Page 1 of Shifter Marked and Claimed

CHAPTER 1

LUCY

“Mommy!”

The blood curdling scream cut through the night’s air. My heart raced as I shot out of bed and ran down the hall.

Vada was thrashing in her bed still asleep. Night terrors. She’d been battling them ever since our rescue and it slayed me to see her tiny form in such agony.

I picked her up and held her to me. It took some force as she shook and kicked out.

“Shh. Mommy’s here. You’re okay, Vada. You’re safe.”

I gently rocked her as I spoke soothing words until her body went still, almost lifeless.

The first time that had happened I had freaked out. I was a complete mess for days afterwards. I knew now it was just part of the process.

My daughter didn’t get these terrors every night, but when she did it was generally a long night for the both of us.

I carefully laid her back down on her bed and tucked the covers around her as tears streamed down my face. In the big scheme of things, this had been an easy one. It sometimes took hours to settle her, not minutes. It was sad to say that tonight had been a rare treat.

I sat on the floor next to her bed watching and waiting. I was certain she would start up again, but after an hour of peaceful sleep, I got up and walked back to my own bed.

Tomorrow was supposed to be a fresh start for us. She was supposed to start a new school in the morning. Her first day at daycare while I hunted for a job, even if it was just a temporary one.

Looking at the clock on the wall, I wasn’t sure that was going to happen now. It was three in the morning, and I knew I wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. I never did after an episode like this.

Being in a new pack was harder than I expected. The smells were different, and San Marco was extremely quiet, especially at this hour.

When I had spoken to Kelsey, the Pack Mother, about moving here, we had agreed to a trial period. Six months. That’s all I had committed to.

I knew Kelsey’s mate, Kyle Westin, was a powerful but fair Alpha. He cared about shifters and not just his wolves. Westin Pack had become a sanctuary to other shifter types too.

I didn’t relish being in a pack again. I hadn’t had the best experiences with them in the past and Kyle understood that. I wasn’t ready to give my allegiance to him. Still, he let us stay and for that I was extremely grateful because here, I knew without a doubt, we were safe.

We hadn’t been safe for a long time. I feared that Vada’s night terrors were a result of that and I hated that I couldn’t protect her from them.

Vada had been born into captivity. I didn’t know who her biological father was, just a turkey baster of some sort I suppose. As far as I knew she was my biological daughter, but they had run so many experiments on me that I couldn’t even be certain of that.

None of it mattered though. Vada was my daughter and that was the end of the story. I would battle to the death anyone who tried to say otherwise.

Our original pack wouldn’t even let us return because of the stories that had surfaced of what had gone on inside the Raglan research facilities. Some of it I knew was true, but a lot was just made up bullshit.

After being rescued from the Raglan we returned to our pack in New York. I had family there and they were happy to see me, but terrified of my little girl. Even my mother turned her back on us so I had taken my daughter and run far away. Life in the packs weren’t necessarily safe for her. There was too much concern and fear over the experiments that had been performed inside the Raglan labs, especially to the children.

In truth, I didn’t know what it meant for Vada’s future, but the one certainty she would always have is my unconditional love and support. I would do anything for my daughter, and I had, many times, while held in captivity.

I couldn’t think about that now. I’d done what I had to do to protect her. I knew that unlike some of the less fortunate kids, aside from the lab work, they had largely left Vada alone. I couldn’t let myself regret that, not ever.

Exhausted I collapsed onto my bed. My eyes had barely closed when I heard her tiny voice.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“I go potty.”

I sighed as I pulled the covers back and climbed out of bed. My limbs felt heavy with exhaustion already setting in.

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