Shadowed Instincts (3 page)

Jeremy was pacing in the living room of his family home, a
nervous wreck. It was nearly 5:00 pm and his parents were due home from the
airport any minute. He had everything he wanted to say to them planned out in
his head, but his heart was pounding in his chest with agitation. In order to
get his questions answered, he had to tell them the truth.

He had to tell them that he broke several of their iron-clad
rules while they were gone. First, he told Melanie what he was. Then, he
shifted in front of her. Then he told her parents.

“By the way, Mom and Dad, my girlfriend and her father are
just like us. Weird, right?”

He snorted at the absurdity of that statement. He wanted
answers. His parents were obviously lying to him. He had a strong feeling that
they knew a lot more than they had ever let on. He intended to find out just
how much more.

His phone beeped an incoming text and he picked it up off
the coffee table. He smiled as Melanie’s name flashed across the screen.

“Hey, babe. U busy?”

“Still waiting for mom and dad to get home.”

“So U R gonna talk 2 them 2night?”

“Yep.”

“Ok, well add this 2 the list. I’m leaving for KY on Sat.
to meet dad’s pack. Gonna be gone all summer.”

“WHAT?! No!”

“That’s what I said. U wanna come 2? Dad’s idea. Said
you’d be welcome if your parents ok it.”

“Calling U now.”

“Hello?”

“Explain this to me.”

“Okay. So, my mom and dad are getting back together and they
tried to force me to
move
to Kentucky,” Melanie explained. “I stated, in
not so many words, that there was no way in hell I was going to move and leave
everything behind.”

“Everything?”

Melanie laughed. “Fishing much? Yes, I told them I wouldn’t
leave you. Then dad offered up a compromise- I’d go live there for the summer,
let him and the rest of the pack help me through my first shift, and then I
could decide. I told him I didn’t want to leave you for even that long, so he
suggested you come too.”

“What about your mom?”

“She ordered us to sleep in separate bedrooms, but
otherwise, she’s fine with it. As long as your parents are okay with it. They
said they could get the school to give us our finals this week and we could
leave Saturday.”

Jeremy thought about it for a few seconds. He knew there was
no way he was going to spend the whole summer without Melanie. And meeting
other people like him would be amazing. He would make his parents understand.

“I’m in,” he said. “I’ll make sure my parents say yes,
whatever it takes.”

After Jeremy ended his call, he resumed pacing. It wasn’t
long before he heard the roar of a car outside and raced to the window. He
pushed the curtain aside and saw his parents’ blue sedan coming to a stop in
the driveway.

“Showtime,” he muttered as he went to the sofa, sat down and
waited for them to enter the house.

“Jeremy? Are you home?” his mom called out as she walked
through the front door.

“In the living room,” Jeremy called back.

He stood as his mom and dad walked into the room. He gave
his mom a hug and kissed her on the cheek before shaking hands with his dad and
receiving a slap on the back. When he stepped away, his mom was looking at him
curiously.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Jeremy sighed. She always could read him like a book. He sat
back down on the couch and motioned them into the two arm chairs positioned
across from it.

“I need to talk to you guys about something important,” he
started, then paused to collect his thoughts.

“What is it, Jeremy? What’s happened?” his dad asked when he
didn’t continue.

“Okay, bear with me, please. Let me get it all out before
you start yelling.”

He looked first at his dad and then his mom with pleading
eyes. They looked concerned, but nodded their heads in agreement. He released a
pent up breath and started to speak.

“You guys know I have a girlfriend now, right?”

“Jeremy-”

“Dad, you promised!”

“Okay,” he said doubtfully. “I’m listening.”

“A lot has happened since you guys were here last. Melanie’s
attacker started stalking her. I helped her figure out who it was and bring him
to justice. It was our English teacher, by the way.”

“Oh, Jere-” his mom began, but he held up a hand to silence
her.

“In the midst of all this drama, I fell in love with her. I
told her what we are. I shifted in front of her to prove it. She was a little
freaked out at first, but in the end, it didn’t matter. She loves me too, in
spite of our differences.” He paused for a moment and amended, “No, wait,
that’s not right. I think she actually loves me more because of them.”

Jeremy’s dad started to stand up as his face flushed with
anger. His wife put her hand on his arm to stop him. He glanced over at her,
rage and something else Jeremy couldn’t quite define clouding his features.

“Don,” she said quietly, “we promised. Sit down.”

