A Shifter Amongst Wolves - Shifter book 1

I was sitting in the car, staring at the rain pouring down. The view outside was beautiful. We were driving on the road next to the forest on our left and steep cliffs on our right. This gave us a nice view of the beach below. I made a small mental note to come here once I’ve settled in the town. I wanted to check out the forest and its surroundings.

Although I was a girl, I was really into exploring, free running, etc. I loved nature and I had a feeling that this place would grow on me. I could encounter a lot of wildlife, while also learning a bit or two about them.

I looked back up when I heard someone talking to me. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“We are almost there, less than five minutes.” Katherine said, with a small smile on her face. “Then I can show you our house, see your room, and you can finally meet our family.” Her smile became genuine. “It’s your family too now.” She looked back up the road, but I could hear her mumble “… can’t believe nobody picked her out sooner….”.

I smiled back at her. Give me a week or two and I’d come to like her. I sighed while I thought about the life I left behind. I had lived in an orphanage for a few years now. The other kids would always tell me that my parents left me behind for being a freak; that they didn’t want me.

It was partially true; my parents disappeared from the face of the earth around my twelfth birthday. They asked our neighbors to look after me for a while because they had to check on something. Mother had hugged me with tears in her eyes and father gave me 3 things;

First was a book which was decorated with elements from nature.

Second, was a pendant in the shape of a tree; that held a small emerald within its roots.

Finally, a ceremonial dagger, that was able to split in two halves. Its design was based on the wild flows of the water, making it an elegant weapon.

Then father and mother left and never came back.

Eventually, I was brought to the orphanage and stayed there for almost six years. People never looked at me when they came in for adoption. They probably heard the rumors from the other kids and the staff about me being a freak or a kid with ‘special needs’. This wasn’t a complete lie. I was never adopted by a family, until now.

The cliffs were left behind us and we drove on into the forest. We entered a clearing in the woods after a few minutes. Finally, we arrived at my new town. I looked around, slightly curious about this place.  Katherine had told me a lot during the four hour drive from the orphanage to the town. She told me stories about the town, who lived there, where we would live, and so on.

She giggled, suddenly nervous. “Well, here we are!” she said while stopping next to a very large house.

The two-store house almost blended in with its surroundings, making me feel like it belonged there. “Wow.” I muttered under my breath. I looked around to find similar houses like this scattered along the street, with the biggest just across the road.

“Do you like it?” Katherine asked, excited and nervous at the same time.

I smiled at her while saying “Absolutely.” Living close to nature in an enormous house with a room for my own? That was a dream that came true.

“I knew it!” She half-yelled while she stepped out of the car, leaving me slightly shocked. For a 27 year old, she still acted very young at times. I stepped out of the car and took my small bag of belongings with me. She held the door open for me and I walked in, looking around with my mouth wide open.

It was just so big. The door in the hallway was open, showing me the lounge area that smoothly blended in with the dining room and I caught a glance of an enormous kitchen.

“Better than the orphanage eh?” she said with a laugh in her voice. I nodded, unable to speak right now. She walked to the stairs and waved her hand at me, motioning me to follow her. She brought me to a room that had a view toward a garden and forest just behind the house. “Well, this is your room. You can put your stuff away in there,” She said pointing at another door, “… and your bathroom is over there-“