by Kasey Belle
She got up in Jeff’s face. “Let’s get one thing straight. Your job is to buss the tables, not make snide, bigoted comments about the customers. What just came out of your mouth is not acceptable. Not here, actually not anywhere. The fact that you would say such a thing about anyone especially a defenseless child disgusts me. You may think you’re untouchable because your daddy is president of the bank, but I’m here to tell you you’re wrong. I may not have the authority to fire you, but I can write you up. And I plan on doing just that.” She took a step back and pointed at the dining area. “Table four needs cleaning. Get back to work.”
Jeff flexed his jaws but for once didn’t say anything. First smart thing he’d done since he started working there. He pushed passed her and grabbed the empty bin. Janie shook her head. What a jerk. A dull throb was developing behind her eyes. She needed some Motrin. Or a stiff drink. Maybe some chocolate. Any would do. All three would be better.
Janie told Emily, the diner’s hostess, she was taking a ten-minute break. She headed to Maude’s office. Janie wanted to fill out the employee incident form while the incident was still fresh in her mind. Unlikely she would forget a single detail, but better safe than sorry. She didn’t like being a tattletale. However, what Jeff did wasn’t a minor incident like returning five minutes late from his break. What he’d said was blatant bigotry. It had no place at Maude’s and neither did anyone who thought it was okay.
Chapter 4
Jesus fucking Christ. How did an innocent stop over at his cousin’s cabin turn into: Here’s your ass Devon? He’d just come by on his way home to let Koda know he’d found where Jim’s horse Cruella picked up that splinter and repaired the slat in her stall. Next thing he knew, Koda was haranguing him for being a hermit. Harping on how bad it was for Devon’s morale. Somehow that led to shifting and the fact that Koda hadn’t seen Devon’s wolf running around. He wished he’d stopped to think before blurting it was probably because he hadn’t shifted since before the explosion.
Now he was standing in the middle of his cousin’s living room getting lectured on shifter mental health and the detriment of ignoring his wolf. Devon wanted to be honest and admit it wasn’t neglect on his part but fear. He looked different enough in his human form, Dev didn’t want to think about how the explosion had changed his wolf. But, he couldn’t admit that without sounding like a fucking baby. So instead, he slapped a bored expression on his face, threw himself into the nearest chair, and waited for his cousin to run out of steam.
“You’re a right royal pain in the ass. You do realize this, right?” Koda glared at him and Dev fought the urge to roll his eyes.
“I’ve heard that somewhere before,” he quipped.
Koda growled. “Good thing I’m ten times more obstinate than you’ll ever be.”
Ella snorted and muttered, “Damned truth.”
“Woman!” Koda cut his eyes at her giving his mate an impressive amount of side-shade. “Not helping.”
Koda’s spitfire mate blinked innocently. “What? Mates back each other up, right?”
Dev bit his lips to hide his grin. He really liked Ella. She kept Koda on his toes.
Koda blew out an annoyed breath. “Look. You’ve been holed up here for months. Get dressed. You’re going into town with us.”
“No, I’m not.” Yes, yes, he did sound like a petulant child. Devon just wanted everyone to leave him alone dammit. He came here like his family wanted. He forced himself to get out of bed in the morning. He did his job and never complained even when the demons were almost too much to bear. Now they wanted him to people? Fuck that. No peopling. Full stop.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware that was a request.” Koda’s tone stopped him cold. “You have two choices, cousin. You can either head over to your cabin, take a shower, and put on something clean and warm. Or two, I can shove your ass in the car and you can go to the fall festival smelling like horse shit and sweat. Either way, your ass will be heading to town with us in half an hour.”
Dev jumped from his seat to stand toe-to-toe with Koda. “So, it was okay for you to exile yourself out here and avoid your family for fucking years?” he snarled. “But I can’t take a few months to heal and acclimate to civilian life?”
“You aren’t acclimating. You’re hiding. You’re wallowing in anger and guilt. Nobody knows how you feel better than I do. And, yes, I spent years doing just what you accused me of. Spoiler alert. It didn’t help. It only made matters worse. Learn from my mistakes.”