“Alicia, he has put us in…” he started, but trailed off when
Alicia gave him a stern look. He plopped back into his seat and silently
motioned at Jeremy to continue.

“I am in love with her,” Jeremy continued, “and
I
believe you shouldn’t keep secrets from the ones you love.”

He paused to look pointedly at each of them. They shifted in
their seats, but remained silent, waiting for him to finish.

“Anyway,” he said, “things are different now. A couple of
weeks ago, things started to change. Her body became leaner and stronger, her temper
started flaring uncontrollably, and she went from being somewhat timid to
taking charge and not letting anything or anyone stand in her way. Her
seventeenth birthday is in a little over a week.”

With that, both his parents gasped, eyes flying wide. They
looked at each other, then back at Jeremy expectantly.

“I see you made the connection. I didn’t. I had no clue it
was even possible for there to be others out there like us.” As his anger
built, Jeremy’s voice got louder. “Imagine my surprise when her
father
showed
up and I smelled him. He immediately recognized what I am, too. He’s a shifter,
like us. Only, not like us, because he is the alpha of his pack.
His pack!”

Alicia’s hand flew to her mouth as a strangled cry worked
its way up her throat. Don sat up straight and pierced Jeremy with a sharp
look. He took a deep breath before speaking.

“Do you know where this pack is located?”

“What does that matter?” Jeremy asked with anger still
vibrating in his voice.

“Jeremy.”

Jeremy threw his hands into the air, practically yelling, “I
don’t know! Somewhere in Kentucky.”

Alicia sank back into her seat with a relieved sigh. Her
hands dropped to her lap as she closed her eyes. Don released a breath and
relaxed, too.

“What is going on? Why are you guys freaking out?”

“We…haven’t been completely honest with you, son,” Don
replied quietly.

“No shit.”

“Language,” Alicia cut in.

“I’m sorry, Mom, but this is ridiculous. What haven’t you
told me?”

When she didn’t respond, Jeremy looked at Don. “Dad?”

“I don’t know where to start,” he said.

“How about at the beginning?” Jeremy said with annoyance.

“Okay. You know how we move around a lot?” At Jeremy’s nod,
he continued, “Well, it’s not because of my work. It’s because we’ve been
running.”

“Running from what?”

“Our pack. They want you dead.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s kind of a long and complicated story.” He paused and
took a deep breath before looking into Jeremy’s eyes and continuing. “When your
mother and I were teenagers, her father was the alpha of our pack in Oklahoma.
My father wanted the position and challenged him for it.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

“When an alpha is challenged for the right of authority, he
and his challenger must fight. It is a battle of strength, wits and honor. They
can choose to fight as humans or as dogs, but must remain in that form until
the battle is over. Whoever can get the other to submit is the new alpha. My
father cheated. He chose the dog form and when the alpha started to overpower
him, he shifted to human form and tried to stab the alpha with a knife he had
hidden nearby. By killing the alpha, he would have automatically taken over
without objection.”

When he paused, Jeremy asked, “What happened?”

“He lost. The alpha saw it coming and howled out a warning.
My father was subdued by some spectators and detained. As punishment for his
deceit, the alpha banished him. He had no choice but to leave the pack and
never come back. My mother was devastated by his dishonorable actions and chose
to stay, making him leave on his own without her. Without me.”

“Okay,” Jeremy said after a brief pause. “What does this
have to do with me? Why does the pack want me dead?”

“Even though your father was not the one banished,” Alicia
answered, “there was a stigma cast upon him and his mother. They were outcasts
within the compound. Barely anyone would even speak to them.”

Her eyes turned toward Don and glassed over. He smiled at
her then turned back to Jeremy and continued the story.

“Your mother followed her own set of rules. We became
friends in secret, and that friendship grew into more. When we found out she
was pregnant with you, we were overjoyed, but also worried. She had to tell her
father that not only was she pregnant, but that I was the father.

“He didn’t react like we thought he would. He wasn’t angry.
He was actually happy. In his joy, he announced the good news to the pack, and
well, I guess you can imagine how they took it. They were outraged and called
for my death. The outcast son of a traitor had no business even associating
with the daughter of the alpha, much less fathering her child.”

“But I don’t understand,” Jeremy said, confused. “What does
it matter? Is it really that big of a deal?”

“Jeremy, think about it,” his father replied. “Only males
carry the title of alpha.”

“So?”

“So, who do you think is next in line for alpha?”

