Alpha's Second Chance_Shifter Nation_Werebears Of The Everglades

by Meg Ripley

  The water was cool against her skin and she swirled her feet just beneath the surface. Everything around her felt so quiet and peaceful that Aurora didn't want to move. She sat on the rock allowing the moonlight to wash across her skin, finding comfort and relief in the reprieve from the turmoil and chaos of her waking life.

  Time slid by without her recognizing how long she had been sitting there. What could have been moments or hours later she felt the water on her feet becoming warmer. The temperature rose slowly until it felt like bath water against her skin. As the water got warmer, it also got rougher. The once smooth, crystalline surface shook and rocked, gathering into small waves and splashing up over her legs.

  Aurora watched as the water soaked into the hem of her skirt, sending ribbons of color up the white expanse with each drop. She gasped and withdrew her feet onto the boulder, staring at the streams of color creeping up her skirt until the entire dress was a swirl of blue, purple, and pink. Climbing to her feet, Aurora looked out over the churning water. A dark shape caught her attention halfway across the lake. Gleaming in the moonlight, the shape rose partially out of the water, then sank back beneath the surface only to break through again a few feet closer to her.

  The water continued to surge and shift, and Aurora kept her eyes focused on the dark shape moving through it. It seemed to appear and then disappear every few feet as if swimming toward the bank but gradually moving away from her. After a few moments, the water quieted and there was a brief pause when the world fell still and silent again. Just as her heart was settling from its quivering pace, though, the calmed surface of the water shattered and a massive black creature climbed out onto the bank.

  Aurora screamed and stepped back, stumbling off the edge of the boulder and landing on her side on the damp earth of the bank. She collected herself from the force of the impact and slowly opened her eyes.

  A claw came into view first. Long and black, they dug into the ground only yards away. She lifted her gaze slowly, giving herself time to take in the image of the creature. Powerful, muscled legs became a smooth, shimmery torso. Massive reptilian arms rested at its sides, partly concealed by leather-like wings tucked over its shoulders and touching the ground beside it. Fearsome spikes at the tips scraped into the dirt as the creature straightened further. Water dripped from its body, making its black skin look like oil.

  Aurora pushed herself up to her hip before letting herself lift her eyes all the way to the creature's head. Huge and sleek, the head tilted down to look at her. Gleaming black eyes reflected the moonlight and Aurora felt her breath catch in her throat. She gradually rolled to her knees, keeping her movements slow and controlled. The longer she looked at the creature, the more details she noticed. The lines of its body were curved and graceful, but the edges of its wings were sharp and intense.

  Feeling bolder, she climbed to her feet. The creature shifted slightly and made a low snorting sound as if disturbed by her movement. Aurora stilled, keeping her gaze steady on his eyes. When it quieted, she took a step forward. It made another, softer sound, but she took a second cautious step. On her third step the creature stood up straight and spread its wings wide. Turning its face to the sky, it opened its mouth and a stream of vivid orange fire poured across the sky. She felt the heat on her body and a surge through her chest a moment before everything went dark.

  When Aurora opened her eyes again she was staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her legs tangled in the sheets and her heart was pounding so hard against her ribs that she could feel her skin trembling above it. Now that she was awake, the color seemed to have drained from the world around her, but in her mind, she could see the vividness of the colors within the dream. Everything had been clearer and more saturated, from the purity of the moonlight to the glossy ebony skin of the creature. The dragon.

  As soon as it released its fire into the air, she realized what was standing in front of her, and even though she knew the beautiful, majestic dragon had only been a dream, she could still feel the sting of the heat across her skin.

  10

  "Honey?"

  Her mother's voice broke through Aurora's musings and she looked at her across the patio table.

  "Huh? I'm sorry, Mom, what did you say?"

  Sara gave her a strange look and took a sip of her coffee.

  "Are you feeling alright? You seem like you're a million miles away this morning."

  "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little distracted."

  Her mother smiled and Aurora felt the wedding talk coming. She had had that same look two years ago when her sister got married and Aurora wondered if that specific expression was one of those things that you learned when you became a mother. Maybe the doctor would pull her aside if she ever had a daughter and teach her that misty-eyed, dreamy look just for the occasions of proms, weddings, and grandchildren. Of course, that would require her to have children with Greyson, and at the moment, she was still trying to decide if she could get through her marriage without ever having sex with him, much less children.

  "Are you thinking about Greyson? Don't worry, it's perfectly normal for a bride to start getting nervous this close to her wedding."

  "That must be it. I had a really strange dream last night."

  "Oh, really? What was it about?"

  The question had a suggestive note to it and Aurora chose not to dignify it even with a joke. Her entirely chaste relationship with Greyson was a well-known fact and Sara delighted in teasing her about her expected wedding night deflowering, actually using that exact phrase, which was always delightfully cringe-worthy.

  "A dragon."

  Aurora expected her mother to laugh, or at the very least engage in some breakfast table psychoanalysis trying to decipher the meaning behind the dream. Instead, Sara's face dropped and she put her cup down so hard it hit the edge of the saucer, sending the coffee sloshing over the edge and onto the tablecloth.