Dev narrowed his eyes. “Fuck you.”
Koda met Dev’s eyes with a steady stubborn gaze of his own. “Choose.” His cousin’s tone made Dev want to roll over and show his belly. Devon was sure his jaw hit the floor. He stared at his cousin with wide eyes. Koda looked just as shocked.
“Did you just alpha compel me?”
“Um. Yeah?” Koda rubbed the back of his neck then huffed a laugh. “Holy shit.”
“This is fucked up.”
“Maybe.” Koda stood taller and stared Dev in the eyes. “So? What’s it gonna be? I can sense your wolf’s need to submit. Are you going to fight the instinct? Enquiring alphas want to know.” Koda shot him a cocky smirk.
Dev didn’t bother to respond. He turned on his heel and headed out the door to his cabin. As much as he wanted to deny his cousin he couldn’t. Dev’s wolf recognized Koda as the alpha. Fuck his life. He was going to the Halloween Festival whether he wanted to or not. Dev preferred to smell like soap rather than shit when he was forced to socialize, especially if he were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her. If the universe had any love for him at all, she wouldn’t notice he was there.
Dev stood in the shadows and watched his woman. His mate. His perfect one. She was so damned beautiful. He longed to be with her. He wanted things he could never have again. She wouldn’t want this version of him. Angry. Jaded. Scarred.
She waved and smiled at a couple who passed by. Dev couldn’t stop the wave of jealousy that skated over his soul. He wanted that smile aimed at him.
“Maybe she won’t mind.”
Devon shook his head. “We can’t be that boy and she can’t be our girl.”
“She will always be our girl, even when she’s not.”
Wolf was right. Even when she found another to love, she would always belong to them. He would find a way to watch over her from afar no matter how much it hurt to do so.
Janie lifted her head and glanced around as if she felt him watching her. He ducked back further into the darkness.
“Who are we watching?”
Devon practically jumped out of his skin at the sound of Storm’s voice. For a big man he moved like the wind. Devon couldn’t believe his nose hadn’t picked up the bear’s scent before he was standing next to him. Then again, his sole focus had been on his mate.
“Are you stalking the waitress?” The amusement in Storm’s voice grated.
“Her name is Janie,” he snarled. Janelle Harper was more than her job.
“Huh.” Storm remained silent for a moment. “Is this lust or something more permanent?”
Devon growled but refused to verbally respond.
“Shit. I know that look. Seen in the mirror before I claimed my Rainbow. Janie is your mate. Isn’t she?” Devon didn’t answer. Storm muttered a curse. “What are you doing hanging out here like some creeper? Go over there and introduce yourself.”
“No need. I know her.”
“In a stalkerish sort of way or actually met and spoke to sort of way?”
Dev shot the bear shifter some serious side eye. He wanted to tell the man it was none of his fucking business. He wanted to tell him to fuck off. The whole world could fuck right off as far as Devon was concerned. But, he did none of those things. He did what he did best. He ignored the question and stomped away.
He flipped Storm off when he called Devon’s name. He was pissed that his private time of watching Janie and fantasizing about what he couldn’t have had been interrupted.
&nbs
p; He’d almost mate it out of the parking lot when Koda stepped in his path. “Go away.”
Koda snorted. “I just heard the most interesting thing. Care to guess what it was?”
Dev’s lips curled into a sneer. Jesus Christ. What did the Storm do? Teleport himself across the park to find Koda so he could gossip like a teenage girl?
“I ran into him,” Koda supplied as if reading Dev’s thoughts. Or maybe he actually said all that aloud. Devon wasn’t sure. “You have a fucking mate?”
Devon crossed his arms over his chest. He stared at his cousin refusing to respond.
“How long have you known?” Koda narrowed his eyes. “Don’t make me force it out of you.”
That was a hard pass. Devon would rather reluctantly give up his secrets than have them forced out of him. “The second I first saw her.”
