Page 13 of Forsaken (The Nightwolf Pack #3)

CHAPTER 13

S erafina

“How could you do this to me?” the woman shrieks in the middle of the latest clothing store I’ve entered.

Yes! Get him, I silently cheer on.

“I-I-I haven’t done an-an?—”

“He’s lying,” I shout. “Look at the way he’s stuttering.”

The woman blinks at me in surprise. Out of the corner of my eyes, I spot people gathering around us.

“I’m so sorry for butting in, but honestly, you deserve so much better,” I tell the stranger. “We can all tell he’s lying about where he was last night.”

I look around at the small crowd of onlookers, most of which are human women, and strangers at that. A few nod in agreement.

“You said there’s text evidence?” I ask.

“Yes, his whore sent me screenshots and even video of him sleeping in her bed!”

“Oh no he didn’t!” another woman beside me counters. “You scum,” she yells at the bewildered cheater.

What started as an argument between a couple on the verge of a breakup has now turned into a group of women ganging up on an obvious loser.

“Look at this.” The woman pulls out her cell phone and shows the evidence that another woman sent to her.

I wag my head, clucking my tongue before cutting my gaze to the man.

He drops his head.

“I knew you deserved better than him. Look at him,” another woman points at the guy, “he can’t even keep his shoes clean.”

“And look how wrinkled his shirt is,” another woman says.

That turns into a session of woman after woman ragging on this cheater.

Slowly, I take a step back, looking around the store for the Blackclaw pack beta who’s been following me. The one I know Noah left to watch me while he went to do whatever.

I knew he wouldn’t leave me completely alone.

I spot the guy on the other side of the store, doing his best to look discreet. Although in his black T-shirt, black fatigues, and boots, and being one of a few men in the women’s section of the department store, I could spot him a mile away.

He’s searching for me among the crowd, of now yelling women.

I glance over to see two large security guards heading our way.

Perfect.

I wait until the guards arrive and ask what the commotion is all about. That sparks another series of yelling women, claiming that this cheater needs to be thrown out of the store.

“That’s right! He needs to go,” I say to blend in.

A quick glance and then look away shows the pack member, Erik, if I recall accurately from last night’s meeting, exhales a breath of relief when he sees me.

“Not for long, buddy,” I mumble.

The women quickly turn their rage on the poor security guards, who’re just doing their job. Two women accuse them of protecting the cheater.

Though I feel slightly bad for sparking such a large reaction, I still use the commotion to my advantage.

When I think the shifter isn’t watching me quite as closely, I make a beeline for the exit. I keep my head tucked and hair covering my face. Though I need to redo the sew-in I’m wearing, right now I’m grateful for the cover it currently grants me.

As soon as I’m out of the door, I head in the direction of the electronics store I spotted right before I entered the department store.

“Hi, I need a phone,” I say to the first store representative that approaches me.

She smiles brightly. “Yes, I’d be happy to help. We have an array of?—”

I wave my hand, cutting her off. Thankfully, she’s not a member of the Blackclaw pack. I have an excellent memory when it comes to faces and names.

She wasn’t at the pack meeting last night.

“No, I, uh …” I pause trying to figure out the best way to ask what I’m looking for. “Not a smartphone. Something untraceable.”

She narrows her eyes in confusion.

Then her eyes widen.

“D-Do you need help?” she leans in and whispers. “We have a room at the back of the store where you can lock yourself in until the police arrive.”

Oh this sweet, sweet young girl. She looks like she can’t be any older than eighteen or nineteen but she’s willing to help a stranger who might be in danger.

“Bless you,” I say without thinking. “But no.”

The truth is, I did think about it for about three seconds. But involving human police is the absolute last thing I want to do. While I don’t belong with the Blackclaw pack, I don’t want any harm to come to them.

And I definitely don’t want to get humans involved in any sort of pack business. That could only spell disaster.

“I just need a phone to make simple calls. It’s for my grandmother,” I lie. “Because of her age, all of the phones with a bunch of apps and buttons confuse her tremendously. Do you have any phones that I could, uh, simply pay by usage? I think that’ll suit her needs just fine.”

“Oh.” The store rep nods. “We have something like that.”

I look over my shoulder toward the door before I start to follow the rep. The shifter following me hasn’t entered yet, but I still keep most of my face covered and I take the first phone the employee shows me.

