Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 1)

The school was shrouded in darkness. No sign of life from the outside. But my senses were stronger than that, and when I found the main theater empty, I sniffed those bastards out, finding them in a subbasement of the building. This was the room where props, costumes, and lighting were kept.

Shifters were not really into acting or school plays, but they always had one production a year. After which everything was promptly discarded to this room.

And scattered amongst it now were the upper echelons in the Torma pack.

I crawled my way along one of the rafters, following Simone’s scent. She was crouched on a platform high above the room—one of those lever-pulled wood planks that they used to move characters around the stage.

It was the perfect vantage point to observe, without being close enough that they would scent us. I couldn’t smell anyone below, not even in wolf form, so I knew we’d be safe.

“You made it just in time,” Simone murmured, reaching out to take the bag from my mouth. My change back was tough. Firstly, because my wolf didn’t want to let go when we were in a room of enemies, secondly, because my energy was depleted badly, and thirdly, because we had to do it in almost complete silence.

Simone looked on in concern as I huffed on the floor. “Had to change twice.” I groaned softly, pushing myself up. She shot me a sympathetic stare as she helped me get the clothes out and pull them over my trembling limbs. Just a pair of too-big-for-me sweats, but I felt better when I was covered.

There was no more time for me to recover, because the shifters down below were getting started. Torin stepped aside to let Dean Heathcliffe have the floor, and this motherfucker had some interesting shit to say.

“The powder procured from the explorer proved to be fruitful,” he started, and there were cheers ringing throughout the room as those bastards celebrated their victory. “One virgin sacrifice and the magic of a shadow-whore meant we could interrupt the energy of their little magical portal, and now they’re blocked from ever returning.”

More cheers.

Torin and Jaxson both remained silent, though, arms crossed as they stood side by side. I found myself trying to read every minute expression on their faces, anything which might indicate if they’d been part of… or maybe even instigated this plan. But their expressions were impassive.

A shifter lifted their hand before shouting out a question. “Will this weaken the beast? Will he still be able to punish us?”

Dean grinned, looking manic as he glanced around the room. “According to the wanderer, right before we destroyed her body for the spell, that’s exactly what it means.”

My gasp—and Simone’s—was hidden by raucous laughter and excitement, but I heard nothing else that was said as my body heated like I’d just jumped into a pot of boiling water. “Mera!” Simone cried, but it was an insignificant whisper against the rising fury inside of me.

My vision started to double over as fire raced across my body, like I was channeling Shadow’s power. I felt his presence the moment Dean let out a raucous laugh. “And we’d never have been able to kill that wandering shadow bitch if it hadn’t been for the Shadow Beast himself. He laid the foundation to build his own destruction.”

They all laughed again, but my world dropped out from under me as an unearthly howl rang out through the room.

Shadow had helped them kill her?

Shadow had lied to me and betrayed me for his own means, just when I’d started trusting him.

Shadow, whom I sensed was here now because I’d reached out to touch the Shadow Realm again.

There was no time to contemplate that, though, because the shifters below had fallen silent as they scented the destruction marching his way toward them. Another roar cut through the night and sent the wolves to their knees. The sound was beautiful in its terror, and as the light slithered from the room, shadows creeping in through the room, air heavy and thick, I let a bitter smile cross my face.

The devil had finally arrived. And he wasn’t alone.

With the fire of a million avenging angels riding on my skin, flames dancing high above my body, I stepped off the edge of the platform. Simone’s screams rang in my ears as I fell.

It was like stepping off one small rock as I gracefully hit the ground, straightening to come face to face with the devil. We wore twin flames, and his expression was a hollow portal of death. As our eyes met, I let a slow smile cross my face. Beside Shadow, Lucien cleared his throat, but he appeared too unsure to speak. Reece as well.

Because they saw the truth of what was happening here. There was a new terror waiting in the wings for Shadow. A terror he’d never seen coming.

Me.