Chapter 1

6 years ago

I sat in my living room with my parents. Breaking news had just alerted my dad after dinner. My mom's friends were all calling the house phone over and over. If that was happening all the women in the neighborhood knew something my mother didn't.

Which was not allowed.

My mother was the biggest know-it-all in our entire town. I really wanted to get my phone privileges for the night, my best friend and I needed to discuss a certain boy in our English class. Tall, brown hair, dark skin, brown eyes, AKA the most popular boy in school. And he talked to me today in the hallway!

Why couldn't my parents understand this was way more important than some breaking news?

When I entered the living room with my brownie as dessert, my mom was crying for some reason. My mom is a drama queen so I didn't think much of it and shifted my attention to the TV. I sat on the couch as my mom sat next to my Dad on their chairs. I just really wanted to watch the new Twilight movie that came out.

I crossed my eyes as the President finally showed up on the screen. This was going to be boring as hell.

Our president started a huge speech which ended in the words"....shifters are coming out of hiding. We cannot keep our own Americans in hiding any longer. They are good people just like you and I. Here is Gerald Brandt. He is a good friend of mine and a shifter himself. He will explain what shifters are and what kinds there are."

What kinds? Shifters? Like they are some kind of special human? Why the big news? Why can't I start my movie? I rolled my eyes as a man came on screen in place of our Lady President.

Gerald Brandt was an older gentleman to me. Looked over 30 to me, so that's old. He had dark brown hair that was cut short and piercing green eyes. He went on to explain there were 5 types of shifters. Dragons (which are apparently the rarest), Foxes, Lions, Werewolves, and Bears.

I was mesmerized as he spoke. I felt like I was either in one of my dreams or a fantasy book.

"SO COOL!" I whisper-yelled. I didn't realize how angry my Dad was until I spoke out loud.

"Young lady, this is not "cool", they could be dangerous and vicious animals." My dad growled out. I rolled my eyes yet again and turned my focus again to the TV which now had Gerald Brandt stepping out behind the podium and into a more spacious area.

Gerald Brandt is a dragon shifter.

The news channel actually showed us when he turned into a dragon. At first his skin turned into scales slowly and then a tail slowly elongated itself as his neck grew. His scales were a deep purple and his stomach was almost black. His neck stretched out and he grew to be about 8 feet tall. His scales shimmered from all the flashes of the cameras.

Some people screamed in the audience and some gasped. A few people ran in fear. I, however, was standing on my couch with my mouth wide open and about to squeal with excitement.

I was amazed. I couldn't believe this was real. This only happened in fairy tales and books!

Not real life.

Not in our world. I just assumed we were all humans and there were aliens roaming about in space somewhere waiting to abduct us all.

Trust me after this, life and our world were thrown major curve balls during that speech.

Everything was fine and dandy for about 6 months. That's when the fights broke out.

Unfortunately, my parents didn't agree with the new way of our world.

I did though, and that's why I never took part in my parents rallies or fights. I stood on the opposite side of the picket line with my friends from school.

Change needed to happen.

The war ended up lasting 6 years.

I lost my parents and almost my entire family. Some cousins I think are still alive but there aren’t many of them left. Fights broke out everywhere. All over town and in schools. It was a daily occurrence to the point where kids didn’t go to school most days because of the fear of getting hurt. The humans caught the shifter community by surprise with their hatred towards them.

The fight that really caught my attention was the one that broke out in the clearing near my own town. The one that my parents were killed in. I had been at my Grandma's all weekend, just hanging out with friends and baking cookies when we heard sounds of explosions and massive amounts of gunfire.

I raced outside to see what was going on and out in the distance, at the edge of town plumes of smoke reached the sky. Screams were heard all throughout the street I was actually standing on. People were running and that's when the alarms sounded off.

It was the old air raid signals that broke out through the town that finally pieced it all together for me. The war had shown up on my doorstep. My grandparents were already in their basement yelling at me to come hide with them. I shook my head and ran in the opposite direction. I ran to my friend's house. They had come out as lion shifters during Geralds speech 7 months ago. I knew I would be safe there.

