Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)(9)

Very little light existed this far from the main town. The forest was thick and ominous around me, and even with my shifter senses, it was eerie. Not for the first time, I cursed my choice of isolated cabin, but with my non-existent rental history, and lack of stable income, this had been the only place I could get. I hadn’t worried too much, thinking when I changed it would be best to be out of town, but it did leave me vulnerable, with no one to call for help.

For now, all I could do was run and hope like fuck it wasn’t another shifter.

Pumping my arms and legs hard, I sprinted, focusing on breathing and not tripping over my own feet. Shifters were naturally graceful, and my night vision was fantastic, but mistakes were made in situations like these, and I refused to be the classic horror movie heroine falling over her feet.

The forest grew darker around me as the familiar path that led to my cabin came into sight. Thank fuck.

I hit the first step, leaping onto the porch while fumbling for the key to snap it into the lock. For once, I didn’t have any issue, getting it open in one twist before crashing through the door and slamming it behind me. My breath came out in harried gasps as I tried to calm my frantic nerves.

I didn’t drop my guard, though, hurrying into the kitchen to procure a weapon, my eyes locked on the front door as I waited for them to bust through it. After five minutes of standing in the dark, two large cleavers clutched in my sweaty palms, I crept toward the windows. Peeking out of each, I looked for movement, but there wasn’t a sign of anyone being out there.

Had my overactive imagination gotten the best of me?

I made my way through the rest of the cabin, switching on a single lamp in the living area. Two rooms made up the bulk of this rickety dwelling that had very little going for it—outside of its gorgeous old red-brick fireplace.

I was too tired to bother messing with it tonight, though, so I just slipped into the tiny bathroom and took a lukewarm shower before changing into a tank and clean underwear and crawling into bed.

I kept the blades beside me just in case, but it didn’t seem like any attack was forthcoming. Not tonight anyway.

As I snuggled down, I started reading a new book on my phone. I had a crappy old smartphone, one of the earlier models, but it had the kindle app, which was my lifeline for paperbacks on the run.

The shifter series Dannie had gifted me was long finished, but that author had led me to other amazing indie writers, and I was currently in the middle of my new favorite series.

Dragon shifters, amirite?

I mean, I might have been a shifter myself, but the thought of a burly dragon dude was just freaking delicious. I hoped that they were out there, hidden, and the concept wasn’t as fantasy as most humans would expect. Maybe I could manipulate the fates somehow and score myself a dragon shifter as a mate. Weirder things had happened, and to be honest, I’d prefer any other shifter as a mate than a wolf. Those bastards had been making my life miserable for ten years, and I was ready for a change.





6

Iwasn’t on shift at the diner the next day, and since I was still filled with tension from the feeling of being watched last night, I decided to lay low. Maybe try to fix some of the issues in the cabin.

Two hours later, with the door hanging at an even worse angle, the bathroom filled with even more muck and scum if possible, and the fridge emptier than ever, I called it quits and headed into town to grab enough food to get me through the rest of the week.

The full-moon-after-the-solstice was closing in, and I still hadn’t really come up with a plan. It was inevitable that I’d lose control of my wolf. She would take the lead as her first steps to freedom, and in doing so, I had no idea what path she’d choose. The cabin was deep in the forest, and logically, any animal should stay within nature, but knowing my luck, she’d head straight into Hood River to get her ass shot at by a paranoid human.

And of course, I had to survive the shift first.

Despite these worries, I still didn’t regret my rapid dash from Torma. My only regret was Simone.

I missed her so much, and I would have hurt her by leaving like I did. The ache to talk to my best friend hit me all the time, but I knew that even one phone call might send my current life tumbling down around me. The pack was fully modernized now, and they knew how to track the same way a human would. I could leave no trace. My phone was on airplane mode, which helped me get through my already downloaded to be read pile, but it didn’t allow me any contact with shifters.

When I got in town, I went straight for the local store. It was half-filled, everyone looking a little frozen and miserable as they loaded their baskets. No one glanced my way, even though I was technically still new enough to create curiosity. My initial reticence had been enough to deter their questioning, and these days, I was usually able to shop in peace.

Today, I headed straight for the cold cuts section. My need for meat had increased over the past month, and while it was tough to try to afford the fresh cuts that my soon-to-emerge wolf craved, it was imperative that she wasn’t shifting hungry.

“I’m getting your protein,” I muttered to myself as she swirled in my chest, my stomach growling as we got closer. “Calm down.”

Of course, this did not calm the wolf soul down at all, and I wondered if I was going to find myself with a beast who fought me during every change. I’d heard about shifters with that wildness in their wolves, and it was always a cautionary tale.