Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters #1) - Jaymin Eve Page 0,11
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.
Praise the Shadow Beast, I legitimately did not need one more worry. My wolf would not be wild. Say it enough and it must be true.
When I was done loading the food staples for the week, I waited to check out, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. An uneasy chill traced down my spine a few times, and for a moment, I thought I caught sight of a familiar face, but when I looked again, it was just Tom, who worked for his father in the hardware store a few buildings over.
He smiled awkwardly at me when our eyes met, and I returned that smile. He was a nice-looking guy, not much older than me, with golden brown eyes and perfect teeth, but there was no way I could ever date a human. Even if they wouldn’t be freaked out of their fucking minds when I ate more than them, could bench six hundred pounds, and growled at random annoyances, I’d also live for many more years than they would.
And outliving someone you loved was my idea of torture.
“Sixty-eight dollars and twenty-two cents,” Claudia, the ancient lady behind the checkout, trilled. “And you’re looking a little peaky, dear. You should get some of the special chicken soup Earl made.”
Claudia was third generation born here—her family had migrated from Haiti many decades ago—and she knew absolutely everything about everyone… except me, of course. She spoke a million miles an hour, running her sentences together and meshing multiple thoughts in one, all the while grilling you for personal information. But there was no denying her husband Earl made a mean chicken soup.
“Sure,” I said with a nod, picking up one of the takeout containers. “How much extra?”
Claudia smiled, her pink lipstick smeared on her teeth, as always. “Free today, sweetheart. You need a little home cooking.”
“Thank you,” I said, dropping the correct cash into her hands and gathering up my couple of bags. “Have a nice afternoon.”
She smiled at me, her eyes shrewd as she examined me closer. “You too, dear. You too.”
Needing to get away from her prying eyes and the continuing uncomfortable sensation of being watched, I hurried out and didn’t look back. There was a decent chance my new paranoid personality was simply a side effect of my impending first shift—it was next to impossible to tell how each shifter would react coming up to their first shift. But there was always a plethora of personality changes in that time.
At least if I was feeling this way due to the shift, there was no stalker on my ass, and I could stop anticipating