“Jesus. Over a decade.” Koda pushed a hand through his hair a sure sign of his agitation. “No wonder you’re a miserable bastard. Does she know?”
He jerked a nod.
“Go claim her you dumbass.” Koda pointed towards the area Devon had just come from When he didn’t move Koda shoved his shoulder. “A mate will heal your soul. Go.”
“Stay out of my business, Dakoda,” he bit out. “I don’t want a mate. I’m too fucked up. Janie deserves better.”
He body checked Koda in order to push him out of the way. His cousin stumbled but quickly righted himself. Dev glanced over his shoulder to see if Koda would retaliate. He didn’t. Koda just stood there shaking his head with disappointment in his eyes. Whatever.
Chapter 5
“Here you go, sweetie.” Janie handed the candied apple to the little red-haired girl then took the money from her mother. “Thank you for your support, ma’am. Enjoy the festival.” She let her smile fade as they walked away.
She glanced around, again. Even though she couldn’t see him. She knew he was here. She’d felt his eyes on her for the past hour. Her heart broke a bit more with every minute that passed, and he didn’t approach her.
“Janelle?”
Janie blinked back tears before she turned and greeted Nikki. “Hi, Nikki. What can I get you? Dad’s cider is to die for.”
Janie’s parents sponsored a booth at the fall festival since their first year in town. This year the proceeds were going to the school district to buy much needed supplies for the students.
Nikki tilted her head. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she quickly responded.
“Huh.” Nikki crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip. “That answer would be more convincing if you didn’t have tears in your eyes.”
Janie’s shoulder sagged. Nikki had a point. Lying was useless when she probably looked at miserable as she felt. She was tired of the subterfuge.
“Does what’s bothering you have a penis?”
Janie snorted a laugh. “How’d you know?”
“They’re good at that. The penis bearers.”
They so were. Well, at least Devon was.
Nikki nodded as if she heard Janie’s thoughts and understood. “If you want someone to talk to, I’m here.”
“Why are you being nice to me? I didn’t even think you liked me.”
Nikki sighed and dropped her arms by her side. “It’s not that I don’t like you.” Her eyes looked everywhere but at Janie. Nikki groaned as guilt overtook her expression. “Okay. That’s not entirely true. I didn’t like you. Before. When you hit on Jim. I guess I wasn’t as good at hiding it as I thought.”
“That was a long time ago. I didn’t know you were with Jim at the time. Besides, it was just that. Flirting. It didn’t mean anything.”
“I know. Who knew my inner bitch could hold a grudge for so long?” Nikki snorted a laugh. “Okay, I totally did.” She paused for a moment. Then, her expression cleared. Nikki straightened her shoulders standing as tall as her short stature would allow. “I’m officially over it. What can I do to help?”
“There’s nothing you can do. I waited for him like I promised. Never wanted anyone but him. There has never been anyone but him.”
“The flirting was just flirting,” Nikki muttered.
“Yes.” Janie wiped away a tear that escaped her control. “Devon obviously doesn’t feel the same way.”
“Devon?” Nikki’s eyes practically popped out of her head. Her mouth opened and closed a bunch of times before she was finally able to make words. “Are we talking Devon Stone? That miserable pain in the ass?”
“Don’t talk about him that way.”
Instead of cringing at Janie’s outburst, the smaller woman smiled. “Wow. You’ve got it bad.” Nikki studied Janie as if she were a bug under a microscope. “Hmm. This is awesome.”
“I’m miserable. How is it awesome?” she shrieked
“Because, admitting you have a problem is the first step to solving it.” She reached out and rubbed Janie’s upper arm. “We got this.”
“We?”
“You and the women of Sanctuary. More specifically… Ella, Bow, Danika, and me.”
“Um, what?” Since when did she have them? What was she missing?
“How much longer do you have here tonight?”
Janie pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. “My mom is relieving me in about thirty minutes.”
“Sweet. I’ll be back by then with reinforcements. Wait for us.” And with that order Nikki left without a backward glance.