“This one. Here’s my card.” I hand her my credit card instead of Noah’s card that I’ve used for all of my other purchases.

“I hate to rush you, but I’m actually scheduled to pick up my grandmother in about twenty minutes.”

The rep nods in understanding and quickly processes the transaction.

“I know you're in a hurry and the phone is pretty simple to operate. There are instructions in larger print. For functionali?—”

“Thank you so much,” I tell the girl, waving right after snatching the phone from the counter.

Erik just entered the store.

I drop the phone in one of the many bags in my hand and then drop to my knees. I smile up at the rep and then point to one of my tennis shoes.

“They really need to make laces that stay in place.”

“I actually have?—”

“Have a good one. Thank you, bye,” I tell the girl as I keep low and head in the opposite direction of the store.

I can feel her eyes on me, but I ignore them as I can see the shifter’s reflection in one of the store’s mirrors. While his back faces me, I book it for the main door to get to the exit.

It’s not until I’m out of the store and speed walking toward a large park I spot on the opposite side of the street that I feel a slight sense of relief.

I drop most of the bags in my hand in order to search for where I placed the phone. Once I find it in the bag with the lingerie I bought, I retrieve it and open the box. After removing the phone from the plastic, I discard the box, plastic covering, and instructions.

Once those are thrown away, I stuff the phone and its charger in separate bags.

I glance around the spacious park, thinking it would be a good place to make a break for it. Though I don’t have any idea of where I’m going and I don’t know anyone else in Colorado aside from the three Blackclaw brothers and their pack, I figure it can’t be too hard to find a hotel or something to stay the night.

As I think through my plan, the sound of laughter permeates the air, catching my attention.

About ten feet away is a group of school-age children laughing and playing. They all wear a black and green uniform.

I recognize most of them from last night’s meeting. They’re Blackclaw pack.

I don’t even think as I stop and watch them, joyfully playing and running around. I don’t know how long I remain there, watching them, but one of them spots me. My bags slip from my hands without me even realizing it.

The young girl, who looks to be about five or six, gasps. “It’s our new Alpha Queen.” She points at me.

Soon, a group of about ten children come running, swarming around me.

“She’s so pretty.”

“I like her hair.”

“She’s so tall.”

“What’s your name?” a little boy with big, blond curls, hazel eyes, and the chubbiest cheeks I’ve ever seen asks.

“Serafina.” A smile lights up my face. “What’s yours?” I don’t remember seeing him the night before.

“Matthew Nightwood, but my dad is Beta Steven.”

I nod, remembering one of the betas from last night’s meeting.

“I had a tummy ache last night, so Mama stayed home with me.”

“That’s because he ate too much candy,” the little girl who first spotted me says, teasing the boy.

A few of the other kids giggle.

“Matty, Matty, big Fatty!” some of the kids taunt.

Matthew’s smile drops, taking my heart right along with it.

“Hey,” I reprimand. “That’s not nice and it certainly is no way to treat a fellow pack member, is it?” I don’t even realize how scolding my voice becomes.

All I can think of is how the light in Matthew’s eyes dims. It brings me back to memories of my pack and what happened just last year.

One of our members, the youngest brother of our alpha, Christophe Nightwolf, the omega, betrayed our pack.

Apparently, he’d often felt belittled by the pack’s teasing being the omega. The omegas are known to take the brunt of a pack’s frustration and anxieties. While not all packs have them nowadays, it used to be a common occurrence for omegas to be abused or mistreated by their packs.

A lot of wolves that became lone wolves were once the omegas of their pack.

My heart aches thinking of a similar fate happening for little Matthew, despite just meeting him.

I squat, getting even with the little girl. “You’re name’s Jessica, right?”

Her eyes widen, fear suddenly filling them.

I take her hand lightly into mine. “I remember you from last night. You wore a pretty purple and yellow dress.”

She nods. “My mommy made one for me.”

“That’s really nice. Could you imagine if someone said something mean about your dress?”

She gasps and then shakes her head.

“That would be really mean, wouldn’t it?”

She nods vigorously.

“And it would hurt your feelings, right?”

Again, she nods.

“Imagine if someone said something like what you just said to Matthew.” I reach out and squeeze one of his hands.

His eyes light up again.

“He’s part of the Blackclaw pack. And the pack should always protect one another. You’re all a big, extended family.”

“We were just kidding,” another little boy says in a whiny voice.

