Shadowed Instincts

by Wendi Wilson

  Jeremy thought about it for a few seconds. He knew there was no way he was going to spend the whole summer without Melanie. And meeting other people like him would be amazing. He would make his parents understand.

  “I’m in,” he said. “I’ll make sure my parents say yes, whatever it takes.”

  After Jeremy ended his call, he resumed pacing. It wasn’t long before he heard the roar of a car outside and raced to the window. He pushed the curtain aside and saw his parents’ blue sedan coming to a stop in the driveway.

  “Showtime,” he muttered as he went to the sofa, sat down and waited for them to enter the house.

  “Jeremy? Are you home?” his mom called out as she walked through the front door.

  “In the living room,” Jeremy called back.

  He stood as his mom and dad walked into the room. He gave his mom a hug and kissed her on the cheek before shaking hands with his dad and receiving a slap on the back. When he stepped away, his mom was looking at him curiously.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Jeremy sighed. She always could read him like a book. He sat back down on the couch and motioned them into the two arm chairs positioned across from it.

  “I need to talk to you guys about something important,” he started, then paused to collect his thoughts.

  “What is it, Jeremy? What’s happened?” his dad asked when he didn’t continue.

  “Okay, bear with me, please. Let me get it all out before you start yelling.”

  He looked first at his dad and then his mom with pleading eyes. They looked concerned, but nodded their heads in agreement. He released a pent up breath and started to speak.

  “You guys know I have a girlfriend now, right?”

  “Jeremy-”

  “Dad, you promised!”

  “Okay,” he said doubtfully. “I’m listening.”

  “A lot has happened since you guys were here last. Melanie’s attacker started stalking her. I helped her figure out who it was and bring him to justice. It was our English teacher, by the way.”

  “Oh, Jere-” his mom began, but he held up a hand to silence her.

  “In the midst of all this drama, I fell in love with her. I told her what we are. I shifted in front of her to prove it. She was a little freaked out at first, but in the end, it didn’t matter. She loves me too, in spite of our differences.” He paused for a moment and amended, “No, wait, that’s not right. I think she actually loves me more because of them.”

  Jeremy’s dad started to stand up as his face flushed with anger. His wife put her hand on his arm to stop him. He glanced over at her, rage and something else Jeremy couldn’t quite define clouding his features.

  “Don,” she said quietly, “we promised. Sit down.”

  “Alicia, he has put us in…” he started, but trailed off when Alicia gave him a stern look. He plopped back into his seat and silently motioned at Jeremy to continue.

  “I am in love with her,” Jeremy continued, “and I believe you shouldn’t keep secrets from the ones you love.”

  He paused to look pointedly at each of them. They shifted in their seats, but remained silent, waiting for him to finish.

  “Anyway,” he said, “things are different now. A couple of weeks ago, things started to change. Her body became leaner and stronger, her temper started flaring uncontrollably, and she went from being somewhat timid to taking charge and not letting anything or anyone stand in her way. Her seventeenth birthday is in a little over a week.”

  With that, both his parents gasped, eyes flying wide. They looked at each other, then back at Jeremy expectantly.

  “I see you made the connection. I didn’t. I had no clue it was even possible for there to be others out there like us.” As his anger built, Jeremy’s voice got louder. “Imagine my surprise when her father showed up and I smelled him. He immediately recognized what I am, too. He’s a shifter, like us. Only, not like us, because he is the alpha of his pack. His pack!”

  Alicia’s hand flew to her mouth as a strangled cry worked its way up her throat. Don sat up straight and pierced Jeremy with a sharp look. He took a deep breath before speaking.

  “Do you know where this pack is located?”

  “What does that matter?” Jeremy asked with anger still vibrating in his voice.

  “Jeremy.”

  Jeremy threw his hands into the air, practically yelling, “I don’t know! Somewhere in Kentucky.”

