Survivor: A Shifter of Consequence Tale (Shifters of Consequence Book 1) Page 11

  Quickly, I realized the mistake. The pills had been sent to my old address.

  I sent a quick email to the healer and received a reply almost instantly as I got into the library. A quick check of the clock made me realize I was still early, so I read the message.

  He expressed how crucial the prescription was to me. Duh.

  It would take a few days for him to get the prescription, but he would be overnighting the package to me, and, upon arrival, I should double my dose.

  I’d never had to double my dose before, but then again, with my aunt, I’d never missed a single pill. As soon as the timer beeped, she was next to me, pill and water in hand. I’d never had to take responsibility for anything before I moved here. It was a wonder I remembered to wear shoes.

  I tried to push the thought of the meds out of my mind, but I knew missing them would plague me.

  Three days later, the package arrived. I’d distracted myself with work and reading and even dug out my cross-stitching patterns and tried to get into that, but, despite my expectations of disaster, I didn’t feel any different. In fact, I seemed to sleep better.

  And Brandon said something about me smelling different.

  Weird.

  A text came to my phone from the delivery company telling me the prescription had been delivered at the front door, and I actually walked from the couch to get it.

  The package was wrapped in brown paper, which seemed off, no pharmacy name or anything listed on the outside, only my name and address. I’d never seen the outer covering before, since my aunt had brought it in and opened it, put the bottle in the cabinet. So it was probably the way it always looked.

  I ripped it open and parked my butt on the arm of the sofa to look at the bottle. Same translucent orange. Same healer’s name. Same number of pills. Same green-and-white speckled bothersome things inside.

  I must’ve stared at the bottle for thirty minutes.

  Shaking the things, I talked to them like a complete and total loon. “Do I need you anymore? I don’t feel like I do. Maybe I’ve grown out of whatever I took you for in the first place. Maybe our time has come and gone.”

  The top popped open easily. I juggled some in my hands, still contemplating my decision.

  It felt like I was at a fork on my journey and the next step would decide my fate.

  Exhaling, I put the pills back in the bottle and marched outside, only stopping a few times to hold on to the porch railing and then my car. The mailbox helped to hold me up while I propped the garbage can open and chucked the entire bottle in.

  I walked back inside, and washed my hands of the entire thing. But the stress came crashing down on me like the sky had fallen, but there was no one to ask for help. I sat at the table, wondering if I’d done the right thing at all.

  And even if I did, my friends or boyfriends or whatever they were would probably tell me the decision was mine.

  Worry and fear knotted on top of my head then trickled down the rest of my body, making my stomach flip and my heartbeat soar.

  What if I didn’t take them and had an episode? That was what my aunt used to say—I had…episodes.

  I didn’t know what an episode was, but did I want to have one at school or with Christie or, worse, in front of one of the guys from the pack?

  No, I didn’t.

  Jumping up to save the pills from the landfill, I walked as fast as I could to the front door, intent on getting them from the trash, but as I flung the door open, fate had already taken over in the form of the garbage truck putting down my already empty can and driving off.

  I sighed.

  Decision made for me.

  Now, I had to deal with the consequences.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The day after I threw away all my pills, I received a text regarding another Friday night pack meeting. I no longer received a special invitation for me, but had been made part of the group notification. I liked it. Liked being one of the group, such a new experience.

  Although I had not been through any kind of ceremony or anything, which I guess I’d always thought necessary to join a pack or any other group. Everyone behaved as if I’d always been there, despite my lack of ability to bring forth a wolf. But I had started to believe even if she couldn’t shift, I might one day develop the ability to communicate with her. At least, I hoped so because I’d started to remember what it was like when I could.

  And the memories made me ache for her, for the companion of my time as a little girl, when I was never truly alone. I knew I’d shifted because my aunt mentioned it as in, “What a shame you’ll never be able to change again. But it’s for the best.”

  She’d said this many times, but it had never rung in this way. I went about my day, trying not to overthink it, but as I was climbing out of the car that evening, it wouldn’t stop. Why was it “for the best” I’d lost my birthright? Did she also think it was good I was stuck in that chair?

  I rolled to the meeting spot, another bonfire, which they loved, and so did I, but my mind was completely focused on what any of this meant. My aunt had been unfailingly kind to me, waited on me hand and foot, and never let me want for anything.

  Except independence.

  I’d had to argue to make my own toast, and only learned to cook by sneaking into the kitchen whenever she was napping or out of the house on an errand. She’d insisted I not “tax my strength,” sometimes supplementing my regular meds with another pill to help me get extra rest.

  The smoke of the bonfires tickled my nose, and I spotted the usual grouping around our smaller pyre, waving to me. Christie and the guys were nothing but warm and kind, concerned about me. Heck, the rest of the pack was pretty nice, too, up to and including the alpha. My aunt…she’d been considerate for sure, but only so long as I behaved in ways she said were for my own good. Early on, there had been a doctor who said there was no reason I couldn’t walk. I never saw him again.

  “Come on, Wendi!” Christi stood up and came to walk beside me. “The alpha is going to speak in a minute.”

  “Does he have something important to say, or is this an excuse for a run and a party?”

