Shift by Emily Zimmerman. (ebook reader for laptop txt) 📕

to the rest” Maria said to me, looking at Jenna with so much care. I nodded and took Jenna down the halls to corridor one, and down to the room that no one has been allowed to occupy, they’ve been waiting for Jenna to come home I guess. I opened the door and looked around the room; it was painted sky blue, with a full bed and a dresser sitting across from each other. Posters and pictures were strewn across the wall, and a small window was looking out over the forest, it was one O clock in the morning, so it was dark. I carried her to the bed, and gently shifted her to one arm. Pulling the covers back, I set her on the bed, pulling the covers over her. She shifted to her side, sighing in her sleep. I wanted to kiss her so bad, at least kiss her forehead, but I couldn’t, afraid she would wake and find me out, I would have to tell her that she was my mate, she would never want to speak to me again, thinking I was some weirdo. So I just stroked her cheek softly with my hand, she smiled in her sleep, making it harder to resist kissing her. I got up and left the room, closing the door softly. “hi Drake” I jumped at the sound of her voice. I turned to Ley with wide eyes “Ley! You scared the shit out of me!” I scolded. She was leaning casually on the door “that’s a first” she muttered, narrowing her eyes at me. Ley is my friend, though she thinks were more than that, she thinks were mates-to-be or something. “Who was that?” she asked, pointing to the door. I started walking down the hall “that’s Jenna Lamer, she is the daughter of head masters Laurence and Maria” I informed her. She paused for a second, shock hitting her “well, what were you doing in there? I could swear I saw you touch her cheek” she said accusingly. I smirked and said nothing; Ley gasped “are you kidding me? I am your mate Drake! Your mate!” she told me. I stopped and looked at her “do you even know what having a mate feels like?” I asked her
“yes, you are my mate Drake” she said, getting close to me, touching my chest. I grabbed her hand, not roughly, but as gently as I could, and put it down at her side “Ley, I love you, but as a friend, you are like family to me, but you are not my mate, Jenna is” I murmured to her.

Chapter five. Premature. (Jenna’s P.O.V)
I awoke to speaking outside my door; it got fainter as if they were walking as they spoke. I got quietly out of bed and opened my door, I saw Drake with a girl, probably my age. “What were you doing in there? I could swear you were touching her cheek” the girl said. I walked to into the hallway, looking around the corner, Drake said nothing, and I could tell he was smirking. I gasped silently, putting my hand to my cheek. I heard Ley gasp “are you kidding me? I am your mate Drake! Your mate!” she said, looking outraged. I felt something flow through me, pain? Or was it jealousy? It seemed a little of both. I almost turned and ran back into the room, but Drake stopped and turned to her “do you even know what a mate feels like?” he asked.
“Yes, you are my mate” she put a hand on his chest. He took it off, more gently then I expected, and put it back down by her side. “Ley, I love you-“again, more pain and jealousy “- but as a friend, you are like family to me, but not my mate, Jenna is” those words shocked me more than getting told I was going to be an animal tomorrow night, more than being told I was going to leave my mother, more than being told she wasn’t really my mother. This also made me feel confusingly happy and joyful ‘why do I feel like this? I have only just met him, and I don’t even know what a mate means, but now I am feeling like someone just hit me with a joy-potion, and slapped me in the face with shock’ I thought to myself. Ley had tears in her eyes as she walked away. “Wait, Ley, please don’t be mad” he called after her. He was rubbing the back of his neck guiltily, the same way he did when I told him my father died. He turned around, and I hid back behind the wall, I quickly but quietly went into my room, closing the door and jumping into my bed. Drake walked past my room, seeming to go into a room right beside it. I got up from the bed, walking quietly to the door; I opened it, wanting a little time to explore. I walked quietly out into the corridors, looking around at the big place; I was wide awake tonight after hearing what Drake said. I ran a hand through my thick blonde hair as I thought about it. Does he love me? He couldn’t, we only just met. Being a mate has to mean something else. But then again, an animal’s mate is one that you mate with, and for penguins its mating for life. But I am not a penguin, at least, I don’t think. I chuckled at the thought of me turning into a fierce penguin. But something Laurence said came to mind “you only become the fiercest of animals” he said to me. I tried to think of what I would become, Drake told me he was a lion, it makes sense, he has blonde hair, and these bright green eyes. ‘Wait, don’t I have blonde hair, and bright green eyes?’ I thought to myself. ‘maybe I’m a lion’ I thought with a smile. I walked towards two glass doors; they looked out upon a balcony with tables and chairs. I walked out onto the balcony looking out at the forest, it was beautiful, with trees everywhere, and a beautiful ocean, I could see something in the trees, moving from one tree to the other. I looked closer, it was a monkey! A very small one, moving through the trees, it looked like a lemur. It was so pretty, with a white and black striped body all the way down to its tail. I smiled at I watched it move expertly through the trees in the moonlight. “what are you doing out here Jenna?” I heard Drakes soft voice from behind me. It startled me, and I whirled around, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you” he apologized at once. He didn’t seem angry, just curious as to what I was doing out here at this hour. I looked around, trying to find an explanation for me being out here “I- I uh, I couldn’t sleep” I said finally. He seemed amused “you were sleeping just fine when I left you in your room” he said. The vague memory of waking up in his arms came back to me, and my cheeks warmed “well, I woke up, and I couldn’t go back to sleep” I said, scratching the back of my head nervously. He cocked his head to the side slightly “you seem nervous” he said. I sighed, turning back around and looking out at the forest “I’m fine, you can go back to sleep, I just wanted to explore that’s all” I said quietly. He walked over and stood beside me, not looking at the forest, but looking at me. I searched for the Lemur, but it was gone. “Jenna? Is there something wrong?” he asked. I looked away from his gaze “no, just go back to bed, I’d like to have some time alone to think” I said quietly. He touched my arm “Jenna, I’m not just here to be your bodyguard, I’m here to be your friend, under my own choice, you can tell me anything if anything is wrong, I just want you to know that” he said, his touch on my arm made me look him in the eye. I looked away again ‘could I ask him about what happened tonight? No, I wouldn’t want him to think I was crazy, so I’ll ask him something different’
“Drake, what does a mate mean?” I asked him. He visibly stiffened “why do you ask?” he asked me. I shrugged “Maria was talking to me about it, she said that William has his mate, and that she hopes I would find mine soon” I lied. Drake nodded, relaxing “oh, well, a mate is the one you spend the rest of your life with, when you shift, you have another half that you need to find, some find their mate immediately, some don’t find them for years, and some don’t find them at all” he said, staring at me strangely. So this is what I am to Drake, I’m the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with? “And when I shift, what do you think I’ll be?” I asked. He shrugged “my guess is a lion, you have blonde hair, and bright green eyes, so that is my number one guess” he said. I nodded; this is exactly what I thought. “Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?” he asked curiously about.
“yes” I said hesitantly. He nodded, not really believing me. “well, you should get some rest, you have got a big day tomorrow” he said. I chuckled “you act as if I have a wedding” I said. He chuckled “okay, well good-“I was cut off by a stabbing pain in my stomach. I fell to the ground on my knees, clutching my stomach “what is going on?” I choked out. The pain proceeded to shoot through my limbs. “oh my god! You’re shifting prematurely, we have to get you in the chamber now!” he picked me up, me crying out in pain as he did it. “What…does….what does that mean?” I choked out, the pain intensifying. “We have had cases like this, where the person changes before the time of their birthday” he said.
“does-“ I stopped to cough “does it always feel like this?” I asked, gasping for breath.
“the pain is normal, but you will still go into rage, and I need to get us into a chamber” he said, running at an incredible speed down the hall. We were going down the stairs, people were coming out of their rooms “get the head masters!” he shouted as he ran down the stairs. We came to a large door, and he pushed it open, Maria and Laurence appeared beside us “were here, she is changing?” they asked. Drake nodded as he sat me down on the floor on the far wall. “Close the door and secure it tight” he told them both. They closed the door, and I heard the lock seal it. He changed into a large male lion, standing in front of the door. The pain in my limbs was unbearable, I was forced on my hands and knees, and my scream turned into a roar, a huge roar emanated from the room. My human mind was gone, I was trapped behind the eyes of a beast, and I couldn’t control it. I roared at Drake, the killing instinct was so strong that it overpowered anything else. I started running, trying to hit the door with my body, but Drake blocked me from the door. I started running so fast that I was running on the walls. “Jenna, listen to me, you have to get control, you have to gain control of your body” I heard Drakes voice.
“How? I can’t even control my emotions!” I asked him.