Page 6 of Shadow Wolf
Word vomit was just spewing from me, but the smile Frankie gave me had me smiling too.
“It wouldn’t feel right if you didn’t visit him after all the effort you’ve gone through to protect him and feed him.”
There was a bang—a door slammed shut nearby. I heard the footsteps of someone approaching us and Frankie pulled me in close to him, positioning his body in front of mine. I felt his arm holding me close. He smelled amazing and so warm. I moved closer to his body. I loved the feel of him against me. I could barely see the guy as he approached but he mumbled a, “Hello,” before he continued on his way.
I knew then that I had to go back inside before my toes froze off. Or I did something embarrassing like sniff Frankie.
“I have to go before my toes drop off, but can you tell me the name of your frat?”
His smile fell for a moment, and he shook his head as he scratched his throat. My stomach dropped. He didn't want the crazy girl showing up at his frat house.
“I’ll do you one better, Clare. I can come visit you with Bagheera. How does that sound?”
“I would like that a lot, Frankie. Thank you.” That was better than nothing. My body shivered again as cold wind swirled around me, warning me to go inside.
I gave Bagheera one last little head scratch before running off towards my dorm. Before I ran around the corner, I glanced back to see Frankie still standing there. He was watching me, and I felt my cheeks heat again.
I quickly ran inside and up the stairs, not stopping until I was back in my bed, wrapped up in his hoodie deep under my blankets, thinking about what had happened and how he made me feel. Even if he didn’t feel the same way, I knew it would be nice to have another friend here.
Then I realized… I didn’t give him my number.
Chapter4
Frankie
Fuck, I was fucked.
This beautiful girl… Clare. I have never had a reaction to anyone like I did with her tonight. She was human, but there was something about her that had my panther purring. Yeah… I tried to hide it and snatch up the kitty to cover it. But it was the first time my panther had worked against me, trying to be caught out by a human, and because of that, I knew I couldn’t see her again.
She was innocent, too sweet and caring for someone like me. I had too much shit going on, I couldn’t drag her into my life. I couldn’t bring anyone into my life. The shit that awaited me at home was bad enough. But the shit I did to keep my family fed was another thing altogether. One I didn’t wish for anyone to be mixed up in. No, I had to let her go and avoid this area of campus for a while. My panther didn’t like that. I could feel him building up and wanting to break free.
I shook him off, but then I felt claws digging into my arm. I almost forgot. I now had a pet kitty… one she named Bagheera, of all things. As if that wasn’t a coincidence as to why she was perfect for my panther and another reason to stay away.
I made it out of the campus to where I parked my ’92 Camry. I shared it with my mom. I bought it for her in hopes she would get a job and stop the drinking and drugs. But nothing changed, she was still the same. Getting her kicks. But not from me or the Reapers. We had an understanding on that. No, she got her drugs from the shitty assholes who lived in the same trailer park, and I haven’t been able to stop it. The panther shifters who live there have no honor or respect.
I placed Bagheera in the back seat, hoping he wouldn’t jump around the car as I took the twenty-minute drive back to the trailer. I just hoped my brother Alex hadn’t been subjected to my mother’s antics while I was gone. I always hated leaving him alone with her.
I pulled my phone out and looked to see if there were any messages. Nothing. That was a good sign. If he hadn’t messaged me, he was okay. Mom was okay.
I might hate her… hate what she had become, but it wasn’t always like this. I had heard the story many times. She went rogue when she was a teenager. Rebelled against the elders. But she returned to the Shadow. They let her back in, but she had upset too many members before she left… and she’d had me. A bastard child. She didn’t even know my father’s name, only that he was a panther shifter from out of state.
She didn’t know Alex’s father either. He could be one of the many she slept with for her drugs. But she tried to be a good mom. I never noticed her vices, not until I turned eight. That was the last time I remember her without drugs or drinking every day. Or maybe she was just better at hiding it from me before that and I only became aware of it then.
But… she was my mom. I still loved her. When she was having a good day, she would take us out for ice cream and play on the swings near the junkyard. But those days had slowly disappeared over time, until one day it was me buying ice cream and pushing Alex on the swings while mom laid on the floor in her own vomit.
The saddest part was, she had her whole family here in the Shadow—her parents, brothers… I only knew my cousin Liam Perry as he was disowned by his family. My uncle, mom’s brother. Liam started hanging out with the Reapers and they didn’t like it. Made him choose. I didn’t understand why he would choose the Reapers over his family, but then I didn’t know his situation either. Who was I to judge his choices? He came and found me around two years ago. I learned more about my mother’s family from him than she ever told me.
My own grandparents have never spoken to me. If they saw me, they would pretend I didn’t even exist. They didn’t care what happened to Alex or me. We weren’t wanted by them. We were a stain on their family name. So much so, my mother had to take on another name when she returned to the Shadow. She was born Hayley Perry. She now goes by Hayley Nameer. The Shadow put her in the trailer park far out of town. It was where all the shifters who didn’t play by their rules ended up.
The leaders of Shadow Balam believed, if you don’t feed a stray cat, it will go find food elsewhere. But the jokes on them, we didn’t leave… Not yet anyway.
As I turnedinto the street leading up to the trailer park, I saw Alex sitting on the corner under the only streetlight that still worked. He was throwing stones onto the pavement.Fuck.
I pulled up beside him and he looked up. His big blue eyes—a huge contrast from my mother’s and my dark ones—peered up at me. He stood and dusted his hands on his pants. The car door groaned as he opened it.
“Where’s your phone?” I looked him over, checking he was okay. He seemed fine… physically at least. Mentally… I tried to shield him as best I could, but there was only so much I could do without taking him with me on nights like tonight.
Alex just shrugged as he sat beside me.