  Her eyes widened, and she slammed a finger to her lips. “Shhh! What if he heard you?”

  I looked around. “I don’t see him yet, but what if he does?”

  “You’ve never had an alpha before. He’s good as they go, but they really don’t like to be made fun of.” She squeezed my shoulder. “Besides, I like these parties. If he wants to make them sound all official, it works for me.”

  “My life used to be so much simpler,” I lamented.

  “But boring, right?”

  “Yes. So so boring.”

  We were giggling when we arrived at the circle of chairs, and Brandon reached up and pulled me into his lap in the low beach seat he occupied. He nuzzled my neck and even gave a little nip. “I thought you’d never get here.”

  “I’m not late.” Why did everyone keep acting like I was an hour late when I was right on time.

  “I’m going to stay with you tonight during the run,” he murmured. “We’re going to take turns.”

  “Oh, no.” Shoot, I knew Christie was missing out. “I’m fine by myself, really.”

  “I insist.” Another nibble made his case, but then I felt a presence and looked up to see the alpha standing over us.

  “You will go on the run tonight, Brandon,” he rumbled. “I will stay with Wendi.”

  Oh hell no. My mind flew in a hundred directions at once. Had I done something wrong? Was he going to send me away?

  Brandon and the others looked as shocked as I felt.

  “Alpha, we don’t mind. We like being with Wendi.”

  “I didn’t ask, Brandon. When it’s time for the run, I will come and bring Wendi up to the house for a chat. It’s long overdue.”

  I could feel the turmoil in my friends, but none of them argued. How could they? He was their alpha, and his word must be obeyed. Besides, it wasn’t as if he’d
asked to have me tortured or something. He wanted to have a “long overdue” chat.

  And I wanted to go home.

  But instead of fleeing, something awkward for a girl in a wheelchair, at least at any great speed, I nodded and smiled. “Thank you, alpha. I look forward to our meeting.”

  “I hope you don’t think it’s frivolous, like these evenings?”

  Oh gods!

  He moved to the center of the group, near the biggest fire, and made a few announcements, nothing earth-shattering at all, just some work assignment changes, a call for volunteers for a big project, and well, basically that was it.

  Then he sent them all off on their chase through the forest. Brandon stood, holding me in his arms and set me in my chair. He brushed a kiss over my lips and caressed my cheek. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite.”

  “I can’t think why he wants to talk to me. I must have done something bad.” Right?

  “No. If it was a matter of punishment for a crime against the pack, he’s got a beta for that. I don’t know what he wants, but I trust him. Go and don’t worry. When you’re done, we’ll all spend some time together, okay?”

  I bit my lip so hard I tasted copper but then nodded. “What’s the worst he can do?”

  “That, you don’t want to ask.” Another quick kiss and he was stripped and shifting so fast, I barely got a glimpse of his incredibly fit form. Then he was gone, chasing after the others who’d already torn away between the trees, and I had nobody left between me and the alpha.

  He appeared at my side. “I was going to take you to my office, but it is such a nice evening, do you mind staying here while we talk?”

  “I don’t mind at all.” It was less scary already. “But I don’t know what you might want to discuss with me. Did I offend in some way?”

  “Wendi, no. Nothing like that.” He sat in the chair Brandon had vacated. “The opposite in fact. Usually, we require someone be with us for a year before we invite them formally to join the pack.”

  Which went to show I had even less idea of how things worked than I’d thought. They made me feel so welcome, I sort of thought I was a member. “Seems fair. You’d want to get to know people to make them official.”

  “Just your being at our meetings is unusual. Nobody told you that, did they?”

  “No. Maybe they thought I knew. There can’t be many who have as little experience with pack life as I do.

  “Maybe.” He was quiet for a long moment. “We spoke of having to ask permission before moving to a pack’s territory. Crossing that line alone could have cost your ability to join us.”

  I was aghast. “So, you could have just made me leave my house and everything and go?”

  He tipped his head, the firelight reflecting in his eyes, making him look very wolfy. “Technically, but when we did your background check, we found enough reason not to do that. Your mother was distantly related to us, did you know?”

  “My mother? So, why didn’t my aunt bring me here? If we were members…”

  “I’m afraid your aunt was not related to us.”

  “But…she was my mother’s sister.”

  “Not by blood.” He leaned back in his seat. “They were stepsisters.”

  I pressed for more information, but he seemed reluctant to tell me anything else on the topic. Frustrated, I shifted in my seat and grabbed a stick to poke the fire. If not by blood, why did she go to the trouble to raise me?

  “That’s a lot to take in. I know so little about my family, but your background check? Did it turn up more?”

  “Not a lot, but it’s ongoing. I understand you’ve stopped taking any medications at all.”

  I wondered how he knew this but skimmed over it. “Yes, but I feel fine!” I didn’t want anyone alphaing me into taking them again. “Really.”

  “Glad to hear it. Few shifters take any kind of meds, at least long term. Usually, shifting fixes whatever is wrong with us.”

  “Yeah, if only, right?” I couldn’t keep the bitterness from my voice.

  “Give yourself time. I think she’s closer than you think.”

