The Change of Nature: Within A Pack

By Gabrielle Corbett

About the Book
When Lyra loses not only her home and her family, but the Moon Goddess-granted wolf spirit dwelling inside of her, she desperately craves finding her place again. She has to learn to accept not only herself and the changes within her, but those around her. When Lyra finds herself in a position of power amidst her new pack, she must learn the importance of having the strength to ask for help when needed.
The Change of Nature: Within A Pack is a story of a young woman simultaneously facing tremendous power, while finding her place in her pack.
About the Author
Gabrielle Corbett has been writing small little stories and fan fictions for as long as she can remember. She credits her husband, parents, and sister for the motivation and inspiration to complete this book.
Corbett’s current hobby is caring for stray cats. She currently has four rescued cats and a dog living inside of her home, and outside she cares for seven stray cats. When she’s not writing or spending time with her animals, Corbett can often be found playing video games.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: Feb 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9798888128992

Book preview

1.

Lyra once had a normal life, as normal as one could have in a world where werewolves were hunted down for sport because they were different. She was raised in a loving home, a strict but loving father, a wonderfully caring mother who brought out her father’s soft side, an older sister who was a royal pain in the ass but would have Lyra’s back when she needed it. Everything was so perfectly normal in her wolfish life. She could still remember her tenth birthday when she shifted for the very first time. Her pack threw a big celebration for all of the little ten-year-olds for their first shift. Sometimes it seemed like just yesterday. It was easy to remember the happy moments of life when things got hard… and they always seemed to lately.

*************

Lyra lifted her head slowly over the fallen tree trunk she had been laying behind while hiding. Her nails gripped the rough bark, ready to force her body to her feet as her moss green eyes tracked the movement of three men up ahead of her. They moved clumsily through the forest, their footsteps were loud and unsure. It was obvious they were human from that alone if their scent hadn’t given them away. They were out of their element, but they knew they were in the right area. A soft hand clasped Lyra’s shoulder tightly, her sister Rae was signaling for them to go, while they were far enough away to know the humans wouldn’t hear them.

Swallowing hard, she nodded her head; the pair took one last look at the humans before slowly beginning to slink away and then gradually rising to their full height. Lyra was four years younger than her sister but was still a good head taller standing at 5’10, which was rather unusual for a female. They had just clasped their hands together when the humans behind them shouted. They paused for a split second to look over their shoulders; that was all it took. A single gunshot echoed through the forest; Rae’s head rocked back as the bullet found its home between her eyes. Her body collapsed before the blood even began to flow.

Lyra screamed out in a mixture of horror and pain, her wolf inside howling her anger towards the humans. Red began to settle over her gaze like a film, her wolf wanted nothing more than to rip them all apart but as she lifted her gaze she watched as they lifted the gun once more, this time pointed at her. She knew she couldn’t shorten the distance between them before being shot. With a heartbroken sob, she released her sister’s hand and ran, while the bullet zipped by just a split second behind where she had been. To leave behind her sister’s body to the hands of the humans hurt worse than taking that bullet would have, but she had a survivor’s instinct. The anger in her head slowly changed direction to herself. What kind of a wolf was she? How could she just run like a coward? Lyra growled as she closed her eyes, shaking the accusing thoughts from her wolf out of her mind.

I will not die! If it means running, then fine, but I will not die, she snarled to her wolf. The forest around her was silent as she ran; the odds of the humans catching up were slim. Her wolf pushed at the edge of her mind, she wanted out, she wanted revenge. Stop it! I will not die! she shouted before bringing her run to a halt. Her eyes squeezed shut as she forced her wolf down, forced her to be silent, to stop pushing her.

