by Wendi Wilson
“How does she seem?”
Chad shook his head. “She’s had a shock, that’s for sure. I think she’s taken over Declan’s care to try and keep her mind off of it.”
“I need to talk to her.”
“Of course,” he said, moving aside and holding out his arm to invite her in. “She’s upstairs in Declan’s room. Down the hall, second door on the right.”
After thanking him, Melanie slowly ascended the stairs, dragging her feet as if she were headed for the executioner rather than to see her best friend. That was what she feared the most, that Tara wouldn’t consider them best friends anymore. The secrets and lies had piled up to epic proportions. Add to that the violence Tara had witnessed and Melanie worried they could never come back from that.
Pausing in front of the bedroom door, Melanie took a deep breath and tapped lightly. Immediately deciding they were sleeping, she turned to leave and told herself she would come back later.
“Coward,” she growled to herself as she continued to step toward the staircase.
The door behind her creaked open and she turned to see Tara stepping out and closing it quietly behind her. Melanie took one small step toward her, her body trembling with anxiety, unsure of what to do or say. When they both just stood there staring at each other, Melanie realized she was going to have to speak first.
“How’s Declan?” she asked softly.
“He’s okay. He fell asleep a little while ago. We had to keep waking him up every hour last night to make sure the concussion wasn’t more serious.”
“How are you?” Melanie asked, taking a small step forward.
Tara took a quick step back and Melanie’s shoulders slumped, her worst fear realized. She held up her palms in a placating manner, like she was facing a frightened animal.
“Tara, I-”
“Not here,” Tara said, cutting her off.
She brushed past Melanie and headed down the stairs. Melanie trailed behind her, gritting her teeth in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. She followed Tara out the front door and down the lane back to the main house. Without a word, Tara led the way straight up to Melanie’s bedroom and sat on the bed, staring down at her hands.
Melanie gently closed the door behind her and leaned back against it. She waited patiently for Tara to speak. After several minutes passed, Melanie lost her patience and strode forward.
“Tara, I’m so sorry.”
Tara held up a hand to silence her before saying, “Explain this to me. Start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”
Melanie nodded her head brusquely and pulled the desk chair out and plopped down. She took a moment to get her thoughts in order. Gathering her strength, she took a deep breath and began speaking.
“It all goes back to the night Mr. Hughes attacked me.”
“What the hell does-”
“Please, Tara. This is hard enough. Just let me get it all out before you start yelling. Please.” Her voice was pleading.
Tara nodded. “Okay, fine. Tell me.”
“Mr. Hughes attacked me, and Ace saved me. Later, after Jeremy and I got together, he told me the truth. He is Ace.” At Tara’s sharp intake of breath, Melanie held up a hand. “That was his big family secret. The one I couldn’t tell you about.”
“But you said Chris wasn’t…”
“I know,” Melanie said softly when Tara trailed off. “Jeremy didn’t know. I asked him and he said that Chris wasn’t a shifter. Chris didn’t know anything about it…or so we thought.”
After a brief silence, Tara nodded and said, “Go on.”
“When things started to change for me, like the weight loss and the anger issues, my mom called my dad. Apparently, she knew what he was and recognized the signs in me. She knew what I would become. He rushed down to Georgia and broke the news to me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What was I supposed to say, Tara? Oh, by the way, Jeremy’s a shapeshifter and so am I?”
“You could have trusted me.”
Melanie laughed harshly. “You would have thought I was crazy and you know it.”
Tara looked down and motioned for Melanie to continue. “Keep going.”
“Okay. So, Jeremy realized after meeting my dad that his parents had been lying to him his whole life. They told him they were the only ones and that he could never tell anyone. Long story short, he was in line to be alpha and members of his pack wanted him dead before he was even born. They ran. They spent their lives in hiding, trying to protect him from the threat.
“When my parents decided to make me come here, he convinced his parents to let him come too, so he could learn about our kind. They didn’t want to agree, but my dad assured them that he could protect Jeremy.”
“So how does…Chris fit into all of this?” Tara asked brokenly.
