I nearly died the first time I shifted.

Despite all the years my mother had prepared me for it, training my body and my mind. Attempting to prepare me for the agony the first change would induce, the breaking and reforming of my bones, the stretching of my skin and the tearing of muscles. It had felt like my body was being run over by a bulldozer. It was the third time I'd cried my entire life, something that had also come as a shock to me. The first time I had cried had been at birth as my umbilical cord had been cut. The separation from my mother devastating me, our kind were very close, and connection was very important to us. I had known this from birth so to lose this with my mother had been near traumatic. Fortunately my parents had comforted me with their cuddles and I had got over it. The second time I had cried was the time my father and younger brother died, they were fighting in battle together against our enemies, the Sythes. I had been too underdeveloped to fight with them at the time, we don't battle together unless we've experienced the change. This meant that I hadn't been with them when they died but I felt the moment their hearts stopped.

Two years after their death on my tenth birthday, I shifted for the first time, guided by my mother alone. It had been unbearable, a pain no human ten year human would ever have to endure. Yet somehow I had survived, without going insane from the pain of the experience.

I have shifted many times since then, now it is second nature to me and doesn't hurt at all. My body is now accustomed to the transformation. It is very fortunate that I mastered my abilities as when I was fifteen my mother succumbed to an illness. It is only my kind of shifter than can develop this illness, we refer to it as luna-psychosis. The presences of the moon drives her into a frenzy of madness, it is permanent and incurable.

As a result I rarely see my mother anymore, the elders took her away from me to sent her to the Luna Medical Research Facility. Where any of our kind go when they succumb to the illness, it is a place where they can be kept without being a risk to others or themselves. I protested at first, determined to look after her myself, but I was simply not capable. It was only when an elder contacted me and informed me that if I did not give up my resistance they would be forced to put her down. Put her down like a dog.

That had majorly pissed me off, but I'd given her up. I was not strong enough to fight them all, and I could not bare to lose my mother too. Now I live on my own in the house we used to call home, it doesn't feel like a home anymore. Now it feels like a base, the place I come to after school or a hunt. The neighbours find it odd that I'm only seventeen living on my own in a house, I often receive questions like "Is your name on the mortgage?" Or "Do you pay council tax?" Mundane questions that I have well rehearsed lines for. Truthfully, I don't pay for anything, the High Council keep the human government off my back, as they do with all unemployed members of their species, especially their wolf shifters. Out of all the species we have the highest population, with a strong sense of loyalty amongst ourselves, our kind have been the cause of famous riots.

I found myself staring at my mothers photo above the fireplace as I always did when I was lost in thought, I couldn't help but mimic her smile as she held a little wolf cub in her arms. My younger brother, James, he had shifted at the age of six, and so had been much more advanced than me. Hence why he had joined my father on the battlefield, even at the young age of eight. Wolves like to get their young in the field young, so that we can became more experienced and capable protecting our packs later. Besides they thought it would be a few weak Sythes that had wandered into our area. They hadn't expected the ambush.

I noticed dust building up on the picture, and picked the frame off of the shelving, I turned and made my way from my living room into my kitchen, looking for a cloth I could wipe it with. I tried to keep this place as homely as possible, although Jason often referred to it as an unloved home.

As Jason popped into my mind, I heard the door knock, sweet irony. I could smell his aftershave, I grabbed a cloth and cleaned the picture as I made my way to the front door. Shifting the photo and cloth to my left handas I opened my front door to reveal my best friend with a cheeky smile plastered on his face.

"Why hello beautiful," He said to me, handing me a packaged object as though he had been holding roses. I smirked and raised my brow at him,

"Meatball sub with extra cheese?"

"The fact you can tell just from the smell is freakishly sexy" I laughed and stepped aside to let him in, he walked past me and pinched the photo from my hands. "Ahh looking at Helen again, damn your mum is hot. You were a test tube baby right?" I scowled, and snatched the picture from him.

"Too hot for you, stick to granny's sweetie, more your speed," I moved away to return my mums photo to the shelf where it belonged. I could tell Jason was following me into the living room,

"Oh I don't know, I reckon I'm a milf magnet, you know Mrs Henderson?"

"The lady who pays you to clean her gutters?"

