Because You Rejected Me: MM Shifter Small Town Paranormal Romance (Shifter Grove Rogue Wolves Book 1

Chapter One Matt

Watching the dark trees pass by out the passenger window made it possible to pretend I wasn’t hundreds of miles from home. But it was the furthest away I’d ever been, and there was a sense of panic that trickled all the way down to my bones. I had no money, no home, no pack, and nowhere to go except forward. In fact, the man driving the truck was a complete stranger to me. He didn’t know I was a werewolf, either.

I’d met him at a truck stop down in Ypsilanti while I was passing through. I’d been hitchhiking my way north for some time, trying to get to a place called Shifter Grove. Apparently, there was a hotel there that took in strays like me for an indefinite period of time. It was one of the few pieces of information the pack Beta gave me when he dismissed me from the pack forever. I lost my family, my pack, and my home that day. And for the past week since that happened, I’d been trying to get to this Shifter Grove.

A rare bit of luck arrived in the shape of a middle-aged trucker who was taking his cargo north up the coast of Lake Huron. He said he was passing close to that small town and would drop me off. He wondered what I was doing out by myself, but I made up some lie about going to see family, which seemed to satisfy him. For a while, I was worried he’d demand some sort of payment, and since I had no money, I figured it would be in flesh. And to be honest, I was so desperate and broken-hearted, I don’t know if I would’ve denied him.

However, when he finally pulled off the highway on the exit to Shifter Grove, he just kept going. I thought he’d drop me off and make me walk into town, but he went out of his way to bring me all the way in. It was an odd feeling having a stranger do something so kind for me. When I thanked him and started to exit the truck, I felt a hand reach over and grasp my own.

“The hotel is just down the block that way,” he said, pointing back behind me. “The owner, Sam, is just like you and will take care of ya, pup.”

I furrowed my brows, confused how he could know what I was.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his eyes flashing a pale green. There was the sudden smell of green things and damp earth. I realized he must have been some sort of Fae that could either mask himself well or I just plain didn’t notice. “Your secret is safe with me.” He paused for a moment. “And keep your chin up, alright? Things’ll get better. I promise.”

I nodded, tears forming at the corners of my eyes. “Thank you.”

He smiled gently. “Take care.”

The moment the door was closed, the engine roared back into life, and the truck pulled away. I was left standing on the sidewalk with nothing but a mostly empty backpack and a business card for the hotel. It was dark, the small town was nearly dead, and if this hotel didn’t pan out, I had no choice but to spend the night sleeping on the ground. Not to mention, I hadn’t eaten for nearly three days since I ran out of cash down near Toledo. I really and truly had hit rock bottom.

I stood there for a long moment, trying to gather up the courage to continue. Thoughts threatened to consume me, but I pushed them away. There would be plenty of time later to get upset, cry, and scream. But right now, I needed to find a place to stay for the night. Survival mode had already kicked in, and I wasn’t going to fall to pieces while my life was on the line. I could do that later.

Hiking my backpack up on my shoulder, I started to walk. Downtown Shifter Grove wasn’t much to look at. Like most midwestern towns, it looked like it had peaked sometime in the fifties and sixties, then steadily declined from there. The buildings were crumbling in places, most of them still sporting their original wooden framed windows with peeling lead paint. A few of them had empty storefronts with faded For Lease signs in the windows. All in all, it didn’t exactly inspire confidence that the hotel would still be open. This sleepy little town looked like it was on the brink of extinction.

When I finally arrived at the other end of the block, I hadn’t seen a single person out and about. Maybe two cars had driven down the road that was only lit with dim streetlamps. What shops looked like they still functioned had obviously closed hours ago. My phone had been dead for two days, so I wasn’t sure what time it was anyway. However, as I stepped up to the curb, my head was drawn upward.

On the other side of the street was a vertical pink neon marquee that said Hotel. Not only was the marquee on but there were lights on inside as well. Higher up, I could see a few of the rooms had their shades open and table lamps aglow.

So, the hotel was still up and running. Now I just had to hope the owner was as charitable as the truck driver that brought me into town.

It took a surprising amount of courage to walk through that front door knowing I didn’t have a fucking dime. I’d been raised in a family where accepting charity was a crime more intolerable than murder. Asking for help was also not something I knew how to do. When the lobby was empty as I stepped inside, I thought about turning around and walking right back out that door. But just as I was about to turn around, I heard footsteps from the other side of the room.

