Page 1

Chapter One

Fen

“C oming home to Painesville after spending the last four years out in Chicago is like entering a whole new world.” I spared a quick glance at the old run-down pharmacy on the corner of Main Street and Pine Lane. I noticed a group of young teens standing just outside the building, goofing around. It was easy to replace them in my mind as me and my old buddies instead. I sighed at the old memory of hanging out with Marcus, Karl, and the gang. But times were different now. I was no longer that young man, and this town was no longer the same warm, welcoming place I used to feel at peace in. “It’s like being thrown into a time machine but no longer fitting in. I swear, Neal, things haven’t changed much since I’ve been gone.”

“Is that a good thing or bad?” My roommate chuckled. “Seriously, dude, it’s only for a few days during our break and just to make sure your parents are okay. You’ll be back here before you can even settle in there. Take a deep breath, call an old friend to catch up on some gossip, and spend time with your parents. Hell, I have an even better idea—go to a bar and hook up with a sexy omega. It’s been way too long, man. You need the release.” Did I? I wasn’t one that hooked up like Neal did. Yes, I was waiting on my mate, but I wasn’t a saint either; my hand worked just fine. I hadn’t felt that need in a while and focusing on classes kept me occupied.

I turned down the road that led away from Main Street and toward my parents’ cabin. They lived a couple of miles down a nearly unpaved trail that led deep into the woods, like most of the town’s pack did. “How would you know?”

“We live in the same house, remember?” I could imagine Neal leaning back in his chair, smirking.

“But you aren’t always around.” He was often too busy hooking up himself. “There could have been—”

“Oh, my dear Fen.” Neal chuckled. “We both know I would have known about the lack of stress in your life if you had been easing the tension somehow.”

“Shut up,” I growled playfully, aware that Neal was only messing with me. “I’m not that bad.”

“You snapped at me the other morning because I left the refrigerator door open—”

“Yeah, because—”

“I was only turning around to place the food on the counter and would have turned right back to close it. We are talking seconds here, Fen. Not even minutes but seconds.” Neal wasn’t wrong, I did overreact; it was happening more frequently unfortunately.

“Fine. I have been a bit stressed out lately.” I had a deadline for my next book and my school schedule was fully packed for the next couple of semesters. A bit stressed out was an understatement and we both knew it. Yet the more I tried to destress, the more stressed I became. I was clawing at my skin to get out, yet nothing changed.

“So, you should go and get laid.” Neal persisted as if he knew all and could see all. “You need to unwind, and that’s the best way to do that. Find a cute little omega or a horny beta and bang out all your tension. Or, I’m not gonna judge, maybe another alpha is more your type.” I could see the shrug of indifference even through the phone; that was how well I knew my roommate.

“Neal… Stop.” I shook my head. My roommate was always trying to get me to unwind through sex. That may be the way that he relaxed, but until I met my mate, it was just not something I wanted to indulge in. Our mate will be worth the wait. My wolf agreed.

“Fine. But when you get back, we are going to some yoga sessions or a Reiki studio.” Neal chuckled, his jovial mood back. “Whatever will help you balance out life, work, and school. Because you need to ground yourself before you wreck yourself.”

“What are you even talking about? Wreck myself? Who talks like that?” I shook my head. My roommate had an interesting way with words, for sure, and I was the author who created fictional worlds.

“Me, so get over it.” Neal did have a unique use of words that may not have worked for others. “Anyway. Call me tomorrow and tell me all about the town gossip. God, I miss small-town life.” Neal sighed, heavy with envy. He didn’t need gossip. He had enough on campus to keep him satisfied.

“Whatever. You should have come with me, then; you know you are always welcome to visit my parents.” I shifted my car into park and turned off the engine. “Look, I’m outside my parents’ house now, so I’m letting you go.”

“Cool. Tell them I said hi and can’t wait until they come up for graduation. We still need to check out that new restaurant by the university,” Neal reminded me.

“I’ll tell them. Call you tomorrow.”

Hanging up the phone, I closed my eyes and rolled my shoulders. I counted to three and exhaled. Shook out my fingers—

Stop procrastinating and just go talk to them. My wolf growled, intruding on my dithering.

Fine. I pouted, though, I wasn’t ready.

Getting out of the car, I mentally prepared myself for this visit home. Not because I didn’t love my parents, because I did, but because of the town they lived in, namely the pack we were a part of.

Before I left town, everything they did in the pack seemed to make sense. The hierarchy of shifter-kind, with the predators being superior to the prey. It was all just accepted in my mind as how things were.