"Ha! she wishes," I rolled my eyes at his obvious innuendo, "I was cleaning her pool yesterday and she kept insisted that because it was so warm outside I should take my top off, I'm telling you Penny, she wants the D" I snorted with laughter again and the two off us sat on my sofa, I unwrapped my sub and bit into it hungrily. I had forgotten to hunt this morning, I should really stick to prey I catch, but even the wolf in me appreciated a good meatball sub. After chewing for a minute I spoke again, pulling my feet up so they were rested on Jason's lap.

"Well clearly she's desperate if she wants to undress the pool guy"

"Haha that's cute, act like you haven't pictured me naked, I know you want it too." His devilish smile playing on his lips as he flexed his biceps. I couldn't deny Jason was a good looking guy, tanned skin like toffee, black spiky hair, dark eyes. He went to the gym a lot so he had very defined muscles, and always wore tight black tops to show it off. He was hot, for a human.

I was well aware of Jason's feelings for me from the start, I can hear the way his heartbeat speeds up when he's near me, and smell the pheromones his body releases. I know that he won't make a move anytime soon because he has commitment phobia, he likes to play with girls and leave them. But he won't do that to me because he cares for me too much, I know one day he'll risk it and ask me out.

Then I'll have to break his heart.

I can love a human, but I can't fall in love with one. The universal laws won't allow it, it is too dangerous for the human involved. I did love Jason, as a brother, as a friend, but I would never feel the way he felt for me. It hurt knowing this, Jason would be the perfect mate. Handsome, strong, kind, protective with a natural ability to put a smile on my face. Sometime I wanted desperately to love him back but when I sought those feelings, I felt nothing.

"Oh yeah, you're totally picturing me naked right now! Hot stuff I know" He chuckled as I softly tapped his hand with my knuckles. I reached out with the hand holding the sub offering him a bite, he leaned over and bit into it. He chewed for a moment, before speaking, "So what did you have planned for today? Wanna go see Fright Night? A new versions been released and Colin Farrell gets to play the badass vamp, I hear David Tennants in it too"

I scoffed, Vampire movies indeed, there were no such thing as Vampires. I always found any movies relating to them ridiculously implausible. As a member of the supernatural society, I knew full well that the only creatures that existed were Shifters, and the vampiric myth just descended from a few serpentine shifters centuries ago that had started a little craze about killing humans mid shift. Meaning that they only had some of the qualities of their shifted form. Staying in mid-shift was dangerous, excruciatingly painful and only attempted by those of our kind that were a little mentally unstable. Of course I couldn't tell Jason this as he was oblivious, like every other human, to the supernatural world.

"Dude vamps suck, what else is on?"

"Errrrr, I'm pretty sure there's a film about possession or exorcism on,"

"Isn't there always?" Possession on the other hand was very real, not by demons however, but sometimes the spirits of shifters found there way in vulnerable humans and went to get revenge on those who had wronged them. It didn't happen often but when it did, boy was it chaotic.

"We could always stay here and watch porn," He said with a wink, I rolled my eyes at him in disgust.

"I'll get my coat" Jumping onto my feet, I wolfed down the rest of the sub. I walked out of the room and to the closet under the staircase, pulling out my pink and cream coat, I shrugged it on. I wouldn't normally need a coat in my wolf form my fur keeps me nice and toasty. However as a human, the light hairs that cover my skin just don't compare.

As I turned I noticed Jason was already at my front door waiting, I grabbed my purse off the kitchen side, followed him outside and into his car.

I took a moment to admire Jason's Peugeot 206, it was hardly an impressive vehicle but it got the job done. Plus we had experienced so many laughs in that little machine, I couldn't help but feel a little love for it.

I happily climbed into the passenger seat and immediately turned on the radio. Jason grinned at the loud inappropriate rap music and turned it up so all the neighbours could hear.

"I love bad bitches that my fucking problem! Now let's go watch some bitches scream,"

A couple hours and one really sucky movie later Jason pulled back into the spot in front if my house, animatedly talking about the effects the movie had on me. In this case, none.

"You know one day I'm going to find something that makes you scream" he challenged as he turned the engine off.

"Hey I've smelt your breathe in the morning, good luck finding something scarier than that," he playfully poked my side, causing me to jump at the tickling sensation and let out a snicker. His big brown eyes locked on mine for a moment before gliding over to the house, his cheeky grin faded into one of his rare serious expressions. Uh oh, This couldn't be good.

"You know, you can always come live with me, we have a spare room."

Here we go, at least once a month Jason tries to convince me to move in with him, he seemed to believe that living alone wasn't healthy for me.

