by Fay Walsh
Her body started to grow heavy with sleep, with the lull of the moment, and her own exhaustion from sex taking over. When she passed out, Lisa felt happy, and for the first time in a long time, she felt safe and secure. Darren made her feel right, but there was definitely that worry that this may not be the right thing to do.
Chapter 12
When Darren woke up the next morning, he turned to his side, finding Lisa there. The realization of what he did last night hit him, which caused both a strange happiness, but also a fear that sat in his body. He wondered if this would turn into anything bigger for him, but he didn’t know for sure.
Lisa turned her body over, smiling at Darren with a small grin.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey. Slept well?”
“Better than ever honestly. It feels… nice to be here you know,” she said.
Darren blushed slightly, turning away.
“I could say the same thing,” he told her.
Lisa smiled and Darren felt his heart skip a beat. It felt strangely right, even though he didn’t know the first thing about really loving someone. He hadn’t given in to those feelings in a long time.
“I know there is something here between us. The connection we share, the feeling is mutual,” he explained.
“Good. Because I’m happy. For the first time, I can safely say that” Lisa admitted.
“Yeah. I can too. The fact that you accept me as a shifter is definitely a nice little bonus,” he admitted.
Darren knew that if he ever ended up in a relationship again, he’d need that, and he felt that he had his work cut out for him with Lisa. The two of them cuddled and Darren felt a really big warmth in his heart. He wondered though how long this would last.
How long before things would go south? When he would have to explain to her the truth behind the way he came to be? Darren wasn’t sure, but he felt that maybe he should also talk to the guys about this.
He got up, got dressed, and headed for the door, with Lisa following him.
“By the way, are you uh… free sometime next week?” she asked.
“Of course. I can make time for the right people,” he said with a smirk.
The blush on Lisa’s face sent sparks through his body. Darren loved teasing her, almost as much as he loved spending time with her. It was strange to feel this sure of himself and this sure of the relationship.
About a week had passed since they made love. As the days passed by, Darren realized that the relationship felt perfectly right and he was quite content with that.
He tried to make time for her and the fact that she seemed super happy to be with him made everything even better. Darren would work, and then call up Lisa. On Friday, he even took her to the movies, something that Darren never did. He never bothered with seeing movies, mostly because he always thought they were trite human frivolities. However, he liked that he could spend time with Lisa. He actually enjoyed her company.
However, the fact that everything seemed so quiet, cast a shadow in Darren’s heart. He would walk around almost expecting other shifters to be around, or to at least hear about any kind of attacks towards the locals. But there was nothing. Not a single person reported attacks, and it was almost too quiet for him to bear. Darren wondered if it was because he was used to always being on edge. It could’ve been that, but he was sure that there was another reason for the way that he felt, some sort of instinct.
He wanted to protect Lisa. Of that he was sure, but the lack of attacks was a big red flag to him. Whenever he was with the other shifters, he always felt like there was something that needed to be discussed, such as maybe there was the potential for another attack. But there was nothing, and Darren felt uneasy when he thought about it.
One day the following week, he met with Travis to report. When they sat down, he looked at his Alpha, sighing.
“You okay?” Travis asked him.
“I’ve been better. I’m just worried about things, that’s all,” he said.
“What’s got you worried?” Travis asked.
“Well, the fact that we’ve been having almost no attacks or any reports of anything recently is a little bit suspicious,” he stated.
“It could just be a quiet period. I mean, Kirk is gone. He’s dead, and so is his girl. I for one am happy about that,” he admitted.
“I am too Travis but I don’t think setting our guard down this early in the game is right either. I know how shifters work. I’ve been around the block when it comes to fearsome shifters, and usually, when you have your guard down is when they attack. Don’t forget about that lion. Where could he be?” he wondered.
“This is truly strange, Darren. But, sometimes life goes through these quiet periods. You don’t have to worry about it as much as you think you should,” Travis pointed out.
Darren nodded, taking that in.
“I guess so but… there’s a lot more to this than I care to admit. I’m scared to move forward, Travis. I’m scared to take Lisa as a mate. But there is a connection there, and it’s driving me up the fucking wall,” he admitted.
“Don’t worry so much, Darren. You should do what you feel is right. Besides, you don’t have much of a choice if your bear has chosen her as his mate,” he stated.
“Yeah. When we spend time together, she makes me smile, something that few people do. It’s strange! When I’m around her, I wonder if she’s the mate that my bear has been looking for. But, the idea of pressing forward and accepting that is still too worrisome for me,” Darren admitted.
