Forbidden Shadows (Lee County Wolves Book 7)

Chapter 17

Clare rushed around cleaning up, taking a few orders, but she was having a hard time focusing on her job. Her mind was swirling with possibilities she never in her wildest dreams thought was possible.

Taking a stack of dirty plates into the kitchen, she headed toward the sink. Deb was stocking products while things out front slowed down. She looked up and smiled at Clare. “You need help out there?”

“Nope,” Clare said as she sprayed off the dishes then put them in the dishwasher Roxy had put in a few months ago. It was a luxury not to have to do dishes anymore. “Just have one finishing his coffee.”

“Good.” Deb yawned then straightened and stretched.

Clare kept looking at Deb as she filled the dishwasher. “Listen, Deb, I really?—”

“Clare if you thank me one more time I’m going to burn the damn farmhouse down,” Deb warned her with a cocked eyebrow, then laughed at Clare’s expression. “Just kidding. But seriously, please stop thanking me. Being nice hasn’t been easy on me, and well, you are making me feel I’m overdoing this nice act I have going on.”

Clare sighed and then chuckled. “Sorry, guess I am overdoing it...a little.” She closed the dishwasher and started it.

Deb snorted, giving her a sideways glance. “You have thanked me at least fifty times. Once was good enough.”

“Okay, that’s exaggerating a little,” Clare smirked, really liking this side of Deb. “Forty tops.”

Deb laughed in agreement, but then her smile slipped. “I was serious when I said I’ve done a lot of people dirty in this town. I’ve gossiped about pretty much everyone, you included. Worse, my own sister. I’ve treated people disrespectfully, and well, I’m having a hard time liking myself. Have felt that way for years and yet, I just kept on being a...bitch.”

Clare didn’t respond, feeling as if Deb needed to talk, so she let her. It was pretty crazy how much she had changed, but Clare believed everyone deserved a second chance, and Deb was no different.

“I’m not doing this so people will like me,” Deb said, then she looked away as if embarrassed. “I want to like myself, and I haven’t for a long time. Seeing that woman’s battered face and her little boy afraid of his own shadow makes me realize just how blessed my life has been. I want to help, and this is a way I can do that. It should be me thanking you for allowing me, Deb the bitch of Lee County, to be involved with something so profound.”

“You’re not a bitch, Deb,” Clare said just as Deb gave her a look. “Okay, you were a bitch, but you’ve changed. Really changed. I don’t want to punch you in the face anymore.”

They stood eyeing each other before they burst into laughter.

“Did you really want to punch me in the face?” Deb grinned, glancing at Clare.

“More than once,” Clare informed her with a grin of her own.

“I could have taken you.” Deb countered with a teasing shrug after looking her up and down.

“I’m pretty scrappy.” Clare raised both eyebrows in challenge.

“I bet you are.” Deb grinned and then glanced at her watch. “Go ahead and get out of here. Dell said they were meeting at Garrett’s. I’m sure they are talking about the safety issue of having something like this near town. Don’t let him change his mind.”

Clare frowned, her stomach dropped. “Do you think he would?”

“I’ve been around long enough to know how these Shifters think. Garrett was always a fair and just Alpha. Dell is the same way, so yeah, he could change his mind if he thinks there is a risk. I don’t think he actually agreed to anything.” Deb cocked her eyebrow. “They take the safety of the people here very seriously, and let’s be honest, there is danger with what you do. More so with Shifters. You should be there to state your case if he does have second thoughts.”

Clare realized she was right. Dell hadn’t really agreed to it. “Damn.”

“This is important not only to you but to the women that it could help. Fight for it if you have to. I will back you, and I know all the women, or well, most of the women here will back you also.” Deb said, then tilted her head as she stared at her. “There is one thing that we have on our side if it comes down to it.”

“We do?” Clare said, not feeling as ecstatic as before.

“The farmhouse isn’t located on Shifter land. Even though Dell mentioned that fact, we can still use it if we have to.” Deb said with a wink. “We want their support, but we don’t need it. Remember that important fact.”

“I will,” Clare said, feeling a little better, but she respected the Foster brothers as well as Dell. She wouldn’t want to ever do anything they were against, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t threaten it to possibly sway their way of thinking. “Let’s see how it goes before we pull that fact out.”