Melanie looked at Tara, empathy shining in her eyes. “Chris’s mom is Jeremy’s mom’s illegitimate half-sister. She never shifted, so Jeremy’s family assumed that gene wasn’t passed to her. I haven’t got all the details, but from what I gather, it skipped a generation. Last night, before…you know…I heard Chris telling Jeremy he had killed their grandfather to become the alpha. Chris thought Jeremy was a threat to his position, so he’s been trying to kill Jeremy to eliminate that threat.”
“Oh my God,” Tara whispered. “I thought I was falling in love with him. I was going to give my…Oh, God.”
Melanie stood and walked over to the bed. She sat down next to Tara and gingerly put her arm around Tara’s shoulders. She released a pent up breath when Tara didn’t immediately jerk away from her.
“I’m sorry, Tara. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you everything before. I’m sorry I lied and I’m sorry about Chris.”
Tara sniffed. “So you turn into a dog,” she said. At Melanie’s nod, she continued, “So does Jeremy.”
It was a statement, not a question, but Melanie answered anyway. “Yes.”
“And Declan?”
“Everyone here, with the exception of you and my mom, is a shifter.” The corner of Melanie’s mouth lifted slightly. “That’s why I had to take such extreme measures to make sure no one could hear us when I talked to you. Exceptional hearing and eyesight are part of the package.”
Tara’s face lit up with understanding. “Okay…I get it now.” She let out a small laugh. “I thought you were being so paranoid and weird.”
Melanie sighed. “I know. I wanted to tell you the truth so many times…and I would have. I made the decision to tell you as soon as we eliminated the threat against Jeremy and I had shifted for the first time.”
“Last night was your first time?”
Melanie nodded. “Yes. I knew I would need to prove it to you.” She laughed. “Jeremy had to prove it to me. I was so freaked out.”
“And that’s why you were acting so weird about him the next day,” Tara said, the realization dawning on her.
“Yeah.”
Tara took a deep breath and stood up, appearing to end the conversation. “Thank you for telling me.”
Melanie joined her, twisting her hands together. “Are we…okay?”
“I don’t know, Mel. I’m going to need some time. This is a lot to take in.”
“Of course. I understand,” Melanie said sadly.
“I have to go home today. Chr…Chris was supposed to drive me home.” Tara’s eyes welled up.
“Oh, God. What are you going to do? What will you tell your parents?”
Melanie lifted her arm to embrace Tara, but paused when she saw the other girl flinch. She dropped her arm dejectedly and took a step back.
Tara spoke quickly, trying to cover the awkwardness of the exchange. “Your dad bought me a plane ticket for tonight. He’s having one of his men drive me to the airport this afternoon. I called my parents and told them Chris got called away unexpectedly and had to drive to New York to see his parents. They’re picking me up at the airport in Atlanta.”
“Okay. Well, I
’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” Tara said. She took a small step forward and leaned in, giving Melanie a stiff hug. “I’m still your best friend. I just need some time to process all this.”
“I get it,” Melanie said with a sniff. “Come say bye to me before you leave, okay?”
“Yeah, of course.”
Melanie nodded and turned to leave. She opened the door and paused, turning back to Tara. With a sad smile, she said, “I love you, Tara.”
Tara’s lips lifted in a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I love you too, Mel.”
Chapter 36
“Where’s mom?” Melanie asked when she walked back into Darren’s office wiping her tears. Her conversation with Tara went well, all things considered, but she still hated feeling distant from her best friend.
“She’s on her way to the airport to pick up Jeremy’s mom and dad. It’s a couple of hours away, so she had to leave and didn’t want to wake you up so early.”
Jeremy walked through the door and put his arms around Melanie. “How did it go with Tara?” he asked.
“Good, I guess. She is going to need some time to accept all of this, but she doesn’t hate me.”
“She could never hate you,” Jeremy said, squeezing her tight.
He held out his hand, a shiny object hanging from his fingers. Melanie sucked in a quick breath and reached for it.
“My bracelet,” she whispered, breathing a sigh of relief. “I thought I’d lost it and I had no idea how I was going to tell you.”
“I found it in the woods. It must have slipped off when you shifted.”
