by Lola Gabriel
“No chance,” Brianne said quickly.
Callin smiled and squeezed her hand. He released it and they got out of the car. They came back together in front of the car and Callin took Brianne’s hand again. He led her down a winding gravel path through some trees. She could hear voices whispering amongst themselves and as they walked, the voices got louder.
Callin nodded to her after they had been walking for a few minutes and she understood his meaning. He was asking her if she was ready for this. The pack must be right behind this last row of trees. She nodded back at him. She was as ready as she would ever be.
Callin squeezed her hand one more time and then he relaxed his grip on her, although he didn’t let go of her hand and she was glad of the contact. They stepped through the trees and came out into a large clearing, surrounded on all sides by more trees.
There had to be at least one hundred people in the clearing, and as one, they fell silent when Callin emerged. They began to move, to form a half circle with Valerie standing at the front of it, and Brianne felt nerves flood her system. All of these dragons against her and Callin? They didn’t stand a chance. She told herself to stop thinking like that. Callin would never have even attempted this if he didn’t think he stood a chance against them.
A dark-haired man stepped up beside Valerie. He smiled at Callin, making no secret of the fact that he might be standing by Valerie’s side, but that wasn’t where his loyalty lay. Brianne figured the man was Lucian.
“Well, well. Callin McKenzie finally dares to challenge me after boldly defying one of my decisions for the good of the pack today,” Valerie said coldly as Callin stopped walking a couple of meters away from her.
“It’s past time for this, Valerie, and we both know it,” Callin replied, his voice equally cold. “So, why don’t we stop with the charade and you can do the honorable thing and step down like you agreed to do when you took over as an interim pack alpha.”
“I don’t think it’s going to happen that way, Callin. And I think you know that,” Valerie said. “I have led this pack to greatness, and if you want to take that away from me, then you’re going to have to fight me for it.”
Callin shrugged his shoulders.
“Have it your way,” he said.
Valerie threw her head back and laughed.
“You’re really going to go through with this? You know you’re not strong enough to fight me, Callin, and if you choose to try anyway, then I will show you no mercy. If we fight, we fight to the death.”
“Actually, you might want to rethink that, Valerie,” Lucian said. He stepped away from her side and the pack began to spread out, surrounding Valerie. “You might be stronger than Callin, but you’re not stronger than the whole pack put together. We know what you did, and it wasn’t for the good of the pack. It was selfish and childish, two traits none of us want in a leader. You won’t be fighting just Callin tonight. You will be fighting the whole pack.”
Valerie’s face changed, her confident amusement gone, replaced by a sudden dawning fear that seemed to creep over her inch by inch.
“You wouldn’t dare defy me that way,” Valerie said, not sounding at all confident that was true.
“Do you want to bet your life on that? Or do you want to step down?” Callin said, leading Brianne to stand beside Lucian.
“I…” Valerie started.
The pack closed in tighter around her and Callin held up his hand. The pack stopped moving, all eyes on him.
“You know what? I’m not even giving you a choice in this, Valerie. Because if we fight, you’re going to end up torn to shreds. And while I can’t help but think that’s a fate you deserve, I am not like you. I believe in showing mercy to the weak. Lucian, organize a small team and run Valerie out of the district. Valerie Steele, you are exiled from this district. If you are spotted here after tonight, then you will be executed. My mercy only extends so far. Is that clear?”
Valerie nodded, not meeting Callin’s eye.
“Good,” Callin said.
He nodded to Lucian, who pointed to six other people who moved toward Valerie and began to lead her away from the clearing. She made no move to resist them and Brianne almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
“Thank you,” Callin said. “You all believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself, and now that I do, I am going to lead you all to greatness, but in a very different way from how Valerie did things. Gone is the reign of fear. Gone are the threats and the mind games. Under my leadership, everyone in this pack is equal and everyone will have a voice.”
This got a cheer from the pack. Callin smiled and waited for it to die down and then he went on.
“I have a very special mission for a team of you,” he said. “This here is my mate, Brianne. And Riley Morgan very nearly sold her to a bear shifter. While part of me thinks he should die for that, he honored a deal with me and I was able to get Brianne back safely. The repayment for that is allowing him to keep his life. But he will no longer be allowed to carry on with his Matchmaker business in my district. I need volunteers to run him out of the district with the same instructions that Valerie received.”
Pretty much every hand in the pack went up, and Callin chose ten of the pack, people who he knew were strong and capable, but level-headed enough to get this done without injury to anyone.
“Cole, you’re in charge,” he said.
Cole thanked him and the small team set off. Callin smiled at the others.
“Why don’t the rest of you come and welcome Brianne to the pack?” he said.
Brianne instantly found herself engulfed in a happy crowd that hugged her, shook her hand, and patted her on the back. She was soon lost in a sea of called-out names, none of which she was likely to remember when so many were coming at her at once. She met Callin’s eye and smiled at him through the crowd. She felt like she had finally come home.
