The Fullback Protector

by Emma Wolfe

  “Let’s go,” I said, nodding in the direction of the mother pack.

  Oliver raised his eyebrows as he glanced over at me. “Really? It’s that easy?”

  I growled. I didn’t want to prolong this. The sooner I talked to our father, the sooner I could come back to Smoky Hills. I didn’t want to go back home for even that short a time, but if I had to in order to keep Rose safe, I would.

  I didn’t respond as I shifted and took off deeper into the woods. As I raced through the trees, I could hear Oliver behind me. His paws fell on the soft ground as he kept pace with me.

  And then realization hit me. Like a truck to the gut.

  I had forced Rose away. It was only a matter of time before she hated me. And even though I knew I’d needed to do it to keep her safe, it still hurt. Like nothing I’d ever felt before.

  My world was never going to be the same. There would be no more Jordan’s diner and no more sitting, staring at Rose as she worked her shift. No more watching her tuck her blonde hair behind her ear as she leaned toward the customer that was speaking to her.

  And no more watching her fail completely on the field as she attempted to keep up with the other cheerleaders.

  No. We were done. Finished. There was no more Grayson and Rose.

  There couldn’t be.

  I was from a world that would never accept her. I feared what my parents would do if they found out I had fated with a human. Oliver knew that Rose and I had been together in the woods tonight. That there was more feeling between us then there should be. I hadn’t really suppressed my emotions when I was kissing her. If he had been around, he would have sensed them.

  And they weren’t going to stand for that. If I knew my parents, there wasn’t a lot they tolerated when it came to humans.

  With such unrest in the mother pack, I doubted that they would respect the deal with Mr. Bronson. Everything was back on the table with the lack of an alpha.

  And there was a sinking feeling, deep within my stomach, that wouldn’t go away. Oliver patrolling these woods hadn’t just been a coincidence. Dad had a plan for me.

  Somehow, someway, the alpha was no longer going to be a Bronson.

  But a Smith.

  18

  Rose

  The entire weekend had sucked. After running out of the woods with my stomach in knots, I climbed the stairs to my tiny home above the ridiculous diner. I collapsed on my bed and pulled the covers over my head. And that was where I stayed until Grandma pulled the covers off my head Monday morning and demanded that I get up.

  I groaned as I moved to pull the blankets back, but Grandma wasn’t having any of it.

  She pulled my covers completely off the bed and then grabbed my shoulders.

  “I’m done with this mopey, stringy-haired girl,” she said as she leaned into my face.

  I wiggled to break loose, but she didn’t let go. “Grandma,” I muttered.

  “Don’t think I won’t dunk you into the bathtub myself. I did it when you were little, and I could do it again.”

  I sighed. I knew that it was physically impossible for my ninety-four-pound grandmother to lift me into anything, but I didn’t want to see her hurt herself in her stubbornness.

  So I pulled myself into a sitting position, keeping my eyes shut tight. I forced a smile. “There. Happy?” I asked.

  When she didn’t answer, I peeked over at her. She was standing there with her hands on her hips and a disgruntled expression on her face.

  She wasn’t happy.

  Realizing that she wasn’t going to be satisfied until I was out of bed, I sighed and pushed my feet underneath me. I opened my eyes and shot her a cheesy grin.

  Grandma didn’t seem too pleased with my reaction. She swatted me with the dishrag she was holding and began to herd me to the door. “Hurry up. It’s fuller than a tick in summer down there. I need your help, and you can’t be late for school.”

  I let out my breath as I allowed her to herd me out to the bathroom.

  At first, things were fine.

  But one look in that small room made me remember why I’d been using the diner’s bathroom for the past two days. The memory of my kiss with Grayson haunted me.

  I swallowed as tears began to well up. I blinked—hard—hoping to force them down.

  He hadn’t come back for me. After our fight, I’d waited, wishing he’d come back to tell me that he’d made a mistake, that he didn’t think I was easy, and that he missed me.