They answered the door and we hid in their basement for what seemed like days, but it ended up only being about 18 hours. When we finally emerged the town was destroyed. Houses still stood but shifters were walking through in their animal forms helping their brethren out. I stood with my friends to show that I was with them and not against them. It was the day all of our lives changed.

A shifter who was on the local police force was walking through town getting our names and seeing if we had any family in town to confirm dead family members. I was only able to confirm my grandparents. My parents bodies were never found but they were on the list of deaths during those days.

About 12 of us from our town moved in together to be a support system for each other. The youngest, Elizabeth, was born right after it really started to get bad. No one knew of any other family and we had no one to turn to, so I took her in. She became my official sister. The other kids were all old enough to get to school and most of us were even graduating this year.

I have met all types of shifters, even dragons. But my favorite were the bears. They were so sweet and welcoming. They truly cared for their family and took everyone in.

Our neighborhood was peaceful and not many people lived there after the war. But shortly after people were either slowly moving back in or taking over the house that was there. Our local law enforcement was actually a huge help with that since we didn’t know who had fled, who had been killed, and who moved in with other family members.

A very sweet bear family moved in next door after the war. Well the mom was sweet. Her name is Miss Sarah. She is a complete mom to all the kids who live on the street. Her husband is a higher ranking individual in the shifting world that is now helping the transition for shifters to be a part of human society. They usually live in a pack according to Miss Sarah, of their own kind, but because of the war everyone had been displaced, killed, or there weren't enough of them to start a new pack.

Our neighbors had 4 sons. 2 were lost in the war unfortunately in the earlier days and the other 2 were warriors. Apparently they would both be coming home soon. I know Miss Sarah is excited to have them back. I have seen their pictures around the house. Very handsome boys...well men. Especially the younger one. He seems so angry in every picture around their house. Always a scowl placed on his very handsome face. His blonde hair is a bit unruly but his forest green eyes are the most amazing thing on him. His tan skin makes his hair pop and the muscles on his arms make me want to reach into the picture and grab them.

But enough with fantasizing about the man I would probably only get to meet once. I was graduating high school with my diploma and my Associates in history. I have always wanted to be a history teacher. I was graduating a year late but I digress, it was ending soon.

I stared at myself in my bedroom mirror. My dark brown hair hit me mid back. I had curled it for tonight because it was seriously super straight if I just did nothing. I was dressed in a dark green silk plunging v-neck dress that hit my knees. My black ballet flats were perfect for walking across the stage. I was not about to wear heels because I would definitely fall to my death if I even tripped on air.

Miss Sarah from next door, her husband, and Elizabeth were my family for the graduation ceremony and my graduation party was afterwards. I could definitely use with a night of dancing and drinking. I need to let loose before I find a teaching job.

"Stephanie!" Sarah cried out from my front door, "Time to go! Elizabeth is already in the car!" I smiled at my reflection and grabbed my cap and gown.

I was ready for the next part of my life. I could do this.

I ran out and jumped in the car. "Carlisle can't make it sweetheart but the boys are back so Dominic is taking his ticket. He knows all about you already and is excited to meet you." Miss Sarah droned on and on. 

Great, I'm so alone in life my neighbor is even trying to set me up.

She has been trying to get me to meet her boys for almost a year now but it never worked out. Whether they couldn't come home or I was too busy. Dominic was the youngest and the angry looking one. Samuel is the older one who looked bored in the same photos.

I kissed both Sarah and Lizzie on the cheek as I ran to my friends who were already taking their places in the crowds of us that were graduating.

Finally my life could begin.

~~Dominic'sPOV

"Now be nice to her Dominic. She is a sweet girl. Her name is Stephanie. She's 18." My mom started after the ceremony was finally done.

400 names had to be called. I barely heard her name when my mom and little Elizabeth screamed bloody murder next to me. That's just a migraine waiting to happen. It didn’t help that my bear was on edge the entire night. Like something big was going to happen and I couldn’t sit still. I kept staring at the exits just waiting for some asshole to walk through with a gun.

"Mom. It's fine. I remember you talking about her." I took a deep breath but all I could smell was someones perfume. "Someone's perfume is really strong." I mumbled at the end, "Smells like a bakery."

My mom gave me a look like she was about to say something when a young girl jumped at my mom.

