Shifter (Valiant Book Two)

Chapter 1

Copyright © 2019, 2021, 2022 by Joanna White

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: .

Cover design by Anne Hudson.

Third Edition, 2022 by Joanna White.

Previously published by Ambassador International in 2019. 

BEROAN

FLYING WAS THE only time I experienced true freedom. It gave me a chance to feel distanced from the earth, distanced from the endless fighting and destruction. During the time when I soared through the sky, I saw the world from a vibrant perspective.

I gazed at the clouds swirling in the air around me. The sky was a pure blue; the perfect shade that felt comfortable and light. The air was cool and crisp, yet damp. My eyesight was rather intensified, allowing me to see everything with crystal clarity; from horizon to horizon. As a result, I was able to view the massive pack of wolves hunting below. Some were gray, others were white, a few were black. They were together running in perfect harmony, one body, which flowed and moved together.

In that same manner, all of us were as they were; to each other loyal, placing others above ourselves. Loyalty to our clan first and then to other shapeshifters. Those beyond the clans, such as humans, were not worth our time or loyalty.

I was of the Dragon Clan, those who could shift into the form of a majestic dragon. I preferred my dragon form because it allowed me to view the earth at a distance; to see it as a whole, than as separate pieces. My father had always reminded me to view the world as such, a puzzle that had been fashioned by God.

Fire burned bright, sending to my nose the smell of ash. In the distant forest beyond the wolves, I saw dark, raging colors of death and heat. I swung powerful wings, speeding my descent. The presence of others from my clan was strong. Over the treetops, there were three dragons; large, potent creatures using their fire to burn a village until there was nothing left but ash. They were all fire dragons, their scales as red as the flame that came from their breath. Sirath, our clan's Alpha, lit hut after hut ablaze, the reflections of the fearful humans visible inside his eyes.

I narrowed eyes at him and stood firm while watching; I would not do as they did. My wings folded inward as the chaos and terror rained in the air around me. As my vision followed Sirath, heat bubbled inside, as did anger. Feelings such as those toward him were unacceptable by any in our clan; he was Alpha; it was his right. Though, I disagreed.

Perhaps he had the right to be Alpha, but not to murder innocents. He believed the humans to be weak creatures, undeserving of this land. Nearly a decade he had been slaughtering them and it began to appear never-ending.

"Watch them burn. S'aa-fah't." Sirath's voice spoke in our minds as one; it was how we communicated in our dragon forms.

My wings extended as my mind wanted nothing more but to return to the sky. Sirath sensed my restlessness and I felt the weight of the Alpha's gaze. I returned his gaze with one of my own. I was the only one who had the power to do it, due to my father's bloodline inside me.

"S'aa-mi'r, Beroan. Immediately!" His voice was pure command; ordering me to burn them, as did the other fire dragons around me. My tail twitched at the force of the command, but my gaze held steady against his. I would not back down.