“Me?” Jeremy asked, disbelief lacing his voice.

“You,” Don said dejectedly. “The pack called for your
banishment. You weren’t even born yet. They wanted the alpha to decree that you
would be sent away as soon as your mother gave birth.”

“We were devastated,” Alicia cut in. “I couldn’t believe
that these people I grew up with could be so cruel, just because of what your
grandfather had done. But they are a superstitious lot and thought the blood of
his family was tainted.”

“So what happened? You guys just ran away?”

“Not exactly. My father helped us. He gave us money and
contacts to get employment. He even secured us a place to live. We were happy
in New York.”

The mention of New York brought his cousin Chris to mind.
“What about Chris? He’s older than me. Why wouldn’t he be alpha? Aunt Janine is
your sister.”

“Honey, Aunt Janine is my
half
-sister. Our father had
an affair with her mother before he got married to my mom. Her mother was
human, and Aunt Janine did not inherit the shifter gene. She is human, as is
Chris. He can’t be the alpha.”

“So it’s just me, then. And the pack wants to kill me.
Awesome.”

“Jeremy,” Don said softly, “your grandfather died right
before we moved here. Someone else, we’re not sure who, took over the reigns as
alpha and it’s that person that wants you dead. He found us and we fled here to
hide. That’s why we were so scared when you said your girlfriend’s dad is an
alpha.”

“Okay,” Jeremy said, taking a breath and releasing it on a
sigh.  “I’m going to need some time to digest all of this.”

“Whatever you need, son.”

“I’ll tell you what I need. I need to go with Melanie to
Kentucky for the summer.”

“What?” they both exclaimed in unison.

“Her dad is taking her and her mother back to his pack for
the summer. They said I could come if it’s okay with the both of you.”

“I don’t think that’s such a great idea,” Don said. “We
don’t know these people and-”

“Dad, please! I need this! Thanks to you, I know nothing,
nothing
about my ancestry. I could learn so much from them. Plus, I could be with
Melanie. I have to be. You have to understand that, right?”

“Jeremy, listen to me. People are trying to kill you. It’s
too dangerous.”

“You didn’t think it was so dangerous when you left me here
with my eighteen year old cousin for three weeks!”

“That’s because we are hidden here. If you go to this pack,
you’re putting yourself in danger. I refuse to let anything-”

“Don,” Alicia interrupted, “let him go.”

He looked at his wife in shock, then his face relaxed as
they seemed to have some unspoken conversation. Finally, he shook his head and
looked back at Jeremy.

“I need to meet this alpha and explain things to him. If he
agrees to offer you protection, should the need arise, and I feel like he’s a
trustworthy person, then I’ll consent to the trip.”

Jeremy smiled and hugged his parents. “Thanks, Mom. Thanks,
Dad. I’m sure you’ll agree when you meet him. If anyone can protect me, it’s
Darren Wilkes.”

“Hey, beautiful.”

Melanie slammed her locker door shut and turned to meet dark
chocolate eyes and the grin she loved so much. She threw her arms around
Jeremy’s neck and kissed him quickly before burying her head in his chest.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, really,” she said. “I just missed you yesterday.”

He squeezed her before pulling back and staring into her
blue-green eyes. “Mel, I missed you too, but what’s really going on here? I
know it’s more than that.”

“Just nervous about English, I guess.”

Mr. Hughes had been arrested only three days prior for his
attacks on her. Melanie knew he was in jail and she was finally safe, but facing
all her peers, knowing they now
knew
what he did to her, made her
anxious.

“Hey,” he said softly as he hugged her again, “don’t worry.
Everything is going to be fine.”

“You promise?”

“I swear.” He let go of her and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go,
before we’re late.”

*~*~*

At lunch, Melanie and Jeremy sat down with Tara and Chris,
who were already there when they arrived. Tara was in high spirits, but Chris
looked upset.

“What’s the matter, man?” Jeremy asked him after the sat
down with their trays.

Chris looked at Jeremy accusingly. “I can’t believe no one
told me.”

“Told you what?”

“About the notes. The presents. The investigation you guys
were apparently conducting behind my back!”

Melanie looked at Tara, who looked a little flushed. She had
obviously told Chris the whole story, at least the parts she knew. As far as
Tara was concerned, Sissy had driven Melanie into the parking lot that night.
It was a coincidence that Mr. Hughes was there and that “Ace” was watching over
her at that exact moment. Melanie hated lying to her best friend, but she
couldn’t tell her the truth without revealing Jeremy’s secret.
Her
secret.