I turned to see a man with long dark hair pulled up in a bun step out of a back office. He had his phone in one hand and a clipboard in the other. It looked as if he were doing his final rounds for the night before closing up.

“Hi there,” he said with a warm smile. “Are you here to check in?”

“I… I’m looking for Sam,” I said, recalling what the truck driver had told me.

“You found him.”

He waved me over toward the desk and I stepped up obediently. The moment I got within a few feet of him, I could smell the unmistakable scent of werewolf. He didn’t smell like an Alpha, but he was huge. Suddenly, I was terribly nervous, knowing that this man could probably tear me apart if he wanted to. He was tall, built like a bull, and easily twice my size, if not more. I doubted my short skinny ass could even beat his big toe in a fight, much less the rest of him.

“What can I help you with?” he asked, still smiling kindly.

“I… uh…” I searched for the right words. “I have this card.” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the business card I’d been handed the day I was kicked out of my home and pushed it across the desk.

“That’s one of our business cards,” Sam said, picking it up. He turned it over, noticing all the creases and the dirt smeared across the front. “Looks like you’ve had it for a while.”

I shook my head. “Just a few days. But… it was a long trip.”

His smile faded slightly as he cocked his head to the side, giving me a good once-over. He leaned forward, sniffing the air. As soon as he did, I saw his eyes widen and a nod of understanding.

“You don’t have a pack anymore, do you?”

Tears welled up and spilled down my cheeks before I knew what was happening. I hadn’t heard those words out loud until that moment. I’d thought it plenty of times, but hearing it said was the straw that broke the camel’s back. A flood of emotions rushed through my body and my shoulders began to quake.

“I… I…” I sniffled, unable to say the words.

Sam came around the desk. “It’s okay,” he said, putting his hands on my shoulders. “Everything is going to be fine. You came to the right place. We’ve got a room for you.”

I just stood there and cried. It was incredible how totally shattered and relieved I felt in that moment. I was safe at last from the outside world, no longer wandering across the countryside. But it also solidified how terribly alone I was now. How alone I would be for the rest of my life.

The permanence was what scared me the most. There was only one person I could rely on now for everything I needed.

Me.

“Have you eaten?” Sam asked.

I shook my head.

“Let me show you to your room so you can get cleaned up, and then I’ll bring you up some food, okay?”

“I d-don’t h-have any m-money,” I sniffled, my voice still shaking.

“I know.” It wasn’t a judgment, just a factual statement. “We’ll figure that out tomorrow. There are other ways to earn your keep while you get yourself back on your feet.”

I looked up at him, fear in my eyes.

He shook his head, reading my thoughts. “Normal ways to earn your keep. Like dishes, cleaning, and helping out around here.” He pulled me toward the elevator. “But that can wait for now. You need to get some rest.”

I followed close behind him as he took me up to the top floor and down to the far end of the hallway. Taking out a ring of keys, he opened the door to the room and removed the key from the ring before handing it to me. We stepped inside, Sam flicking the lights on as we went.

“There’s your bathroom here,” he said, pointing it out. “With towels and soap and toiletries. The beds get torn down and flipped every Monday and Thursday when we do the washing. There’s a mini-fridge and a kitchenette if you want to cook. I’ll make sure you get one good meal a day down in the kitchens. I only have three rules in this hotel.” He turned around, giving me a serious look. “No prostitution, no drugs, and no fights. I have to keep on the right side of the law in this town if I’m gonna help people like you, so please respect that, and you can stay as long as you need to.”

I nodded dumbly, looking around the room with a sense of bewilderment.

“Why?” was all I could ask. “Why do you do this?”

Sam gave me a sort of sad smile. “Because when I was your age, nobody helped me.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Nobody should have to go through that.”

He started to leave but stopped in the doorway.

“Grab a shower,” he said gently, but with the full implication that I needed one. I knew he was right. “When you’re done, come downstairs to the kitchen. I’ll have some food waiting for you.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded.

Sam stepped out, closing the door behind him and leaving me all alone. I felt a surge of relief through my chest, but that same sense of intense loneliness that I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around just yet. My backpack dropped to the floor and I leaned my back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.

The tears just kept flowing.