CHANGED
(Marked Duology Book 2)
Jennifer Snyder
Changed copyright © 2012 Jennifer Snyder
Cover Art by Stephanie Mooney
Smashwords Edition
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For Mrs. Becky
PROLOGUE
Change is a force of nature I have always thought to resemble the wind. Just like the wind it is entirely unpredictable and can come in two forms. Form one is light and barely noticeable… like the way summer leaves slowly begin to turn colors as we ease into fall. Form two is powerful and destructive… the life-changing kind when you know nothing will ever be the same again, no matter how hard you might try to make it.
There are two things that I’ve learned about change in the last few weeks: One, escaping it is impossible. And two, it can be scary even in its smallest form.
PART ONE ~ BRECKWATER
CHAPTER ONE
“How are you feeling today?” Jace asked, tucking his arms behind his head as he made himself comfortable on my bed.
I gazed into his warm amber-colored eyes and felt my lips twist into the hint of a smile.
Amusement flickered around his lips as he struggled not to return my smile. “What’s so funny about that question?” he asked.
“You just sound all shrink-ish and serious.”
“I am serious. I’m asking you how you feel,” he said.
“Weird,” I answered truthfully, folding my legs to sit Indian style beside him.
Jace grinned. “Good word, but care to elaborate?”
“I’m antsy, crabby, famished, and I feel like if anyone were to touch my skin right now I’d electrocute them,” I said. The way I felt wasn’t the sole reason I had for inviting Jace over for Sunday night dinner, but also because I wasn’t sure whether or not I could handle being alone with my parents right now.
Jace chuckled at my response. “I know, right? It’s the building, changing energy flowing through your veins.” He sat up and draped one arm over his knee. My heart instantly began to race due to the sudden close proximity of his face and mine. “It’ll go away after the full moon.”
My heart dropped to my stomach like a rock at the mention of the rapidly approaching full moon. I only had two more nights before I became something a month ago I hadn’t even known existed. My entire life had changed in the fraction of a second it took for Jace, in his wolf form, to bite down on my leg. His saliva had been the catalyst to awaken the werewolf embedded in my blood cells, which had been dormant for the first eighteen years of my life.
“Dinner,” dad called to us from down the hall.
I jumped at the harsh loudness of his voice. “Coming.”
“Try to relax a little,” Jace insisted as he stood up.
I frowned. “Easy for you to say, Mr. Professional Werewolf.”
The scent of spaghetti and garlic bread floating through the air nauseated me. Jace’s hand gripped my shoulders and began massaging.
“Relax,” he whispered into my ear before letting go.
* * *
I sat down at the table beside Jace and across from my mom and dad. In a strange way I felt like the table served as a divider, separating the humans from the wolves.
“So, how are things going for you, Jace?” dad asked as he served himself a heaping portion of salad.
“Good, things are going pretty good,” Jace answered, his hand gripping my knee beneath the table.
“Are you still renovating your uncle’s farm house?” mom asked with mild interest, while passing the little basket filled with breadsticks to me.
“It’s coming along smoothly actually. I’ve managed to complete restorations to the entire first floor and I just started tiling the second floor bathroom yesterday.” Jace answered with such a large amount of confidence in his voice, all I could do was envy him.
I didn’t think I could ever speak so smooth and calm with people I hardly knew. Then again, Jace was practically werewolf royalty; he was probably used to speaking in front of large crowds. Talking to my parents was probably a piece of cake.
“Is your uncle planning on selling the house or are you planning on living there permanently?” mom asked with more interest than she’d had all night.
I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t stand the way she treated him.
“I’m not really sure what my uncle plans on doing with the house once I’m finished. But, I do know that I don’t intend to make it my permanent residence. Unfortunately, I can’t stay here in Breckwater forever,” Jace said.
I noticed mom’s eyes shift to mine at Jace’s words; she’d enjoyed his revelation of not staying in Breckwater forever a little too much. I flashed her a smug smile and took a bite of my salad, but froze mid-chew. It tasted awful, like sour lettuce mixed with rancid ranch dressing. I coughed and struggled desperately to not gag or vomit all over the table.
“Tessa, honey, are you okay?” dad asked, amusement flickering in his eyes due to the scene I was making.
I nodded in reply while I forced myself to swallow down the bite of pure nastiness.
“What happened, did it go down the wrong pipe?” dad wondered.
“Something like that,” I said, fighting the sudden urge I had to lick my napkin just to get rid of the awful taste lingering in my mouth. I settled for my glass of ice water instead.
Jace shot me a sideways glance and shook his head slightly before shoving a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth to hide the smirk forming at the corners of his lips. I kicked his foot underneath the table and sat my glass back down. The water had been unsuccessful at washing away the horrible, rotten taste from my tongue.
