Tessa? Jace’s words flowed through my mind, echoing the pain that I felt.
I know, it’s time. This goodbye is harder than I thought it would be, I answered, my eyes never leaving my parents.
“We love you, honey. Jace is waiting for you. Go, we’ll be okay,” mom said, nodding toward the woods.
I love you, too, I said, before turning to leave. My heart burned with sadness and my chest tightened as my eyes blurred with tears.
“Call me, okay?” Rachel said as I walked past her. Her voice had been shaky when she spoke, but when I glanced at her there’d been a slight smirk on her face.
“I expect you to take care of her, Jace, just because you’re a damn werewolf doesn’t mean you’re indestructible,” dad yelled out after us, and I heard my mom chuckle. “What? I’m serious.” He laughed through his tears.
My dad’s final words had meant more to me than he could ever know. They’d meant that even after all of this—after what I’d become—everything was going to be okay between us all. Because no matter what form I was in—wolf or human—I was still just me and they all realized that.
It’s not forever, you know? I wouldn’t do that to you, Jace said as we retreated back into the woods, leaving my family to process what they’d just witnessed. We can always spend a few days here at the farm house when you’re feeling homesick, especially when it’s not a full moon.
I know, and I’m going to hold you to that, but it doesn’t make it any easier right now. Sadness echoed through my words, even though they weren’t spoken aloud.
I glanced over my shoulder at my family one more time before they completely disappeared from my view. The three of them stood huddled together, watching the woods with tearstained faces.
I love you all, I said to them.
They know, Jace whispered.
We continued through the woods to enjoy the remainder of our night together, but a part of me stayed back with my family. A part of me always would be here, with them.
* * *
They say a person’s life can change in the blink of an eye. That in one tiny fragment of a second, one snap of a finger, your entire life can become altered. Those people weren’t lying when they said that; they were telling the truth.
My life changed with one bite, but now, looking back, it was for the better. It made me realize change wasn’t something we should always fear… in some situations we should just embrace it.
~THE END~
Also by Jennifer Snyder:
Marked (Marked Duology Book 1)
Shattered Soul
Touch
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
The list of thank yous has not grown much, but my meaning when I say those words here has. I have some amazing people who support me in this journey of mine and sometimes thank you doesn’t seem like enough.
I’d like to start with my mom again, because without her, Tessa’s story would still be sitting in my nightstand gathering dust. Thank you, mom!
Thank you to my little sister, Heather, for reading more than half of “Changed” in one sitting and loving it!
Thank you to my husband and two kids for letting me make it through yet another round with these imaginary friends of mine while not criticizing my lack of house cleaning at times.
Thank you to Mrs. Becky for being so excited to find out what happened to Tessa and Jace, she couldn’t stand it! This book is dedicated to you for that reason!
Thank you to Katrina for helping me with the names Nicolas and Kale years ago when I first put pen to paper with this story.
Thank you to H. Danielle Crabtree for her amazing editing skills. Without you this duology would have been full of comma splices and horrible punctuation errors!
But most of all I’d like to thank YOU, the readers, again! I’m so glad that you all have enjoyed “Marked.” The response I’ve gotten from that novel has been mind blowing and I only hope you have loved “Changed” just as much! THANK YOU, READERS, from the bottom of my heart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jennifer Snyder writes Young Adult Edgy Contemporary novels as well as Young Adult Paranormal Romance novels. She resides in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina with her husband and two children. Jennifer finds great joy in blank notebooks and a smooth writing pen.
Feel free to visit her blog at: http://jennifersnydersblog.blogspot.com
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY- TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Changed (Marked Duology Book 2) Page 16