“Sorry, Chris,” Melanie said. “Don’t blame Tara. I begged
her not to say anything to you. I didn’t want anyone else dragged into my mess.
I pulled the best friend card, so it’s not her fault.”

Tara’s eyes shot up to meet Melanie’s. The corners of her
mouth lifted in a small smile of thanks. Melanie winked at her.

“And,” Melanie continued, “I used the boyfriend card on
Jeremy, so you can’t be mad at him either.”

Chris sucked in a deep breath and sighed. “I guess that
means I can only be mad at you then, huh?”

Melanie grinned. “Nope. You can’t stay mad at me. You love
me too much.”

Chris barked out a laugh and conceded, letting go of his
disappointment. “Okay, okay. I’m done pouting,” he said, throwing his arm over
Tara’s shoulder.

“Good. My work here is done,” Melanie said, then shoved her
tray away. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I need to talk to my boyfriend in
private.”

“Bow-chicka-bow-wow,” Tara sang while waggling her eyebrows.

“Shut up,” Melanie retorted, standing up and holding out a
hand to Jeremy.

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” he said quickly before
standing and taking her hand. He dragged her away from the table, through the
doors and out into the hallway.

Once they were alone in the hall, he wrapped her in his arms
and whispered in her ear, “Where do you want to go? My truck? No backseat, but
it’ll do in a pinch.”

Melanie smacked his butt before pulling back and grabbing
his hand again. “No, dork. Let’s go to the library.”

“Ooh, dangerous. I would say I like it, but that librarian
has an annoying way of interrupting every time I try to kiss you.”

“Well, good thing I only want to talk,” she said flippantly
as she pulled him down the hall toward the library.

Jeremy yanked on her hand which sent her flying back toward
him to collide with his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist and wound the
other hand up into her hair. He brought his lips close to hers, as close as
they could get without actually touching.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to my truck?” he asked.
His voice had dropped in pitch and had an edge of huskiness to it.

Melanie took a deep breath, feeling the heat rising to her
face. “I actually would,” she whispered. “But I really,” she paused and gave
him a quick peck on the lips before pulling away, “need to talk to you. I don’t
think we’ll get much talking done in your truck, so the library it is.”

She grabbed his hand and led him through the library door. She
walked straight to their normal seats in the back, sat down and pulled him down
next to her. He leaned in to kiss her again, but she put her hands on his chest
and pushed back.

“Not yet,” she said. “I want to hear how things went with
your parents last night. I tried to call you, but I got voicemail.”

Jeremy slouched back into the cushions. “Sorry, my phone
died and I forgot to plug it in.” He sighed and continued, “It didn’t go great.”

After he repeated the conversation to her, she looked at him
with a shocked expression on her face. She shook her head slowly and gripped
his hands.

“Wow. That’s just…crazy!”

“I know, right?”

“I can’t even...Not only are we both shifters, but we’re
both
descendants of alphas? How is this even real?”

“It is strange. It’s like some cosmic force in the universe
pulled us together.”

“Seriously? Cosmic force? You are such a goober.”

Jeremy laughed and pulled her in for a hug. She laid her
head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat for a few seconds before
speaking again.

“So, what did they say about the trip?”

“They said maybe, as long as they can meet your dad and he
can guarantee me protection.”

She pulled back quickly and looked at his face. “They said maybe?
Really?”

He smiled. “Yep.”

“Oh my God!” she squealed before launching herself onto his
lap.

She rained kisses all over his face before finally touching
her lips to his. Her grabbed her hair and held her face still so his mouth
could work its magic. Melanie was just starting to get into it when she heard a
throat clear behind her.

She pulled away and jumped back into her seat beside Jeremy.
With a hot face she looked up and met the blue eyes of Mrs. Fisher, the
librarian.

“I thought I saw you two sneak back here,” she said with a
slight smile on her wrinkled face. “Your lunch period is nearly over, so I
suggest you two skedaddle.”

“Yes, Mrs. Fisher,” Melanie mumbled as she stood up and
pulled Jeremy up with her. She towed him from the library as quickly as
possible, embarrassment eating her up.

When they reached the hall, Jeremy laughed and tugged her
toward him, throwing his arm over her shoulder. “I swear, that woman,” he said,
not bothering to finish the sentence.