  But he never came.

  I just couldn’t handle it. All I wanted to do was run to my room and hide under my comforter until I was old and grey.

  I pulled open the door and was met with Grandma’s angry face. She mumbled something under her breath and pushed me back into the bathroom.

  “You’re not coming out until you shower. Then you are getting dressed and coming down to the diner to help me out.”

  I groaned as I turned back and stood in the middle of the room. I glanced over at her and shrugged. She could force me to stay in here, but that didn’t mean I was going to take a shower.

  Instead of letting me go, she pointed her finger toward the shower. “Turn it on,” she commanded.

  I sighed—loudly and with as much annoyance as I could—and leaned over to flip on the water. Then I turned and gave her a smug smile. Grandma sighed again and folded her arms.

  “Now you listen good, sweetie. You’re going to have boys come in and out of your life. Some are going to feel like they’re the one. Others you’ll know right away they ain’t. But you can’t let them define you.” Her wrinkles deepened with worry as she stared at me. “Your momma and dad wouldn’t want me raising you to think you could only be happy if a boy was in your life. I’d be hurting their memory if I did.”

  A pit formed in my stomach as I took in my grandmother’s tiny frame. She was a loud spirit; you always knew when she entered a room. But right now, she looked tired and worn-out.

  Feeling like an awful person, I wrapped my arms around her tiny shoulders. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  She held me for a moment before she pulled back and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “I know what it’s like to hurt. I know what it’s like to lose the person you thought you were destined for.” She patted my cheek as she met my gaze. “But it’s not the end of the world. You’ve gotta pick yourself up and keep on keeping on.”

  Her lips tipped up into an encouraging smile, but it only made me feel worse about myself. I forced a small smile in response. Even though her words wouldn’t bring Grayson back, I could pretend to find happiness in his absence. At least around Grandma.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll take a shower and work on getting on with my life.” The words rang hollow, but I did my best to help Grandma believe they were true.

  “There’s my girl,” she said as she gave my cheek one more pat and then nodded toward the water. “Hurry up. I think the dishwasher is about to be run, and that means no more hot water.”

  I shooed Grandma from the room and shut the door.

  Ten minutes later, I stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed.

  I wrapped a towel around my body and let my wet hair hang down around my shoulders. After I towel-dried my hair, I applied a bit of makeup—just to appease Grandma, I told myself—and then made my way into my bedroom to get dressed.

  Once my hair was pulled up into a messy bun and I’d slipped on my shoes, I felt better. Granted, my heart was still breaking, but at least I could breathe again.

  I padded down the stairs and over to Thomas, who growled at me as he shoved a plate full of pancakes and eggs my direction. I took it after planting a kiss on his cheek and made my way over to the small table in the back.

  After I finished eating, I slipped the plate into the dirty dishes, grabbed my apron, and headed out to the diner.

  I held my breath as I stood in the back, surveying the dining room. I knew who I was looking for even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself.

&nbs
p; Grayson never missed breakfast. He’d always managed to find a way to come inside. And had always managed to look at me with this unabashed, raw stare that made shivers erupt across my skin.

  But he wasn’t here. Even though the dining room was full of people, it felt empty. I’d never realized how much I looked forward to seeing Grayson each morning.

  “Table five needs their order taken,” Grandma said, nodding.

  I grabbed my notebook and pencil and headed to table five. Once I got there, I sucked in my breath. Liam, Evan, Noah, and Brielle were sitting there with solemn expressions. From the look on their faces, it was almost as if someone had died.

  Grayson.

  “Can I take your order?” I whispered, barely able to find the strength to speak.

  Liam looked up at me. He threaded his fingers and set his hands down on the table in front of him. He took in a deep breath. “We need to talk.”

  I pinched my lips together. Could it be possible that the group at this table were shifters too?

  I mean, it would make sense. They were all incredibly fast and strong. And Liam and Grayson were friends. Like, best friends.

