In the Shadows

In the morning, Josie felt anxious, like she was missing something. She ate slowly, looking around the hall at the faces of the few early risers. Unlike in the last pack, no one joined her for breakfast.

Luckily, she didn’t see Jack. She didn’t see the blue-eyed omega who’d interrupted them either. She wondered if she should have thanked him. He had kind of rescued her, she realized.

Eddie and Josie both wanted to avoid the risk of running into the creep again, so they hit the road early. The morning was still cool. Josie zipped up her jacket.

“Sleep badly?” Eddie asked, noticing how pale and quiet his sister was in the passenger seat.

“No, I don’t think so,” she replied, distracted.

“You’ll feel better once we get out of here,” he told her with a smile.

Josie nodded and looked into the dense trees half-hidden in the morning fog. She shivered a little, not feeling reassured.

***

One week and seven different packs later, Josie and Eddie pulled into the driveway of their parents’ house a little worse for wear.

“So?!”

Josie turned at the sound of Lucas’s voice behind her as she got out of the car.

She shook her head silently, earning a pitiful frown from her friend.

“Sorry, Josie.”

She shrugged uncomfortably. “It is what it is, I guess.”

“Still sucks, though, right?” he asked, throwing a friendly arm around her shoulder.

“Still sucks,” she echoed as she pulled her bag out from the back seat.

“Well, it’s been great,” Eddie interrupted, “but I have a mate I’m dying to see.”

He began walking down the road, then turned on his heel. “Bye!” he hollered, and set off home.

“Hey!” Josie called out, making him stop and turn once again. “Thanks.”

He offered a knowing smile and a wink before heading home to his mate. Josie turned back to Lucas and Julia, who smiled at her.

“Don’t tell anyone yet, but I convinced my dad to have a big party at the pack house next month,” Lucas confided. “Maybe you’ll meet someone there.”

“We’re inviting packs from all around,” Julia added brightly. “It’s going to be really fun.”

“That sounds great,” Josie said. She tried to sound excited, but she wasn’t thrilled about another party after the last one.

There was a short silence.

“You want to grab food with us?” Lucas asked her. “We were on our way to get something to eat.”

Josie winced at the idea of discussing her trip with them. “I think I need some time to decompress,” she said truthfully. “Maybe tomorrow?”

“Sure. See you!”

Josie went inside and tossed her bag onto her bed. She sat down and tried to relax, but she couldn’t. She was too restless.

Soon, she gave up on sitting still.

“I need a run,” she muttered to herself.

Outside again, she strolled over to the treeline and breathed in the scent of the forest. It calmed her down like nothing else did.

A few seconds later, she shifted smoothly into her chocolate-brown wolf. She broke into a run, taking a backseat in her mind as her wolf took over and sprinted through the trees.

She could feel the cool dirt beneath her paws and the crisp, fresh air in her lungs. It felt like freedom—freedom from all her worries and the stress of finding a mate.

“I don’t understand what else we can do,” she said to herself. Her wolf growled knowingly.

They bounded through the forest until the sun began to settle below the horizon, mixing the sky with blues and reds. Then, she turned around and ran back home.

At the edge of the forest, she shifted back, regaining control. She wiped at the dirt on her face, smiling happily as endorphins from the run coursed through her body.

She froze at the sound of a twig snapping behind her in the trees. She spun around and narrowed her eyes. Her heart beat a little faster as she strained to see in the growing darkness.

She listened for another sound, her ears perked and her wolf ready to take back control in a split second. After a few moments of silence, she relaxed a bit and chalked it up to a squirrel. Still, she couldn’t help feeling slightly anxious, and she was glad to get home.

In the shadows, a wolf stood watching in dark silence. He stared with desire as she closed the door behind her, wondering how long he would have to wait.

***

That night, Josie lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling above, her eyes tracing the swirls in the white plaster. Her mind was a massive jumble of thoughts, each one more pitiful than the last.

How was it possible that her mate wasn’t in any of the surrounding packs? She’d been to seven different packs and met every single person.

It had to have been over two hundred prospects that didn’t pan out. How far did she actually need to go to find him?

“I wonder if he’s even out there searching for me?” she whispered.

She sighed softly, choosing to wallow in self-pity for a while before finally drifting off to sleep.

