AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twenty-One
Charlie
I had no extra clothes, and while the ones I’d been wearing were mysteriously washed and hung every night, ready for the next day, I’d rather spend a little money and get a few new outfits, since it seemed as though I’d be staying a while—or, at least, I wasn’t feeling the intense urge to bolt out of there as much today as I had been yesterday. I was willing to listen and learn, for now.
That being said, I’d like to get out of this house for a few hours and away from these men who I wanted to hump twenty-four seven. They were my kryptonite and my crack, all in one.
My dream last night with Johnny had left my body buzzing in an all too real way. My mood had shifted, too—less burdened by worries, more hopeful after my revelation that my wolf wasn’t as separate from me as I’d thought. All the same, I dreaded having to make eye contact with Johnny anytime soon. What if he remembered the dream, too? What if he had expectations? What if he thought I wanted his bite?
Which I didn’t…or maybe I did.
Cool it, girl. Ugh.
My needs and urges confused me. I liked the idea of being part of a pack, but I also loved my independence. I liked being free to be myself, rather than hiding who I was all the time, which was what living here promised me. Not that I wanted to let my beast out ever—but I could see the perks to living in a place where everyone knew what my deal was. I’d worked so hard to build a life away from the clan worlds, and yet part of me craved the connection that only a pack could give me.
There was something to be said for being with your kind…something equally as freeing as not being with them.
Or maybe it was these men who felt like home. Maybe Levi was right, and our destinies were intertwined.
My head felt like it was on backward and upside-down.
I needed some distance to get perspective. A morning at the mall, getting some retail therapy seemed wise.
But first, I called Ruby.
“Where have you been?” Ruby was breathless, which usually meant she was chasing one of her boyfriend’s kids. “I’ve been calling— Sheppard William Smith, you put that marker down this instant!”
I waited for the frantic yelling to subside before apologizing. “I know, I’m a shit. I got all fifty of your messages.” I tried for a laugh and met dead air. She’s pissed. Fuck. “I’m really sorry, Rubes. I’m still in Vancouver.” I’d told her as much in the text message
“You left me in the hospital.” Her voice was steady and calm, a sure sign that I was in the doghouse and she was just getting started. “You just left me there.”
I could handle yelling. I could deal with swearing. But calm and disappointed? That was a heart strike, especially from Ruby.
“I sent you a text.” Which was the shittiest thing I could say right now, but it just blurted out of me. Before she could quietly guilt me for the slip up, I quickly added, “I called the hospital to make sure you got home okay.”
“Tell me you didn’t just say that.” She sucked in a deep breath then let it out slowly. I could envision her rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Listen, Charlie. What happened the other night was fucked up.”
I held my breath, half expecting her to say that she’d seen my partial shift. Had she caught a glimpse of my claws as I dug them into that asshole’s throat? Had she seen the flash of fang when I’d hissed into his ear? I had relied on her shock to hide my abnormalities, but Ruby had always been sharp—exhausted and overworked, sure, but not clueless. The fact that I’d been able to keep my secret from her was only because we’d never had to face a situation like we had that night. No human could move the way I did when threatened, I knew that, but I’d worked very hard to stay out of trouble while I’d been in Toronto…until the other night.
“I needed to know you were okay, and I couldn’t do that because you left—then you wouldn’t answer my calls.” Her voice hitched. “I’ve been really fucking worried, and you know I don’t need more stress.”
She was right, she didn’t. The last thing I ever wanted to do was become another leech on Ruby’s already emaciated emotional energy. I valued her friendship. It had been an unexpected kinship that had kept me sane for the last three years. Who knew that a human could offer what my clan, my family, could not?
“I’m so sorry, Ruby. I should have returned your calls before now.” Even though it had been no more than forty-eight hours, I definitely should have at least responded to her messages and let her know I was fine. I was trying to process, which was a lame excuse. Sure, things had been fucked up here and there’d been a lot of information to swallow, but I’d worked really hard for ‘normal’ in Toronto, and Ruby was part of that. “I’m an asshole, and you have every right to be pissed.”
I heard her deflate, the anger she was holding evaporating over the phone. “You’re still in Vancouver? How bad are things?” She knew a cleaned-up version of my family history, enough to understand that I was estranged from my stepbrothers and that my relationship with the rest of my, air-quote, family was tentative at best.
“They’re pretty bad.” There was always a fine line to walk with Ruby, because her bullshit detecting abilities were strong. “Andrew has disappeared.” Not a lie. “And I’m dealing with the fallout from that.” Understatement but true.
“Shit. I’m sorry.” Ruby sighed. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Thanks, Rubes, but no. This is something I need to deal with here.” A pulsing throb lanced across my forehead, the beginning of another headache. I hated not being honest with her. I wished I could just come clean and tell her about my life as it was. Secrets were a burden, and they made for a weak foundation in any relationship. But I cherished her friendship, even if it was built on some untruths and omissions. As cool as she was, I couldn’t imagine she’d be okay with finding out that the monsters existed and I was one of them.
“I’ll swing by your place, make sure everything is okay there.” She said this like it was a eureka moment when we both knew my place could take care of itself. “Maybe take a nap and dream about Jared’s kids turning eighteen.”
We both laughed, and the bubble of tension popped. My headache, however, only got worse.
“You’re totally welcome to crash at my place for as long as you want.” She had a spare key, and I was positive my landlord loved her more than he liked me. “You deserve an extended vacation.”