“So tile, huh? I know a thing or two about laying tile if you need any help,” dad insisted.
“Thanks, but I think I can manage,” Jace said in a respectful tone. “I don’t have anything better to do and I worked for a tiling company in Ohio for a few summers when I was in high school.”
“Oh, that’s right, I keep forgetting how much older you are than Tessa,” mom said.
“It’s three years, Mom, not ten,” I muttered, unable to bite my tongue.
“I’m just saying,” mom grumbled.
Hesitantly, I took a small bite of my spaghetti, hoping it didn’t taste as horrible as the salad had. It didn’t, a bit bland maybe, but not rancid. Glancing around I noticed everyone else had chosen Italian dressing instead of ranch like me. Was it possible for ranch dressing to go bad?
I picked out a large piece of lettuce smothered with dressing and slowly lifted it to my mouth. Instead of tasting it and risking another coughing fit, I sniffed it. It smelled like it should, but the taste had been off.
“Tessa, is there a reason why you’re sniffing a piece of lettuce?” dad asked.
Jace choked on a sip of water, and a mixture of embarrassment and shock
jolted through my body, numbing my mind for a brief moment. “I-I thought the dressing might be bad or something. It tasted a little funny to me.”
I focused on my spaghetti for the remainder of dinner, avoiding my salad like it was the plague.
* * *
After dinner Jace and I went and sat out on the back porch. It was a chilly November night, but it felt good to be outside. I sat in a patio chair and tucked my feet beneath me, then pulled the sleeves of my sweater over my hands.
“What was that all about?” Jace chuckled, amusement glittering in the amber color of his eyes.
“What?” I asked, irritated.
“Why on Earth were you sniffing a piece of lettuce?” he asked with a grin.
“I don’t know; it just tasted rotten, okay?” I snapped as he continued to laugh at me.
“I’m sorry. I’ve just never seen someone so disgusted by a piece of lettuce before. The look on your face when you first took a bite…” he trailed off, falling into another fit of uncontrollable laughter.
“Ha, ha. Funny.” I folded my arms across my chest but couldn’t keep my lips from twisting into a smirk. “It smelled fine; I don’t know why it tasted so horrible.”
“Just another one of those wacky sense things,” Jace said, finally able to contain himself.
“Then why didn’t you have any problem?”
“I’ve been at this a whole lot longer than you.” He slid his chair in front of mine and reached for my hands. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to everything.”
“Sure,” I muttered. I had to right? I was going to be this way for the rest of my life.
“So, your mom seemed to be a little more harsh and tense tonight.”
I sighed. “I know. Why doesn’t she just go ahead and say something to me about all this? I’m positive she knows what’s going on.”
“Maybe she hasn’t said anything for the same reasons you haven’t.” His eyebrows drew together and concern etched itself into his features. “Maybe she’s just as afraid as you are.”
I nodded and dropped my gaze to the wooden planks that made up our porch. “Maybe.”
He was right; I was afraid. I had over a million fears tumbling around in my mind linked to the very thought of telling her everything. I knew eventually we would have to have a conversation regarding all of this. And like most things, I figured it would happen when the timing was right, but the right time just never seemed to come.
“Who do you think he was, my real father I mean?” I asked in a hushed whisper without meeting his gaze.
Jace sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Do you think he wanted me?” I asked, afraid of his answer. “Or is what I am some sort of an abomination in the werewolf community?” I added, realizing the second they came from my lips they could be true. I noticed Jace’s body visibly tense and a sickening feeling entered my stomach.
“You’re not an abomination in my eyes,” Jace answered carefully.
“Well, that’s not very comforting.” I scoffed.
I remembered the conversation I’d had with Shelby in the bathroom at the diner and how she’d said Jace’s parents had already approved of her, but that I was quite another story. I remembered the look in her eyes, like I was the filthiest thing she had ever seen. This had to be why—because I was considered an abomination.
“I’m sorry; it’s just another one of those things I need to explain.”
“Okay, I’m all ears,” I said, bringing my eyes to his.
“Not right now. Let’s at least make it past this first full moon,” he insisted.
I shifted out of his grasp and drew my knees up to my chest. “Right, the full moon.”
The dining room light flicked on behind us and my dad came to the sliding glass door. He cracked it open just enough to poke his head out. “Anyone want any dessert?”
“No, thank you, Mr. Morganton. Actually, I think I’m going to head home,” Jace said.
I shook my head. “None for me either.”
“All right, more for me then.” Dad smiled as he turned away.
Jace stood and held a hand out to me. “Come here.”
I placed my hand in his and let him pull me up against him. He wrapped his warm arms around me, and I rested my head against his chest.