  "Why on earth would you dream about something like that?" she asked, sounding flustered as she scrambled to dab up the coffee with her napkin.

  "I don't know. It was so real, though. I was sitting on the edge of a lake and when the water touched my dress it changed colors. Then the dragon appeared and I could actually feel the heat of its fire on my skin."

  "Stop."

  The abruptness in Sara's voice startled her.

  "What's wrong, Mom?"

  Sara forced a smile and shook her head, using one hand to brush a stray piece of hair out of her face.

  "Nothing, Honey. That's just seems like such a silly thing for you to be dreaming about when there are so many things left to do. Now, hurry and finish up your coffee. We have a fitting appointment in an hour."

  Sara rushed off the patio and Aurora watched her disappear down the hallway toward her father's office. Lee had never liked them going into his office, but Sara moved with such determination that Aurora couldn't resist slipping into the house and following her. She tiptoed down the hallway as quickly as she could without making noise and stopped by the doorway to her father's office.

  The door stood open a few inches. Aurora flattened her palm against it to push it open a little further. She ducked her head to look inside and saw Sara standing behind Lee's desk, running her fingertips along the deep scrolling in the dark wood edge. Aurora felt uncomfortable watching the painful private moment and was stepping away from the door when it seemed like Sara was suddenly jostled from her thoughts. She opened the top drawer and dug through the papers inside. Apparently not finding what she wanted, she started making her way down the drawers along the side of the desk.

  Aurora's heart pounded nervously. Sara closed the last drawer and looked around the office, an anxious expression in her eyes. Feeling like she was tempting fate hovering there by the door, Aurora rushed past the door and stepped into Lee's study. Only a moment later she saw Sara leave the office with nothing in her hands. Aurora knew that as soon as she had the opportunity, she needed to get into that office. There was something that
her mother was desperately searching for, but she wanted to find it first.

  Throughout the fitting Aurora found her mind wandering back to the dragon and to her mother's strange reaction to her dream. Sara had reacted with something bordering on panic, almost as if she had been expecting the revelation.

  As if she had been dreading it.

  Aurora allowed her mother, the dress designer, and the tailor flitter around her like hummingbirds, primping, adjusting, gathering, pinning, and squeezing until she felt like something somewhere between a cupcake and a piece of experimental art. Their words drifted over her, but none of them really registered. She couldn't stop thinking about her dream. It felt so incredibly real and she found herself focusing on the intense draw she felt to the dragon, unable to keep its fearsome, yet beautiful body out of her thoughts.

  Sara stayed close to her for the rest of the day and by the time Aurora finally rested her head on her pillow that night, she still hadn't had the chance to visit her father's office. She closed her eyes, unsure of what to expect, and a moment later, surrendered her consciousness.

  Aurora's eyes slid open slowly and she was back on the bank of the lake, lying on the damp ground with her head rested on her arm. The dragon lay a few yards away, its body curled in a way that almost mimicked hers. A shiver rippled through her when its eyes opened and met hers. She pulled herself up gradually and crawled toward the dragon, keeping her gaze focused steadily on its eyes as she drew closer. Close enough to really look at them now she saw that his eyes were not just black like she originally thought. Instead, they looked like watercolors poured across darkly smoked glass, a blend of shades just visible against a background of charcoal.

  No longer feeling fear, she brought one hand up to touch its face. As soon as her fingertips brushed the smooth skin, Aurora felt the strange impression that this was not an "it", but a "he". She touched further, cupping her palm around the curve of his jaw and stroking it down his powerful neck. He lifted his head slightly, the pull causing her to raise up from her knees. The movement brought her closer to him, and she stroked her hand up higher so that her arm draped over his neck.

  The dragon tucked his head down so that it pressed against her, touching from just beneath her chin to her mid-thigh. Aurora gasped as he raised his head again and her body lifted off the ground and onto his neck. Her legs came down on either side and she glided down to settle right above his shoulder blades where his wings stretched from his body. The color-swirled skirt rose up her thighs as she tightened her knees to hold herself in place. She ran her hands down his neck, then reached to her sides to touch his wings. They felt warm and thick beneath her palms and she curled her hands around the edges to hold them.

  When she gripped his wings on either side of her, she felt his body rise beneath her so that he stood. Her breath caught in her throat, but Aurora felt completely safe against his warm skin. His muscles shifted and tightened against her thighs as he walked toward the edge of the lake. The water rose around her as he sank into it. He swam slowly so that she was beneath the surface from the waist down. She shuddered with the cold. As if he felt the shiver, the dragon opened his mouth and sent a stream of fire along the surface, creating a warmer space around them.

  Aurora felt mesmerized by the brief glow of the flame across the water and as she stared into it, she felt herself slipping. She fought to keep her hands on his neck and her thighs around his body, but a moment later she felt her chilly sheets beneath her and the cold grey darkness replaced her world of color.

  11

  Aurora fought to get her trembling breath back under control. She could still feel the dragon beneath her and there was a strange tightness in her belly that made her breathless. The house around her was silent. Unable to even close her eyes much less fall back to sleep, she climbed out of bed. Slipping into her bathrobe, she made her way through the dark house toward Lee's office.