  She…my wolf?

  He went on. “I want to plan your official acceptance into the pack for one week from tonight. You up for it?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  His laughter went on as the others came back and shifted and dressed.

  I sat in my chair and tried to make sense of everything I’d learned.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “How should we celebrate our new pack member?” Brandon plopped onto the couch, bouncing the rest of us. The alpha’s house had a home theater complete with a huge U-shaped couch big enough to all four guys and me and, until she yawned dramatically and said she was tired, Christie, too.

  “It’s still a week away,” I replied, not wanting them to make a big deal of it though I knew better.

  Moss got up and took the top portion off an ottoman and pulled out the biggest blanket I’d ever seen in my life from its hidden storage. Convenient since we were currently sitting on the biggest sofa I’d ever seen as well.

  “Cold?” he asked, and, in fact, I’d just shivered. It was as though one of them was always watching me. Always aware.

  Not in a creepy way, but rather I always knew I was secure and safe in their presence and even when they weren’t with me.

  “Thank you.” I accepted the blanket, flanked by Moss and Eschel, who hadn’t left my side since the alpha had tipped his head at me and said good night earlier in the evening. Brandon was laid out on the floor in front of the couch with Cash.

  It was like I was in a cage of gorgeous men.

  Not a bad way to spend a Friday night.

  “Let’s roast a whole pig at Wendi’s party. It’s been a while,” Moss suggested, lifting the blanket and snuggling closer to me. Eschel followed suit, his gaze focused on the screen in front of us, watching the movie.

  Hell, I didn’t know what we were watching at this point.

  “What a good idea, Moss. Damn, it has been a long time,” Brandon answered.

  These boys, and, it seemed, shifters in general were all about the food. And mostly the protein-rich kind.

  “Roasting a pig and then roasting the new pack member?” I mostly joked, but Eschel growled a little.

  He did that pretty damned often.

  “No one will be roasting the female,” he grumbled.

  “Pipe down. No one will be roasting you, Wendi. It’s a celebration of a new member, not a hazing at a frat house. It will be fun. We guarantee it, right, guys?” Brandon smiled as he turned to speak to me.

  He winked at me before lying back down on his belly, extending his feet so they were touching mine.

  Tingles shot from my feet straight up to my core. No one bristled at the fact they were all touching me in some way. It baffled me over and over again.

  Maybe it was a shifter thing.

  I needed a handbook or something. My paranormal romance books had failed me.

  Or maybe I wasn’t reading the right ones. Even in the multi-partners or “reverse harem” stories, someone was usually not cool with it.

  Moss got up, saying he needed some water, and asked the rest of us if we wanted some. He ended up taking drink orders from water to protein shakes, and Cash wanted a soda.

  While he was gone, Eschel put his arm around my shoulders. “Tomorrow night, right? What time should I pick you up?”

  My face heated as his hand made circles on my triceps. “That depends on what you have planned, I suppose.”

  He squinted. “Hmm, Wendi, are you trying to trick me into telling you what I’ve planned? No dice. From now on, when you and I go on a date, assume the entire thing is a surprise. It’s a thing I’ve been waiting to do for a long time. “

  Some pieces were being put together in my head—things Escher had said before—things all of them had said about mates and waiting, but I flicked them away.

  Even though I wasn’t his mate, or didn’t think so
, I would enjoy this time with him while I could.

  Wait a damned minute. We hadn’t been on our first date yet, and here he was talking about future dates?

  I needed a break, and my bladder had been pressing me for attention for a while. “Um, I have to use the restroom.” I flung the blanket off me and stood. Shit. I didn’t know where it was.

  “It’s down the hall, second door on the left,” Moss answered before I could ask the question. I thanked him as he stood behind the couch, arms full of drinks for everyone.

  I went to the bathroom and did my business before splashing my face with cool water.

  Bracing my palms on the side of the sink, I leaned forward and looked at myself.

  I didn’t dare speak to myself out loud since Brandon had told me about shifters’ heightened scent and hearing.

  Be cool, Wendi. It’s just four guys who are your friends.

  Smiling in the mirror, I rolled my eyes. Couldn’t convince myself it was true.

  As I made my way back to the couch, I heard explosions on the movie they were playing. I hadn’t made any suggestions for our watching, so they chose for me. Thank goodness it wasn’t a romance.

  I read romance, but on screen? It wasn’t the same.

  Cutting a three-hundred page book down to ninety minutes of film robbed it of the magic.

  Moss held the blanket up as I sat down. As soon as my butt hit the plush of the cushion, I realized they were all staring at me. “What?”

  Brandon reached for the remote to turn the TV down.

  I looked to Cashel to explain since he had the biggest grin of them all. “Wendi, do you realize you walked to the bathroom and back and didn’t look at your wheelchair at all? In fact, you’ve been doing that all night.”

  My gaze ticked over to my chair. The front of the seat sagged from years of holding my weight, but now, it looked like it was pouting from neglect. “I didn’t…”

  “You’re stronger than you look. You’re getting stronger every day,” he went on as I flitted through the memories of the night, realizing they were right.

  I hadn’t thought of sitting in my chair at all.