AllFreeNovel
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“Welcome to the shelter. You can call me Doc,” the panther says. He was the voice I heard when I first woke up. He helps me to my feet, and I sit on the bed.
“So now I’m a rogue.” I push my hair out of my face. I’m a little slow to catch up with what’s happening.
The guy from the store holds his hands up. “I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but your pack was killed in the storm and the one that survived was going to take away your freedom.”
“And what did you do? Why were you following me?” I frown.
“All I did was help you out of a sticky situation.” His eyes widen, like a deer in headlights.
He ignores the question about why he was on Lake Falcon. Maybe that’s an admission of guilt. But if he hadn’t been there, I’d be halfway to the Gulf of Mexico now. Colt’s disappointed face is something I’ve become used to, and although my heart aches to be close to him, I have my chance to escape the bond that’s making us both miserable. “Am I free to leave?” I ask.
“You are, although I hope you’ll consider what we have to offer before you do. Knox here tells me you like to grow your own vegetables. We might not be a conventional pack, but we all have our special place. We could use someone to help us become more organic instead of relying on the store,” Doc says.
“All my plants were destroyed at Lake Falcon, but I enjoy gardening. I can grow almost anything.” I rub my arm. He has a calm nature about him that already has me wanting to help.
“Think about it.” He pats me on the shoulder before everyone leaves me to my thoughts.
Is the shelter what I was looking for? I lie on the bed a little while longer, staring at the ceiling. It isn’t until my stomach growls that I decide to go find the others. Leaving the communal sleeping area, I find myself in a long corridor. The building has a church feel about it, with its long windows and rustic doors.
The room I choose to explore first turns out to be the library. They have rows and rows of books. I’d heard stories about a shelter housing rogue shifters, but this isn’t what I expected. It’s not perfect, but it seems nice.
After the library, I find the plant nursery, common room, lunch hall, and rooftop garden. All these places are empty, and the room I presume is the kitchen is locked. Finally, I find everyone in what looks like a games room.
“You decided to explore,” Doc says with a smile.
My stomach growls. “I’m hungry and needed to find food.”
“Yes. Of course. Knox, take the lady to get some soup from the pot simmering on the stove. Show her where she can help herself to clothes, and to the washroom.”
“No problem,” Knox says from behind me. I turn to find him leaning against the doorframe. “Come on,” he says once I’m by his side.
We start walking, and when we’re alone, I say, “Thank you.”
“It’s no problem.”
“I meant for saving me last night.”
He glances at me for a second. “What’s the deal with your mate?”
“Colt?” I rub my arm.
“Yeah.”
“He never liked the way I chose to live my life, and I guess he still doesn’t. He wants me to be a content shifter mate and mother.”
“And what do you want?”
“Until the storm, I supported the local wildlife and helped the locals protect the trees. Colt didn’t like me mixing with humans. Now I want to repair the damage and continue in the same way as before.”
“So, the environment is worth more to you than your mate?”
“Being allowed to live the way I want is worth more. Colt rejected me, and I’m beginning to realize he did me a favor. I can’t follow his path when I want to make my own footsteps.”
“Good for you.” We walk back into the lunch hall and Knox opens the kitchen door with a key.
“Do you think I could fit in at the shelter with the other shifters?” I ask.
He grabs a dish and fills it with vegetable soup. “The only rule they have here is that you have to help out. If you can handle that, I don’t see why not.”
