Mated to the Alpha and His Beta novel

Chapter 473 Stella

Even though I'd known that everything Abba and I had talked about made sense, I'd held out a small hope that interacting with the people of Constantine wouldn't be so...freaking...weird.

Everyone had been super nice, whether they were talking to me or about me. There'd been a few who'd touched me, though. Even if it was just my sleeve, it was odd to be such an object of attention. My mom had noticed it, too, but she hadn't said much about it. She'd been caught up with my bratty siblings. I was kind of glad for their fussing. Her lack of attention had let me pick out a bunch of different outfits that I wasn't sure Mom would have approved of.

I stared at myself in the mirror wearing one of those outfits right now. The jeans were loose around the waist and the butt. Even the legs were a little loose, and also too long. They'd drag on the ground if I didn' roll them up. The blouse I'd picked out was of sheer fabric printed with flowers in bold colors of red, purple, green, teal, and black. It had flowy sleeves and a high neck-but the see-through cloth made it sexy. Well, at least I hoped it was sexy. I really had no idea what that meant beyond the sound of the word. As long as I'd been aware of my mom's clothing, she'd favored practical, well-fitting jeans, boots, and T- shirts, or long, flowy skirts and dresses.

I lifted my chin. This outfit wasn't quite right for Stella Constantine. It didn't fit, and it wasn't a style that I felt matched my personality.

But for Elleah Whitehaven? These jeans were going to make her ass look amazing.

Shifters who changed into wolves or dragons or any number of other creatures had to expend energy to access their inner beasts. They didn't have to focus hard on becoming their animals, because their internal companion was as much a part of them as their very souls. Still, the change took effort, even if it was an unconscious one. It ate up bodily resources. For some, like dragon shifters, it meant a period of recovery time to compensate for the enormous changes in mass from dragon to human form.

The kind of transformation I was undertaking didn't take anywhere near that kind of effort or energy. Although I'd never done it before, I knew I could access my shapeshifter gifts...I just needed a little bit of practice. First, to decide what I wanted to look like. And then, to hold that form in place no matter what else I was doing.

If I thought being a Celestial freaked people out, I didn't want to think about what would happen if I was talking to someone and I forgot to keep my eyes the right color...or in the right place.

Also, deciding on a face and body was an important decision, and one I didn't want to rush. If I was really going to embark on this grand new adventure, I wanted to make sure I did it looking like someone I could feel comfortable being for as long as I had to be her.

Abba had pointed out that looking like a different person was going to give me the chance to meet people as someone they didn't think they already knew. So. Who was she?

A blonde? Brunette? Ginger? Did she wear her hair in long waves or tight curls? Was she blue-eyed, or green, or brown, or something totally wild, like purple?

I was giddy with the possibilities as I watched my face go through every change as I thought of it. My body, too. Big breasts, thick thighs, wide hips, narrow waist... When the body filled out the clothes I'd chosen to perfection, I stopped.

I ended up with longer legs, but a slightly thicker waist. A bigger butt and bust, but my face was fuller, too. Long golden curls reached to the small of my back, giving me plenty to play with. I settled on gray-blue eyes rimmed with thick lashes that looked natural but would pop with the right amount of mascara.

Elleah Whitehaven was pretty, but not beautiful. She'd blend into a crowd of other regular people, not much to stand out or call attention...but she wasn't ugly, either. When I used "her" mouth to smile, she looked...

Nice.

Normal.

She looked like someone I'd like to get to know.

More importantly, she looked like someone I'd like to be.

I paused for a moment to close my newly colored eyes and send up a message to the Moon Goddess. I asked her to help me make the right choices. To serve her will, but also, I asked for her blessing as I ventured out and tried to learn how to live. In return, I got a sense of peace and comfort, which I took as her blessing.

I opened my eyes. I smoothed my blouse. I practiced Elleah's smile until it felt natural, like my own.

Now all I had to do was try it out on someone else.