12, the Shadow panter
Tite
“What is a panther shifter doing in a MC club run by humans? I thought you preferred a loner life,” I asked Shadow as he placed a beer in front of me. He chuckled.
“Well, what can I say? It’s rumoured my mother’s great, great, great grandmother mated a werewolf. Maybe I got some of that pack feeling in me,” he said as he sat down. We held our voices low not to be overheard. I had known what he was the moment I had scented him. It had taken me by surprise. I had not expected another shifter. “And what about you? Why did the Ulvaskall pack decide you were the best wolf to send to this place?” he asked.
“Oh, come on. You can do better than that, I’m sure you can scent it,” I told him. He chuckled.
“I was trying to be polite,” he said.
“Fuck polite, just tell me what you pick up,” I insisted.
“I like you, you have sass,” was the first thing he said. I laughed. “But if we are being serious. I smelled werewolf and I smelled a witch. Put it together with you being from Ulvaskall and the only outcome is that you are Alpha Jacob’s daughter,” he told me.
“Not as dumb as you look,” I told him, and he laughed. “How bad is it really, and does it tie back to our world?” I asked, being more serious.
“It’s a fucking disaster. The raid a couple of days ago could have ended really bad. Thank the fuck I could shift unnoticed and slit the throat of most of our attackers. So far everyone who has attacked has been human. I haven’t scented anyone from the magical community, not even on their clothes.” It was a positive thing at least, I thought. This place might be a shitshow, but at least I didn’t need to get a bunch of humans to take on someone from our world. Then I noticed the hesitation from Shadow.
“What?” I asked.
“This might be nothing, but since you are here, I can as well tell you. I can’t tell anyone else or they would think I’m crazy,” he said, and I nodded. “In one of the buildings out back, I swear that every time I go inside it, it feels like someone has stuffed pepper in my nose. It itches and tingles.” I frowned. That sounded like magic. Were witches involved in this mess? That would be amazing, just great. As I contemplated how to get to the bottom of it, I looked out over the bar. Nash was nowhere to be seen. I had lost track of him during my conversation with Shadow. I turned back to Shadow.
“I could really use a friend. I’m here alone with all these humans, it would be nice to have someone I could talk freely to,” I said.
“Fuck, yeah. I can’t remember the last time I had someone I didn’t need to hide my true self from. I would gladly be your friend,” he agreed and we smiled.
“This is not where I thought my day was going,” I confessed and then got distracted as I saw Nash walk into the room again. He sat a couple of tables away from us, and I did my best to focus on Shadow. “How bad are things in the club, really?” I asked.
“It’s not good, but it could be worse. Chief isn’t the natural born leader as our former prez was. He wasn’t part of the old crew, he joined after the big change. I’m not sure if he feels left out or intimidated by it. But he doesn’t give crap about the statute and does things how it pleases him. It creates tension with Bones who is of the old guard,” Shadow told me. I nodded, I had guessed something like it was going on.
“And the pack, I mean the club? Is it divided?” He chuckled.
“Call it a pack if you want, it’s not that much of a difference. And yes. There are those who stand with Chief and those who stand with Bones, and then there are those who won’t stand with anyone, or at least won’t let others know where they stand. It’s okay as long as Chief and Bones agree and pull in the same direction, but I would hate to see what happens if they pull in opposite directions.” I nodded, it could end in a bloodbath and if outside enemies got wind of it, they could use it to weaken the club and then pick at the scraps. I continued asking Shadow questions. I liked him. He was funny with the right amount of sarcasm and seriousness. I got the feeling he was happy to have found someone with whom he could relax and be himself around. I was laughing at one of his dirty jokes and my eyes wandered over to where Nash was sitting, they tended to do that. I saw a woman stride over to him. She was looking every bit like a sweet butt. Another woman headed towards the same table, younger looking and not dressed for a biker bar. The first woman glared at the younger one and sent her running away. The first woman planted herself in Nash’s lap as one of the other men at the table yelled at Nash to keep his woman in check. Nash stood up and I needed to look away. Shadow had watched the exchange as well with amusement and it looked like he was about to say something sarcastic when he looked at me and stopped.
“Tite?” he asked. The pain in my chest was breathtaking and I needed a moment to push it to the side. My wolf was growling in my head. She wanted the blood of that stuck up bitch who had laid claim to our mate.
“I’m fine, I just need a minute,” I told Shadow and turned my face towards the wall. I could not afford to let anyone see how close to tears I was or how much pain I was in.
“Tite, is Nash your mate?” Shadow asked in a soft voice. My eyes snapped back at him. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. I nodded. “Fuck! Okay, listen to me. Despite what you saw, and heard, there is nothing between him and Lora. He can’t stand her,” he told me. I tried a weak smile.
“It’s okay, Shadow, you don’t have to smooth things over.”
“I’m not. Nash doesn’t have a woman,” he said firmly.
“I know. He told me he doesn’t want one. He is just sleeping around and is happy with that,” I told him. My voice sounded mechanical, which was better than emotional.
“He told you that? For fuck’s sake! The man is a walking advertisement for self-sabotage. Sure, he may have taken a woman or two to bed, but there is more to him than that, I promise,” Shadow told me.
“Thank you for trying to make me feel better. I think I just need something to eat, a shower and a bed,” I said.
“Sure. I’ll show you around. Go get your things and I will be right behind you.” I just nodded and went to collect my bags. Shadow joined me in the entrance five minutes later. It turned out they had transformed the old check-in desk to a mini mart with mostly snacks, sodas and pantry items. I got some coffee, cup’a’noodles, chips and water. Shadow showed me to the guest room I would be staying in. It looked clean and was a decent size.
“Thanks, Shadow. I'll see you tomorrow,” I told him.
“Thank you for coming. I think you will make this place interesting. Sleep tight.”