Page 4 of Coming Home

Shelby had been my best friend my entire life. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for that girl. She was mine and I had always imagined we’d grow up, mate, have a few pups, and live happily ever after. It didn’t matter if we were true mates or not, because as best friends and lovers, we were already as close as that.

Shelby’s wolf came in first, just two weeks before graduation. Four days later Grayson Ward approached me and explained that his wolf was mated to Shelby’s. We’d never discussed what would happen if one of us found our true mate; heck, Shelby and I had never discussed a future together. I just always assumed. I’ve never again assumed anything in life.

I had tried to talk to her about it, but she was acting weird, not herself at all, and I knew she was struggling to tell me. We argued one night, and I’d asked her point blank if it was because of him. I thought back to that night.

“Sport, what’s wrong? You’re not acting like yourself.” I had been genuinely worried about her and still upset, trying to deal with the idea of her and Grayson together.

Shelby had lost her virginity to me at prom just a few weeks earlier. I honestly thought that was the start of our future and I was excited about it. I’d get a full-time job out at the ranch and as soon as I could afford it, I’d buy us a house and take her officially as my mate. But Grayson had destroyed that vision and I was still too stubborn to believe it.

“I don’t know, Ben. It’s just these weird feelings I’m having. I can’t even put them into words yet. I just feel off, incomplete with myself, I guess,” she said.

I knew that was her way of telling me about Grayson. Shelby hated direct conflict. I understood her well enough to see the picture clearly. It was all true.

I’d tried to coax it out of her. I even asked her point blank if it had to do with Grayson Ward, and she’d gotten angrier than I’d ever remembered seeing her before.

“I told you, I don’t know what the hell is happening!” she had yelled, then stormed away.

The next day at school things between us were a little strained, but she packed my favorite lunch of her mother’s famous meatloaf dinner and apologized. That was another thing Shelby Collier rarely ever did.

I was ready to forgive her. After much thought I had decided that no matter what, I still wanted Shelby in my life. That only lasted until the end of the school day. I swung by her classroom to see if she wanted to go get milkshakes when I went to pick up some stuff for my mom in town.

Collier had a lot of great things, but bread to my mother’s satisfaction wasn’t one of them. She always made it from scratch. My mouth watered now just thinking about it. But anyway, there was a specific brand of organic flour she preferred to use, and the Collier grocery didn’t carry it. She asked me to pick some up for her and of course, I’d said yes.

After the final bell rang, I headed for the hallway Shelby’s last class was on. As I rounded the corner, I skidded to a halt. She and Grayson were standing outside her classroom. He placed a possessive hand on her arm and leaned in to whisper something. With all the excess noise around me as students made their final locker deposits and proceeded to leave for the day, I couldn’t hear what he said, even with my new advanced wolf hearing that was just beginning to come in.

Shelby threw her head back and laughed. As Grayson pulled back from her, he caught my eye, grinned, and nodded. Then he had the audacity to wink at me and I saw red. I had never wanted to punch anyone in the face as badly as I wanted to hit Grayson. Seeing red and not wanting to make a scene, I turned and left.

I don’t even remember the drive over to the next town, or how my mom’s items ended up in the backseat of my car. I was in a haze, parked outside the ice cream shop I had wanted to bring Shelby to. I got out of the car, but couldn’t bring myself to go in. Shelby had always loved going there.

Instead, I’d found myself walking into the store next to it—only it wasn’t a store, it was a recruitment center, and a few hours later I drove home to break the news to my parents that I’d just signed my life away to the United States Army.

Mom cried. So did the twins. Dad kept repeating, “What have you done?” He thought it was impulsive and dangerous. He questioned what would happen when my wolf came in. It didn’t matter. Somehow, I’d make it work. I had to, because once you signed that dotted line, you’d written your name in blood, sweat, and years, and there was no backing out.

By the next day it was like I suddenly had my girl back. She acted as if everything was perfectly fine, but I knew the truth and it would never be fine again.

I waited until the night before I left to tell her what I’d done. She’d cried, then pulled herself together and told me it was going to all be okay. She told me she’d still be here waiting, always. She said I should go and fulfill my obligations and do what I felt I needed to do, and then come home. And when I got to the center the next morning after saying goodbye to my family at home, Shelby was there and waiting.

She had tears in her eyes but told me she was proud of me, and that she’d see me in eight weeks at graduation. Then she hugged me, as if everything was perfectly fine.

Three days into boot camp and we were dropped off into the woods with coordinates to get back, but not before surviving a night outdoors with only our standard packs on our back.

They had told us what to carry at all times, drilled it into us even, but it was summer, and it was hot. Most of the guys assigned with me hadn’t listened and chose to lighten their load in the heat and take their chances. First, we got lost; then, when we finally stopped arguing enough to pick a campsite, it was dark, and the reality hit us that I was the only person to actually listen. Some had no food, others no shelter. No one thought fire was all that important because they even ditched their matches. I mean, seriously, how much weight does a pack of matches really add?

I was on edge and irritable, snapping at everyone even while I was the one looking out for the dumbasses.

As I lay in my tent, I just couldn’t get comfortable. I tossed and turned. It felt like I was lying in an ant hill and they were crawling all over me. I scooted out of my tent and jumped to my feet. I needed to move so I headed deeper into the woods.

“Where are you going?” someone yelled at my retreating back.

“Bathroom,” I yelled back.

I did need to do that, too, so it wasn’t entirely a lie. When I was done with my business, though, I quickly realized what the problem was. I was shifting for the first time, alone in the woods with humans all around.

I took off as far away as I dared, paying little attention to the direction I was running in. When I felt like I was a safe distance away, I stripped out of my clothes and sat down on the ground to wait. I knew from hearing my friends talk that it could take hours or days.

I sat there with my knees pulled up to my chest, rocking back and forth for what felt like hours, but might have only been minutes. I breathed calmly, trying not to panic. Looking up into the sky, I let my mind wander back to Shelby. I wished she were there with me.

With one sigh and that thought in mind, I shifted for the first time. Unlike many of the horror stories I’d heard over the years, it had been smooth and painless. I even let myself run around a bit and was grateful that by morning light I was back in my skin.

---