“Jeremy, maybe you should keep it. What if I lose-”
“No, Mel. It’s yours. Last night was an extreme situation and you shifted without realizing what was happening. You’ll have control over it soon. You’ll be able to take it off first.”
He took it from her and clasped it around her wrist. Pulling her hand to his mouth, he kissed it and squeezed it tight before letting go. Melanie wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in for a hug. At the sound of Darren clearing his throat, they pulled apart quickly.
They sat down wearily in the chairs across from Darren. Melanie was exhausted, but too wound up to sleep.
“So…what’s next?” she asked.
“I’ve contacted the local authorities. Chris’s body was found this morning in the woods. It appears he was attacked by a wild animal, possibly a bear. Everyone on the compound will back that story up.”
“What about his parents?”
“The local police will notify them and they will be able to pick up his body at the coroner’s office.”
Melanie choked on a sob. She had no idea how she was going to cope with the fact that she had killed someone. Chris was one of her best friends, or so she had thought, and Jeremy’s only cousin. She looked over at Jeremy and saw his downcast eyes were starting to water as well.
“Well,” she began, clearing her throat, “if that’s everything, we are going-”
“Not quite, darlin’,” Darren said, causing her to stop and look at him.
Darren stared at her intently for several beats before he spoke. “I want you to listen to me, Melanie. This was not your fault. That boy was going to kill Jeremy, you, me and Declan. Probably Tara, too, since she witnessed the whole thing. You protected yourself, your mate, and your whole family. I am here to help you through the next few months as you transition.”
“Transition? What are you talking about?” Jeremy exclaimed, looking wildly from Darren to Melanie and back at Darren again. “What kind of transition?”
Darren looked at him, his eye widening slightly. “Haven’t you figured it out, son? Chris was the alpha.”
“Yeah…I know that.”
Darren walked around his desk and came to stand in front of Jeremy and Melanie. “Melanie, you killed Chris.” At her vague nod, he added, “You killed the alpha of the Jeremy’s pack.”
“Mr. Wilkes,” Jeremy interjected, “I’ll testify, or whatever, for her. She’s not going to suffer for protecting-”
Darren cut him off with a wave of his hand, then stared deep into Melanie’s eyes, willing her to understand. Jeremy inhaled sharply and shook his head vigorously. “No,” he whispered in disbelief. Melanie heard it as if he had spoken directly into her ear.
“What the hell is going on?” Melanie shouted standing up with agitation.
Jeremy stood and grabbed her hand. He started pulling her toward the door in a panic. “No, no, no,” he said repeatedly as he dragged her forward.
“Jeremy, stop!” Melanie shouted, trying to break through his hysteria.
Jeremy froze and Melanie’s momentum took her forward, causing her to bump into his back. When he didn’t turn around or move at all, she walked in front of him and waved her hand in front of his face.
“Jeremy? What’s wrong?”
“Release me, Mel,” he whispered quietly.
“What do you mean? I’m not holding you.” It was evident in her voice that panic was overtaking her.
“Tell me I can move.”
“What the-”
“Just say it!” he shouted.
“Move!” she shouted back.
Jeremy’s body relaxed and he turned and stumbled back to the chair he had been sitting in. Melanie followed behind him, a look of confusion on her face. She sat down next to him and looked at Darren when Jeremy refused to meet her eyes.
“What is going on?” she asked. Her voice was shaking as she teetered on the brink of hysteria.
“Melanie,” Darren said firmly, staring deep into her eyes. “You killed Chris. According to cynanthrope law, you are the new alpha of the Oklahoma pack.”
To be continued…
Acknowledgments
I would like to start by thanking my family. You have all been so patient and supportive throughout this writing process.
I would also like to send a huge thank you to Samantha Britt and Kat Stiles for all of your help and ingenious suggestions. This book wouldn’t be what it is without you!
Thank you to FrinaArt over at selfpubbookcovers.com for putting together the cover for me when I couldn’t find what I was looking for in your gallery. It’s perfect.
And last, but definitely not least, I thank my readers. Thank you for following Melanie and Jeremy’s story. It warms my heart to know that others love them as much as I do.
If you enjoyed Shadowed Instincts, please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon. Those reviews really help us indie authors out and are very much appreciated.
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