Finding Claude (Wintermoon Shorts #3)

by Tessa Stone

There was a time when my father aligned with the dragon shifters against King Amir, but when he learned the king wasn’t to blame, he couldn’t bring himself to follow through. He refused to send my brothers and the young males of the clan to take part in a revenge that wasn’t justified. Instead, he urged the young clan to flee to the mountains. My mother? She stayed behind. She went into labor with me just as the women and children were sent off, and her bond to my father was too strong for her to leave his side. Sometimes I hate that she handed me over to my brothers. That she chose to stay behind with my father, dying beside him during his execution. She named me Claudia, but growing up as the only girl in a clan of male dragon shifters, my name didn’t stay Claudia for long. They butchered it. Masculinized it. I get it; they didn’t know any better. My brothers raised me to the best of their ability, full of love and good intentions. But there’s a gap they’ll never fill. Femininity. It’s a part of me I’ve never fully understood. Since Lauren came into our lives, I notice it more. I watch her—the way she carries herself so naturally, so effortlessly. It radiates from her, the ease with which she embraces her femininity. It’s like breathing for her. And I wonder… how can I be like that? I’m not her. I’m a tomboy through and through. Dresses? Not happening. Makeup? Nope. My hair? I keep it short, brushed back, simple. It’s who I am, and I’m fine with it. Comfortable, even. Bu...