“I honestly don’t think you’ll have to, but it’s there if we need it.” Deb gave her a wink, then snapped a towel at her. “Now go on. I’m going to head up to the farmhouse later. Come on up around six. I have some things to take care of after Jamie gets here and takes over.”

Clare opened her mouth, but Deb threw up her hand.

“Girl, if you thank me again...” Deb warned, ready to snap the towel at her and make contact this time. “I think I’d rather you call me a bitch or punch me in the face. This nice stuff is tiring.”

“Fine,” Clare said as she headed toward the door. “I’ll see you at six...bitch.”

Clare smiled, hearing Deb laugh as the door closed behind her. Yeah, she much preferred this new Deb to the old one. Rushing out the door, she headed toward Garrett’s, trying to stay positive, but her nerves were on edge.

Running up the steps, she heard voices as she opened the door. Garrett Foster always had an open-door policy during the day, and that hadn’t changed since Dell became Alpha.

Once she was inside, she stood listening but had a hard time keeping her eyes off Malcolm’s broad shoulders that practically blocked the doorway to the kitchen. He moved over so she could move further into the kitchen. Standing beside him, she felt so small, and the heat coming off him made her want to fan herself. Malcolm was a fine-looking man, and she was having a hell of a time telling herself to ignore his sexy ass and move on.

“I don’t know if you know this, but there is a Code in the Shifter world.” Tammy said, but Hunter stopped her.

“We know about the codes.” He said, making himself another sandwich.

“I don’t,” Clare spoke up then glanced at Marcus, who was pretty much her boss since Roxy was on bed rest. “Deb threw me out. She said she could handle it.”

“Sorry,” Hunter mumbled around his sandwich. “Didn’t know there was a human here.”

“Will you stop eating my food,” Garrett growled, glaring at Hunter.

“I’m hungry,” Hunter said, then motioned to Tammy. “Sorry, go ahead and explain to the human what Code you think we don’t know about. I can assure you that we know all the Codes.”

“Will you shut the fuck up and let her talk,” Marcus growled. “And for the love of God, stop talking with your mouth full.”

Clare rolled her eyes and then glared at Hunter, who was grinning at her. He loved teasing her because she gave it right back to him.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were an abuser or been abused.” Tammy frowned at Hunter with more attitude than Clare had seen from Tammy.

Hunter stopped chewing to stare at her. “I have never laid a hand on a woman in my life.”

“Then you don’t know this Code,” Tammy replied, then looked away as if dismissing him.

“No, they don’t,” Roslyn whispered loud enough for everyone to hear just as Janna entered the room and headed for Garrett, who wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Clare felt a ping of jealousy but pushed it away. This was not the time for those feelings. Actually, she was wondering why in the hell she was having those feelings at all.

“What Code are you talking about?” Dell frowned, staring at Roslyn.

Tammy and Roslyn shared a look before Roslyn sighed. “You are good men and treat women with respect. You guys are the exception, which is why I’m not surprised you don’t know the Code of an abuser and the people who support them.”

“And you know this Code?” Dell growled his eyes narrowed as he stared at his mate.

“I do. It’s general knowledge within come pack communities that if a woman runs, then there is, more or less, a bounty on her head. I’ve seen fathers turn their own in for a reward. It’s sickening, but it happens.” Roslyn continued with Tammy nodding. “So, for a woman to disappear, she has to leave the area, and in Tammy’s case, with a small child, that is easier said than done. Even without a child, it’s almost impossible. You can’t trust anyone, and as soon as you do, you are caught and taken back, treated worse than before you ran. Made an example of so they can put the fear into anyone else thinking of running.”

Malcolm glanced at Devon, who was staring at him. Malcolm knew all too well that what she said was true.

“What she says is true,” Malcolm stated, looking down at Roslyn before looking up at Dell and then around to everyone else except for Clare. He didn’t want her to see the true him, what he allowed to happen though he never participated. If a woman disappeared from the pack and he knew anything he kept his fucking mouth shut. No way in hell would he have given those bastards any information so they could hunt down the woman only to bring her back and make an example out of her. His blood started boiling at the memories of what he witnessed and did nothing about. The self-hatred he tried to hide from himself started to make an appearance as he listened to Roslyn. “Though we didn’t call it a Code. It was just general knowledge within the pack.”

“Women use the word Code so we know who and who not can be trusted,” Tammy informed them.