***

In the morning, Josie walked out of the house and toward the construction site, hoping work would take her mind off her sad, mateless future.

“Josie?”

She spun around to see her friend walking toward her. His hair was bright brown in the sun.

“Gideon.” She smiled. “You’re still here?”

“I couldn’t leave without knowing if you found your mate or not! How was your trip?”

She shook her head. “Don’t act like you didn’t hear,” she muttered.

“Okay, so maybe I heard from Julia.” He grinned as he walked beside her.

“Mm-hm,” she hummed with amusement.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Don’t be too disappointed. You’ll find him someday.”

“Yeah,” she scoffed. “Someday.”

They walked in silence for a moment, both mourning the fact that they hadn’t found their mates. Josie knew what he wanted her to say; she just wasn’t sure if she wanted it.

“I…need to get to work,” she said, deciding to just avoid the conversation for now. “I’ll see you later?”

“Sure.” He smiled, and she felt him watching as she walked away.

***

That evening, Josie watched Gideon at the pack house joking with Lucas and Julia. His army green T-shirt made his brown eyes seem almost green, and his sleeves stretched tightly over his arms, showing his muscles.

She didn’t understand why she was hesitating. He was handsome, funny, and kind to her. He even had a lot of the same interests.

As he talked with Lucas, Gideon glanced across the table at Josie. He caught her eyes for a moment before she looked away, her cheeks filled with a blush.

He smiled, knowing he had caused it.

At the end of dinner, when everyone began to disperse to their homes, Josie walked toward the door with Gideon, quietly wrestling with the thoughts in her mind.

Suddenly she turned around, grabbed his hand, and pulled him down an empty hallway. He watched as she tried to find the right words. She looked up, and his deep brown eyes met her bright lilac ones.

“Okay,” she said.

“Okay?” he echoed.

“Okay, let’s be…friendly,” she stammered, her cheeks reddening as she blushed again.

Gideon tried hard to fight the grin that slowly spread across his face in amusement at her nervousness. “Friendly?” he said, stepping toward her so that their bodies almost touched.

She inhaled sharply at the touch of his hand brushing against her cheek. For some reason, she remembered the omega who led her inside at the White River Pack party. His hand on her arm had felt so good. She wanted to feel that way again.

Am I really that touch-starved? she thought.

“I’m tired of being so alone.” She looked up into Gideon’s eyes and held his gaze as he bent closer.

“Okay,” he repeated softly. Suddenly, he was opening the door behind them and pulling her into the room.

“What the—” she hollered, then gasped as he picked her up and set her on the table. She laughed in surprise.

He kissed her lips, gently at first, as she undid the buttons on his shirt, revealing his broad chest. As the heat between them grew, their kiss became more intense, dispelling any loneliness they might have felt.

He laid her down, removing her clothes and making her gasp at the feel of the cool wooden table touching her skin. As he moved above her, his hands roaming her body, she could feel herself giving in to her desire.

***

Afterward, they lay in a pile of discarded clothing and waited for their heavy breathing to slow.

“So, you’ll be staying?” she sighed, earning a laugh from Gideon.

“Definitely,” he breathed.

“We should probably get out of here before someone walks in on us,” Josie teased.

“They won’t,” he said. “I locked the door.”

“Well, either way, a bed would probably be more comfortable,” she shot back.

“You coming home with me, then?” he asked with a sly grin.

“You wish.” She chuckled, shoving him away as she stood and pulled her clothes back on.

A few minutes later, Gideon peeked out the door cautiously before opening it wide to let Josie through.

“We’re clear,” he said, smiling.

“Thank you,” she sang, smiling too as he gently grabbed her arm.

“But seriously,” he whispered, “come to my room.”

“This is a friends-with-benefits situation, not a sleepover relationship situation,” she said, pushing his chest away from her, but keeping her tone light.

He stood behind her and placed his hands on her hips.

“Who says I wasn’t just asking for continued benefits?” he growled.

Josie inhaled sharply again at the feel of his breath on her neck and sighed.

“Fine.”

He grinned devilishly and pulled her down the corridor toward the guest rooms and through a door at the end.

He stalked toward her, making her fall to the bed with a squeal before climbing above her and pressing his lips to hers.

She lost herself in the kiss, ignoring the small, unsure twist of guilt she felt. It was such a relief not to be alone anymore.