"Sarah!! I'm done!! I'm free!!" The young girl called out.

She was the one that smelled like a bakery. God that smell was engrained in my brain. I looked her up and down as I growled lowly.

Mine. I thought to myself. I grabbed her elbow and turned so she would look at me. Her hair whipped around and her eyes met mine. 

Fuck shes beautiful.

But her gaze gave me a different story. She looked up at me annoyed and kind of angry.

"Uh excuse you." she said, pushing my hands off of her.

I only latched my hands back onto her shoulders. This feeling was overwhelming. I needed to keep touching her and never stop.

My mate.

"Uh…..get your hands off me dude." She said, pushing me away. Her touch sent shivers down my body.

"Mine." I growled.

"What the actual fuck? Sarah....who the hell is this?" Her face looked confused.

This was the girl my mom had been trying to get me to see. Her skin made me feel like I was on fire at every nerve ending. I felt like I was in a dream state and nothing mattered but her and her beautiful face.

"Oh.” my mom whispered to her, “Sweetheart, remember how I told you about soul mates?" My mom started.

I reached out for her again and she swatted my hands away like I was a nuisance. Like a fly circling her food.

"Bro. Stop." She said and I huffed in annoyance.

I tried doing it again and she smacked my hand even harder. I growled at her and instead of her fearing me like any normal human would do, she got pissed.

"Don't you dare growl at me Dominic." She commanded. I backed down, staring at the ground. Did she just scold me like I was a small cub that didn't know any better?

"Mates? Him?" I heard the beautiful girl ask my Mom.

"Yes. He's going to be like this for a while. Get in the car." Mom sighed.

"Mine." I said again as she walked towards my mother's car.

I felt like I was in a zombie state and I just followed them to the car. Her dress fitting her every curve and her curled hair swishing back and forth.

Why was this happening now?

And a human?

Why a human?!

My bear growled in the back of my mind. I knew he wanted our mate and it didn't matter if she was human or not.

I finally snapped out of it when we reached the car and she laughed at something the little girl said. Fuck, she has an amazing laugh.

Was this her sister?

As I got closer I saw the little girl hide behind Stephanie. She was a fox.

"It's OK Lizzie. This is Dominic. Miss Sarah's son." Stephanie said, smiling up at me.

"Hi Lizzie." I smiled down at the little girl.

She smiled up and reached for me. I towered over everyone. But bears always did. My mom was 6 feet. I was 6'5" and as I looked at Stephanie she couldn't have been more then 5'7".

A perfect height for the perfect mate.

We all got in the car and headed back to the house. I drove home but I kept looking back in the rear view mirror.

Stephanie was blatantly staring at me. I caught her eye more than a few times. She never looked away or smiled.

Just fucking stared.

I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Even her facial features didn't give anything away.

I sighed as we drove to the house. Her scent was intoxicating and the only thing that's keeping me from going full on bear mode was my mother and that little fox in the backseat with her.

The rest of the kids in Stephanie's house had set up the party and the music was already blaring. Some of the kids from the graduation were already there.

"Can we talk?" My mate asked me as she looked up at me.

"Of course." I said.

She grabbed my hand and led me to the backyard. Her hand on mine made me shiver. Such a small girl could have so much power over me.

She opened up the wooden gate that led to her backyard where only a few people were. Most of them making out and groping each other. Most of them shifters and only a few were humans.

"You don't mind all these shifters?" I asked her loudly over the music.

"No. My best friend is a Lion and so is her boyfriend. I have been her friend since we were toddlers. Nothing would change that. I just didn't know until y'all came out of the closet." She laughed out loudly.

She had a slight southern accent. It was making me melt. Her laughter even made me crazy. I wanted to grab her and hold until we were old and grey.

We walked out back into the woods. Far enough from the party where we could still see the house but we had privacy.

"I don't think I know you well enough to be out here in the woods with you little one." I laughed and raised my eyebrow at her.

She snickered and shook her head. "So mates huh?" She asked softly.

My heart raced.

Thank Arto, I didn't have to explain all this.

"Yeah. If I would have known I would have made more of an effort to come home. But I never could. The war ended last fall and I couldn't leave until I was told to." I explained.