Epilogue
One Year Later
“That seemed to go down pretty well, right?” Callin said as he and Brianne made their way out of the movie theater.
“Pretty well?” Brianne laughed. “Everyone loved it. One of the critics even had tears running down her face when it ended.”
Tonight was the premiere of Callin’s movie. Recasting the leading lady had held production up for a while, but the movie ended up only being three days later than it had been anticipated and already, the buzz surrounding it was huge. In part, the buzz surrounding the movie was due to the stories of Valerie Steele, the original leading lady, who, the press reported, had walked away from the glitz and the glamour and moved to a small commune in Israel.
Callin had no idea if that was true or not, but she was no longer in his district and that was good enough for him.
He smiled at Brianne and rubbed his hand over her bump.
“Do you think our daughter will like the movie?” he asked.
“Maybe in like fourteen years’ time or something,” Brianne laughed. “And don’t forget we might have a son.”
“No way. She’s a girl, I just know it,” Callin said.
He pulled Brianne against him and kissed the top of her head. The idea of a tiny version of her running around filled him with delight, but in truth, he would be just as happy with a son. As long as he and Brianne were together, he didn’t think anything would ever stop him from being this happy again.
Shifting Truths
Sanmere Shifters
Shifting Truths: Sanmere Shifters
Text Copyright © 2020 by Lola Gabriel
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Fir
st printing, 2020
Publisher
Secret Woods Books
[email protected]
www.SecretWoodsBooks.com
Prologue
Eight Years Earlier
Rachel Lake left the bar and turned right, heading for her apartment. It was a twenty-minute walk and she would have preferred to get an Uber or even a taxi, but all of the wait times were half an hour or longer. She couldn’t bear to spend another half an hour making awkward small talk with Kyle. She pulled her cell phone out as she walked and scrolled through her contacts until she found Beth’s number. She hit call and lifted the cell phone to her ear.
“How did it go?” Beth asked as she answered the call.
“Ugh, it was awful,” Rachel said, unable to keep the tone of disgust from her voice.
“Oh, come on, Rach, it can’t have been that bad. You guys have only been dating for a couple of weeks,” Beth said.
“Yeah, a couple of weeks too long. I can’t believe I let myself go on more than one date with the guy. Honestly, he’s so boring, Beth. I mean, at first I figured yeah, first date nerves, so I gave him a second chance, because let’s be honest, he’s hot. But after that I should have realized he’s just plain dull behind that pretty face.”
Beth laughed and Rachel imagined her shaking her head.
“Just because the guy isn’t an action hero doesn’t mean he’s not relationship material,” she said.
“I know that,” Rachel sighed. “But it’s like he has no personality whatsoever. We’ve been on, like, ten dates and I don’t think we’ve ever gotten past the awkward small talk phase.”
“So, what did you tell him when you ended things?” Beth asked.
“I just said I didn’t think we were a good match,” Rachel replied.
“And he took it badly?” Beth asked.
“No, that’s the thing. He was fine with it. He even agreed with me. But then he insisted we should have a drink as friends and it was like nothing had changed. I was still stuck there on a Saturday night with the most boring guy in the world.”
“Well, at least it’s over now,” Beth said. “And now you can find a guy who skydives or something.”
“Even a guy who does crossword puzzles as a hobby would be more interesting than Kyle,” Rachel laughed. “But seriously, I’m done with guys for now. I just keep moving from one bad relationship to the next and I think maybe it’s time I focused on me for a while. It’ll happen when it happens, right?”
“You’re twenty-four, Rach, you’re not getting any younger, you know,” Beth teased her.
Rachel laughed.
“Thanks for that,” she said.
“I’m messing with you,” Beth giggled. “Seriously, though, I give you one week before you’re dating again.”
“Give me a bit of credit. I bet I can go at least ten days,” Rachel replied.
They both laughed and Rachel found herself feeling much better. She wouldn’t miss Kyle. She would miss the sex, but that was it.
“Hey,” Beth said. “Why don’t you come over here? Some of the girls are coming over and then we’re going to hit a few clubs.”
Rachel debated the idea. It was only nine o’clock and it was Saturday night. She didn’t much feel like a crazy night of clubbing, though.
“I’ll take a rain check if you don’t mind,” she said. “I just want to go home, get into my pajamas, and watch a trashy movie.”
“You’re more upset about this Kyle thing than you’re letting on, aren’t you?” Beth said, her voice filling with concern.
“No. God, no. Really,” Rachel said. “I just feel like a night in. Next weekend I’m all yours.”
“Well, if you’re sure?” Beth said.
“I’m sure,” Rachel said.
They talked for a bit longer and then ended the call. Rachel thought about what Beth had said. Was she upset over the breakup with Kyle? She supposed she was in some ways. Not about losing him per se, but more about the fact that she had spent so many years dating the wrong men. She was ready to settle down, maybe start a family, but she was rapidly losing any hope of finding the right man to do it with.
