Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)(18)

I waited for Jaxson to argue with her, laying out in detail how my father’s treason had doused the Callahan name in shame, and that we all must suffer for it. Only… he didn’t.

His eyes met mine over her head. “She’s awake if you want to talk to her.” His voice was grim.

Dannie, no doubt, had already known I was awake. She took an extra moment to stare Jaxson down before she spun and made her way across to the bars. “Hey, sweet girl,” she said with a gentle smile, crouching down to my eye level. “I missed you.”

Guilt hit me hard. “I’m an asshole,” I choked out, pushing myself up, thankful my head wasn’t pounding quite as hard.

Dannie laughed. “Yep. Total asshole. You’re just lucky you weren’t around Simone when you first left. The mouth on that girl…”

A burst of laughter escaped me, followed by a groan as the pounding surged back with vengeance.

When I was in a sitting position, I rubbed at my head, desperate for water to wash the dry taste from my mouth.

A bottle slid across the floor toward me, hitting my thigh. Lifting it, I found one of Dannie’s special concoctions. She called it an energy drink, making it for me when I was down, and while it tasted like ass, it was totally worth it for the results.

“I thought you might need a pick-me-up before tonight,” she said softly, her eyes darting to where Jaxson was still standing, arms crossed as he watched us both closely.

Trusting her, I unscrewed the top and downed the entire contents in one large gulp. The chicory flavor was a little saltier than usual, but as always, I just plugged my nose and chugged it. Almost immediately, the pounding in my head eased, and my eyesight was no longer doubled.

“You’re a witch,” I teased, sighing at the relief.

Usually, Dannie laughed with me when I called her that, but this time, she just smiled. A slow, secretive smile, and not for the first time, I wondered how much we truly knew about Dannie the wanderer.

“Rest up, my dear,” she added before she turned away. “I’ll see you for the shift tonight.”

Jaxson cleared his throat. “Solstice shifts are exclusive for alphas and betas only.”

Dannie wrinkled her nose at him. “Did I ask for your input? Did I even look in the direction of your pathetic face?”

He looked absolutely affronted that someone was talking to him like that, but before he could open his mouth and reply, Dannie got in first. “You had everything in your hands, pup,” she said softly, “and you threw it away through pride and fear. You’ve lost what you could have had, and when our girl comes into her own, she’s going to rip your face off. I, for one, can’t wait to see that.”

Jaxson spluttered, but Dannie was already sashaying her ass out of sight, uncaring that a furious shifter was half-wolfed-out behind her.

I was lucky to have a friend who thought I was something worth losing, when everyone else in my life—except Simone—had just thrown me away.

Jaxson’s black-as-fuck eyes were locked on me, his jaw hard and unyielding as the energy and scent of his wolf filled the underground cells. “Don’t lose it,” I said bluntly. “I don’t give a fuck what your personal beef with Dan is. Control your shit.”

He attempted to murder me with his expression, but I just closed my eyes and laid my head back down, determined to get as much rest and healing in before the full moon shift. Some wolves died during their first turn, bodies too weak for the soul they housed.

No fucking way would I give these assholes the satisfaction of seeing me succumb to the wolf in that way. Nope. They were going to see me stronger than ever, and one day, hopefully sooner rather than later, they would no longer be a threat to me.





11

By the time night rolled around, the pain was long gone, energy sparking beneath my skin like I’d stuck my hand in a power outlet. I’d always felt the foreign beat of another in my soul— usual for a shifter—but tonight, it was different. She was stretching her legs and pushing against the invisible holds that had been forced upon us for years.

Twenty of us stood naked, the bright light of the moon bathing across our skin. I was at the back, trying desperately not to think about how vulnerable I was in front of a ton of wolves who hated me.

Thankfully, Dannie was there with me, not naked since she wasn’t shifting, but it was good to have a friend at my back.

And thankfully, my worst tormentors—Jaxson and Torin—were with their fathers. Maybe I’d get through this without having to associate with either of them.

“New shifters,” the alpha shouted. “It’s finally time to allow your beasts to run free and experience the power that comes with being a full-blooded member of our pack.”

Dean stepped up, and even though he was only the beta, his presence was as commanding as the alpha’s. He was tall and broad like his son, with hair as inky black, and eyes that were a piercing blue. He looked far too young to have a son in his early twenties, but that was the perk of wolf genetics.

“The moon is almost at its peak,” he said in his low accented voice. Despite growing up here, he always rolled his r s, European style. “Very soon, you will lose conscious thought and allow your wolf to finally be free. You do not need to fear this change, for we will be with you the entire way, keeping you and the rest of our pack safe.”