  Alicia sank back into her seat with a relieved sigh. Her hands dropped to her lap as she closed her eyes. Don released a breath and relaxed, too.

  “What is going on? Why are you guys freaking out?”

  “We…haven’t been completely honest with you, son,” Don replied quietly.

  “No shit.”

  “Language,” Alicia cut in.

  “I’m sorry, Mom, but this is ridiculous. What haven’t you told me?”

  When she didn’t respond, Jeremy looked at Don. “Dad?”

  “I don’t know where to start,” he said.

  “How about at the beginning?” Jeremy said with annoyance.

  “Okay. You know how we move around a lot?” At Jeremy’s nod, he continued, “Well, it’s not because of my work. It’s because we’ve been running.”

  “Running from what?”

  “Our pack. They want you dead.”

  “What? Why?”

  “It’s kind of a long and complicated story.” He paused and took a deep breath before looking into Jeremy’s eyes and continuing. “When your mother and I were teenagers, her father was the alpha of our pack in Oklahoma. My father wanted the position and challenged him for it.”

  “What does that mean, exactly?”

  “When an alpha is challenged for the right of authority, he and his challenger must fight. It is a battle of strength, wits and honor. They can choose to fight as humans or as dogs, but must remain in that form until the battle is over. Whoever can get the other to submit is the new alpha. My father cheated. He chose the dog form and when the alpha started to overpower him, he shifted to human form and tried to stab the alpha with a knife he had hidden nearby. By killing the alpha, he would have automatically taken over without objection.”

  When he paused, Jeremy asked, “What happened?”

  “He lost. The alpha saw it coming and howled out a warning. My father was subdued by some spectators and detained. As punishment for his deceit, the alpha banished him. He had no choice but to leave the pack and never come back. My mother was devastated by his dishonorable actions and chose to stay, making him leave on his own without her. Without me.”

  “Okay,” Jeremy said after a brief pause. “What does this have to do with me? Why does the pack want me dead?”

  “Even though your father was not the one banished,” Alicia answered, “there was a stigma cast upon him and his mother. They were outcasts within the compound. Barely anyone would even speak to them.”

  Her eyes turned toward Don and glassed over. He smiled at her then turned back to Jeremy and continued the story.

  “Your mother followed her own set of rules. We became friends in secret, and that friendship grew into more. When we found out she was pregnant with you, we were overjoyed, but also worried. She had to tell her father that not only was she pregnant, but that I was the father.

  “He didn’t react like we thought he would. He wasn’t angry. He was actually happy. In his joy, he announced the good news to the pack, and well, I guess you can imagine how they took it. They were outraged and called for my death. The outcast son of a traitor had no business even associating with the daughter of the alpha, much less fathering her child.”

  “But I don’t understand,” Jeremy said, confused. “What does it matter? Is it really that big of a deal?”

  “Jeremy, think about it,” his father replied. “Only males carry the title of alpha.”

  “So?”

  “So, who do you think is next in line for alpha?”

  “Me?” Jeremy asked
, disbelief lacing his voice.

  “You,” Don said dejectedly. “The pack called for your banishment. You weren’t even born yet. They wanted the alpha to decree that you would be sent away as soon as your mother gave birth.”

  “We were devastated,” Alicia cut in. “I couldn’t believe that these people I grew up with could be so cruel, just because of what your grandfather had done. But they are a superstitious lot and thought the blood of his family was tainted.”

  “So what happened? You guys just ran away?”

  “Not exactly. My father helped us. He gave us money and contacts to get employment. He even secured us a place to live. We were happy in New York.”

  The mention of New York brought his cousin Chris to mind. “What about Chris? He’s older than me. Why wouldn’t he be alpha? Aunt Janine is your sister.”

  “Honey, Aunt Janine is my half-sister. Our father had an affair with her mother before he got married to my mom. Her mother was human, and Aunt Janine did not inherit the shifter gene. She is human, as is Chris. He can’t be the alpha.”

