Chapter 8 Shattered Hope
Shattered Hope
Embry
Iwas halfway out of town when a sizable wolf closed in on me—my father.
I’d recognize him anywhere. His wolf was two sizes larger than a normal creature; he was brown and had a white stripe down his forehead and snout.
As he padded up to me, he shifted seamlessly.
It’s something we learned at a young age.
We also learned to have no sense of modesty; being naked was a fact of life for a shifter.
“Where are you going, Embry? What happened, son?” he asked with worry in his voice.
I was still in my wolf. I simply looked at him, got down on my belly, and started crawling toward him, whimpering.
“Come on, son. Shift and tell me what’s going on,” he said with a note of command in his voice.
I transformed. As soon as I reached my human form, I turned into a blubbering mess. I hugged him tightly and sobbed. My dad held me and let me cry. I let all my tears fall. I let them fall for my inadequacies. I let them fall for being a coward and running from my mate.
After what seemed like hours of my sobbing and his holding me, I was able to pull myself together.
“Are you going to tell me what happened, son?” my father gently asked.
I shook my head furiously. I didn’t want to speak. I didn’t want to bring a voice to the tears I shed. I definitely didn’t want to tell him about my mate.
“Okay, okay, son. We don’t have to talk about it right now. Let’s just head home. I know your mother is probably worried. We can figure things out later.”
I nodded and shifted back into my wolf. I felt safer that way, and I didn’t have to talk. We made it home in no time. My mom was waiting for us, pacing on the back deck. When she saw us, she rushed out to greet me.
“Embry, are you okay? Did those boys hurt you?” she growled.
I simply shook my furry head and padded in. I stayed in my wolf as I made it up to my room. I curled up on my bed and let sleep take me.
The soft voices talking downstairs woke me up. I had yet to shift, and I didn’t know what time it was. I kept thinking of today’s events, and I still didn’t know what I was going to do.
James and Lydia were downstairs. I could feel my cousin’s power, the power of the alpha. Usually it soothed me, but it did nothing for me anymore. I felt numb.
A quiet knock on my door caused me to look up as someone entered. It was James. He had a soft look on his face. “Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?”
I let loose a tiny little whine as he walked into my room and sat next to me.
“Em, I need you to shift. We need to talk about what happened. I know you don’t want to, but Tom, Rick, and Chad need to be punished for hurting you,” he said quietly but firmly.
It was a command from my alpha, and while I’d been able to run away earlier. I couldn’t deny a direct order. I shifted, my hair falling in my face. I quickly grabbed my sweats and put them on.
He chuckled. “I’m surprised your mom let you on your bed in your wolf form. Look at all that white fur.”
I smiled. My bed was covered in fur, and my mom would usually have my hide if I did that.
“G-guess I just got lucky,” I said, sitting down beside him.
“Em, will you tell me what happened?”
I squeezed my eyes closed. I needed to be brave. I didn’t want to be scared anymore, and before I could stop myself, I blurted, “I met my mate!”
His eyes widened, clearly not expecting that.
“You met your mate? Who is he?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I ran,” I said. My eyebrows shot up as I realized what he’d asked. He’d asked, “Who is he?” Not she. He knew. I stared at him in shock.
“How did you know?” I asked.
He smiled his soft smile, obviously knowing what I was talking about. “I always suspected. I know you’re shy, but it isn’t just that. You don’t seem to notice girls.” He paused and smirked. “I also saw how you stared at Jackson and Cameron as if you longed for that.”
I blushed. I did stare at Jackson and Cameron. They were the only gay couple I knew, and they were hot when they kissed.
“It’s okay, Em. I don’t care. I love you. You can love who you love, and any assholes who say otherwise will answer to me,” he said with a growl. “Now, why did you run from your mate?”
I sighed and closed my eyes again. “He w-was so big. I got scared. I’m a weak omega. There would be no way I could fight him if he wanted to hurt m-me.”
“Em, not all big men hurt. Look at your father; look at me. If he’s your mate, he’ll love and cherish you. He won’t want to hurt you. I couldn’t even think of hurting Lydia. I’d chew off my arm first,” he said.
I said nothing. I let my cousin’s words sink in. Can my mate want me? Can he really not be an alpha jerk?
“The only new people who were at the barbecue were the dragons. What did he look like?” he asked.
A dragon? Crap! I shook my head adamantly. I wasn’t ready to see him again. I still had a lot to think about.
“Okay, okay. You don’t have to tell me, but I think you should give your mate a chance. You only get one. Fate chose him for you, Embry. Now tell what happened with the three idiots.”
“The usual—” His eyes darkened at those words, but I pressed on. “They called me a f-fag and cocksucker, and I told them to leave m-me alone. They crowded me, and Tom p-punched me in the gut. You came out before they could do real damage, this time.”
“What do you mean, ‘the usual’ and ‘this time’? This wasn’t the first time they hurt you?” James growled.
I bowed my head and shrugged. I didn’t want to be a snitch or to have my big alpha cousin fight my battles.
He stared at me for a moment before he said, “I told them to stay away from you, Embry. If they come near you again, they’ll be banished. You need to tell me if they do.”
I nodded, and he continued. “What do you want for restitution?”
“I don’t want anything. I want to b-be left alone.”
“They need some sort of punishment, Em. It’s our way.” He got thoughtful for a moment. “I could have them banned from this month’s full moon pack run and shunned for the month. They’ll lose their status in the pack and will have to work to regain that position. What do you say?” he asked.
I shrugged. “As l-long as they don’t come near me, I’ll be happy.”
He nodded and stood up. “Okay, that’s settled. Now come on, let’s go downstairs. Your mom and dad are worried about you.”
“P-please don’t tell them about my m-mate,” I said, panicking.
“Calm down, Embry. I won’t say anything, but I think you should. I know they’d be happy for you. They love you, Em,” he said.
“I’ll think about it,” I said as we made our way downstairs. The list I had to think about didn’t seem to end. Perhaps I could tell my parents. Maybe I could have a mate.
I shook my head—one thing at a time.
It had been two days since my talk with James. My mom had told me to get out of the house, so I was walking to Haventon’s bookstore. I’d huddled in my room ever since the incident.
For the hundredth time, I wondered about my mate. I heard James tell my father the dragons had left yesterday. Is my mate a dragon? If so, why did he leave? What’s he like? Is he searching for me? Does he want me? These were the questions that kept rolling through my mind.
Without warning, I was pulled in between the buildings and slammed against the cement wall. My back radiated pain as I looked up, tears filling my eyes. Tom’s cruel eyes greeted me. Rage distorted his face.
“Faggot, you got me shunned from the pack!” he said, punching me in the stomach. “I lost my fucking status! Rick and Chad won’t even fucking talk to me!” he growled, punching me again and again. I collapsed down onto the cold cement alley.
The punches turned to kicks. I felt and heard my bones break as he stomped on my tiny frame. His assault was relentless. I couldn’t even cry out; the pain was too severe. He was going to kill me.
I never had a chance to know my mate’s name, I thought, before everything went dark.