Lyra sat upright with a gasp. Her body was hot, and there was sweat along her brow as she fought for breath. It had been three years, and almost every night, the same memory haunted her dreams. Her fever made the dreams worse, more vivid, and made the pain fresh. Stifling a cough, she rolled over onto her side and brought herself to her feet. Her body swayed, muscles screaming in protest, but she had stopped long enough, and she needed food. Food and fresh water would be great right now huh? It seemed as if her thoughts echoed inside of her mind, causing her to cringe. With a raspy gasp, Lyra clung onto each tree branch she could to help propel herself forward. The forest seemed to grow even more silent each day, autumn was almost over, and food was getting harder to find, as well as anyone like her. A wet cough forced its way through her body, her teeth clenched at the pain in her head as she attempted to strain her ears for the sound of running water. She seemed to have walked for a little more than a mile before she hit the jackpot.

The trees had begun to thin out and slowly opened up to reveal a clear water stream that fed into a lake. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stumbled to the stream before collapsing in relief. Her hands scooped up small handfuls of water which she sipped up quickly. Once she had her fill of water, she brought herself to her knees and gazed out on the lake. It was beautiful. Her mother would have loved it. Suddenly, the refreshing water turned bitter in her mouth at the thought. With a shake of her head, she stood up slowly and peeled her t-shirt from her body and unbuttoned her pants before clumsily pulling them off. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a bath or a swim in general, and the cool water would feel amazing on her heated skin. As Lyra undressed, she looked down at her body. Her 5’10 frame was mainly bone, there was no muscle left on her body, each rib was countable, so she knew her cheeks were hollowed out. This was what she deserved for abandoning her sister.

Lyra had gotten to knee-deep water when the forest burst into life around her. It startled her for a moment to hear the birds and insects come to life again, but it was odd timing. After looking around, she took a few more steps before the sound of a low rumble reached her ears. At first, it sounded like thunder but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, when the sound came again, she realized what she was hearing. Slowly, cautiously, she looked over her shoulder to find two large black wolves with their heads lowered, tails high, and lips curled back in warning as they growled at her. The wolves were identical heights with the same grayish-blue eyes, the fact that they hadn’t launched into an attack brought a bit of confusion, but she raised her hands nonetheless in a sign to show she was harmless, and surrendered. The wolf on her left lifted its head, taking a step forward and gazing at her thin body before growling again. Lyra slowly turned around to face the pair fully. She didn’t care that she was nearly naked; she wasn’t much to look at anyways.

I’m not human, she whispered. Her voice was rough from lack of use, but she kept her tone low; she was no threat to them after all. The growling fell silent as the pair spoke between their bond; the wolf closest sniffed once, then twice. The wolf’s eyes narrowed, and its body did not relax. It didn’t seem to trust her. With one last growl, the wolves shifted; just as Lyra suspected, they were identical twins. The two girls before Lyra were well fed, which brought a growl from Lyra’s stomach. They had the same shoulder-length chocolate brown hair and light blue eyes.

If you aren’t human, then why do you smell like one? the girl closest questioned. Lyra shifted from foot to foot; she was in no position to try and run from the girls, and frankly, she was tired of running.

It’s been a long time since I’ve shifted, Lyra’s response was in a sharper tone than she had meant for it to be, but the girl who had questioned her looked as if she just wanted an excuse to attack.

If you aren’t a human, then shift, the nameless girl commanded. Lyra’s shoulders rose slightly while she lowered her hands to her side; her dull green eyes held the challenging gaze of the stranger without blinking.

I can’t. I lost her.

2.

The two girls exchanged a quick look; the one closest had released a scoff. Whatever the silent one had said wasn’t what the other wanted to hear. Neither seemed pleased with the situation, but from the stalling, Lyra could assume that neither had the authority to make the decisions on what to do with her.

You look like you are going to fall over if the wind blows just right. Who are you? Lyra’s arms wrapped around herself slowly; the cool water was helping her fever, helping her mind clear.

Lyra. Lyra Amar, formerly of the Clear Oak pack. On instinct, Lyra lowered her head slightly in respect. The closest girl hmphed in discontent before moving back to her sister’s side, who finally spoke.

I am Amelia Taylor, and this is my sister Emily, of the Storm pack. You are trespassing on our territory. Lyra’s brows twitched together in confusion as she lifted her head, that wasn’t right, this was just outside of her pack’s territory, there was no pack this close. Before she could open her mouth to correct the nicer sister, the forest fell silent once more. The sisters looked quickly at each other.