  “So it’s just me, then. And the pack wants to kill me. Awesome.”

  “Jeremy,” Don said softly, “your grandfather died right before we moved here. Someone else, we’re not sure who, took over the reigns as alpha and it’s that person that wants you dead. He found us and we fled here to hide. That’s why we were so scared when you said your girlfriend’s dad is an alpha.”

  “Okay,” Jeremy said, taking a breath and releasing it on a sigh. “I’m going to need some time to digest all of this.”

  “Whatever you need, son.”

  “I’ll tell you what I need. I need to go with Melanie to Kentucky for the summer.”

  “What?” they both exclaimed in unison.

  “Her dad is taking her and her mother back to his pack for the summer. They said I could come if it’s okay with the both of you.”

  “I don’t think that’s such a great idea,” Don said. “We don’t know these people and-”

  “Dad, please! I need this! Thanks to you, I know nothing, nothing about my ancestry. I could learn so much from them. Plus, I could be with Melanie. I have to be. You have to understand that, right?”

  “Jeremy, listen to me. People are trying to kill you. It’s too dangerous.”

  “You didn’t think it was so dangerous when you left me here with my eighteen year old cousin for three weeks!”

  “That’s because we are hidden here. If you go to this pack, you’re putting yourself in danger. I refuse to let anything-”

  “Don,” Alicia interrupted, “let him go.”

  He looked at his wife in shock, then his face relaxed as they seemed to have some unspoken conversation. Finally, he shook his head and looked back at Jeremy.

  “I need to meet this alpha and explain things to him. If he agrees to offer you protection, should the need arise, and I feel like he’s a trustworthy person, then I’ll consent to the trip.”

  Jeremy smiled and hugged his parents. “Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. I’m sure you’ll agree when you meet him. If anyone can protect me, it’s Darren Wilkes.”

  Chapter 6

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  Melanie slammed her locker door shut and turned to meet dark chocolate eyes and the grin she loved so much. She threw her arms around Jeremy’s neck and kissed him quickly before burying her head in his chest.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, really,” she said. “I just missed you yesterday.”

  He squeezed her before pulling back and staring into her blue-green eyes. “Mel, I missed you too, but what’s really going on here? I know it’s more than that.”

  “Just nervous about English, I guess.”

  Mr. Hughes had been arrested only three days prior for his attacks on her. Melanie knew he was in jail and she was finally safe, but facing all her peers, knowing they now knew what he did to her, made her anxious.

  “Hey,” he said softly as he hugged her again, “don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine.”

  “You promise?”

  “I swear.” He let go of her and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go, before we’re late.”

  *~*~*

  At lunch, Melanie and Jeremy sat down with Tara and Chris, who were already there when they arrived. Tara was in high spirits, but Chris looked upset.

  “What’s the matter, man?” Jeremy asked him after the sat down with their trays.

  Chris looked at Jeremy accusingly. “I can’t believe no one told me.”

  “Told you what?”

  “About the notes. The presents. The investigation you guys were apparently conducting behind my back!”

  Melanie looked at Tara, who looked a little flushed. She had obviously told Chris the whole story, at least the parts she knew. As far as Tara was concerned, Sissy had driven Melanie into the parking lot that night. It was a coincidence that Mr. Hughes was there and that “Ace” was watching over her at that exact moment. Melanie hated lying to her best friend, but she couldn’t tell her the truth without revealing Jeremy’s secret. Her secret.

  “Sorry, Chris,” Melanie said. “Don’t blame Tara. I begged her not to say anything to you. I didn’t want anyone else dragged into my mess. I pulled the best friend card, so it’s not her fault.”

  Tara’s eyes shot up to meet Melanie’s. The corners of her mouth lifted in a small smile of thanks. Melanie winked at her.

  “And,” Melanie continued, “I used the boyfriend card on Jeremy, so you can’t be mad at him either.”

  Chris sucked in a deep breath and sighed. “I guess that means I can only be mad at you then, huh?”

