Page 20 of Half Wolf Mate
I noticed he didn’t say he wouldn’t welcome me. “You mean a half-shifter?”
“If only that were your one flaw,” he said dispassionately.
I stared at him, wishing he’d somehow change his mind about me. But he didn’t. All he said was, “Don’t come back here. I mean it.” It was the first time he really looked at me since I showed up at the compound. There was something in his eyes that had me confused. The blue orbs weren’t as cold as before. They were beseeching. “The next time you set foot in this compound, there’s no telling if I’ll be able to stop everyone from tearing you to shreds.”
My sharp intake of breath was audible. Did they despise half-breeds that much? I kept my gaze on Cole, trying to gauge if he was warning me because he didn’t want that to happen. Was he trying to protect me from his pack? Hope that maybe he didn’t completely hate me flickered to life. Before I could ask him what he’d meant about my mother being a traitor, Damian arrived.
He handed me my backpack, which I didn’t even look at. I didn’t care if everything was still in there or not. I was too busy trying to fight back tears.
“I’m keeping the blade,” he said matter-of-factly.
I glowered at Damian, wishing I could kick him in the shin. These people were my only hope of survival, and they all scorned me. What cut deeper was that my mate rejected me and, in front of the pack, no less.
“Leave,” Cole said.
Giving him one more look, I embraced my humiliation and did as he wanted. With my back turned to him, a single tear trailed a hot path down my cheek, but I dashed it away with annoyance. I guess I was on my own.
Chapter 10 Sydney
“Look at that, a perfect fit.” Macy smiled broadly. “It’s a sign.”
I studied myself in the full-length mirror she pulled out of the closet. The borrowed waitress's uniform fit as if it was made for me. The blue and black striped dress epitomized a 50s diner waitress costume. I liked it. “What kind of sign?”
“That you belong here. Not just at this diner, but in New Orleans.”
Macy’s kind words didn’t comfort me because I still reeled from being rejected by my mate and my mother’s pack. It had been a week since the humiliating incident at the Moon Guardian’s compound, and the sting of rejection still lingered. I’d spent the week trying to distract myself from thoughts of Cole Grayson by focusing on my survival.
Though I was terrified of the hunter finding me if I stayed in one place for too long, I couldn’t make a move without money. Macy came to the rescue and offered me a job. Today, my one-week probation was up, and I got the privilege of donning the uniform.
Smoothing my palms over my skirt, I forced out a smile. “I’m not so sure I belong in this city. I’m not sure where I belong.” Discovering I was half-human and half-werewolf caused a major identity crisis. I’d always had the feeling of not belonging. Now, the feeling was ten times worse. I was hunted by humans, and werewolves wanted nothing to do with me. I didn’t belong on any side of the fence.
Macy’s intent gaze was disconcerting. When she looked at me like that, I felt as if she could read my mind. “Give it some time, Sydney. Things will fall into place.”
“I sure hope so.” I laughed nervously. “Because I definitely can’t go back to Nebraska.”
“Why not?”
Averting my gaze away from her assessing one, I mentally cursed myself for letting that slip. So far, I haven’t seen any sign of the scary hunter I met several days ago. Maybe I was safe here for now, but the less Macy knew, the better. I had to protect her.
“My aunt died before I left home, and my uncle-in-law and I have never been on great terms.” At least I wasn’t outright lying. Other than not wanting to get hacked to death by blade-wheeling werewolf hunters, Uncle Sam did warn me to stay away.
“I’m sorry. Before you know it, you’ll have your life together here. Think of your new beginning as a big adventure.”
It was an adventure, alright. A confusing, depressing, and extremely dangerous one. “Yeah.” I glanced around the tiny office and makeshift bedroom that Macy allowed me to stay in until I had enough money to get my own place. “Thanks for letting me crash here.”
“No problem. It’s barely enough space to turn around in, but it’s cozy. I stayed here a lot when I took over from Mom and was working tirelessly to get the business back on track.”
I noticed that when Macy mentioned her mother, there was always a bit of resentment in her tone. While she pretended to be an open book, I could tell she had secrets. But she was a kind soul, so I bet on her secrets not being sinister—unlike mine, which was life-threatening.
“With the tips I made Thursday night, I calculate I’ll be out of your space in three more weeks.” Macy allowed me to work a night shift for my training, and the tips were awesome. “That is if you’ll let me and Shannon exchange shifts.”
She huffed and sat behind her desk to open a drawer. “We already talked about this, and the answer is still no.”
“But Macy—”
“No, Sydney.
“What’s the big deal? Shannon has been begging to exchange with me.” One of the other waitresses only worked nights because she’d been going to school during the day. Since she graduated months ago, she’s been wanting to change to day shifts. Shannon said the nighttime customers creep her out. The only reason she endured the night shifts was the hefty tips, which helped her with school. Now that she didn’t need the extra money, she was happy to work in the days instead. I was in dire need of fast money, and the night shifts would undoubtedly help.