Emily, you didn’t, Amelia said quietly, meaning to speak under her breath. Emily nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders with an innocent smile.

He wanted to know if we found anyone, she explained. Meanwhile, Lyra stood in silence, her eyes drifting between the two sisters as they spoke quickly among each other until a massive gray wolf emerged with several other large wolves, but not as large as the leader, following behind. The gray wolf drew his eyes to the twins first, seeming to assess if they were okay, then his eyes found Lyra.

Lyra’s blank stare met his hostile yet curious gaze. His fur was the color of a dark gray storm cloud while his eyes were the clear blue sky on a summer day. He sniffed a few times, the loud sound drawing Lyra from her observation before realizing he had come closer. His hostility faded, but his curiosity was growing. Lyra took a few quick steps backward, surprising both herself and everyone else with her sudden nimbleness.

Perhaps she wasn’t lying after all. Her eyes snapped to Emily quickly.

Of course, I wasn’t lying! Emily’s lip curled back as she growled a warning to the supposed intruder. One sharp bark from the large gray wolf in front of Lyra silenced Emily quickly and brought everyone’s attention to him. He was an alpha then, but… how could they all possibly be here? The humans had overrun her territory years ago. He turned quickly, motioning to the girls with his head before heading off. Amelia slowly approached Lyra, gathering her clothes from the edge of the water.

Come with us. Amelia extended a kind hand and an even kinder smile to Lyra, though it was clear Lyra didn’t have a choice in the matter at all. Lyra did hesitate, however, eyes darting rapidly, the realization of the situation she was in finally began to settle in her fever riddled mind. Her hands had begun to shake until Amelia grabbed one with a gentle yet solid touch. Don’t be afraid, our Alpha wants to talk to you himself but in a more comfortable setting and with more clothed people. She chuckled gently. Emily stood at the edge of the water with her arms crossed, the distrust strikingly clear in her eyes.

Oh… okay, then I can go, right? I didn’t realize I had entered someone else’s territory. I didn’t notice any scent markers. The twins shared another exchange of looks that was beginning to worry Lyra more and more. Neither sister said another word as Amelia handed Lyra her clothes and pulled her out of the water. Amelia motioned for Emily to go, probably to fetch their own clothes. Lyra’s stomach growled once more as they began to walk but hunger was now the furthest thing from her mind. I will not die. I refuse.

*************

The walk to the pack’s home wasn’t too much further from the lake; Lyra actually would have stumbled across it at some point. It was a small town, houses all close together, it had a true pack mentality to it. The more Lyra looked around, the more she realized she knew this town. She had always been told to steer clear of it, humans lived here. But watching the way Emily and Amelia walked here made her question her own memory. But her memory was the one thing still intact.

We’re here. Lyra blinked as she looked up at the large, three-story house they had brought her to. It almost looked like a city hall building; it certainly could pass for one.

Go on. Emily pushed Lyra from behind; she hadn’t realized that Amelia had released her hand and had walked to the front door. Lyra’s face flushed as she straightened herself out and entered the house.

Amelia, Emily, thank you both, but you may go. The twins froze to the spot and quickly lowered their head in respect. Lyra’s eyes followed the sound of the young yet authoritative voice to find a tall man standing in a nearby doorway. His build made it obvious he was the same dark gray wolf who had held her gaze earlier. His eyes seemed to take on the stormy look that his fur had; they were a dark chocolate brown color that arguably could have been black in the right lighting. He stood at 6’5, with broad shoulders and short blonde hair that was shorter on the sides than the top. It was a hairstyle that Lyra had noticed was rather popular among human males. The male cleared his throat, those stormy eyes staring at her expectantly.

What? Lyra looked behind her to see if anyone were there to realize he truly was staring at her, his expression cracked for a moment to show surprise before he realized she hadn’t been listening. I asked if you were hungry. Lyra blinked once. What the hell kind of question was that? She was probably a week away from starving to death.