“I understand, but sometimes even our jokes can be hurtful.”

He tucks his head.

“I don’t think any of you want to hurt Matthew’s feelings, right?”

“No,” they all say in unison while shaking their heads.

“I didn’t think so.”

“Do we have to say sorry?” Jessica asks, looking up at me as I rise to stand.

“Would you want someone to apologize if they hurt your feelings?”

She immediately looks over at Matthew. “Sorry, Matty.”

A couple of the other kids who laughed apologize as well.

“We made a hopscotch board. Do you want to play, Alpha Queen?” Jessica’s hand weaves its way into mine.

Completely forgetting my plan of escape, I follow her, along with another little girl who’s taken my other hand as they lead over to the black pavement of the basketball court here in the park.

“Look.” Jessica points to the hopscotch board drawn in sky blue chalk on the pavement. “Here’s a stone.”

She drops one of the stones from the pile next to the board into my hand.

It doesn’t even cross my mind to say no as I begin a riveting game of hopscotch with these kids who’re on their lunch break from school.

Something odd comes over me as I get caught up playing and laughing with the children. Gone are my worries and concerns for the moment. I don’t think about escaping. Or the three shifters who claim I’m their mate, but obviously don’t truly want me.

Or even about the hidden past I must come from.

All I think about is getting my stone to the next number on the board while the seven children around me cheer me on.

My next toss of the stone lands on the number eight, just like I intended.

“Yes!” I punch the air and start to hop on one foot to the first square of the board, when from behind me, Jessica yells, “Alpha Noah.”

Immediately the children straighten up and murmur, “Alpha Noah,” in tones of respect.

I spin around and come face to face with a pair of burning, hazel eyes. Now I can see why the children instantly went from laughing and playing to resigned and respectful.

He’s pissed.

“Little Hellraiser,” he says eerily calm as he approaches. He holds up the bags I’d long forgotten about. “You dropped something.”

Unintimidated by his anger, I smile his way. “Thanks, I forgot all about those while I played with my new friends.”

I gesture and smile down at the children.

“Alpha Queen’s really great at hopscotch,” Matthew cheerily tells Noah.

Suddenly, the sound of a whistle pierces the air, and an older voice calls out, “Children!”

“See ya’ later, Alpha Queen,” Matthew says as he surprises me by wrapping his arms around my knees and rubbing his cheek against my leg.

I stiffen outwardly, but inwardly my body warms with a fuzzy, comforting feeling I haven’t felt in many moons.

I want to be a teacher when I grow up. The almost forgotten desire comes rushing back. Over the past year the growing craving to know where I come from and where I belong overtook my long, nearly hidden desire to work with children.

It’s been three years since I completed my graduate degree in teaching at the age of twenty-six.

“You’ll make an amazing teacher.”

Ronan was the one to tell me that after I’d confessed my want to teach, to him, one night under a full moon.

My belly quakes from the memory.

The hug Matthew gives me ends before I can fully gather my emotions. It leaves me so off kilter that when I go to take a step, my legs wobble, making me trip over one of my own feet.

I extend my hand to stop me from face planting, but my palm lands against concrete anyway.

Correction. Not concrete, just Noah’s massive chest.

A second later, he wraps an arm around me, holding me at an angle, as if I just performed some sort of dance spin and he’s the male partner who’s caught me.

His face hovers directly above mine.

I swallow as I spot his intentions in his eyes.

A breath later, Noah lowers his head to my lips.

Surprisingly, his kiss is the exact opposite of what I expected. He tentatively nips at my bottom lip, once, twice, before pressing his lips fully against mine. He moves slowly, almost tenderly.

He doesn’t rush in with his tongue as if he’s trying to eat my face like other men I’ve kissed in the past. He takes his time, surveying, tasting, and dare I say, savoring this kiss.

A moan escapes when he slowly pulls away, breaking the kiss. It takes me much too long to figure out that the moan came from me.

Noah doesn’t let me go, though.

Instead, he peers down at me, his gaze locking with mine. His lips spread into the cockiest grin. And I can’t stop staring because I want to taste them again.

That is, until he opens his mouth to say, “What? Are you thinking of punching me, too?”

That snaps me right out of my delusion.

I push out of his hold.

“These are mine.” I snatch the clothing and cosmetic bags away from him and stomp off in the direction I came.

All I can hear is his chuckle from behind me.

“Bastard.”