Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 1)

Sisily, true to nature, lunged forward, but while my hands were linked to the post, my feet were free as a daisy to kick her right in the gut. She’d been hellbent on revenge, her attack sloppy at best, giving me the perfect opening to hit her hard.

For the second time, she flew across Torin’s room, and when she got to her feet, she stood there shuddering like she’d almost lost control of her wolf and was about to shift.

New shifters couldn’t change on command yet; that would come with practice and control. But we could lose ourselves to the wolf if pushed far enough.

“I’m going to make sure he kills you.” She coughed, her smile brittle and broken, just like her words. “You’re nothing. He’s hated you for as many years as he’s loved me.” She had to swallow hard before continuing. “Make your peace with today. It’s the last you’ll have here.”

An expert at fake smiling, I managed to lift my hand high enough to flip her off. “If I have to choose between seeing your face again and death, well… I mean, that’s not even a choice.” I tilted my head back and shouted as loudly as I could. “Shadow Beast, get your ass over here and take my soul to the underworld.”

As our creator, we assumed he existed in the land where shifters go after death, and since Sisily was determined to send me to my maker today, I’d give her an extra hand.

She looked spooked for the first time. “What the fuck are you doing? You know better than to call him here.” She backed away, muttering something about a crazy-ass shifter and then she sprinted from the room.

Wow. If I’d known that was all it took to scare her away, I’d have tried to summon him long ago.

Just as I had that thought, a trickle of icy energy traced down my spine. Subtle at first, it was only enough to bring the fine hairs on my body to a stand. My wolf stirred, the first real energy she’d shown since our shift. We’d both been mourning and depressed, on the inside, at least.

What is it? I mentally asked, but she couldn’t really answer me. In this form, she was just instinct and I was the brains. A hush grew across the room, and with it came a sense of panic. Pressing down on me, urging me to run. It wasn’t a natural instinct. This was being exacted over me, like an alpha’s will. But it was so much stronger.

Yanking hard at my restraints, I fought harder than ever to get free, but the reinforced steel was unbreakable. Before my eyes, the light slithered from the room. There was no other way I could describe the event, but I would swear that was what happened.

The existing slivers of light were slowly replaced with darkness, like a candle being snuffed out. What in the…? It was freaking midday, at the latest—far too early for nightfall.

And when had night ever fallen in mere seconds like that?

I stilled, and whatever noises had been in the pack house died off too. The only sound I could hear now was a dripping tap in a downstairs bathroom. Drip, drip, drip. A steady thud that was all that stood between me and total silence. The darkness was complete now, and even with shifter vision, I was having trouble seeing anything inside Torin’s room.

Was there a solar eclipse I hadn’t heard about?

Such an event was usually big news in the packs because it affected our shifter cycles. It was a stretch to think one just arrived without notice.

My breath puffed out as the air grew chilly.

Not good. My instincts were still screaming at me, even if that unnatural fear had thankfully faded to a manageable level.

Where the hell was everyone?

I jerked on my wrists again and again, until they were raw and bleeding. Healing kicked in pretty fast, and eventually, I stopped wasting my energy, focusing instead on my wolf. Calling her did nothing—either she was too exhausted or there was something extra in these cuffs weakening her. Which left us in a shit ton of trouble. Whatever was going on, I did not like facing it chained and vulnerable.

The door swung open, and as the familiar forest scent hit me, I was actually relieved. “Mera,” he hissed.

“What are you doing here, asshole?” I snapped, too rattled for my usual sarcastic apathy.

Jaxson didn’t answer, instead choosing to grope me in a search for my hands. I didn’t argue or fight him because I wanted out of here more than anything. A second later, there was a snap of my cuffs and I was free.

Rubbing at my wrists, I got to my feet, my brain already in survival mode.

Earlier, when it had been light in here, I’d noticed some of Torin’s clothes on the floor, so I felt around until I found them, dressing immediately. Wearing his possibly used clothes was gross as fuck, but being naked in this sort of situation was way worse. It might only be a shirt and pair of sleep shorts, but at least I was covered.

“What is happening in the pack house?” I whispered once I was dressed.

Jaxson moved closer; his scent stronger without other stimuli to distract me.

“I have no idea,” he said in a rush. “It hit when I was driving back from town. I could literally see the lights disappear, an all-encompassing darkness taking its place. Even my car lights went out.”

Saying this was bad was a vast understatement. “How did you know I was here?”

He stopped moving. “Your scent. I could find you anywhere, Sunny.”

Jesus. Fuck.

Those were not words used lightly by shifters. Scent meant a lot to us and committing someone’s to memory was more than just normal pack behavior. It was mate behavior.

Memories of his wolf frolicking with mine hit me, the joy we’d both felt at the time, but those moments would never be strong enough to drown out the rest. Never.

“Could this have something to do with what you did earlier?” he asked seriously. “When you froze everyone with your howl? When you found out Torin was your… true mate?”

He almost choked over those last words, and it was clear he didn’t like this twist in fate. Me either, dude. Me. Either.

“What did you do on the field?” he pushed for more information.

Right. That thing. Not to mention the other thing he had no idea about, where I could apparently see shadows and touch them.

“I honestly have no idea,” I finally said. “I’ve been locked in this room since then, so whatever happened probably doesn’t have to do with me.” Right?

“We should investigate.”

He grabbed my hand, and I yanked my fingers free.

His wolf growled, low and menacing, not liking my reaction. “What the fuck, Mera?” Jaxson hissed.

Reaching out, I wrapped his shirt in my hand, jerking him closer to me. “What the fuck? Seriously? You’re what the fucking me? What’s your game, Jaxson? You’ve treated me like shit for the last ten years, but now, out of nowhere, you’re acting like we’re friends. Call me cynical, but something stinks in the Heathcliffe household.” I lowered my voice. “Hint: it’s you.”

Jaxson shook his head. I couldn’t see it, but I heard the movement and was close enough to feel the air shift around us. “You left.” His voice was brittle. “I thought I’d be happy about that, finally having you away from me and out of my head. I hoped for it for years, to stop the torment.”

Ouch. “I left—”

“You left me,” he said, interrupting, “and my wolf lost his fucking mind. We’ve barely shifted since you disappeared, and it was only when you returned that he’s relaxed enough to let me in. Apparently, you’re pack.” He took another pause. “To both of us.”

I swallowed down the angry, pissed-off, mean-as-fuck comment I wanted to make, and instead pushed back on where my hand was still tangled in his shirt. “It’s too late, Jax,” I said stiffly. “We can’t come back from this.”

Sad silence met my statement, and I wondered if we were both thinking the same thing: there was too much water under the bridge, and if we stumbled into past feelings, we might drown.