I get up from my crouched position by the window and walk over to Winter as she thrashes about on the bed.
“Yeah, I kind of gathered that much. Just like I know this was always the plan—introducing her to this world. Only, I had expected things to be a little different, her first time here.”
My heart’s aching. I want to crush her in my arms so badly, just hold her and soothe her troubles away.
“Why don’t you lie next to her? If you don’t, I will. I can’t stand seeing her like this.”
I regard Soraya, hoping she can read the hopelessness I’m feeling. “I can’t. My appetite for her is something I can’t control. And besides, considering how I left, it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
Soraya kicks off her shoes. Barefoot, she crawls into bed with Winter. Almost immediately, Winter’s tremors stop.
“Thank you.” A weight lifts from me, seeing the calm serene expression on Winter’s face. Though, I wish it was me who put it there. I’m feeling rather useless when it comes to her, especially since Caleb got to her first. I can only imagine the amount of satisfaction he received from being her rescuer. Damn, I wish it would have been me. Instead, I was off elsewhere securing a plan B.
“You don’t have to thank me, Roman—she’s my best friend, remember. Anyway, what are you going to do about Caleb? I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he’s being a bigger jerk than usual. Do you think it’s because he had a thing for her?”
Aggravated, I let out a long breath and cross my arms. Six months of being here with Caleb, dealing with his stubbornness, was a lot. Now Winter’s here, I’m sure he’ll be more intolerable.
“I don’t know what his problem is, but he needs to get over it and fast. Where’s the asshole anyway?”
“Did I hear my name?” Caleb comes up behind me. The obnoxious jerk knows how to make an entrance. I think he quietly creeps around so he can eavesdrop, which makes no sense. Everything he overhears has already been said to his face.
“If your answering to asshole, then yeah.” Quickly recognizing how fast the conversation can get out of hand, I do a mental check and change my tone.
“Look, bro…I’m not sure what your deal is, but you need to get it together. I didn’t want her here any more than you did, although I’m guessing for different reasons. But if we’re going to make progress, we need her.”
“Asshole? I can’t believe you.” Caleb braces up to me, leaving little space between us.
“Back off, Caleb,” Soraya says, sitting up with her back pressed against the headboard, her hand stroking Winter’s back.
Caleb points his finger at Soraya. “You…you’re no better than him. She’s supposed to be your best friend and you brought her here. Some friend you are.”
Soraya leaps out of bed and pushes Caleb hard. He falls backward, does a backflip, somersaults, shifting in midair, before landing on all fours.
“I’m not scared of you, pup.” Soraya shifts into her form too.
Rose comes in. “What the hell is going on here? All of you, get your shit together. She’s here now and we need her. We’ve all made sacrifices and it’s time for her to make some too. We all wish it could be different, but it isn’t, so get over yourselves. There’s work to do and fighting among ourselves only does the other sides job for them.” Rose turns to Caleb before turning to me. “You need to get your act together. As for you, stop acting as if you didn’t know this day would come.
“Soraya, tend to your friend. I’m certain she’s going to need you when she wakes up. It’ll be nice if she had your support.”
Rose is right. It’s time I shift my way of thinking. Winter’s never been weak. She’ll be able to handle this, but it’ll be much easier with the help of her friends. That’s if she still sees me as a friend after what I did to her. I pray she does.
Chapter Four
My heart stammers as I recall my last thoughts and my eyes flash open. Someone was lying next to me. I turn to look, it’s Soraya, my best friend…my shapeshifting wolf friend. What the fuck? Memories of my childhood surface. That’s when I realize I’ve always known something wasn’t right with the world. There was two parts to it, and I had a peek at the other side and didn’t care for it much. I was happy when Ms. Bellamy took it away. Why was it back?
A shadow moves from the corner of my eyes and comes into focus.
“Hey, babe.” A voice like shea-butter trickles caressingly to my ears.
My breathing stops as I recognize its owner, then returns, coming in rapid succession. I look around at the other faces in the room. Did they know he was here? Yet no one thought to tell me. I know why Caleb didn’t say anything, but Soraya? I expect more from her. Then again, she didn’t tell me she was a wolf either, so why am I surprised? I look from Roman to her, filling my glare with accusation. She shrugs me off, lifts her hands, and steps back.
“What, no greeting?” Roman cocks his head, his thumbs tucked into the waistband of his lowrider jeans, hugging his thighs lovingly. It’s almost as affectionate as the T-shirt wrapped around his huge biceps, pecs, and tight abs. If memory serves me correctly, his back was receiving similar attention.
He’s let his hair grow over his collar. Oh Lord, no one has a right to be this handsome, especially when I’m pissed at them. He wants me to greet him? Am I supposed to smile and bow to his arrogance, forget his betrayal, accept he’s back like nothing happened between us?
Wait! Nothing did happen between us. He just up and left me without any reason or explanation—threw our relationship out the window as if it was nothing. Then pops his head around the corner with his “hey, babe.” He can bite me, that’s what he can do...just bite me.
A chilling thought hits me like a fist to the gut, sending me back into touch. Maybe he did want to bite me. “Are you a wolf too?” I ask, arching my brow.
At least he has the decency to look shamefaced. At the moment, his bare feet appear more interesting than me or perhaps he just needs something to look at. “Is that why you ran away?”
“I didn’t run…it’s complicated, babe.”
“Then uncomplicate it for me.”
“If you give me a minute. I’ll explain.”
Lost in my own little bubble of regret and confusion, I let rage fire my tongue and ignore whatever it is he has to say. I have pounds of it holding me down, and I need to get rid of some weight.
“All this time I’ve been blaming myself for the break up, thinking it was me, and I’d done something wrong. Too often, I wondered what I could’ve done differently to fix things, to make us okay, when all the time it was you that was broken, not me. What…you couldn’t fight the beast within, the animalistic urge to eat people?”
“Hey?” Soraya gasps close to my ear. “You know I don’t eat people, although I’ve been known to bite a sexy shoulder or two,” she says slyly. Soraya raises a brow and bites down on her bottom lip, grinning.
I don’t have time for her craziness, not with the cause of my heartbreak in the room. Confronting her and taking her to task will come later. I’ve had a belly full, and I’m tired of people thinking they can dump on me whenever they like, and I should simply accept it. Well not anymore and certainly not today.
“Shut up. No one’s talking about you, Soraya.”
Her eyes widen, and she draws back her neck.
“Well excuse me,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Now who’s the big, bad wolf.”
I ignore her remark.
“No one's talking about me either,” Roman says. “Excuse us a moment. Can we have the room? I think Winter and I need to talk.”
Unbelievable. What? Am I a toy he plays with on demand? He wants to talk… Fine. I’ll give him some words.
“You have a goddamn nerve.” I point a stiff finger at Roman.