Tasting Summer

Summer POV.

I arrived in Whispering Hollow a day early. I was back. Permanently this time. I hadn’t prepared myself for my Dad’s wife’s reaction and her daughters. Dad claimed they were nice, but I didn’t know what to make of them. Dad remarried a few months ago and I hadn’t met his new family.

Dad said it wouldn’t be a problem but I doubted that. I was a dent in their perfect lives. Dad was a general in the Alpha’s army. His personality was large and he drilled his soldier’s like a machine. Or so I heard.

His black truck stopped at the bus stage.

“Hey, sweetie!” He boomed.

“Dad…” I blinked a few times.

“Get in here. The family can’t wait to have you home.”

“Terrific.”

I expected silence to fall over the cab but Dad insisted on addressing the elephant in the room. Me.

“It’s going to be hard here,” he started.

“I figured,” I said digging my nails into the car seat.

“For one no one can know what happened.”

“Won’t lying make things worse?”

“Trust me Summer. I might have to limit your movements for a while. Avoid unnecessary contact with betas.”

“They come to your house all the time, Dad!”

He ground his teeth together. “I’ll handle them.”

“Do your step-children know?”

“No.”

“And Marcella?”

“No. The story is you were born human.”

“What happens when they find out?”

“It won’t. There’s no need for anyone to find out. You’re not getting your wolf back anyway.”

The game had changed. That was two months ago. I got up from bed in the basement. I had my private bedroom down in the occasional rat hang-out with leaky pipes. Marcella thought I would like to have my own space. I decided to go job hunting against my Father’s better judgement I was still in partial hiding.

Dad was at the army base as usual and his family was in the kitchen. No one in this house cooked. Except me, but I didn’t have time to play maid. All the good jobs in this town were snatched up quickly.

“Where are you going?” Jade frowned up from her glass of orange juice.

“Got to get a job,” I said, filling a glass of water.

“Didn’t Roman say you can’t go out?”

“I’m tired of making him buy me pads, okay?” I offered the youngest of Marcella’s daughters a smile.

Jade rolled her eyes.

“Jade, leave Summer alone.” Rachel, the oldest strolled into the kitchen. She smiled at me I battled to smile back.

Unlike Rachel and I, Jade was still in high school. Rachel tried to be nice to me… Jade didn’t bother to hide her disdain.

“I think having a job’s a wonderful thing and it doesn’t matter if you’ll be stripping either. You have the legs for it.” She poured herself coffee.

Jade snickered.

Yeah like that would go down well with the Father I have.

“It’s a gas station store. I’m leaving.”

“Oh don’t worry we won’t mention it to Roman either,” Rachel waved.

I marched out without another word. I was over eighteen Dad could puff but he couldn’t keep me locked up. I hoped. I took a twenty-minute drive to the gas station. I carried the help-wanted flyer into the store.

“Hello?” I called and then I walked around the store.

It was a small square room with all sorts of items. There were massive fridges at the back with beverages. The front door chimed and an overwhelming sense of dread crashed me. Two men with matching star tattoos on their necks marched into the store. They could just be customers…

“Mart!” One of them slammed their palm on the counter several times.

Okay, maybe not. I ducked.

Glass shattered on the ground followed by gumballs flying everywhere.

“Come out you worm.”

These guys were shifters they were bound to notice another scent in the store.

“Go check the back.”

I clutched my aching chest. How do I get out of here?

“I know you’re here rat. Come out or die like one.”

I shut my eyes. Crap. The sound of his boots on the tilted floor got louder. I had no choice. I jumped out. The man’s eyes lit up with surprise then something that made my skin crawl. Lust.

“This is a pleasant surprise.”

“Keep dreaming.” My sneaker slammed into his gut before my fist connected with his jaw.

He rubbed his jaw but barely moved. He cussed and swung his arm. I ducked at the same time his partner emerged and stared at us in shock. I took the moment of distraction to throw myself onto the giant shifter. He stumbled and smacked into the stand. I jumped off him before I fell like a tree.

The shelves fell like dominos.

“You little bitch!”

“I’m so not getting this job,” I whispered.

The shifter charged. He aimed for my side and clawed my shirt. I jammed my elbow into his back. He whirled and connected the back of his hand with my face. I landed on the counter.

“Fuck.”

“Bitch.”

“No,” I gasped when he grabbed my leg.

He dragged me off the counter. I smacked against the ground. I smelt blood.

“You’re a feisty little thing. I need a new toy. I might take you with me.”

“Go to hell.”

I kicked his wrist. He let go enough for me to get free I got to my feet and ran to the door. It opened before I could reach it and another man draped in tattoos and leather marched in. His green eyes bore into me. I swallowed. Three against one wasn’t a fair fight.

“Shit,” my attacker spat.

He kicked his friend. Seconds later they ran out the back. My only exit was barred by a man twice my size. I back up slowly at the same time a sharp pain shot through my abdomen.

“Who are you?” He demanded.

“I…uhh.”

My back crashed into the counter. He wrapped his hand around my throat.

“Stop, ouch.”’

The man before me split into two. His rugged features blurred as the pain in my body intensified. I brought my hand to the throbbing pain.

“Shit.” My hand came back bloody.

“Hey, hey don’t –” The man’s voice was the last thing I saw before I passed out.

Summer POV.