  Melanie grinned. “Nope. You can’t stay mad at me. You love me too much.”

  Chris barked out a laugh and conceded, letting go of his disappointment. “Okay, okay. I’m done pouting,” he said, throwing his arm over Tara’s shoulder.

  “Good. My work here is done,” Melanie said, then shoved her tray away. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I need to talk to my boyfriend in private.”

  “Bow-chicka-bow-wow,” Tara sang while waggling her eyebrows.

  “Shut up,” Melanie retorted, standing up and holding out a hand to Jeremy.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice,” he said quickly before standing and taking her hand. He dragged her away from the table, through the doors and out into the hallway.

  Once they were alone in the hall, he wrapped her in his arms and whispered in her ear, “Where do you want to go? My truck? No backseat, but it’ll do in a pinch.”

  Melanie smacked his butt before pulling back and grabbing his hand again. “No, dork. Let’s go to the library.”

  “Ooh, dangerous. I would say I like it, but that librarian has an annoying way of interrupting every time I try to kiss you.”

  “Well, good thing I only want to talk,” she said flippantly as she pulled him down the hall toward the library.

  Jeremy yanked on her hand which sent her flying back toward him to collide with his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist and wound the other hand up into her hair. He brought his lips close to hers, as close as they could get without actually touching.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to my truck?” he asked. His voice had dropped in pitch and had an edge of huskiness to it.

  Melanie took a deep breath, feeling the heat rising to her face. “I actually would,” she whispered. “But I really,” she paused and gave him a quick peck on the lips before pulling away, “need to talk to you. I don’t think we’ll get much talking done in your truck, so the library it is.”

  She grabbed his hand and led him through the library door. She walked straight to their normal seats in the back, sat down and pulled him down next to her. He leaned in to kiss her again, but she put her hands on his chest and pushed back.

  “Not yet,” she said. “I want to hear how things went with your parents last night. I tried to call you, but I got voicemail.”

  Jeremy slouched back into the
cushions. “Sorry, my phone died and I forgot to plug it in.” He sighed and continued, “It didn’t go great.”

  After he repeated the conversation to her, she looked at him with a shocked expression on her face. She shook her head slowly and gripped his hands.

  “Wow. That’s just…crazy!”

  “I know, right?”

  “I can’t even...Not only are we both shifters, but we’re both descendants of alphas? How is this even real?”

  “It is strange. It’s like some cosmic force in the universe pulled us together.”

  “Seriously? Cosmic force? You are such a goober.”

  Jeremy laughed and pulled her in for a hug. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat for a few seconds before speaking again.

  “So, what did they say about the trip?”

  “They said maybe, as long as they can meet your dad and he can guarantee me protection.”

  She pulled back quickly and looked at his face. “They said maybe? Really?”

  He smiled. “Yep.”

  “Oh my God!” she squealed before launching herself onto his lap.

  She rained kisses all over his face before finally touching her lips to his. Her grabbed her hair and held her face still so his mouth could work its magic. Melanie was just starting to get into it when she heard a throat clear behind her.

  She pulled away and jumped back into her seat beside Jeremy. With a hot face she looked up and met the blue eyes of Mrs. Fisher, the librarian.

  “I thought I saw you two sneak back here,” she said with a slight smile on her wrinkled face. “Your lunch period is nearly over, so I suggest you two skedaddle.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Fisher,” Melanie mumbled as she stood up and pulled Jeremy up with her. She towed him from the library as quickly as possible, embarrassment eating her up.

  When they reached the hall, Jeremy laughed and tugged her toward him, throwing his arm over her shoulder. “I swear, that woman,” he said, not bothering to finish the sentence.

  Chapter 7

  Two days later, Melanie paced her living room, anxiously waiting for the doorbell to ring. Jeremy and his parents were due to show up any minute for dinner. She was a nervous wreck, knowing her whole summer was riding on this meeting.