Yeah… yeah, I am… thank you um... She trailed off, unsure of his name as he turned and began to lead the way into the house and into the dining room where a wide array of food was already waiting. Lyra’s knees shook slightly as the different smells reached her nose; she didn’t even hesitate to grab herself a seat and begin to eat without waiting to see if he would sit or give his name. Instead, he leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed, watching the starved female devour as much food as she possibly could until she was sated. After what seemed to be an hour, Lyra finally began to slow down and eventually stop to lean back and take a deep breath. The male couldn’t help but smirk, had she even been breathing while she was eating?

Your name was Lyra, right? Emily told me but there’s always a chance she could have misheard. She said that you came from the Clear Oak pack… Lyra wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as the male finally took a seat at the head of the table which seemed instinctual to him.

Yes. That is my name and that… was my pack. She swallowed hard but forced herself to maintain eye contact.

They were wiped out four years ago, I am the sole survivor of the pack. I would however like to apologize for trespassing, I truly didn’t know. There was no pack territory here previously. This time it was his turn to take a deep breath.

I’m sorry to hear about your pack, we had heard the humans had eradicated some of our brothers, but we didn’t think they would get a whole pack. He shook his head softly before lacing his fingers together.

We are originally from a more northern area, it became extremely unsafe so we moved down south here, this town was rather run down with only a few humans here or there. We decided this would make a good home for us so… we took it. Lyra frowned; this was how wars were started. This was why they were hunted in the first place. Because territorial alphas felt that it was okay to just take whatever they wanted.

Apologies, I’m Chandler. He gingerly offered his hand out to shake. Lyra observed the hand with another frown, what an odd alpha indeed. Her pack alpha was certainly not this open and kind.

Thank you for the kindness you have shown me, Alpha Chandler, I’ll be on my way now and out of your territory as soon as possible. Lyra grasped the table and pushed her chair back before Chandler reached out and grabbed her wrist to keep her from getting up. His eyes seemed to flash with another emotion, but he was good at covering it up quickly before it was readable.

Yes, I have shown you great kindness that I most certainly did not need to do. In return, you can explain what you meant when you told Emily you wouldn’t shift for her to prove you aren’t human. I am still wondering about it myself. Lyra made an attempt to pull her wrist away, but his arm didn’t budge and neither did his hand. His eyes narrowed as his grip tightened; her jaw clenched as she resisted the urge to hiss in pain.

You’re hurting me, she whispered. Lyra placed her free hand on his and tried to pry his fingers open.

Even now, you show no signs of a wolf, he growled before rising to his feet and pulling her up as well.

You beg and squirm like a human, you reek like a human, yet you claim to be one of us. Now he was beginning to act like the kind of Alphas she was used to. The dominance and anger rolling off of him at the idea that she had been trying to trick him to save her own life sprung tears to her eyes for some reason.

Alpha Chandler, please, I swear on the Moon Goddess I’m not lying. I didn’t say I wouldn’t shift, I said I couldn’t so please, it hurts. Mentioning the Moon Goddess seemed to bring a bit of hesitation to the Alpha, but clarifying what she had told Emily certainly hadn’t helped. He growled once more before finally releasing her wrist. She took quick steps back just like at the lake with her wrist held against her chest.

You aren’t going anywhere until you talk, he commanded before stalking out of the room quickly, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Lyra in the dining room.

3.

Lyra slowly rolled out her shoulders as she released her wrist and stared at the door that had been shut. Was he insinuating that she was now to be a prisoner without a cell here? She gently pressed her fingertips to her eyes to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks before taking in a slow breath. Her body felt heavier after forcing so much food into herself, and if she had a bed, she would happily fall asleep. Instead, she shook herself from the slight daze that was coming over her and approached the door. With a hand on the doorknob, she leaned forward to slowly press her ear to the door. When she didn’t hear any movement or talking on the other side, she opened it up only to find Emily on the other side with her hands on her hips and a sneer on her face.

We are having to waste our time and resources on you, she was informed, and without Emily saying it, she could tell the female would rather just kill her and be done with it. But her orders hadn’t been to do so. Emily raked her eyes along Lyra’s body; she had noticed the thinness of course of the intruder and knew she couldn’t possibly pose a threat, but humans were crafty. It could always be a trick.

