth. "I figured I'd boost the mood a little with chili mac at lunch time."

"I'm sure that will be greatly appreciated, Grams."

Despite the situation the atmosphere did ease some of my worries. This house was my whole childhood. Almost every family gathering was held under this roof, be it a simple birthday party or a full family reunion. Grams loved decorating with warm colors, only adding another layer of love to the home. Of course a few things got switched up now and again for holidays and whatnot, but there was one room that would never change. Her cooking space had held the same theme for decades. The good old charming farm life decor.

After setting up a movie on the TV in the living room I join my grandmother in the kitchen's breakfast nook. "What was she talking about and why was she being hunted for it?"

"There's an old family secret. A set of traits. It's passed to every firstborn. Sometime between eighteen and twenty-five the first change will come. Now, you're almost nineteen and with something like this happening it could push the process."

"What process, Grams?"

"We're shifters, Mara. Once you undergo the first change, which will be painful," she admits to me, "you will be able to choose whatever form you please when you please. It's a blessing and a curse. The power is obviously beneficial, but those who find out about us only want us dead."

"It's not like they can take it from us. What does it matter to them?"

"It's unnatural. People can't accept what seems impossible. Swear to me, Mara, you will never speak of your gift."

"Of course. I swear."
~~~~~
I had made a good call, bringing Ryan and Violet to Grams' house. For nearly a week all we witnessed was the average friendly neighborhood activities. Then I woke one morning feeling different. Nausea came in waves and I could hardly move from bed. The twins practically refused to leave my side.

"What do you think you're going to turn into?" Violet asks as I put a cloth-bound ice pack behind my pounding head. "A bird? Maybe a puppy!" I smile at her even as her squeals go straight to my head.

"There's no telling until it happens, Violet," my grandmother tells her. "Lunch is on the table. You two give your sister some peace and go eat." She sat down beside me in the dark. "How bad is it?"

"My head's pounding, I feel like all of my growing pains are hitting me at once, I constantly need to vomit, and I might as well be inside an erupting volcano." 

She frowns as I kick the flat sheet down to the foot of the bed. "I'm sorry, darling. The actual shifting should start soon."

"Please tell me it's fast." She remained silent. "Lovely."

As she promised a half hour later the pain intensified and I felt bones cracking. I clamp a hand over my mouth to cover a scream. The door opens again and I see Grams come in. "Oh, sweetheart." I slid my hand down and try to catch my breath. "I know it hurts. Hold on."

An hour and a half later the pain strikes vanished and my body changed completely. I looked down to find I have paws. White paws. I stand, spinning around on the bed. My grandmother laughs as I jump off the bed to look in the standing mirror. "The arctic fox," she says. "I suppose that's about adult size."

I was rather small, being hardly bigger than a house cat. I pranced around, happy in my new form. I hear heavy footsteps and turn to find Violet and Ryan running into the bedroom. "You're so pretty," Violet gushes as they both stroke my fur. "Do you have another name?"

I tilt my head slightly. "Shifters are nameless," my grandmother tells us. "I suppose there may be times you need to speak of shifting. You could always create a name to reference an alternate form in the presence of others. Mara, whenever you wish to change back to your human form just picture yourself that way."

I shift back so I can speak to the others, mercifully finding myself still clothed. "Any ideas then?"

There was a moment of silence. "I know!" Violet exclaims, always the one to speak up. "In a movie we saw somebody said that there was a lady that was really pretty and you're really pretty so you should use that name."

"Yeah," Ryan agrees. "It was um... Cleo-something."

I laugh. "Cleopatra? The Egyptian monarch?"

"Yes!" they shout in excitement.

"How about Cleo for short? It's a little more normal sounding."

"Mara?" Ryan starts. "Can you turn into a dragon?"

"Natural animals, Ryan. Unfortunately dragons are a myth. You're such a boy," I say with a poke to his stomach.

"That's no fun."