In the Shadows

Josie froze as the shock spread through her.

She stared up at him, unable to move.

He stepped forward, his eyes dark and filled with desire.

A desire for her.

She fell to the floor, gripping her shoulder. She tried to register what had happened.

The wet blood from her shoulder soaked into her brown waves of hair and stained her dress.

She pressed the wound tightly. Blood dripped from her arm, leaving little drops on the ground. She struggled to back away from him.

Her mind cleared from the haze. She moved her hand, revealing the large bite in her shoulder that had almost healed.

His mark was clearly made.

She stared at it in fear, knowing what it meant. The longer she looked at it, the more her fear turned into anger.

Tears stung Josie’s eyes, and fury pulsed through her body.

Her tear-filled eyes darkened with hate as her wolf tried to push through. She glared at him, her whole body vibrating with anger.

“What have you done?!”

Josie walked out of the pack house with a skip and a smile.

She knew in just a few days, her brother would return home from his journey to a pack in the west, and he’d be ready to take her on their trip. They were trying to find her mate.

She’d dated a little, here and there, but nothing serious enough to make her think it was anything but a fling. Meeting a mate felt different. She knew what was out there waiting for her; she just had to find it.

She approached the construction site, her long brown curls swaying behind her and her lavender eyes reflecting the sunlight.

“Hey, all!”

“Josie!” the men all hollered. Each of them had known her for her whole life, especially since her father was in charge of new home construction.

“How’s it all going?” she asked with a wave, making her way carefully past tools and piles of wood.

“Hey, Dad,” she said, patting her father on the shoulder.

“Hey, hon, what did your mom say?” her father, Blaine, asked, towering over her in his rugged shirt and hard hat.

“She said as long as you’re done in time for the pack meeting at seven,” she replied with a nod.

“Crap… I forgot about the pack meeting,” he muttered. “Fine.”

“Yeah, she figured…” Josie laughed as she set down her things. “I have the supply reports, and here’s the new deadline estimate.”

“What would I do without you?” Blaine replied with a smile, taking the papers from her.

“Oh, probably be off schedule and out of supplies.” She winked before skipping off again. “See you at seven!” she hollered over her shoulder, earning a groan from her father.

Josie walked home quietly, waving at random pack members as they passed by.

She looked out at the forest that covered most of the pack territory and took a deep breath, savoring the crisp smell of the outdoors.

“I need a run…” she muttered to herself. That got a grumble of agreement from her wolf.

She glanced down at the watch on her wrist, mumbling the time before continuing home. The forest would have to wait.

“Hey!” she called out as she strolled through the front door.

“Hey! In here!”

Josie walked through the house and into the kitchen.

“Hey, Mom,” she said, and leaned against the counter, watching her mother mix together a salad. “Dad said he’s definitely going to make it.”

“Mm-hmm…” her mother, Mia, hummed, knowing her husband was never on time for anything.

“I’m going to change and head over now, see if they need help with anything,” Josie said before pushing off the counter and heading to her bedroom down the hall.

She traded her old T-shirt for a cute blush top and ran a hand through her long brown curls.

She stared into the mirror and shrugged. “It’s just a pack meeting…,” she muttered. She wished she could find herself a mate already. Her lavender eyes stared back at her.

“It’s been four years since we came of age,” she whispered. “Mom and Dad found each other the day Mom turned twenty-one. I’m tired of just dating around, hoping one of these fools ends up being my mate.”

Her mind traveled back over the short list of absolute gems that her friends had set her up with in the last few months.

There was Evan, the momma’s boy who practically still wore diapers.

Then, Parker, the one who just wanted to be in her pants the whole date.

She shrugged, remembering Liam, who was actually a nice guy, but he was just so boring she almost fell asleep at dinner.

She knew her friends meant well. They had all found their mates and just wanted her to have the same. There was no doubt she wanted that as well—badly.

She walked up the front steps and into the pack house, smiling as she came upon the alpha and luna.

“Hello, Josie,” Alpha George said with a grin. His large belly hung over his belt and shook when he laughed.

“Hi, Alpha, Luna.” She smiled back. “I just came to see if you needed help with anything.”

“You’re too sweet,” Luna Sophie said kindly, placing a hand on Josie’s shoulder. “We were so glad you were part of the ceremony. Lucas was so happy.”

Josie shrugged and smiled, thinking of her best friend and the future alpha of the pack. They hadn’t seen much of each other since he found his mate.

“Yeah, me too. Julia is wonderful. I’m really happy for them.”

“Yes, she is. And we can’t wait to meet your mate when you find him!” the luna replied sweetly. “Could you actually go find them? Lucas and Julia?”

“Oh, yeah, I can track them down.”

Josie spun around on her heel and walked out into the hall, then upstairs toward their room.

She rolled her eyes as she paused at the door, hearing the giggling inside. She tapped on the door and waited, listening to a man’s shuffling footsteps approach.

She stepped back as the door cracked open. Lucas peeked his head out.