Don’t just stand there! Emily snapped suddenly as she began to walk outside of the house,

Let’s go. Amelia had been waiting patiently outside; her presence was much more welcoming than her sister.

Thank you, Emily, for… well you know, not attacking me on sight. The female rolled her eyes so hard that Lyra was surprised she didn’t hear it. Amelia placed a leading hand just above Lyra’s elbow as she began to walk, bringing Lyra along with her.

Don’t mind her, she’s like this with everyone so don’t take it personally. Anyways, Alpha Chandler has instructed us to help you settle. We aren’t sure how long you are going to be here, but there is no need for your stay to be uncomfortable. You’ll be staying with us, I think we might be the same size, but it’s a bit hard to tell right now. Now it made sense as to why Emily had said it was their resources they were wasting. It really was their personal resources. Lyra glanced around; the town slowly beginning to come to life a bit more despite her arrival.

I’m not staying long, Lyra promised, to which Emily finally smiled.

Great! So, you’re gonna tell us why you won’t shift? Lyra could hear the doubt and aggression in the question given to her by Emily; they wanted proof she was human to have an excuse to kill her.

"Because I can’t," she responded simply, an innocent tilt of her head as she met Emily’s furious gaze. Amelia chuckled quietly at Lyra’s side, perhaps the girl would fit in more than they thought.

Emily is sort of right though, that is Alpha Chandler’s only term before your release. We need to know without a doubt who you are, Lyra. We know you were alone; we can assume you’ve been alone for a long time given your state, but we don’t know who’s inside. Lyra forced herself and her escorts to a stop in the middle of the street, the people walking by gazed over with curiosity but kept going, nonetheless.

If I prove I am blessed by the Moon Goddess, I can go? Emily and Amelia both nodded their heads in sync with one another. There was no need to ask the other side of the question, Amelia’s firm leading touch and Emily’s hostility was a clear enough answer. She wasn’t necessarily a prisoner, but she would be constantly watched until they knew what they needed. Lyra was about to release a hum of thought before a coughing fit captured her. She was quick to cover her mouth; despite being away from civilization for years, she did still have manners.

Come on, let’s get you inside, we have medicine at our house and a proper night’s sleep would probably do you some good. Amelia seemed to be the motherly type even to an outsider, which did its part to comfort Lyra, but odds were that was the point. It made perfect sense after all. It was easier to get information from someone comfortable rather than someone who was constantly on their guard.

*************

Lyra awoke the next morning feeling much better than she had before. Her fever had gone down, and the food in her system helped alongside the medicine the sisters had given her. She let out a soft groan as she sat up. The twins had given her the spare bedroom in their house to use; it was nothing fancy, but to her, it was the equivalent to a suite. The queen-sized bed took up a good amount of space in the room and Amelia had been kind enough to share some of her clothes as well as force Emily to share some also.

She moved slowly as she pushed the blankets off of her body and made her way to the attached bathroom, her eyes catching sight of her reflection. It was the first time in three years she had seen her reflection from something other than a water source. Her tall height emphasized the extent of her starvation. The fact that she was still alive really was shocking. Her hair that had once held thick, glossy brown waves was flat and dull, much like her eyes. Her fingers slowly traced the curve of her shoulder bone before trailing down to her elbows where she held herself for a moment. She had to stall the pack long enough to be able to get some muscle and strength back into her. If she tried to escape, she would be killed instantly; if she managed to escape, she would die slowly.

Lyra sighed before stripping down to nothing and climbing into the shower to clean herself up somewhat. She needed to be as complacent as possible here if she were going to survive. The more she could blend herself into the background, the easier it would be to slip away.

4.

It had been a little over a week since the twins had found Lyra, the time spent with the Storm Pack had helped the stranger start putting weight back on her body. She was no longer skin and bones waiting to wither away, but was now starting to fill back into her young adult body. Her body was lean from the work she had been putting in to help wherever she could; she insisted that