Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)(100)

My wolf growled, the sound deeper than any I’d ever made before as she tapped into a base anger simmering for years inside of us. If these two fucks weren’t careful, I would bring the entirety of the Shadow Realm down on our heads in my fury.

“What do you want from us?” Torin pushed, a stupid smirk on his face. “What if I give you something first to show how serious I am about cementing the bond?”

I needed to be back in human form so I could yell at them, but that would leave me naked in front of these two assholes, and then I’d have a whole new set of problems.

Thankfully, before I had to choose between a rock and a hard place, someone new arrived, tearing across the grass, clothing in hand, and tears streaming down her face. Simone dropped down in front of me, her face shattered, her hands trembling as she held the clothing out toward me.

“I can make your life better than you could ever imagine,” Torin said, and when I tore my eyes from my friend, it was to find him all smug and secure in his amazingness. Thinking he had me exactly where he wanted me by dangling my best friend in front of me.

Worst part was, he was right. I would give up a lot for this moment with Simone. A lot.

“We’ll leave you to catch up,” Jaxson said, knowing me far better than Torin could ever hope to.

My independence had always been important, even before my family had fucked our place in the pack, and I hated being hovered over.

Torin wanted to argue, but when Jaxson uttered something close to his ear, he let out a sigh and followed his friend without further disagreement. When they were out of sight, the energy holding me eased so I could change back. I pulled on the sweats Simone had brought for me, my body and hands shaking as I fought to get my shit together.

“Mera,” she breathed, still on her knees in the middle of the pack field. It was like she couldn’t quite make her legs work, shock rendering her motionless.

With my heart slamming against my chest, the intensity of this moment even stronger than I’d expected, I dropped to my knees as well. I had no idea how this was all going to go. Despite her dark locks, Simone had the temper of a redhead, just like me, and she was likely to react one of two ways: either she’d lose her shit and scream at me until she passed out. Or she’d— She launched herself forward, her arms wrapping tightly around me as sobs choked her. “They told me you were alive,” she spluttered, “but I don’t trust any of those bastards.”

I returned her hug with just as much force, if not more, breathing in her scent, the aniseed particularly strong today. Before I knew it, both of us were bawling our eyes out and trying to talk at a million miles an hour.

“I’ve missed you so much!”

“Been the longest year without you!”

“Going to kill those fucking shifters!”

“How could you leave me here with them!”

On and on, until we got most of our anger and angst out, all while never letting go of the other.

When the tears finally subsided, we sprawled back side by side, and I took my first real breath since I’d been stolen away from Shadow. A deep, cleansing sort of inhale.

“I can’t stay here,” I told her quietly. “I have missed you every single day, worried about you, and cried because I wasn’t sure I’d see you again, but not even for you will I stay in Torma with this pack.”

Simone’s face was fierce. “I would never expect that. I’m more than willing to leave here forever.

Even my parents… They refused to do anything to help me find you. Not one thing!”

I reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly. “You’re the best friend I could have ever hoped for.

You’ve stuck by me through so much bullshit that honestly, I can never repay you. But this journey I’m on now….” I sighed. “It’s dangerous and I don’t want you to regret the decision to come with me. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Simone straightened, gesturing to the near-perfect braid in her hair. “If I can learn to braid my hair, I can do any freaking thing. I’ve shifted twice now. I’m vibing well with my wolf. You don’t have to worry about me.”

She didn’t understand. She would never be able to understand unless she experienced the world as I had in the past year. Shadow’s life was not for the faint of heart, and as much as she was full of fire and bravado, my friend had been more sheltered than me. She’d been babied by her parents, no matter how much she was hating on them right now.

I couldn’t steal her away, even if that was what she thought she wanted today.

“I love you,” I said. “And right now, I have no choice but to stay because I don’t know how to open the doorway to the library, but when I figure it out, I’ll be gone. I’m helping Shadow with something fairly important, and he can’t do it without me.”

She blinked at me. “Shadow?”

Fuck. How did I explain this to her?

“Shadow Beast,” I started, “is not exactly as the tales say. He’s definitely scary and powerful.

He’s alpha, more than a little possessive, and multiple times over the past year, I’ve dreamed of stabbing him in the chest. But there’s also something… more about him. A deeper destiny that I didn’t expect. He’s surprisingly noble and good—when you’re not pissing him off.”