Outcast: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (The Pack Prophecy Book 1)

by R. L. Caulder

  "What's going on?" I searched her face to find a hint of what was coming, but I couldn't think of what could be eating away at her like this. Yeah, we had shit to talk through, but we'd work through it with time.

  The words fell from her plush lips like an avalanche that she couldn’t hold back once she started, turning my world upside down.

  "Did he ever bring the Daimona up to the elders at the summit? Did he ever request help? Why would they have allowed this situation to just be handled by us with a foreign enemy? Wouldn't they want to make sure no other packs were being attacked?" Her hands frantically moved around as she rapidly fired off questions.

  She plowed on, "I was doing research on the Dark Prophecy and the Shadow War because I think the two are connected by the Daimona, and I think that your dad might have something to do with all of it," she said in a rush, barely breathing between words.

  No.

  I blanched as the impact of her words and the reality of what she said hit me.

  She reached for me, and I recoiled from her as she implored, "Jameson, let me explain why. I know it's shocking."

  Slapping her hand away from me, I stood up furiously. "Get out!" I spat, disgusted by her accusation. She was implying that my father had fed my mother to the Daimona on a platter.

  As hellbent on revenge as he was, there was no way my father could have committed such a heinous act.

  For once in my life, I had opened myself to the possibility that I had been wrong about Kira, ready to repent for my actions for the rest of our lives. I snorted in disgust at my own weakness and gullibility.

  Fake tears streamed down her cheeks in a ploy to make me empathetic to her lies. "Jameson, why would I lie about this?"

  A vicious laugh ripped through me, the answer flowing from me with ease, "Because you get off on taking everyone I love from me. I finally see that now. My mother wasn't enough for you? Now you want to take my father away from me?"

  Gripping her arm, I dragged her to the front door as her pleas fell on deaf ears. "Jameson! Just listen to me!"

  Opening the door, I shoved her towards it and let my disdain for her rise to the surface, spurring me on. "Get the fuck out of here before I let my father know of your accusations."

  She was a true actress, portraying a broken shell of a woman hurt beyond repair as she sniffled and hiccupped through her sobs on my doorstep.

  Slamming the door in her face, I vowed. Never again. I had been right all along.

  She was a dangerously beautiful poison that would damage everything in her path.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Kira

  Heartbroken and utterly despondent, I retreated into our shared mind and allowed Lux to take over, unable to decide what I needed right now to cope. Her paws carried us away and into the forest as she gently reassured me.

  He is just hurting from old wounds.

  I don't care. I'm not alive to be his verbal punching bag. There's only so many blows I can take from him.

  As I fumed in our mind, I noticed her padding into the training yard. Why had she come here?

  Look.

  Turning our gaze slightly, she set her sights on a small figure in spandex shorts and a sports bra with sheets of sweat rolling off their skin in the back of the yard. They were going at it with a punching bag amidst the random mixture of gym equipment in the corner. Sofia.

  Ask her to spar. It could take your mind off this and release some tension.

  I grumbled a noncommittal response, and Lux ignored me, continuing slowly towards Sofia. When we were a few feet away, we finally broke through her intense focus on destroying this punching bag, drawing her eyes filled with daggers towards us.

  Good luck.

  Lux, no! No! You asshole.

  She retreated into our mind as the shift came on, and moments later I stood butt naked in front of my enemy.

  "I'm not into chicks, Kira, and even if I was, I'd prefer them to have bigger tits." Her eyes rolled as her lip did her signature curl of distaste before focusing back on the punching bag.

  Honestly, that wasn't even close to as mean as her normal insults towards me. Her black heart definitely wasn't in that one.

  She didn't bother to look at me as she dealt a few swift punches to the bag and tossed out, "If you insist on staring at me like a weirdo, can you at least put on my leggings and jacket?"

  Now she was offering me her clothes?

  My nose wrinkled in response as I weighed my options. Put on her clothes and ask to spar, or try to force Lux to change back and go find Milo and Seth.

  Not happening.

  I stomped my foot in response, admittedly a bit childish, but I really wasn't in the mood for Lux's tough love. Digging into a tub of ice cream while curled up on a couch sounded much better to me at the moment.

  "Goddess! Stop standing there naked and not saying a word, it's fucking weird!" Sofia exclaimed and bent to pick up her clothes, throwing them at my face.

  "Sorry. I was having a... conversation with my wolf," I hedged, as I dropped the jacket to the ground and began to work my legs through her hot pink leggings. She was a few inches shorter than me, so they ended up being capris on me, but they fit well enough.

  Sticking my hands through the arm holes, I zipped up the front of the black jacket as she asked, “What do you mean having a conversation with your wolf?”

  Tilting my head slightly, my brows furrowed, “Uhm, we were talking. I don’t know how else to explain that. Don’t you talk to yours?”

  With a dumbstruck expression, she answered, “No. It’s just feelings and emotions and short one word answers mainly, but even that doesn’t happen often.”

  Lux, is that true for all shifters?

  Yes. You know how your soul powers allow you to see into others?

  Yes…

  That same power allows our souls to completely open to each other now that you have accepted me. It strips away the mental barrier that the others have.

