Page 6 of Storm's Mistake

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Shadow lay on a hammock, rocking side to side, enjoying the late evening and reading the latest thriller he’d gotten at No Wolves Road Library. Growing up, he’d never been one for reading, but as he got older, it had become a fun, relaxing way to pass the time. He was waiting for Pam to return.

He’d left No Wolves Road, and it had grated on his nerves that he’d not gone to see Lisa. This pissed him off. When was she going to get over herself? So he said some bad shit to a bunch of guys. She wasn’t supposed to hear it.

He closed the book and looked up at the sky as it was starting to get dark. Lisa should know he didn’t mean everything he said. He couldn’t recall everything he had said. The conversation had moved so fast.

The strange truth was, he missed her. This was fucked up to him, because he still didn’t have any intention of staying with her forever. She was not a wolf, so long-term was not an option. Only strong females could be his mate, and seeing as she was human, it wasn’t going to happen.

“Fucker!”

He heard the insult seconds before the hammock was suddenly tipped over and he somehow ended up face-first on the ground. He spun to see Pam, one knee bent, glaring at him.

“What the fuck?” he asked.

“Seriously, you had me believing the problems between the two of you had to do with her not liking your wolf, or the fact you wouldn’t bring her to the pack.”

“I didn’t tell you anything.”

“You certainly didn’t tell me the truth, and while we’re at this whole talking and communicating stage, you also made sure no one else could tell me the truth either, didn’t you?”

He got to his feet and faced a very pissed-off Pam.

“She told you what happened.”

“Yeah, she did. She filled in a great deal of the blanks.” Pam shook her head. “You said that shit about her?”

“Look, it was a bunch of guys, and we were just talking—”

“It doesn’t matter if it was the damn Devil, Shadow. I thought you were better than half the pack men that go to that town.” Pam threw her hands up in the air and growled. “How long do you think it’s going to be before they get fed up with being used and discarded?”

Shadow got to his feet and glared at her. “That is not my problem.”

Pam laughed. “Oh, no, it’s not your problem right now, but in the future it might be, when there is a town dividing the packs within this vicinity. And what’s more, they’re hunting us down like fucking dogs!”

“You’ve seen way too many horror movies.”

“And you’ve not seen enough. It might not happen. They might be happy with being used and left behind. None of them are good enough to be anything more than toys to us. One day, that is going to change.”

“Did you talk to Lisa?” he asked.

He had no control over what other men or women did, nor what other packs did. No Wolves Road was a safe place. There were rules in place to protect the humans just as much as the wolves. He didn’t see a problem with any of it.

“No, I didn’t. This mess, you fix by yourself,” Pam said, and she turned on her heel. “Or better yet,” she stopped and spun back to face him. “Why don’t you think about why you wantto fix it? Why bother continuing with Lisa? She already knows the truth, and you’ve been dating for six months. Surely you’re bored now, and it is time to move on.”

“I don’t know if you’re trying to be cute or not.”

Pam shook her head. “I don’t get you. I don’t get any of you.”

And with that, Pam left him alone.

He glanced back at the hammock, but it didn’t appeal to him anymore. His book had also lost its appeal. He shoved the book inside his jacket. Lisa had been the first person to take him to the No Wolves Road Library.

She had caught him stealing her books. By stealing, he’d been taking them, reading, and returning. She didn’t have a large enough selection, so she got him a library card, showed him all the books, and since then, he’d been taking a book out a week. This current read was taking him a lot longer, but he knew why.

He got this book out two weeks ago, when shit had hit the fan between him and Lisa. Rubbing the back of his head, he blew out a breath and then started walking. He had every intention of going to his house, but then he found himself walking back into No Wolves Road, heading toward Lisa’s home.

He wanted to be close to her. To inhale that scent of chocolate and vanilla. He took a deep breath then another, and sure enough, her scent was there. Subtle, but there. If he’d not been a wolf, he wouldn’t have been able to detect it. He wanted to go to her.