  She paused just outside the door and listened for the sound of her mother moving around the house. Satisfied that she was still sleeping, Aurora pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind her as quickly as possible. Finally, alone in the office, she took a moment to experience the presence of her father around her. The space still smelled like Lee and she felt a twinge of the grief she had been so carefully suppressing.

  Forcing herself to pull her thoughts away from the fog of sadness filling her mind, she brought them back to the one time when Lee actually allowed her into the office. When she closed her eyes, she could see him sitting in the brown leather chair behind the desk, giving her that special, secretive look she gave her when she was a little girl and they would sneak chocolates before dinner.

  She walked across the office and ran her hand along the desk like she had seen her mother do the day before. Sara had been feeling for the memories of her husband in the curves of the wood. Aurora was searching for one, particular flaw. Her fingertip felt the rough edge of the masterfully hidden button in the carving and pressed on it. There was a faint click and a slim section of the front of the desk popped forward, revealing the secret drawer her father had shown her.

  "This is where I hide my secrets," Lee had told her in a conspiratorial whisper.

  The drawer was empty when he showed it to her then, but as she pulled it toward herself she saw a grey folder rested on the bottom. Her hand shook as she picked it up. There was a single word written across the front of the folder: Killington.

  Aurora closed the drawer and held the folder in both hands, inexplicably afraid to open it. The sun was coming up through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind her and the faint light illuminated the folder as if encouraging her. Taking a long, steadying breath, Aurora lowered herself into her father's chair, finding strength in the smell of the leather, and opened the folder.

  Her hand flew to her mouth to muffle the gasp that escaped her lips. Clasped within the folder was a stack of papers and on the top sheet was a drawing of a dragon. She turned the page and found another drawing, this one of a different dragon. Neither was her dragon, but she could see the resemblance in the shape of their bodies and the spread of the second one's wings.

  "Oh my god," she whispered, "Dad, what did you know?"

  Suddenly she heard a door close above her and knew that her mother was awake. Not wanting to risk bringing the folder into her room and having someone find it, Aurora opened the hidden drawer again, tucked the folder inside, and closed it. She slipped out of the office and rushed toward the kitchen so she wouldn't look suspicious when Sara made it downstairs.

  That night she dreamt of her dragon again. She walked around him slowly, running her hand along his body and wrapping her fingers around the sharp claw-like points at the ends of his wings. He nudged her onto him and she lay on her back between his wings, one leg hanging by his side as she stared up at the stars. Just like everything in the dreams she shared with him, the stars glittered back at her with breathtaking clarity against a sky so lush they looked like shards of ice scattered across velvet. His deep, even breath lulled her to sleep on his back and she rose out of her dream into reality.

  It was another four days before she was able to find time alone in her father's office again. Sara was meeting Greyson's mother for lunch, which meant that the women would be engrossed in last-minute plans and preparations that would likely carry them well into the afternoon. There were only three days left until the wedding, and the thought of the minutes slipping away made Aurora even more desperate to find out what was in that folder.

  Locking the door behind her, Aurora pulled the folder from the drawer, settled into her father's chair, and opened the grey cover against the desk. The first several pages featured drawings of various dragons. Some were massive like her dragon, others smaller and more delicate looking. Many were shades of orange, red, and blue. Only one was the slick, gleaming black of her beautiful creature.

  Finally, she came to a page with words and began to read. Her heart started to shake in her chest as she trie
d to take in what the words said. They were written in brief, stark sentences that sounded like the code she sometimes overheard her father muttering into his phone in the few seconds she would wait before knocking on his office door when her mother sent her to get him for dinner. The strange wording, abbreviations, and occasional symbols made it so that Aurora didn't understand most of what she read. By the time she got through a few pages of text, however, she was fully aware that her father was not who she thought he was, and that his career was far more complex than he ever let on.

  Aurora turned another page and found another drawing. This one, however, was not of a dragon. She was looking at the naked back of a man and a large, intricate tattoo that stretched across his shoulder blades and down to his hips. Many people may have just seen an abstract pattern or only a vague impression of a design. She, however, knew those lines, the curve at the top and the tips at the bottom. She had run her hands along them and lain between them. That tattoo was of folded wings.

  That night Aurora gave herself into her dream and in what seemed like a blink she left her bed and was back on the moss-covered boulder at the edge of the lake. Her feet swirled through the water like they had in her first dream and within moments she felt it growing warmer. The roughness of the water told her the dragon was coming and she swept her eyes across the lake to see the first glimpses of him swimming toward her.

  He drew closer until he was directly beneath her, running his back against her feet. She giggled and pulled her feet up out of the water, hoping it would tempt him back. He took the lure and swam back. The water stilled and his head came up out of it to rest in her lap. Aurora stroked it tenderly, watching his eyes close in response to her touch. Nervousness swept through her as she prepared to speak to him for the first time.

  "I know what you are," she said, not raising her voice above a whisper for fear of breaking the peaceful, comfortable calm between them.