  Wow. So I just look like the crazy girl talking to her wolf in her head.

  Her voice held a teasing tone in response. Yup. Absolutely crazy.

  Takes one to know one.

  Sofia’s fists landed harshly against the bag again as I focused on her once more, and I decided maybe she needed to work out some frustrations as well. "Do you want to spar?" I offered, not expecting her to take me up on it.

  Dropping her arms down to the side, her gaze swiveled towards me with her eyes narrowed to slits. "Why would I do that? You already beat me despite lacking training, and now I'm being treated as if I'm worthless to my father."

  Worthless? Just because she lost a match?

  Placing my hand on my hip, I cocked an eyebrow while voicing my thoughts. "You're kidding, right? That does not make you worthless."

  Why was I standing here trying to build her back up?

  "Because you're better than us." Seth's words echoed in my head.

  Sofia grumbled while rubbing her knuckles, "Yeah, tell him that. All I'm good for is advancing our status in the packs and with the elders. I couldn't lock down Jameson, despite my father forcing me to try from the time I could walk it felt like."

  My mouth dropped to the floor at her admission. "Your dad forced you to try to mate with Jameson?"

  Who the fuck tries to force that upon their daughter? I may not have understood how parental relationships worked, but I couldn’t imagine that that was normal and acceptable behavior.

  Her eyebrows raised, and her lips thinned, "Dad of the year award."

  "At least you have one," flew from my mouth before I could stop it. I did well most of the time to not think about my birth parents because it just led me down a path of pain and abandonment issues. But, sometimes the trauma reared its ugly head at inopportune times.

  Sofia plopped onto the ground, lying back in the dirt on her sweaty back without a care in the world and waving a hand at me. "Honestly, I don't know if I'd rather not have one instead of one who only doles out affection wh
en it's to further his own political gain. I'm supposed to be his daughter, not a pawn."

  Fuck, I actually felt bad for the girl.

  Sighing heavily at the realization, I lowered myself to the ground and crossed my legs under me. "I have a question. Why are you not acting like a nasty bitch to me right now?" I brushed the dirt off my hand and placed my palms on my thighs.

  Sofia draped an arm over her eyes to block out the sun. "What's the point now? I only did that because my dad threatened to send me to another pack for a mate bond if I couldn't secure Jameson. You were in the way of me staying with my family here."

  Grimacing at her admission, I chewed it over in my head as she continued. "My dad might be a dick, but I love my mother and two younger brothers fiercely. I didn't want to lose them. But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I hate the person I became because of that hanging over my head." Her words had become a bit strangled and it seemed like she was trying to hold tears at bay.

  Shocking myself, I whispered, "I forgive you."

  Chills spread through me as I realized that deep down, I did forgive her. I wasn't just saying it. She had lashed out from a place of fear, and she thought it was the only way to stay with her family.

  It was an incredible weight lifted to forgive the person you held so much resentment for. Resentment might not even describe it fully. I had hated Sofia Woodlan with a fiery rage. I’d blamed her for so much of my pathetic life conditions this whole time, but holding onto that vehement hatred wouldn’t do me any good. It only continued to give the past control over my happiness now.

  Her arm raised off her eyes as she sat up with a tearful gaze focused on me. "I don't deserve your forgiveness. I was terrible to you and look where it got me...nowhere besides preparing to be handed off to another pack with an arranged bond."

  Disgusting.

  Fury filled my chest at the audacity of her father to think that he could make such a barbaric decision for her. Mates were chosen, be it by fate or by yourself if you weren't blessed with a fated. Never an outsider.

  "No."

  Her eyes widened at my single word response, and I continued. "No. You are not being shipped off to some random shifter with a pack you don't know. That is not up to him, Sofia. Stand your ground."

  Her head hung down in defeat despite my words, and she muttered to the ground, "I don't have a choice. If I refuse to go, my father will kick me out of our home, and I’ll have no one." A humorless chuckle came from her as she added, "It's not like I've made a lot of friends in my life."

  My cottage flashed into my mind.

  "Look, I'm sure you know that my cottage is ruined..." I paused at the honest confusion on her face.

  Whatever, it didn't matter who had done it.

  "Well, if you want to fix it up, you can have it. It might not be much, but it gives you somewhere to stay. I'll help you, and I'll force Milo and Seth to help as well."

  Tears streamed down her face in earnest now, and wow, she was not a pretty crier, but it somehow endeared her to me.

  "Why are...you...helping me?" She questioned between sobs.

  Taking a deep breath, I tried to figure out how to word this to her. I didn't want her to think I pitied her, because no one liked that feeling.

  Smiling gently at her, I answered, "Because it's the right thing to do, and no one should be forced into an unwanted bond."

  Despite my smile, my heart throbbed painfully as I thought of my bond with Jameson.

  As though she sensed my thoughts, she stopped crying, sniffling while rubbing the back of her hand against her runny nose. "Jameson won't help?"

  Lux growled at her inquiring about him, completely lost to the animalistic territorial side, but I didn't read Sofia's question as interest in him.

  "He's still fighting the bond."