  “About what?” I asked, drawing out each sound. I couldn’t speak first without sounding crazy.

  Liam leaned over the table and held my gaze. “I think you know,” he said with his eyebrows raised.

  Yep, they were probably wolf shifters. Did they have information about Grayson?

  I glanced around the diner, feeling as if everyone was listening in on our conversation. But the only one who was staring at me was Grandma, and she just had a look that said, hurry up and take their order.

  Not wanting to raise suspicion, I tapped my pencil on my notepad. “You’ve gotta order if you’re going to stay. And I can’t talk until after my shift.”

  Liam let out a low growl, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Brielle lean in closer to him. Their agitation was as palpable as fog after a summer rain.

  “That’s fine,” Noah piped up as he grabbed a menu. “Just give us all pancakes and eggs.”

  I nodded as I jotted down their order and then slipped my notepad and pencil into my apron. Just as I moved to walk away, Liam grabbed my arm.

  “Right after your shift, right?” he asked.

  I could hear the pain in of his voice. He was hurting. Perhaps just as much as I was. Feeling the threat of tears, all I could do was nod and pull away.

  I headed into the kitchen to hand their order over to Thomas and then took a moment to collapse against the nearby wall. I buried my face in my hands as I allowed the feeling of sadness to wash over me.

  If Liam looked that worried, it could only mean one thing.

  Grayson was still gone.

  Thankfully, Grandma let me go from my shift fifteen minutes early. I’m not sure if she felt sorry for me or was just tired of me messing up the orders, but after the fifth mix-up, she marched over to me and announced that I was free to go.

  I kissed her cheek and nodded over at Liam and the group. They looked just as ready as I was as they stood and moved toward the entrance. I grabbed my backpack and headed out after them.

  We headed to the back of the building. They didn’t want to have this kind of discussion in the open.

  When we rounded the corner of the building where the dumpsters were, we were met with the very wide eyes of Cora.

  She was leaning against her bike, wearing a pair of headphones. Her backpack was on her back, and her phone was in her hand. She froze in place when she saw us.

  “Cora?” I asked, stepping over to her.

  “Rose!” she exclaimed, reaching over and pulling me into a hug. “You never returned my calls.” She glanced over at Liam and the gang. “I was worried that you were mad at me. I thought I’d catch you on your way to school.” Then she leaned in and whispered, “What’s going on?”

  I loved Cora, I did, but right then, I needed her to leave. If she didn’t know about Grayson or Liam, then I wasn’t going to out them. And the longer she stood there, preventing our conversation, the longer I was going without knowing if Grayson was okay.

  Liam stepped forward. His gaze was intense as he stared down at me. “Where’s Grayson?” he asked.

  My eyes widened, and I tipped my head toward Cora. Did he really want to have this conversation in front of her?

  But Liam didn’t look alarmed. And that’s when I realized Cora knew the secret.

  I was a little upset that she hadn’t said anything to me. I mean, I’d literally gone on and on about wolves in the woods, hoping she wouldn’t think I was crazy, when she knew about them all along.

  I glanced over at her to see her apologetic smile. I pursed my lips and turned my attention back to Liam. He looked as if he were going to explode.

  “You need to tell us what happened in the woods,” he said as he inched closer to me.

  I blew out my breath as I prepared myself. It was strange, talking about the magical wolves in the woods like they were fact. It had almost been easier when I didn’t know for sure. Now, they were part of my past and my future.

  “There was a wolf in the woods. He was tracking us. Grayson and I…” My voice trailed off as the memory of kissing Grayson floated into my mind. My body ached as I realized I’d never be held by him again. That we were over before we’d even really begun.

  “And?” Liam asked, annoyance dripping from his voice.

  “And Grayson went off to find the wolf. I was angry, so I went looking as well. The wolf found me, and Grayson must have sensed something, and then he…shifted.” It was weird to say that word, but it was a fact for me now. Grayson was a wolf shifter.