My hand traced circles on the back of her hand and I stared at her small hand in mine.

"I can feel those zaps or tingles or whatever you call them too." She said smiling.

Our bond was strong if she could feel it.

She took her hand away abruptly. No, I wanted to touch her.

"Show me." She stated softly, staring into my eyes.

"Show you what?" I asked. Alarmed at the sudden coldness I felt in my hand.

"Your bear." She deadpanned.

"No. It's not time and I don't want to scare you." I said backing up.

She sighed. "I'm not afraid. You are not the first shifter I have met or have seen shift." I growled when she mentioned that - it infuriated me to think of my mate seeing another shift and be exposed to her. "And definitely won't be the last. But you may be the biggest." She ended it strongly.

My mate was strong and brave. Good, she needed to be.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow.

"OK little one." I said and she laughed.

"I'm normal size for a human." She yelled as I went behind a bigger bush with two trees by the side.

I sighed as I stared up at the night sky. It was a cool out and I let myself go. My body slowly started warming up as my bones cracked one by one. The skin from my body ripping down my back to expose more hair. Blood coated the ground where my skin lay after it was torn off. The worst part was the back and then the face. The whole shift process takes a couple of minutes and it's painful. As I land on all fours I stretch out and shake my fur to get the rest of the skin and blood off.

My bear's name is Yona. It's Cherokee for bear.

Our mate stood there smiling like a lunatic.

"Holy crap. This is amazing. You are so furry." She walked up and started running her hands through our dark brown fur. She didn’t even mind getting  a bit of blood on her hands. It was mostly off but there was always a bit left.

Humans were usually terrified of Yona. He has a huge scar on his right eyelid. Another scar on his side and a huge scar down the left side of his ribs. All from war. All from trying to defend his people and the people who stood up for him.

"Oh my God so snuggly too...." as she laid her body on the side of mine. She sighed.

Yona was confused by his mate. Confused that she wasn't scared.

"I wish I could talk to you while you were in there." She said as she walked around me to face me.

Her hands scratched behind my ears as Yona groaned in happiness. Our mate was perfect.

"And your eyes are beautiful Mr. Teddy." She said smiling.

Yona didn't like that and growled loudly much to the annoyance of our mate.

She rolled her eyes and laughed.

She kissed Yona's nose and he pawed her and held her close.

"And you're so warm. Perfect for winter weather snuggling." She whispered as she stretched out in our arms.

Yona laid on his back taking our mate with us. She laid on our stomach and Yona huffed as she scratched our belly.

We laid like that for over an hour.

I could feel her breathing becoming steady. Our mate had fallen asleep on us.

Yona made a growling noise in his chest to wake our mate up. We couldn't sleep out here. I didn't know the area and I needed her to be safe. She looked up and smiled. She got off as Yona went behind the trees and we shifted back to being human. Shifting back into human form felt easier but it wasn’t any less dirty. 

Her eyes were sparkling as I came back around. I was throwing my shirt back on.

"That was absolutely amazing. But you definitely need a shower. Let me take you upstairs." She laughed.

I smirked as we walked into the house as the music blared in our ears. Drinks were being served and the music from the stereo system drowned out everything.

I heard my mate scream and it made me jump. She was running towards a couple. They were lions and they shifted nervously looking at me behind her.

"Dom. This is Abby and Lance." Our mate introduced us, "Guys.This is Dom. My mate."

Abby and Lance definitely weren't expecting that part. I ran my hand through my blonde hair.

Knowing they wouldn't be OK with their friend being with a bear out of all the shifters. Most of us were warm and family oriented. Some of us were hard headed and very angry bears. Abby shook my hand and Lance just nodded. How was our mate OK with literally all of this and even in our own world we still had issues?

Our mate confused us. But she was so strong and so knowledgeable already.

How could I be so lucky?

For what I have done in the past I don't deserve this little human.

Oh Artio, I won't take her for granted just grant me a good life with this one please, I thought to myself looking straight at our mates smiling face.

She grabbed my hand and shoved me upstairs into the bathroom. She even turned the water on and stripped herself down. 

I raised my eyebrow at her.

“What?” she asked softly, “You got me dirty.” She winked and we both took a very nice and sudsy shower together.