An hour later, Janelle was sitting on the sofa in Rainbow Brightman’s living room. She’d been surprised how spacious the apartment was. She thought it would be more industrial considering it sat above the coffee shop. The bohemian beauty certainly put her stamp on the place. The décor was an eclectic mix of modern comfort and retro chic.
Ella leaned forward her face filled with kindness and curiosity. “What’s going on between you and Dev? All Nikki said was you needed help with his stubborn ass. I wasn’t even aware you two knew each other.”
Yeah, hearing that didn’t hurt at all. Janie took a moment to gather her thoughts. Would the women in the room who seemed to have appointed themselves her friends, something that hit Janie in all the feels, still want to have anything to do with her once they heard her story? Would they feel threatened even though Janie meant them no harm? Only one way to find out. It wasn’t like her life could become more miserable.
“I’ve known Dev for over a decade. My family moved to Sanctuary just before I entered ninth grade. We lived in Bozeman where my dad was a mechanic. His dream was always to own his own shop. He heard about Grady Winters selling his business here, so he could retire to Florida. My dad got a loan and bought his shop. Mom was a school teacher. She was able to hire on as a substitute until a position opened up at the high school. She’s still there.”
“Anyway. Next thing I knew we lived in Sanctuary. I was so nervous having only lived in Bozeman. All my friends were back there. You know how it is? New kid jitters.” She blew out a breath. The memories of that time were bittersweet. “I met Devon the first day of school. After my mom dropped me off, I wasn’t sure what to do or where to go so I just kind of wandered around. I guess I looked as lost as I felt because the next thing I knew this really cute older boy and his friend walked over. Devon and his friend Kevin introduced themselves.” Janie smiled. She’d been in awe of him at first sight. “They showed me around and made their friends say hello to me. It was so sweet.”
“After that first day we remained thick as thieves. He was my best friend. He was my everything. It didn’t seem to matter that he was two years older than me. I loved him, and he loved me. I hated it when he joined up, but I knew it was something he needed to do. He idolized his cousin Dakoda and his dream was to serve and become an MP. He promised to come back for me. I don’t know why that changed. It’s not supposed to from what he told me. He’s my mate.”
Ella looked at the other women in the room then turned her attention to Janie. “You mean your soulmate?”
&nb
sp; “No. Like wolf and mate.” Janie rolled her eyes. Did they think she’d believe they were stupid? “I know about Koda and the others. Dev explained it to me the night before he left for boot camp and we uh… you know? He said he couldn’t claim me because I was too young. But, he swore I was it for him. When he came home on leave, it was like we’d never been apart. Until a couple of years ago, anyway. That’s when he stopped coming home. A year ago, he stopped writing and Skyping. There was always an excuse as to why he could talk to me or email me. Why he couldn’t come home. I never gave up on him though. I probably should, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t understand why he won’t talk to me. Why he won’t let me see him. I know he was hurt. I don’t care what his injuries are. I mean I do, but they won’t change how I feel. I love him.” Her last statement ended on a wail.
Bow passed her a box of tissues. “Thank you.” Janie blotted her eyes. “I hope you all know you can trust me with your secrets. I’ve never breathed a word to anyone about what I know.” She sniffed and took a calming breath. “I just didn’t figure Jim for a wolf. Then again, I didn’t know him when I was a kid.” She turned her attention to Bow and Danika. “I don’t know which of you are the wolves.”
“Jim’s not a wolf,” Nikki stated.
“You’re the wolf then?”
Nikki shook her head then preened a little. “Fox actually.”
“Makes sense. You are tiny.”
Nikki narrowed her eyes. “Gee. I hadn’t noticed.”
“Homunculus,” Danika said with an impish grin.
“A what?” Janie could honestly say she’d never heard the word before.
“A homunculus is a fully formed miniature human,” Bow explained in a serious tone. One Janie had always attached to school teachers. “For example―” She motioned her hand like a model on the Price is Right. “Nikki.”