  "Asshat," she muttered, making me chuckle at her unexpected response. We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes as she composed herself, and I didn't try to rush her. She had a big decision to make, and she needed to be comfortable with whatever she settled on.

  Out of nowhere, she smacked the ground with her palms and yelled, "Fuck my dad! I'm not letting him drive me out of my home."

  She's not terrible, I guess.

  The corners of my mouth lifted into a grin at Sofia's proclamation and Lux's admission.

  Sofia stared at me intently with determination in her eyes. "Thank you, Kira. I don’t deserve this kindness from you, but I promise I’ll always have your back moving forward."

  I simply nodded and pushed off of the ground to stand before calling out as I walked away, "Do these leggings make my ass look good?"

  A genuine laugh bubbled out of her before she yelled at my retreating back, "I'd grab it."

  Is this what having a female friend felt like? Who knew I would feel that for the first time with my lifelong nemesis. The world worked in mysterious ways.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kira

  Despite the small serotonin boost that my interaction with Sofia gave me, my mood plummeted just a few minutes later. I passed through the village and quickly became the center of attention and the laughing stock of the town once again. Small groups of people gathered, blatantly talking about me and pointing.

  "Apparently she claims to have a divine connection to the moon goddess. Can you believe she would make such an outrageous thing up?"

  Ignore it.

  They make my blood boil.

  "It's pathetic that she thinks she's some powerful being and worthy of three fated mates. As if."

  I grimaced and kept my gaze straight, counting down the minutes until I made it into the safety of Seth's home.

  I guess if you really want, I could eat them?

  Would that make you a cannibal if you ate another wolf?

  Lux provided a welcome distraction, bringing a smile to my face despite all the nasty whispers.

  Perhaps. That's a burden I'm willing to bear for you.

  You're so good to me.

  As I chuckled at her running commentary, a deep voice called out, "What's so funny, bitch? You mock our goddess and think you can get away with it?"

  Stopping in my tracks, I seethed, my chest rising and falling rapidly as my blood pressure rose. Curling my fists into balls, I forced myself to keep walking.

  "Running away won't change the fact that we'll never accept you here."

  His words opened up my deep-seeded wounds and fears of never belonging or feeling at home and snapped my desire to not give into their words.

  Let's show them what we've got.

  Spinning on my heel, I took my time looking around at each person lingering and whispering. They refused to meet my eyes as I scanned, showing how weak they really were.

  I called out loudly, "Oh no, don't take your eyes off me now. I’ll show you how utterly foolish you all are to doubt me, and then I will continue on with my plans to save your ungrateful asses from the coming evil."

  Want to come out?

  She didn't even bother to respond, opting to take the reins immediately, and we shifted in a quick, seamless transition. Once on all four paws, I searched inwardly for our flame and stroked it, inviting it to course through us. It reacted quickly to my call this time, coming to an understanding that I was its master.

  Lux released a loud howl as the power flowed through us, reveling in the feeling.

  For once, I felt completely in tune with Lux and our power, giving it free rein to appear as it wished. Lux began prowling forward towards the balding, short man who had blatantly disrespected us. As she did, the crescent mark burned on our forehead, and our paws flared with deep blue flames.

  He took a few hesitant steps backwards as his eyes widened in fear and astonishment at the sight of who we really were for the first time. A large wolf with powers they’d never seen before, one that refused to take their shit anymore.

  Get him.

  She took off at my command, not giving him a moment to shift before our weight barreled
into him like a bullet. Leaping up, our flaming front paws landed on his chest knocking him to the ground beneath us.

  He trembled and reeked of fear. Pathetic.

  Growling and snapping our sharp canines an inch from his now sweating face, I willed us to go into the shadowscape, as I’d decided to call it. Our vision shifted immediately, allowing me to see his warped soul.

  His soul didn't have a radiant blue flame as I had come to expect based on my previous interactions. This man's soul was a constantly twisting soft yellow orb with traces of black running through it like electric bolts.

  Interesting. I’d need to peek more often into people’s souls to try to understand the meaning of the different colors.

  I know we can heal souls from darkness and peer into their memories, but do you think we can harm them?

  Anything having to do with their soul is possible with these gifts we've been blessed with.

  Intrigued and wanting to make my point, I reached out to grab the orb. A dull thumping of energy thudded into my hand, and I embedded an image into the orb of chopping off his dick and shoving it down his throat.

  Snapping back to reality to see if it had worked, we were hit with the scent of urine as Lux backed off of him.

  He curled into himself with his hand covering his manhood, crying and shaking for all to see.

  A now friendly voice rang out, "And if that didn't scare you enough, if you fuck with Kira, you fuck with me."

  Sofia stood leaning against a nearby cottage with her arms crossed over her chest and a look of venom piercing everyone in sight. A look I remembered all too well.

  Quickly the crowd disbursed, a few retreating into their homes and others scampering off in various directions. All that remained was the sniveling man, Sofia, and me.

  Lux nodded our large head towards Sofia in thanks, earning a nod back.

  Let's get out of here.

  Spinning around, we sprinted the short distance to Seth's home near the alpha's center. Nerves rose as I saw Milo sitting outside with his back to the front wall. The front door looked like it had been replaced already, and I wondered if he or Seth had done that.