In The Dark

two☽

❦

When I first shifted into a chimera, I didn't even know it was possible to become different creatures mixed into one being or what I even was. I was taking a walk in the woods, depressed after failing to shift in front of everyone until my bones started to crack and extreme pain over took me. At that point, I knew I was shifting but once the shift was over, I realized I wasn't a wolf. I was a huge lion with a wolf coming out of my spine and a serpent as my tail. I was in shock until I realized at that moment what my father meant when he said that mom was half snake. I thought he was crazy, just making up an excuse to not tell me what type of shifter she really was.

After focusing on my human form, I shifted back and ran to my uncle. He was my dad's brother, I felt like he would know what to do so I explained what had happened. He told aunt Claire who helped me find information on the mythology of the chimera. Turns out, my mother was a reincarnation of Echidna, a half-woman and half-snake creature. One of the original Echidna's offspring was a chimera but unlike mine, a chimera is usually depicted with a goat coming out of the spine. We concluded that since my father was a werewolf, the werewolf gene connected with the shifter gene, causing a wolf to appear instead of a goat. With having three creatures combined, I had three spirits inside of me who are my lion Sapphire, my wolf Celeste and my snake Hydra.

Being a shifter in general is dangerous but being three animals combined is a death sentence. We decided to keep this a secret between us but I knew I had to tell Jessie who is my only true friend and has been since my parents died. After making Jessie swear to secrecy, we found out multiple things. One is that I had no scent which makes me seem human to other supernatural creatures. Another is that my lion could breathe fire and later on, I even developed the wings of a bat which I learned the hard way wasn't an easy feat to control. And lastly, I have the ability to actually shift into one of my animals but only for a short period of time. It's best however, to just shift into my full form since shifting into only one is extremely draining and even deadly if I stay in that form for too long.

Ever since my first shift, I only practiced my powers and abilities deep in the woods, far from the pack house. I love my spirits and being different but sometimes I wish I was just human or a werewolf. I wouldn't be in danger every time I shift or be bothered by Melanie and the other kids in school. Who knew being a teenage chimera would be so hard.

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My shift at the library started off slow, as usual. Not a lot of people go to the library on the weekdays. Kids my age only go if they're forced to because of school. It isn't the most interesting job but I don't mind it. There are perks to working at a library, especially when your boss is your relative. I don't have to wear a uniform or get yelled at every time I miss a shift. I also get a lot of free time due to the lack of activity happening during my shift. My coworkers are pretty nice too. Just like me, they don't wear uniforms and we all just hang out by playing on the computers or go out to eat together while on our breaks. The only thing we have to wear is name tags.

"Fiona Chase," Nicole, my other best friend and favorite coworker shakes her head. "Late per usual."

"Shut up, Abrams."

"You're lucky Claire owns the place or your ass would've been fired years ago."

"My aunt is the best." I smile, putting my bag under the front desk. "Where's Jason?"

Nicole puts her blonde dreads in a ponytail. "Hitting on every girl who walks in."

I sigh. "Of course he is. Wait until he finds his mate. "

"Hopefully soon because I can't stand hearing his lame flirting tactics."

I giggle, grabbing the book cart. "How was the first day of junior year?"

"It was alright, just wish Jenny was in more of my classes," She says as she helps me put books back on shelves.

"The mate syndrome hitting hard?"

She groans. "Very."

"Any classes with Jason?" I ask since every year they somehow almost have the same schedule.

"Almost all of them sadly."

I pat her shoulder. "Hey, you only got one more year left with him and then you can enjoy more of Jason at the pack house."

"Oh Goddess," She pinches the bridge of her nose. "I love him but sometimes he needs to get his shit together."

Soon enough Jason comes towards us, his hands in his jean pockets while his semi-long brown hair was in a man bun. "Guess who just got a hot girl's number."

"Let me guess," Nicole puts her hands on her hips. "Not you because it's probably fake."

"No it's not," Jason retorts. "I'll call it right now."

Soon after he's dialing, he puts his phone on speaker but only to be met with the welcoming voice of Taco Bell.

Jason's face turns red while Nicole and I burst out laughing.

"Screw you guys." He huffs, slipping his phone in his back pocket.

"Poor Jason," Nicole pats his shoulder. "Don't worry, one day your mate will also give you a fake number."

He turns towards her. "You know, I hate you sometimes."

"Come on, let's go make sure no one is watching porn on the computers."

My eyes go wide. "That's happened before?"

"Way too many times." Jason shudders as he walks off with Nicole following him, continuing her assault of jokes on him.

As I roll the cart into the young adult section, the most drool worthy scent enters my nose. The smell of chocolate mixed with pine took over my senses and made my body shiver. I tried to ignore the pull it had on me but my spirits kept yelling at me to find out where it was.

I took in a deep breath, the scent getting closer. I grabbed a book to put on the shelf to distract myself when I heard a growl from behind me. I slowly turn around to see the most attractive man I have ever laid eyes on. His dark brown hair was styled in a quiff while his pale skin seemed to have no blemishes or scars. His blue eyes were staring deeply into mine causing heat to rush to my cheeks. He seemed muscular due to his prominent biceps.

His eyes turned black for a quick second, causing me to gasp. He's a wolf and by the powerful aura around him, he's either an Alpha or Beta.

"Mine," He growls, his voice making my heart flutter.

But I soon snapped back to reality once I processed what he said. I'm his mate and this might be one of the most terrible things to happen to me.