“Oh, hey, Josie.” He grinned wickedly. He was a little out of breath.

“Your mom is looking for you—better hurry up,” she muttered, trying not to stare at his bare, sweaty chest.

“Oh, shoot,” he muttered. “I said I would help set up…”

“Yep,” she replied shortly.

“Give me a minute,” he said briskly and snapped the door shut.

Josie turned and started back down the long corridor. Just as she reached the top of the stairs, Lucas caught up with her.

“How mad is she?” he asked, walking in stride with her.

“She didn’t seem mad at all, actually. She probably remembers what it was like when she first met her mate, so she’s cutting you some slack.”

“Yeah.” He chuckled, scratching his head as he thought about Julia. “Julia is really great.”

“I’m happy for you, man.” Josie smiled, but Lucas frowned at her a little, looking concerned. He knew her too well.

“Don’t worry. You have plenty of time to find your mate too,” he reassured her.

“I guess.” Josie shrugged, a little embarrassed. She didn’t want him to feel bad for her.

“You know, Julia’s cousin is visiting. Maybe I’ll introduce you at the party after the meeting.”

“I’m good, thanks,” she scoffed. “I don’t think I’ll survive any more set-ups. I keep getting handed everybody’s weird relatives they can’t seem to pair off.”

“No,” he said, raising his hands defensively. “Not a setup, just an introduction. Then if he isn’t your mate, just forget about it.”

She narrowed her eyes, giving him a sideways stare as she thought about it. “I guess that’s okay.”

“Awesome.” He grinned.

***

That evening at the party, Josie looked up from her seat with a grin as Lucas and Julia walked over to her.

“Hey, great party,” she said, offering a hug. “Congrats, you two.”

“Thanks.” Julia smiled.

“Oh, hey, Josie,” Lucas began, awkwardly stepping to the side as someone approached the group, “this is Julia’s cousin, Gideon Black.”

Josie looked up to see the dark-haired man offer his hand. She shook it gently, staring into his warm brown eyes. He was tall, and judging by the way his friendly grin curved into a slight smirk, he knew he was handsome.

“Nice to meet you.”

Even his voice sounded handsome.

“Hi,” Josie said, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

“Can I sit?” he asked, motioning to the seat beside her.

“Yeah, of course,” she replied, giving Lucas a snotty stare. He was making kissy faces at her as he walked away.

“I’m Josie Grayson,” she introduced herself, meeting Gideon Black’s brown eyes again. She hoped he hadn’t seen that. “Um—have you been visiting long?” she asked awkwardly.

“No.” He shook his head. “I just got here today.”

She could see Gideon was handsome, but her wolf didn’t stir. It was like meeting any other stranger. Her heart began to sink.

“So, you’re Julia’s cousin,” she said.

“Yeah. I’ve been in the area, visiting different packs hoping to find my mate. I definitely wanted to stop and see her, and to meet Lucas.”

Josie forced a smile as she tried to hear him over the loud chatter of the party. She was also distracted by her own sudden sadness.

“Lucas is my best friend,” she told him. “He and Julia are great together.”

Finally, Gideon acknowledged it. “So, obviously we aren’t mates.” He shrugged.

“Yeah, just seems to be the way it goes,” she said sarcastically, trying to hide her disappointment.

“You’ve been waiting a long time?” he asked.

“Not as long as some, but it feels like it. It’s been four years,” she admitted, still trying to convince herself four years wasn’t an eternity.

She was anxious he might judge her. Instead, he nodded.

“Oh, wow. Yeah, I’ve been waiting for six.”

“Six years?” she said, her voice accidentally showing how shocked she was. “Sorry, I mean—”

“No, that’s okay,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “It’s a long time.”

“How are you not going crazy?” she asked.

“Well,” he said, smiling, “I just decided to not worry about it.”

She smiled at him, a little disappointed he wasn’t her mate. He seemed nice. She wondered if he was pretending not to be disappointed, too.

“How long are you visiting for?” she asked.

“Not too long.” He shrugged. “But I’ve been traveling around, and it’s getting a little exhausting. I might just stay for a little while and relax.”

“You should.” She grinned. “Taking a break is always nice.”

Josie spent the rest of the evening talking to him, enjoying his company. He was smart and handsome and exactly her type, which made the fact that he wasn’t her mate sting even more.

At the end of the night, Josie stood from her seat with a smile. “Well, it was so great to meet you. See you around.”

“Or…maybe tomorrow you could show me around the pack,” he suggested, making Josie hesitate. “I would ask Julia,” he added, “but she’s a little preoccupied with her new mate. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Well…” She paused, thinking to herself. What would it hurt, really? He was nice and a cute distraction from her endless set-ups and disappointments. “I guess that will work.”

“Great!” He grinned brightly, waving. “Good night!”

“Good night,” she replied.

She couldn’t help smiling to herself as she walked outside. It was the first time she’d had such a nice date.

Gideon wasn’t her mate, but she was excited to have a new friend, even if it was just for a little while.