"Jase-"

"Come on! Hear me out Penelope! I could drive us both to college, you'd get warm home cooked meals, sure you'd have to deal with all my siblings but they love you. Plus my mums cool with it, what's so bad about it? We could spend more time together." His eyes softened, there was no trace of that devilish smirk. I could hear his heart racing, I caught his glance at my lips. "Penny, I-" Oh god? Was he going to confess? No, not now! It's too early I didn't think I'd have to reject him for at least another year or so.

Then I heard something in the background, something that made me spin sharply in my seat and look at my house. I narrowed my eyes and resisted the urge to growl. Jason looked confused, "Penny, what's up?" I raked the house over with my eyes, I couldn't tell him of course, a fundamental rule of our kind was to never let a human get involved in our conflicts. So before turning back to my friend my expression immediately softened as though I had simply been thinking things over.

"Look I'm sorry Jase, I'm just too attached to this house, it's where the memories of my family are and I just can't leave it, not yet I'm not ready," I could almost feel the disappointment radiating from him, he gave me one of the small side smiles that made him look adorable.

"It's cool, catch you later Penny"

I beamed at him, leaning over I pecked him on the cheek, before climbing out of the peugeot. I waited for him to pull away waving goodbye as he did. As soon as his tail lights disappeared at the end of the road I spun on my heel and ran towards my house. I grabbed the door handle, noticing it was unlocked I threw my door open.

"Reveal yourself intruder!" I roared, slamming the door behind me so they couldn't get out that way. I had known someone was in the house since being in Jason's car, having heard movement from inside plus there was a smell in the area that suggested it was someone supernatural visiting.

I was met with a low chuckle, coming from my living room, I didn't hesitate to follow the sound. I flicked the light switch on and faced my uninvited guests.

"You sure are feisty," The words came from a male, he appeared to be 20-22 years of age. He stood at 6'5 ft tall, with a lean muscular build, he had platinum blonde hair at mid length that hung around his eyes. And those eyes, fierce grass green with yellow flecks. They were probably the most fascinating pair of eyes I'd ever seen.

He was accompanied by another male around the same age standing behind him, staring down at an object in his hand. He was five inches shorter than his companion. Creamy skin and ash blonde hair just like mine, I knew who he was and the moment he glanced my way it was clarified, one blue eye and one brown. Standing there was Derek O'neill, my older brother.

"Penelope..." He whispered, I didn't hesitate a second longer. I launched myself at him, fists flying, screaming bloody murder. Instantly his platinum haired friend hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me away preventing me from unleashing my well deserved anger out on him.

"Whoa there pup!" he stated, a comment I was too furious to acknowledge.

"How dare you return to this house! After you abandoned us! You traitor! You coward!" I spat angrily, then I noticed he was holding was the photo I'd polished earlier of our mother. I snarled in rage, "Put that down now! You don't even deserve to look at her!"'

"Penelope, please hear me out-" I struggled against the guys grip, he was damn strong I had to give him that, I didn't attack people I didn't know. I especially didn't attack one with a scent like this guy, I knew when my opponent was way above my league, my brother on the other hand I could kill in a matter of moments.

"No! I will not, I want you out of this house right now, I swear to god I'll rip your limbs off!"

"You wolves aren't very linguistically creative are you?" Said my restrainer, I spun around to face him,

"And who the fuck are you loudmouth?" He laughed silkily as though he'd been waiting for that question for hours,

"Travis Drake." I stilled for a moment, a royal? In my house? That was why he had smelled that way. Despite this I squared up to him, not letting his political power intimidate me.

"Well Mr Drake, would you kindly take your filthy hands off me, I have someone I want to maim,"

"I will release you when you promise to be a good girl" I snarled in response, "Ugh you dogs and your growling its really not as intimidating as you think, she's so much like you Derek,"

"That's enough Travis! Please Penny I'll explain everything. Tell you everything that happened that day, just give me a moment if your time, afterwards if you're not satisfied I give you permission to tear my throat out and Travis wont stop you!" I glanced over at Derek, looking into his eyes, he had never been a liar when I had known him. He had been warm, loving and kind. That was why his betrayal had been such a shock. His words struck a cord with me, no one had a first person account of what happened, all we knew is what the evidence told us, I wanted to hear it, even if I hated him.

"Fine, I'll listen, but prepare your last words cause once you're done I'm going to shred you to pieces,"

There was a brief movement before Travis let go of my waist, he then proceeded to clap his hands together loudly.

"Splendid! I'll go make some tea!"

~To be continued~