Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)(10)

Praise the Shadow Beast, I legitimately did not need one more worry. My wolf would not be wild. Say it enough and it must be true.

When I was done loading the food staples for the week, I waited to check out, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. An uneasy chill traced down my spine a few times, and for a moment, I thought I caught sight of a familiar face, but when I looked again, it was just Tom, who worked for his father in the hardware store a few buildings over.

He smiled awkwardly at me when our eyes met, and I returned that smile. He was a nice-looking guy, not much older than me, with golden brown eyes and perfect teeth, but there was no way I could ever date a human. Even if they wouldn’t be freaked out of their fucking minds when I ate more than them, could bench six hundred pounds, and growled at random annoyances, I’d also live for many more years than they would.

And outliving someone you loved was my idea of torture.

“Sixty-eight dollars and twenty-two cents,” Claudia, the ancient lady behind the checkout, trilled.

“And you’re looking a little peaky, dear. You should get some of the special chicken soup Earl made.”

Claudia was third generation born here—her family had migrated from Haiti many decades ago— and she knew absolutely everything about everyone… except me, of course. She spoke a million miles an hour, running her sentences together and meshing multiple thoughts in one, all the while grilling you for personal information. But there was no denying her husband Earl made a mean chicken soup.

“Sure,” I said with a nod, picking up one of the takeout containers. “How much extra?”

Claudia smiled, her pink lipstick smeared on her teeth, as always. “Free today, sweetheart. You need a little home cooking.”

“Thank you,” I said, dropping the correct cash into her hands and gathering up my couple of bags.

“Have a nice afternoon.”

She smiled at me, her eyes shrewd as she examined me closer. “You too, dear. You too.”

Needing to get away from her prying eyes and the continuing uncomfortable sensation of being watched, I hurried out and didn’t look back. There was a decent chance my new paranoid personality was simply a side effect of my impending first shift—it was next to impossible to tell how each shifter would react coming up to their first shift. But there was always a plethora of personality changes in that time.

At least if I was feeling this way due to the shift, there was no stalker on my ass, and I could stop anticipating an ambush at any point. Would be nice to relax for a few days.

The wind picked up on the long walk home, and by the time I got back into the cabin, I was half-frozen. The thought of a fire to warm the room was enough to have me putting in the effort to light a decent one, and when it was roaring away, I even cooked my dinner over the flames.

Rare steak didn’t take long to perfect anyway, and I mostly enjoyed the added smoky flavor the fire produced. When I finally crawled into bed, after setting my alarm for an early start at the diner, I wondered if this was going to be my life forever. Alone. Books and fire and food my only comfort.

I mean, as fucked-up as it was, this was still better than being in Torma.

Just had to survive my first shift, because it’d be super shitty if I died before I ever even got to live.

I ARRIVED EARLY to work the next day after a shitty, restless sleep. Thanks to Ms. Wolf scraping at my skin like she was an actual physical animal trapped inside, and not just a sliver of my own soul.

“Lucy!”

Tessie Johanson hugged me as I walked through the door, and this time, I didn’t even flinch. Tessie was another full-time waitress, and she had flaming red hair, but unlike mine, hers wouldn’t be red for long. She changed her hair color as much as I changed my clothes, and I had no clue what her natural shade was.

She was also a hugger, and it had taken some getting used to, but now I kind of liked it.

“I’ve missed you this week,” she said, even though it had only been a couple of days since we’d been on shift together. “We’re supposed to be in for a busy day today with the festival in town.”

I smiled, stashing my bag and jacket in the small cubbies. “That’s fantastic. I could use a little extra cash.”

She smirked, following me as I got my apron out. “Hells yeah, me too. The purple I’m getting for my hair next is going to take three sessions with Mark. He’s the best, but dude costs bank.” Her lips twitched. “Are you sure you don’t want to get a trim? I can book us an appointment together.”

I snorted as we entered the main diner room to start our shifts. “I’ve told you, food before hair. I don’t have the money to waste, but I can’t wait to see the purple you choose.”

She sighed, wistfully staring at the long, braided mess down my back. “Your hair is the most amazing natural color I’ve ever seen. Mark would legitimately kill his mother for a chance to get his hands on it. He’d probably do it for free.” Her face lit up. “I’m going to ask him.”

Before I could protest, she had hurried off to her section, and I got to work on mine. As predicted, there was no lull all day, and I found out about the carnival and food festival that was moving through the town over the next week, bringing in a ton of visitors.

“You have to check it out!” an overly enthusiastic, ten-year-old boy told me. “They have rides and toys and cotton candy.”