Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)(104)

Torin laughed, and in the same instant, leaned forward and wrapped his hands around my forearms, pulling me to a stop as he forced me to face him. “He’s not going to easily let you go. And here’s my proposition… I will fight side by side with him to win you over, and you can decide who is the best mate for you. I heard you before about choices being made for you, and I think I have enough to offer that I’ll gladly take my chances competing with Jax.”

My eyes were so wide now that I was genuinely worried about my eyeballs falling right the fuck out of my head. I’d never seen Torin like this—so open and vulnerable. Wearing his emotions on his face.

My disbelief must have shone through like a spotlight.

“I know I’ve done very little to convince you of this, but I’ve changed in the past year,” he said softly. “Got my priorities straight. Faced a few hard truths that I’d been shielded from in my youth.

I’m not the same shifter or man you knew, Mera. I am many steps closer to being worthy of you. Just give me a chance to prove it.”

My wolf howled, and she wanted to take the chance because this was our true mate. The one who would complete our souls in a way no other ever could. But I didn’t trust this new Torin, no matter what he was saying. There was still so much unsaid, so many secrets, and I had zero idea what had happened to Dannie.

Not to mention, part of me was still waiting for Shadow to make his appearance. Maybe stupidly, but it was what it was.

Swallowing down my softer emotions, I pulled away from the alpha. “It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than perfect words, Torin,” I said shortly, my voice trembling despite my resolution to not be affected. “I’m also not the same shifter I was a year ago, and now, you’re going to have one hell of a job proving your worth.”

He smiled, and for once, it was not a smirk. “Challenge accepted, sweetheart. You’re going to be wooed like you’ve never been before.”

My heart fluttered again, but I shut that bitch down. We had a mission, and I would not be deterred from it, no matter what happened. Torin might have turned over a new leaf, but I had my doubts. Did a wolf ever really change their pelt? Would I be around long enough to find out?





57

My afternoon with Torin was enlightening, and honestly, if there hadn’t been many years of fucked-up history between us, I’d have been charmed as hell by the alpha of Torma. He did seem different: mature, calm, and intuitive. He’d done some real growing up since his father’s death had thrust him into the position of alpha, but I was apparently not a forgiving sort of chick, because my burning anger was still an endless pool he’d barely dented.

But I didn’t completely hate the day.

Torin had stayed with me right up until the end of dinner before excusing himself, saying he had pack business to deal with. I just smiled and nodded, not bothering to hold him up. This was a great sign. It meant the meeting was a go, and I just had to wait for Simone’s text. She’d sent one earlier with “on it” and an emoji as the content. No doubt being vague in case either of our phones fell into the wrong hands.

Torin left me in the pack house, which had been empty for most of the day but was now filled with enforcers, who were no doubt here to keep track of me. This new development would make it a touch harder to escape, but I had a lot of experience slipping in and out of this place, and I knew some exits that I was fairly certain none of these meatheads would be aware of. It would be fine, as long as Simone sent the location to me ASAP.

A few minutes before 8:00 P.M., my phone buzzed in my pocket. I wasn’t alone, so I didn’t even react. Instead, I spent another five minutes chatting to everyone who had greeted me like I was a long-lost valued member of this pack. Not the one they’d all tried to break at one point or another.

Luckily, I was an excellent actor because none of my hatred for them made an appearance.

With a phone burning in my pocket, I eventually yawned my way to bed. When I’d said I wanted to go to Torin’s room, I got satisfied grins from some of his sycophants. Easy to see who was on Team Torin. Unfortunately for him, I was on Team Mera, and I’d be doing whatever the fuck was best for me. Gotta love yourselves first, ladies.

Three shifters escorted me to his room, and I noted that almost all of them were male. This wasn’t how it usually worked—females were just as tough as the men and often had positions in security, but Torin was clearly rocking the dick club during his reign.

Probably something Sisily had insisted on. Except… she was MIA, just like Dannie. Some serious shit had gone down in my absence, and I was going to have to work overtime to catch up on all the news.

As soon as I was safely secured in Torin’s room, I ripped the phone out to find four words from Simone. School. Theater. Fifteen minutes. Right, well that was going to take me at least fifteen minutes to sprint to in human form, but if I went as a wolf, I’d get there in half the time.

As I started to plan, I sent a return text to Simone. Be there in ten. Distraction first.

Her reply was instant. Distraction forthcoming.

I paused. Well, that would make this even easier if I didn’t have to figure out both steps of my plan. Simone had more than a few little tricks in her fur, so I’d let her have the shot first.

To prepare, I searched through Torin’s room, finding a small backpack that I used to hold a set of clothing, making sure it was zipped up tight—wolves struggled with zippers. By the time I was prepped, Simone had come through with a distraction, the perimeter alarms blaring in the distance. I knew how the enforcers worked, though, so first I crawled into bed, fully dressed as I pretended to be half-asleep. The door slammed open, and I jerked upright, blinking as I rubbed my eyes against the light. “What’s happening?” I cried, clutching the sheets to my chest, just like a damsel in distress.