Chapter 15 #2
“Uhm… how do you like it here?” Lamest question ever. But it wasn’t like I was used to making small talk. Apparently, it showed.
Connie snorted a laugh, biting his lip. “It’s okay. No, it’s good. Just… different. Very different.”
Nick nodded, plopping down on my desk.
Why did no one use the chair? It was right there.
“It’s overwhelming,” he said quietly, as if admitting something bad. “Everyone is so kind and wants to talk to us, and is offering us food and clothes and drinks and books and…” He shook his head. “It’s nice, but also… too much.”
Oh god. I could just imagine.
My face must’ve shown my horror, because Connie immediately focused on me.
“Is that why you’re up here?” Connie asked, cocking his head at me, his eyes studying my every reaction.
“Or are you not allowed down there? Are you in trouble because of us? They said you were hiding. And they found you because you helped us. Are you in trouble? I asked, but no one told me anything.”
“I’m not in trouble.”
Probably.
I might be because of the stealing, but that wasn’t their fault. Just mine.
“So, you just… don’t like people?”
I couldn’t help but snort. “I don’t like shifters.”
“Oh.” Connie nodded. “That tracks. I don’t like most shifters either.”
“Connie!” Nick chastised.
“What? It’s the truth. Think about the shifters we know.
My dad was horrible. My brother is even worse.
His enforcers are fucking awful. Most of our old pack supported his actions or were complacent.
Our old pack keeps a slave, Nick.” Connie threw his hands up.
“Those are the shifters we know. I don’t like any of them. ”
“There are good shifters,” Nick insisted. “My family. And this pack. I like the shifters here.”
Connie nodded, walking past his friend to the windowsill where I often found myself sitting too. Looking out at the wide forest was calming. Seeing the wide spread of nature ahead made me feel free after being caged for most of my life.
The way his face morphed as he eyed the tree line… maybe we had more in common than I’d thought.
“I think I’m gonna like it here too. When things quiet down, you know?” He was looking at me, not his friend.
“Yeah. I do.” I nodded, a smile tugging at my lips just as a cold shiver ran down my spine, an alarm going off, blasting in my mind, but silent to the wolves around me.
I stared out the window, eyes searching for signs of the intruders even though they were far away.
A second later, a wolf tore over the lawn, sprinting westward, followed by a lion and…
Gray. I watched my mate running out, shifting midway across the lawn, clothes tearing as his human body shifted to that of a ginormous black wolf.
My heart skipped a beat, but not from fear, not exactly. More… recognition.
A howl ripped through the peaceful and quiet afternoon air, and answering howls soon filled our ears. Downstairs, wolves got busy, their calm auras not necessarily agitated, but aware, careful.
“What’s going on?” Nick asked as he stepped up to Connie and looked out the window before pulling his friend against him, protectively wrapping his arms around him. “Is it our pack?”
Fear ran through their bodies, shivers making them tighten their hold on each other, their auras in turmoil, a wild mix of colours swishing angrily.
Fuck.
Why were they here now? I wasn’t equipped to handle their fear when I had my own to deal with.
Gray was out there, hunting Bear and the other enforcers who were after me.
He wouldn’t just chase them out like before.
If he got the chance, he’d attack. I’d seen the way he’d seethed when I’d told him about them.
“It’s not your pack,” I told them, trying to calm them while also calming myself. “Someone breached the barrier, but they’re not here for you. They’re here for me. Don’t worry about it; Gray has it under control.”
I hoped.
“Do you want to see a magic trick?”
Great, I sounded like one of those stupid magicians, but it worked. Two pairs of eyes focused on me, with Connie nodding rapidly.
“Okay. Watch this.”
I took a deep breath, drawing from the well inside me as I called upon the air surrounding us, commanding it under my feet, condensing it until it was as firm as the hardwood floors, and then guiding it up, lifting myself off the ground until I was levitating about a foot off the floor.
“Whoa!” Nick said, eyes wide. “Can you do that with me?”
I snorted, gently lowering myself to the ground again. “Sure.”
“Me too,” Connie chimed in, casting a last look at the forest before his attention was snatched back to me and my magic trick.
“I was first,” Nick said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“It’s okay. I can do both of you at the same time.”
It wasn’t that hard. Manipulating air was one of the easier tricks I had up my sleeve.
Sure, the book my father had given me all those years ago had said to use the air as a shield to fight off physical attacks, but using it to levitate was so much more fun and useful—apparently, it even helped to distract traumatized teenagers.
It took about two hours before Gray and the others returned. Downstairs, food was waiting for them, the hearty aroma wafting up, making my stomach rumble.