“I get that. It’s the same for everyone, I guess,” Travis said.
In truth, it was a very long time ago that Darren even entertained the idea of letting someone in like that. These days, he wondered if he should just forgo that worry and let himself give in.
“It’s hard to explain, Travis. In truth, I think I can’t really explain it. I mean, have you ever been scared to fall in love?”
“You mean with Alana? Yeah, that’s honestly how our relationship went for a long time. She’s a great girl and all, but I honestly don’t know how I got to where I am with her. I was scared to accept her as a mate because I didn’t know what you guys would think. But, it ended up being much better than I expected, and I’m grateful for that,” Travis explained with a warm smile.
“Thanks. I mean… it makes sense,” he told Travis.
In a way, the way that Travis acted made complete, perfect sense and Darren was getting used to that.
“Yeah. It does make sense, Darren, and you need to realize that. With time comes a lot of responsibility. I know that you’ll make the right choice, no matter what you’ll eventually decide. Do you think she’s good enough?”
“Yeah. I just… I don’t know, there is wrong going on, Travis, and I can’t put my finger on it. There’s like… this strange worry that I’m doing the wrong thing, this strange desire to abandon everything, and I don’t get it,” he explained.
“Darren, you’re a bright man, honestly smarter than me in a lot of ways. You could’ve been the Alpha if you wanted to, but you never challenged me, which I respect. But I think that if your heart is telling you that it’s the right thing, chances are it is, and you need to stop being so scared of the future,” Travis explained.
“Maybe you’re right. I don’t know, I think it’s the journalism aspect of it. I’ve never dated someone with that background, so I fear what they might do to me,” he admitted.
“What’s the worst that can happen? She gets mad at you for something and she posts a shady article about you?”
“Well, yeah. There’s that,” Darren said with a laugh.
“I mean, if she gets mad you, that’s something you two need to talk about together. I’m not getting in the middle of that. She seems like a good girl. I mean, has to at least be decent if she’s turning you into Mr. Lover boy over here,” Travis teased.
“Knock it off Travis, I’m not trying to be like that, I’m just… I’m worried, that’s all,” he
said.
“You have every right to worry and I have every right to tell you that worrying is only going to make things worse. I say, spend some time with her, and if you notice anything fishy, let me and her know. Talk it out. Who knows, maybe you’re just overreacting and it’s getting to you. If there is anything amiss, I know you’ll do something about it,” Travis pointed out.
“True. Thanks, Travis. I owe you,” he said.
“I know. I mean, I’m the head of our clan for a reason. Someone needs to be the one to keep us all in line,” he teased.
Darren laughed, but he had a point. Travis was always there for him whenever he needed some support. He was going to meet with Lisa next Friday again for another date, so maybe he would talk to her about his worry then.
Darren felt that their relationship would only get better and better. But, he began to notice that Lisa was a bit distant, and when Darren tried to ask about it, she wouldn’t say much.
“Sorry. I’ve been busy,” she just replied.
“So busy you haven’t talked to me all that much,” Darren pointed out.
“I’m telling you, Darren. It’s just some personal stuff. Don’t worry about it,” she admitted.
Darren didn’t like the way that it sounded. She was being so elusive. But, maybe there was a reason behind all of that.
Sure enough, Darren found the reason right before their upcoming date.
Darren was in the office, looking through a few websites while on break. He paused, shaking his head and scratching his temple.
“I haven’t seen her post anything in a long time,” he admitted.
Darren always wondered if there was a reason behind it. Maybe it was because Lisa didn’t talk about her job all that much. Darren searched for Lisa’s articles at the website that she was working. What he saw, made him gasp in wonder.
“Why is she...”
Darren looked at all of her recent posts, noticing that a lot of them were about paranormal activity. The first article was a pretty generic one and didn’t bother him. The headline read “Paranormal activity: what is it, and should you be worried.” But, as he continued to look downwards, he began to notice that the articles were becoming fishier with each post.
The one that bothered him the most though was one post that she had written relatively recently. When he saw it, he stopped, looking at the screen. His fingers shook nervously on the desk as he was reading it. The fact that she would dare write about this made him angry.
“Shifters, do they live around us? They may be closer than you think,” he read with a voice so low that it was almost a whisper.
Darren couldn’t believe it! He thought that she was different, that she would be understanding of his plight. And yet here she was writing articles such as this.
He wanted to call her and tell her that he knew of how she had betrayed him. He wondered if he should immediately break up with her or not.
But, he didn’t. His rage paralyzed him. He didn’t know what he should do first. He would make sure to call her and give her a piece of his mind.