I left home for Chicago and found myself in a larger pool. University life, with all the other shifters, humans, and others mingling and building relationships, showed me a new way of thinking. I realized how backward and wrong my birth pack was. It didn’t sit right with me or my wolf; not that I could change it.

“Honey, is that you?” My mom Tricia’s petite form came out of the house as I walked up the steps. “What are you doing here?”

“Yeah, Mom. It’s me.” I gathered my mom in my arms, treasuring the immediate sense of comfort her presence provided. “Didn’t you get my message? I came to make sure that you and Dad were okay. When you told me about his sickness, I decided to make sure everything was okay down here. Dad never gets sick.”

“Oh, everything’s fine.” Mom kissed my cheek and stepped back, brushing off my concern. “I’m glad that you came. It’s been too long.”

“I know. I’m sorry about that.” I shrugged. I had nothing else to offer. University had sucked me in, keeping me busy. So did writing. “It’s just I had a lot of stuff going on.”

“I know, dear.” Mom laid her delicate hand on my shoulder. “You are doing so well in the city.”

“I’m trying hard to make a life out there. Maybe convince you to come stay with me there.” I took in the small cabin in need of repairs, making a mental note to help my father replace the broken wooden planks on the porch. “It’s hard coming back here after being in the city. Things are so much bigger there. I feel like I fit in there.”

“Your dad and I know that. That’s why we usually come to visit you instead.” Mom offered me a small smile. “Why don’t you call up Marcus and catch up with your old friends while you’re out here?”

“Maybe. I haven’t seen them since I left. I tried to keep in touch, but life got in the way. And they usually only wanted to talk about the same old things.” I sighed, not certain if I really wanted to contact Marcus at all. “I needed a change, but they seemed to stay the same.”

“Well, if you go out with them tonight, you can see how the pack has changed since you’ve been gone.” That was awfully cryptic, yet my mom didn’t say more.

“Changed? How has it changed?” A lot of the outward appearance seemed the same, but I had a feeling my mom was speaking about something else and that made me anxious.

“Things just aren’t the same within the pack.” My mom shook her head and grabbed one of the bags I had brought with me, leading me into the house. “Ever since the old alpha passed and his son is trying to take over the pack, things have just been different.”

An uneasy feeling flooded my body, my wolf sensing that there was some kind of meaning hidden in my mom’s words. I’d kill anyone if they dared harm my parents. “Are they mistreating you?”

Mom shook her head and laid a hand gently on my arm. “No, it’s not that. There is just a weird feeling in the pack. The older members remember things being a lot better. Now that the younger kids are trying to take over, they have different ideas than we’re used to.”

“No one is hurting you, though, right? It’s just the way things feel that’s bothering you?” I know it wouldn’t be my place, but I’d do what I could to convince my parents to leave this place and move closer to me if that were the case.

“There’s no physical or verbal abuse against us or anyone we know personally, no.” Mom opened the door and I followed her into the house. Memories flitted through my mind as I stepped over the threshold. “It just doesn’t feel like we belong here any longer. I don’t know, perhaps your father and I will be leaving the pack soon.”

“Leaving the pack?” I sat down at the kitchen table as my mother began to prepare us some tea. “Where would you go? You want to join me in the city?” Maybe it would be easier to convince them to leave than I thought.

“I don’t know.” My mom turned on the kettle and got the tea bags ready. “Do you have room for us in Chicago?”

“You know I’ll always have room for you.” And if I had to, I would.

“I know.” Mom came to the table, leaning down to place a kiss on my forehead like she always did. “Don’t worry about that right now. We can discuss it later. Maybe we are just afraid of change.”

“Maybe.” I took a cookie from the jar in the middle of the table. “I think I will call Marcus and meet up with some of the pack while I’m out here. I can see if I sense any trouble brewing.”

“That would be great, Fen. Just be careful.”

“I will, Mom.”

My father, Daniel, walked through the door just as the tea kettle sounded. “Oh, good. I was just thinking that a cup of tea would hit the spot. And look, our son has finally decided to visit. Everything okay, Fen?”

“Oh, yeah. Everything is fine.” I stood and hugged my father. “I just thought I’d come by for the weekend and make sure everything’s good with you both.”

“Well, everything is great here, but I’m glad that you came.” A coughing fit took over my father.

It was strange to see my dad sick. I hadn’t ever seen my dad ill a day in my life but now, he was hacking into a handkerchief and sounding like a crying seal. “Dad, have you seen the healer? Or one of the doctors in town? Shifters don’t tend to get sick. We need to find out what’s wrong.” Worry bubbled up inside me; something wasn’t right.