“I know the full moon coming up has you a little freaked out and you’ve got all of this parent stuff going on, too.” He paused to kiss the top of my head. “You have enough to think about, and I don’t want to add anything else that might worry you right now.”
“Okay.” I sighed. I pulled away and tilted my head up to press my lips against his. There was something he was hiding from me, something that he didn’t think I was ready to know. I had been able to sense it these last couple of days. It came off him in tiny waves. This must be what people meant when they said animals could sense your emotions.
CHAPTER TWO
I’m wearing a baby blue satin gown. My hair is spun into curly ringlets that bounce around my shoulders. Slipping into a pair of silver high heels, excitement bursts through me.
“Don’t forget the glitter!” Rachel exclaims from behind me.
I smile and turn to face her. She’s dressed in a deep red, strapless gown of her own. Her dark hair is pinned into a neat little bun with tiny ringlets framing her face. “Not too much, okay? I don’t want to walk in looking like a disco ball!”
“Too much? You can never have too much glitter,” Rachel insists.
I grin and stand still while she dusts me with a glitter-filled powder-puff. Movement outside my bedroom window startles me. “What was that?” I wonder out loud.
“What was what?”
“You didn’t see something moving outside the window?” I ask, staring fixedly at it.
“Nope.” She shrugs.
I bite my lip as fear begins to dance through my veins. Something is wrong, something is off. Rachel doesn’t seem to notice or care, but I do.
“What color corsage did you tell Jace to get you?” Rachel asks, unaffected by my panicked state of mind.
“Silver,” I whisper, just as I see something shifting in front of the window again.
My feet slowly move forward as I walk away from Rachel and toward the window, pulled by curiosity and fear. A low growling noise makes me pause mid-step. Before I have time to wonder about the type of animal it came from, the window in front of me shatters as a wolf springs through at me.
I tumble backward , falling flat on to my butt. Rachel screams behind me as three more wolves leap through. Four wolves stare at me—one golden, one a lighter brown, one black, and one white.
The golden one stares at me, unmoving, while the white one snaps its jaws at me. I hold up an arm in an attempt to shield myself from them, while stumbling to get back to my feet.
“Run, Rachel!” I shout.
I get to my feet and rush to Rachel, who stands immobile, gaping open-mouthed at the wolves. Before I can reach her, a spasm ripples through my body and the beautiful gown I’m wearing rips and falls to the floor around me, creating a silken puddle of ribbons.
I transform into what we are running from—a wolf.
Rachel stares at me with pure horror etched into her features. Fear rolls off her; I can sense it. Taking a small step backward, Rachel slowly begins to retreat from my room. I stalk forward, forgetting about the others, in an attempt to calm my best friend. But what Rachel sees is me pursuing her.
She runs.
I dart after her and pounce in an effort to keep her still while I explain. As she flails her arms beneath me, my claws shred her delicate flesh. At the sight of her blood, I move back, feeling horrible for what I’ve done.
“Tessa, you’re a monster!” she screams at the top of her lungs.
* * *
I woke out of breath and drenched in sweat. The alarm clock on my nightstand read 4:25 a.m. Holding my head between my hands, the thought occurred to me that no matter what I did everyone besides Jace would think I was a monst
er once they found out what I had become. My chest tightened. How long could I keep something this big a secret?
I lay in bed wide awake, thinking. I’d been so consumed with all of the strange changes I was going through and worried about how changing into a wolf once a month was going to affect my life, that I hadn’t really thought the entire situation through. I hadn’t thought past myself and the bigger picture.
Jace was like werewolf royalty; he was the Pack Leader’s only son—the rightful heir to his position—and he had chosen me to stand at his side. I had been chosen to be what, his Alpha Queen? His parents practically thought I was an abomination, if this was what they thought of me, then what on Earth would everyone else in his pack think?
My mind circled around itself as more questions bubbled to the surface. By the time my alarm clock went off at 6:50, I thought I was going to have a panic attack. I pressed the button on top and sat up in bed, wondering what the hell I’d gotten myself into.
* * *
Weaving my way through the crowd of people talking about their weekends, I headed straight for the English building. I’d noticed Rachel’s red Jeep in the parking lot, but didn’t feel like searching for her. My senses were on overload, and I could swear my skin was moving, readying itself for the change.
As I stepped into the classroom, Rachel was just taking her seat and talking with Gina Brown. Gina was a short, redheaded girl who sat beside Rachel and who I’d never seen her talk to before. But here they were, laughing and chatting away like they were best friends.
“And when he burned the popcorn twice I finally just got up and made it myself,” Gina said as I slid into my seat. “I mean, there are only three bags in each box!”
Rachel laughed hysterically and turned to me with watery eyes. “Oh, hey! I didn’t see you come in.”
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