She shook her head, shaking away the melancholy feeling that had settled over her. She told herself she had plenty of time for all of that and she should just be enjoying being single for now.
She pushed aside her doubts and told herself that her vow to Beth was going to happen. She wasn’t going to stress over this, and she wasn’t going to waste any more of her time dating the wrong guys. She was going to wait for someone special, and then take some time to get to know him a bit before she rushed into anything.
She crossed the street and headed down a quieter side street. The conversation with Beth had passed the time like she had hoped it would and she would be home in less than five minutes now. She upped her pace a little bit, craving the comfort of her pajamas and maybe even a glass of wine in a nice, hot bubble bath.
She jumped slightly when a man lurched from inside of a shop doorway a couple of doors down. She looked around, noting that the street was deserted except for her and the man. She felt her heart speed up slightly and she told herself to stop being paranoid. It was barely nine thirty, and she had no reason to suspect the man was up to no good. This was a good area of Houston, after all.
The man wasn’t moving. He had turned to face Rachel and now he was just standing there seemingly staring at her. She felt icy fingers of fear caressing the back of her neck despite telling herself not to be paranoid.
“Excuse me? Is someone there?” the man called out.
Rachel looked the man up and down quickly and some of her fear melted away when she saw the white cane the man carried. So, he wasn’t staring at her as such. He was blind, probably attracted to her direction by the sound of her footsteps. Maybe he needed help. The more she thought about it, the more she thought she had detected a hint of fear in the man’s voice when he had spoken.
“Hello?” the man said.
“Umm… hi,” Rachel said as she got a little bit closer to the man. “Are you okay?”
“I seem to have gotten myself turned around,” the man said, smiling at Rachel. He had a nice smile. He looked around her age, and he was well dressed. He had a faint accent Rachel couldn’t place, but it didn’t sound like he was a Texan. “I’m staying in the Bellevue Hotel. Do you happen to know if it’s anywhere around here?”
Rachel frowned. The Bellevue Hotel wasn’t far from here, but it had closed down about two years ago.
“Are you sure it’s the Bellevue?” she asked. “That place closed down, as far as I know.”
“A friend of mine just bought it. He’s in the middle of renovating it before he opens it up again. I’m in town visiting him and he’s staying there, so I am too,” the man explained.
“Oh, I see,” Rachel said. “It’s not far from here. It’s a couple of blocks south and then…”
She trailed off, realizing she had no way of explaining how to get there to someone who couldn’t see any of the things she would use to describe it. It was a little bit out of her way, but it wasn’t that far away and she decided to help the man. Her pajamas and her bubble bath could wait a little bit longer.
“Actually, I’m going that way myself. Would you like to walk with me?” she asked.
“Would you mind?” the man said. “I feel so silly getting myself lost this way.”
“Not at all,” Rachel smiled. “It’s this way.”
She took the man’s elbow and turned him slightly so he was facing the right way and then she started walking.
“Do you want to take my arm or something?” she asked.
“No, this is fine,” the man smiled. “I’m Lewis, by the way.”
“Rachel,” Rachel told him. “So, I take it you’re not from around here?”
“No,” Lewis said. “I’m from New York originally but now I live in California.”
That explained why Rachel hadn’t been able to place his
accent. It was a mixture of two accents.
“I’d love to go to California,” Rachel said.
“It’s a nice place. Friendly people,” Lewis said. “You should visit in the spring. The weather is perfect.”
“If you like mild weather, why are visiting Houston in the summertime?” Rachel laughed.
“You’re right,” Lewis confirmed. “I guess I didn’t expect it to get this hot.”
Rachel laughed softly. She led Lewis around the end of the block.
“We’re going to cross the street now,” she said. “And then the path is mostly a dirt track from there. Are you sure you don’t want to take my arm?”
“I’m sure,” Lewis said. “In fact, I know where I am now. I don’t want to keep you from wherever you were going.”
Rachel looked down at the uneven dirt track and although the deserted hotel up ahead gave her the creeps, she knew she couldn’t let Lewis walk down it alone in case he fell and hurt himself.
“I’m only heading home,” Rachel said. “I don’t mind walking to the hotel. I don’t want you going back to California and telling everyone the people in Texas aren’t nice.”
Lewis laughed and shook his head.
“Oh, there’s no chance of that. Everyone I’ve met so far has been lovely,” he said. “Once the renovations in the hotel are complete, I might start coming out here more often.”
They walked down the dirt path. Lewis tapped his white cane in front of him and carefully avoided the dips and holes in the road. Rachel found herself impressed by his capability and she chastised herself, telling herself that Lewis obviously knew how to get around.
They reached the hotel gates and Rachel stepped ahead of Lewis and pulled them open. They walked across the parking area in front of the place. Only one car was there and Rachel figured it must belong to Lewis’ friend. She looked up at the hotel all in darkness and shuddered slightly. She was happy to have helped Lewis, but she had to admit she would be equally happy to get away from this place.