“It’s just a cough, Fen.” Dad put away the handkerchief once the episode was over and joined me at the kitchen table. “I did get checked out and no one has any idea why I have this cough, but all my lab work and tests came back normal. I am trying a remedy from the healer since the human doctors also didn’t have any idea what was afflicting me.”

“You need to come to the city.” I reached out and grabbed his hand. “They are the best in the country at the hospital near campus. The pack there ensures they only get the top in the field to work there. Please promise if the remedy doesn’t work, you will come visit me on campus and get it checked out.”

“I promise.” Dad squeezed my hand before letting go and taking the cup of tea my mom had placed before him. “Now, tell me more about what’s going on with you.”

As I spoke with my parents, I let my eyes roam around the kitchen, and memories assaulted me once more. Only good ones.

My mom bandaged my arm after I’d fallen out of the tree.

My dad taught me how to play catch in the yard.

Family dinners, Sunday morning breakfast, and then watching cartoons.

I missed being here with my parents, but I also knew two things that were very important.

First, Chicago was where I truly belonged. And second, the longer I was in this area, the stronger I could sense that the aura felt different.

And my wolf agreed.

“So, who’s taken over the pack?” I asked my father after we had caught up on how things were going in my classes. I was curious if a change in leadership was the issue. “I haven’t gotten any emails or notifications that there was a change, but I know that Alpha Conrad passed away a few months ago. Has Marcus taken over?”

“We are still under the transitional rule of the elder council until final judgment can be made if Marcus is fit to become alpha or another wolf. Until about two years ago, the boy never even acted like he wanted to oversee pack matters, but now he suddenly wants to seize all control. We need to ensure what’s best for the pack, though, and the elders are not convinced Marcus is the best choice.”

“Yeah, Marcus never wanted to be alpha. He was glad when the pack decided that we would follow a different path than other packs and would not follow family bloodlines in naming the next alpha. But you said his attitude has changed since high school?” I didn’t know how I felt about that information, knowing one day he might be in charge.

“Recently, he’s been making major claims that he’s supposed to be the alpha since it was his father who ruled the pack. He is arguing with the elders and trying to convince the rest of the pack to elect him as alpha and dismiss the council.” Dad shook his head. “It doesn’t feel right. I don’t trust him.”

“I am going to give him a call while I’m out here and meet up with him and the rest of the crew. I can test out his attitude toward things and see if I can find out what exactly he plans for this pack.” I stood and placed my empty cup in the sink. “I’ll let you guys know if I get the same uneasy feeling or if maybe it’s just anxiety over changes.”

“Just be safe.” My mom refilled my father’s teacup with more of the special remedy from the pack healer, Gladys. “There have been some rumors that they aren’t the same sweet boys we used to have over for dinner every Wednesday night after football practice.”

“I’m sure I’ll find that they are the same group of idiots that played pranks on the elders in our senior year of high school. They were harmless really. Just goof-offs. Let’s try not to worry. I’ll hang out with them and let you know what I think after. For now. Let’s just enjoy catching up and plan for your next visit to campus. Neal told me to tell you he can’t wait to spoil you two and take you for dinner at the new joint that just opened.”

“You should have brought him with you.” Mom laughed, her smile reaching her eyes, lighting up her entire being. “You know we adore him as if he were our own son. He’s always welcome.”

“I know. But he had a hot date tonight with a red-headed omega from our marketing class. He said he couldn’t pass up the chance.” I shook my head. Neal was something else. “He’s gonna run out of dates soon though. I think he’s dated most of the available omegas on campus already. Soon he will need to branch out to the neighboring suburbs.”

“Is he still searching for his fated mate? Doesn’t he think sleeping around will ruin his chances if he really does find him?” Mom shook her head, that motherly disappointment clear as day. “When he’s found his mate, his past might cause a problem.”

“He lost his sense of smell and wolf a few years ago when he cheated on a witch/wolf hybrid. She cursed him.” I still couldn’t believe my friend had such horrible luck. “A psychic told him he would only get them both back when he finds his true mate. But without his ability to scent his mate or his wolf to confirm a connection, he is just blindly trying to find his mate by sleeping with every omega he meets and hoping that if he sleeps with his true mate, the curse will break.”

“Maybe this date will be the one.” Mom shrugged with a wink. “You never know. Mates tend to sneak up on you when you least expect it.”

They really do.