“I can’t believe she’s selling me out,” he shouted at the screen.
Darren called Travis at once, and after a few rings, Travis spoke.
“What’s the matter?”
“That little journalist. That’s what the matter is,” he said full of rage.
There was a pause, and then, Travis spoke.
“Okay, take it easy, and tell me what happened,” Travis replied, always the calm guy.
“Well, I found out that the woman that I thought I was falling for is writing articles about paranormal activity and is selling us out. I’m at a loss. She hasn’t shared any names as of yes, but I don’t know if she will in the future. I will take care of it myself though,” he said.
“This worries me, Darren, but I’ll respect your wish. If you need help at all, let me know,” Travis said.
“I won’t need help unless, of course, I want to take more drastic measures,” Darren said.
He hung up the phone, furious at what he read. He had been a fool to trust that little journalist. And he had fallen straight into her trap.
Chapter 13
When Lisa went to work that Monday, she could feel the atmosphere of the entire office change. She had no idea why, but it was weird because after having such an amazing weekend with Darren, and having mind-blowing sex with him, the tense, almost hateful atmosphere was enough to send shivers down her spine. She knew from the moment she walked in something was very wrong, and she did wonder if it had something to do with her next set of content.
“There you are Lisa,” Thomas said with a snap.
“Good morning, sir. Sorry for being so late with everything. I’ve been a little busy,” she admitted.
In truth, Lisa had been spending more time with Darren than working. She didn’t want to deal with her work stuff, so she kept putting things off.
“Well, I need you to get your ass in gear, my dear. We have a lot going on, and I need you to get yourself together,” he said.
“I am, sir. I really am. I just… I don’t want to worry so much about work right now. I have a lot going on. I feel a little bit stumped on content,” she admitted.
In truth, Lisa was a little worried about that, mostly because she didn’t really know what to do about the next piece. She wrote a lot about different parts of the town and special events, but she felt like it wasn’t good enough. Thomas smiled, his face curling into a grin which made her heart race, and finally he announced his plan to her.
“Actually, I have the perfect idea for content,” he said with a purr.
“What is it?” she inquired. She didn’t know what her boss wanted her to do this time.
“I know that we’ve had some paranormal activity in town, and I’d love for you to do a piece or two on that,” he said to her.
Lisa paused, looking at him with concern. She didn’t know if she wanted to write about this topic, mostly because of her promise to Darren.
“I-I’m not sure I follow, sir,” she said.
“It’s simple my dear. I want you to write a piece on some of the paranormal activity that’s going on in the town. You can work in a general sense, maybe write one piece on what it is, and perhaps recount anything strange that you’ve seen. I’m not asking for you to go into too much detail at this point, but a little bit about… well, you’ll figure it out,” he explained.
Upon hearing her boss, Lisa realized there was something amiss there. She could see the big grin on his face and his hateful expression. She knew for a fact that he was enjoying this in his own sick, twisted manner.
However, she was relactunt to take up this assignment. She feared that it might lead a paper trail back to Darren and that was the last thing that she wanted.
“Can I work on anything else besides that?” she inquired.
“Sure, if you want to work elsewhere,” he spat at her.
She shivered, realizing that he was serious about this. He wanted her to write content based on paranormal activity.
“Okay. But I’m not getting personal with these. I want to know, however, what made you change your mind. About writing paranormal content,” she explained.
“Simple. I found out that it’s much more remunerative than I thought, and I’d love to use this to my advantage,” he said.
“So there is a market for it?”
“Yes. One that I was surprised I never tapped into. A couple of little… changes as of late made me realize that this was much more valuable than other such markets,” he explained.
She didn’t like the vibe that her boss gave off. It was definitely a bit meaner, hurtful in a sense, and it made her shiver. She felt a bit scared at his sudden change of behavior.
“I… I don’t know, sir,” she said.
“Well, you either agree to this, or we disengage. I can find another writer at a moment’s notice,” he said to her.
She felt the tears dot her face as she heard those words. Sh
e knew that he meant every word that he uttered and that she would indeed lose her job if she didn’t agree to this.
“Alright. You win. Fine. But, don’t hurt anyone with this content,” she demanded.
“I have no plans to. If you’re a good girl, you can continue to get lots of work from me,” he said with a sneer.
Lisa didn’t like this but she needed to keep her job. She knew for a fact that, if she didn’t agree, she’d lose everything, and that was the one thing that she didn’t want to happen. She knew that if she didn’t agree she would lose any reason for even showing up. At the same time though, she feared that she would be betraying Darren.