“Seems to me that Code needs to be obliterated along with the bastards who live by it,” Hunter stated with narrowed eyes.

“It was thought to be obliterated a long time ago,” Garrett said, his frown causing his eyes to narrow. “When I took over this pack, Jonah’s main fear was how I would treat the people here, especially the women. He mentioned something similar to me but didn’t mention a Code. If any man abused a woman, he would be immediately banned.”

“I remember that,” Marcus spoke up. “Women were to be treated with respect, and most packs operate that way, but a few still operate with the old way mentality.”

“The old ways were dead for a reason,” Hunter added with a nod. “Jonah was pretty badass that day.”

“I’m still badass, boy,” Jonah said as he walked in, giving a respectful nod to Dell, then looked directly at Clare. “Dell filled me in on what you are wanting to do, and I think it’s something that should have been done a long time ago. When I was a young boy, my mother escaped my father, saving both of our lives. Twice, we were turned in by people who we thought we could trust. One was for money, and the other was to secure a higher position in the pack. Unfortunately, this practice still exists today, and by the looks of it, some of you women know that firsthand.”

“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Hunter said, with a huge smile. “Glad to have you back Jonah. You bring us some new meat?”

“Good to be back and yes, I did,” Jonah replied with a nod. “They are waiting outside.”

“Did your mother try to escape a third time?” Roslyn asked, ignoring Jonah’s last statement. Clare noticed she was avoiding looking at Dell, who continued to watch her closely.

“I escaped, but my mother didn’t,” Jonah said with a low growl to his tone. “She was killed by my father, her mate.”

“Her mate?” Clare gasped, shocked. She always thought that mates were...well hell, she thought once mated they lived happily ever after. “Wouldn’t he suffer from killing his mate? I mean...I’m sorry, I don’t know what I mean. It’s just everything I’ve heard about the mating thing it was a?—”

“Happy ever after?” Jonah said as if reading her mind, then gave her a sad smile. “My father was an evil man. Just because you find a mate doesn’t change who that person is. It just means they found their person, so to speak. Doesn’t change who you are. If only it were that simple.”

“I have a lot to learn.” Clare bit her lip, a sudden feeling of in over her head, making her feel inadequate to handle such an undertaking.

“I’ll help you,” Roslyn said with a nod toward Clare but glanced nervously at Dell. “Stop glaring at me, Dell.”

“Looks like we need to have a talk,” Dell growled as he looked at Roslyn.

“It was a long time ago,” Roslyn replied, and Clare noticed she wasn’t looking Dell in the eyes. “No reason to bring it up until now.”

“Like I said, we will be having a talk.” Dell repeated with a curse.

“Is that what happened to you? Is your ex your mate?” Clare asked Tammy, trying to take the focus off Roslyn.

“No, thank God. He is not my mate, but he is Ben’s father.” Tammy swiped angrily at a tear that escaped. “I’m terrified he will try to take Ben away from me.”

“That will never happen,” Brock said, just as every male voiced their agreement to that statement.

“And no one to help you?” Clare whispered, shaking her head sadly. “Why didn’t you just lie to the women’s shelters? I’ve been around Shifters and didn’t even know you were one.”

“Ben.” Tammy gave her a wobbly smile. “They asked me, and before I could even respond, Ben proudly told them that one day he would be a mighty wolf.” Tammy choked back a sob.

“So obviously other Shifters have tried to get help.” Clare cursed, her anger rising at the thought of them being turned away.

Tammy shrugged. “I don’t know, but they all asked, and I couldn’t lie. Maybe I should have, but Ben...I just couldn’t. I’ve never hidden what we are from him. I’ve prepared him for the day he shifts so he won’t be frightened. I refuse to make my son feel less than because of fear for our kind or the prejudices of others.”

“As well you shouldn’t,” Clare said, then looked at everyone in the room before looking back at Tammy. “I promise you that I am going to help change that and give Shifter women a place to feel safe. Starting with this area first. I would like your help.”

“I would like that,” Tammy said after looking up at her brother, who nodded. “I have a few issues I need to work out before I can help other women, but I can do anything else you might need.”

Clare smiled, hoping she could keep the promise she just made to Tammy. She then glanced at Dell. “So, are you going to allow this?” Clare actually crossed her fingers, waiting for his response.