Page 12 of Outcast
Where Jameson screamed winter prince, Jace, his father, was tanned and had a permanent smattering of freckles on him, with caramel flecks meshed into his slightly wavy, short brown hair. He embodied a golden summer god.
Though a mere human, I found his presence just as daunting. Something about him struck immediate fear into those around him without even uttering a word.
Which made sense since he was Alpha of Alphas on this continent. There was one per continent, and the only people they answered to was the council. The council consisted of top alphas who were elected whenever a seat became available. Whispered rumors suggested that Jace was next in line for a seat.
Jace’s deep baritone voice rang out clearly, and all eyes were trained on him, unwavering in their attention as he spoke. “Tonight is a moment you will never forget. Life as you know it will change in the most glorious way possible. You will finally be one with the other half of your soul.”
The crowd of anxious shifters smiled and nodded as he continued, “My son, Jameson, started to feel the beginnings of the shift earlier, as expected, and I ask you all to make your way outside to avoid your wolves emerging while in a confined space.”
At his request, they began to file out immediately, not giving me a moment to slink away, so I pressed as far into the corner as possible, trying to melt into the shadows as they went through the door near me.
The majority of the shifters spared me no mind, but a select few did. Sofia somehow managed to simultaneously sneer and smile, triumph clear on her face, eliciting an eye roll from me.
Milo walked by, bringing back the pain that came with the knowledge that nothing could ever happen between us after tonight. He sent a wink my way, exuding confidence in his belief that tonight would only solidify our feelings for each other. As he walked out the door, I made peace with this serving as our goodbye.
Seth’s voice disrupted my musing and made me scowl at him for bringing attention to my hiding spot. “See ya on the flip, Kitten.”
Jameson followed directly behind him, a look of shock flashing on his face for a second at our interaction, before his icy disdain for me replaced it within seconds.
The feeling is mutual, bud.
As the alpha reached the threshold, he stopped in his tracks and turned towards me, making me want to curl into a ball where I stood. His forest green eyes held so much malice that he truly made Jameson’s hatred for me pale in comparison.
“You can manage to stay indoors and out of our way tonight, yes?”
The condescending sneer on his face made it clear that he thought me incapable of the task.
Nodding vigorously at him, I kept my mouth shut and lowered my gaze to the floor in submission. I watched his shoes turn back towards the exit and disappear before I allowed myself to scamper into the kitchen.
The next hour flew by as I grabbed the meat from the smoker and began pulling it apart. The pork was tender and infused with the divine apple scent from the wood they used in the smoker.
I prepared one tray of plain meat, one tossed in a sweet barbeque, and a third that featured a spicy rub. Sampling them all, I decided to make a sandwich of the sweet one and hurried to scarf it down. My tastebuds exploded with the flavors, and my stomach demanded one more.
As I spooned more meat onto a bun, a lone howl sounded, and the hair on my arms stood on end. A shiver racked my body, and I dropped my half-made sandwich onto the counter, gripping the edges of the granite as a sharp pain shot down my spine.
What the hell? Was this pain from being bent over cleaning all morning?
A small scream escaped me as a searing heat consumed me, the agony extending into my extremities. The roaring fire burned me from the inside out, and I stumbled through the back door, desperate to cool down in the fresh air.
Another howl rang out, sounding identical to the previous one and bringing with it an immense pain that brought me to my knees. My stomach churned, and I was positive I was about to hurl from the agony coursing through my body.
I dropped my hands down into the grass, my breath coming in short pants as I dug my fingers into the dirt and clenched my jaw so hard I briefly worried I would crack a tooth.
Something snapped in my tailbone, and I couldn’t hold back a blood-curdling scream as tears fell down my face and onto the grass. More bones cracked throughout my body, and I fell onto my side, no longer able to hold myself up.
My vision grew hazy as my mind threatened to slip into unconsciousness to escape my current hell. Black dots danced in my view of the forest behind the dining hall. My eyes fluttered shut briefly, and something wet pressed against my forehead, nudging me.
Struggling to open my eyes, I managed to peel the lids back enough to see a beautiful white wolf with eyes of blue fire and what looked like blue electricity tinging the tips of its fur standing before me.
The most beautiful wolf I’d ever seen.
My brief moment of awe flitted away as my back arched involuntarily from the most blinding pain yet, and then I felt nothing as darkness took me.
Chapter Six
Kira
The tricklingof a stream reached my ears as I came to, even though I knew I hadn’t passed out anywhere near a body of water other than the sink in the kitchen, which definitely did not count. Hesitantly, I opened my eyes and immediately gasped at the bright glow of the full moon taking up the majority of the black sky. It appeared so close, I felt like I could reach out and touch it.