  “What happened after that? Do you know why he hasn’t been home all weekend?” Liam asked as he began to pace.

  Realizing that they probably didn’t want the play-by-play, I decided to speed the story up. “The wolf was his brother, Oliver,” I said, glancing over at Brielle, whose skin had paled. “He said something about being sent to find Grayson.”

  Oh, and Grayson said that he never really liked me and that he thought I was easy. But I wasn’t going to share that.

  “And he left?”

  I nodded. “I think so. It was more like I left, and he didn’t follow.”

  “So he went into the woods with Oliver?” Liam asked again. As if he needed an absolute answer.

  “Yes,” I said, my voice low.

  But it didn’t seem as if Liam was listening to me anymore. Instead, he was huddled next to Evan and Noah as they spoke in hushed tones.

  Cora leaned over to me and whispered, “So you know about Grayson, huh?”

  I nodded. “Liam is one, too?”

  A look of sadness spread across her face as she looked down. Then it hit me, his being a wolf shifter must have played a part in their suddenly standoffish behavior. I gave her a small smile. “Looks like we’re gluttons for punishment.”

  Cora let out a soft laugh. And Liam raised his gaze to study her for a moment before he dropped it again.

  Liam could say whatever he wanted, but I saw the way he looked at her. The way he always looked at her. He might be saying that she needed to stay away, but the desire that burned in his gaze said he wanted the exact opposite.

  I parted my lips to speak, but Cora beat me to it.

  “Yeah. That’s why I’m trying to move on,” she said, her voice wavering with each word.

  That was a strange comment, and one I wanted to delve deeper into. But probably not behind the diner, and probably not while we were trying to figure out what to do about Grayson.

  Liam straightened as he glanced in our direction. I could see the pain etched across his features as he flicked his gaze over to Cora and then back to me.

  “We’re going to go,” he said, nodding toward Evan, Noah, and Brielle. The others were already making their way toward the woods.

  I wanted to ask what they were going to do. I didn’t want them to leave without giving me more information.

  “If
we find out anything, we’ll let you know,” Liam said as if he had anticipated my question. “But for now, it’s better if you leave it to us. There’s nothing you can do in there. And it’s best if you keep out of the woods,” he said, nodding toward the trees.

  I followed his gesture, noting that Evan, Noah, and Brielle had already disappeared.

  I wanted to ask more. To demand that he give me some answers, but by the time I looked back at him, he was halfway to the woods. In a matter of seconds, he slipped between the trees and was gone.

  I blew out my breath as I turned to Cora. She was staring at the spot where Liam had entered the forest. Her gaze was hazy ,and her expression was one of sadness. She was hurting. Probably just as much as I was.

  Feeling a kinship with Cora—even more than I had before—I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. She glanced up at me with a sad smile.

  “So, what do we do now?” she asked as we headed toward my car. She wrapped her arm around my waist as we walked.

  I sighed and tipped my face up toward the sky. “I guess we go to school.”

  Cora laughed. “Well, that’s taking it literally.”

  I glanced over at her. I knew what she was asking. But I didn’t know the answer. After all, what could we do? We were humans. They were wolves. Were we ever even meant to meet?

  “I don’t know,” I whispered as my stomach squeezed. I didn’t want to give up. I wanted to fight for Grayson. But I didn’t know how.

  Cora glanced over at me and sighed. “Me neither.”

  Well, at least I had Cora to get through this with. It was nice to not be the only outsider.

  “We’ll wait and figure it out together?” I asked.

  Cora nodded. “Together.”

  We walked in silence over to the car and climbed inside. As I started the engine, I let out the breath I’d been holding.

  Sure, I didn’t know where Grayson was or if he was okay. And I didn’t know what it meant to be a human in love with a wolf shifter. Heck, I didn’t even know how many shifters there were or how it all worked.