Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters #1) - Jaymin Eve Page 0,126
once again, be a damn prisoner. A time better arise soon in which I wasn’t a victim to every powerful asshole who thought he could push his will onto me.
Right now I hated them all.
When Torin was done, we returned to the pack house, and he bounced around me like a playful puppy. My wolf didn’t respond, both of us done with him. Eventually, he shifted back, disappearing to return dressed with Jaxson by his side. They sat in front of me, and I stared at my oldest friend—turned enemy. Even with my wolf vision, he looked tired; the year apart had aged him.
“What can we do to prove that this is where you’re supposed to be?” he asked, leaning forward as he appealed to me. “Torin is in charge now and he’ll make sure no one blames you for your dad’s mistake any longer. You have no idea what we went through to get you back. I don’t understand why you’re not more grateful.”
My wolf growled, the sound deeper than any I’d ever made before as she tapped into a base anger simmering for years inside of us. If these two fucks weren’t careful, I would bring the entirety of the Shadow Realm down on our heads in my fury.
“What do you want from us?” Torin pushed, a stupid smirk on his face. “What if I give you something first to show how serious I am about cementing the bond?”
I needed to be back in human form so I could yell at them, but that would leave me naked in front of these two assholes, and then I’d have a whole new set of problems.
Thankfully, before I had to choose between a rock and a hard place, someone new arrived, tearing across the grass, clothing in hand, and tears streaming down her face. Simone dropped down in front of me, her face shattered, her hands trembling as she held the clothing out toward me.
“I can make your life better than you could ever imagine,” Torin said, and when I tore my eyes from my friend, it was to find him all smug and secure in his amazingness. Thinking he had me exactly where he wanted me by dangling my best friend in front of me.
Worst part was, he was right. I would give up a lot for this moment with Simone. A lot.
“We’ll leave you to catch up,” Jaxson said, knowing me far better than Torin could ever hope to. My independence had always been important, even before my family had fucked our place in the pack, and I hated being hovered over.
Torin wanted to argue, but when Jaxson uttered something close to his ear, he let out a sigh and followed his friend without further disagreement. When they were out of sight, the energy holding me eased so I could change back. I pulled on the sweats Simone had brought for me, my body and hands shaking as I fought to get my shit together.
“Mera,” she breathed, still on her knees in the middle of the pack field. It was like she couldn’t quite make her legs work, shock rendering her motionless.
With my heart slamming against my chest, the intensity of this moment even stronger than I’d expected, I dropped to my knees as well. I had no idea how this was all going to go. Despite her dark locks, Simone had the temper of a redhead, just like me, and she was likely to react one of two ways: either she’d lose her shit and scream at me until she passed out. Or she’d—
She launched herself forward, her arms wrapping tightly around me as sobs choked her. “They told me you were alive,” she spluttered, “but I don’t trust any of those bastards.”
I returned her hug with just as much force, if not more, breathing in her scent, the aniseed particularly strong today. Before I knew it, both of us were bawling our eyes out and trying to talk at a million miles an hour.
“I’ve missed you so much!”
“Been the longest year without you!”
“Going to kill those fucking shifters!”
“How could you leave me here with them!”
On and on, until we got most of our anger and angst out, all while never letting go of the other. When the tears finally subsided, we sprawled back side by side, and I took my first real breath since I’d been stolen away from Shadow. A deep, cleansing sort of inhale.
“I can’t stay here,” I told her quietly. “I have missed