My chest heaved my body ached as if I’d been beaten with rocks. Something wasn’t right. I shot up from the soft bed and adjusted to the dark room. It was too dark to be my basement room. The upper window on the right that let the moonlight in was missing. I swung my legs off the bed and stood. I willed myself to scan my surroundings but… it didn’t work.

Sometimes I forgot what I was now.

Barefoot I slowly found my way to the wall. I patted the space looking for a switch but instead, I found a door. I rattled the handle but it wouldn’t open.

“Dad’s going to kill me.”

Why was the room so dark? I walked cautiously back to the bed. I patted my jeans and my phone wasn’t there. I grabbed my sticky shirt. I froze. Half of my shirt was gone.

“Crap.”

I gasped when the door jiggled. I crawled backwards and hit the bed. Light burst into the dark room. I hugged myself to cover my naked belly. The man in the centre of the doorframe took a step forward. I swallowed the lump in my throat. He was over six feet. I barely made out the colour of his hair –blackish brown— he flipped on a switch and kicked the door shut.

“Want to talk now?” He barked.

His green eyes held venom. He wore a vest that showed off his massive sculptured arms painted with black and white tattoos.

“Where am I?”

He chuckled, “I’m the one asking the questions here sweetheart.”

“I’m not going to give information to a stranger!”

“You’re the stranger in my pack, sweetheart.”

I swallowed. His pack? He could be a high-ranked beta or worse. The Alpha. Dad wanted me to stay clear of the Alpha for as long as possible. I’m dead as soon as I get home.

“All right, we’re going to try this again? Who are you, rogue?”

“I’m… I’m not a rogue.”

He rubbed his bearded face and chuckled. “You’re not one of mine I would know.”

I guess I was a rogue but I couldn’t tell him where I came from.

“You got yourself a nasty cut from your partner there.” He stared into my eyes it made my cheeks turn red.

“Partner? They attacked me!”

“And you fought back? Interesting. What’s your rank?”

I swallowed. I sucked my lips in.

“What’s your rank?” He barked.

“Uh…”

A knock came at the door.

“What?” He barked without taking his eyes off me.

“Roman’s going crazy. He lost something.”

No! I’d been gone all day.

The man shut his eyes and rose. “This isn’t over, little one.”

Little one? I frowned. He did look like he was over seven years older than me. Dad didn’t talk much about the Alpha at least when I was around. He slammed the door shut. He was crazy if he thought I would be here when he got back. Dad would tear the pack up looking for me. I grabbed a chair from the desk in the corner and tucked it under the doorknob. My shoes were gone. Good one on their part.

I pulled open the curtain and watched as the Alpha and a couple of his men climbed into massive SUVs and drove off. They wouldn’t be dumb enough to leave a prisoner in the house alone. I pulled up the window and peeked out of it. Thank goodness I was on the first floor. A beta wolf was situated at the front door. It was now or never.

***

I came out of the bathroom at the same time the door upstairs slammed so hard it rattled the house. Dad was home. I pulled on a sweater and long pants to hide the cuts I got from running in the woods.

I slipped into some socks after gathering my courage and making sure my lies were in order.

“I knew that girl was trouble, darling, we had a simple plan,” Marcella said before I entered the room.

I rolled my eyes and stepped into the living room. Marcella my stepmother had over-the-top platinum blonde hair and wore six-inch heels and designer clothes. Rachel was more similar to Marcella in terms of materialism and Jade had her mother’s sour attitude but at least Jade wasn’t fake. Rachel didn’t live with us but she was here a lot which was a reason I couldn’t have the upstairs bedroom but I didn’t mind. The basement afforded me with more than enough privacy.

Her daughters were in the living room as well when I entered. Silence fell in the room the second my presence was felt. Dad’s wild eyes landed on me.

“Well, there she is Roman. I told you there was no need to worry.” Marcella smiled at me.

“Excuse us,” Dad rasped.

“But Roman—”

“Now Marcella,” he deadpanned.

Rachel stood first. “I have things to do anyway.”

“It’s not like we won’t all hear it,” Jade said as she marched up the stairs.

She had a point. Rachel left out the front door and Marcella made it as far as the kitchen.

“Uh… hi Dad?”

He took one threatening step forward. “Hi, Dad? That’s all you’ve got Summer? Are you fucking kidding me? I nearly tore this town apart looking for you.”

“I was looking for a job. I went out and lost track of time. I’m not a kid.”

“Why didn’t you answer your phone when I called?”

I bit my bottom lip, “I was busy like I said.”

He took another step forward and lowered his voice. I wanted to believe there were some things he chose not to tell his wife.

“Who did you speak with?” He asked.

“I’m not dumb enough to go around telling people my issues.”

“You’re a smart kid, Summer, but death is a possible consequence for a wolf like you.”

“I know.”

“You need to trust me, Summer.”

“I’m tired of being locked up. I’ve accepted my fate you should too. Can I go now?”

“Kid…”

“Dad?”

“You’re not leaving this house for the next two days.”

“What? You’re grounding me? You know I’ll be twenty-one soon right?”

“The full moon’s coming. The shifters ran wild in this town. We can talk again after that.”

He marched off leaving me alone. I sat on the couch and held my head in my hands. My Dad was a general in the army he would hear about a she-wolf escaping. Coming here, the deal was for me to lay low. After what happened in my mother’s pack I was walking on thin ice and at any moment I could fall through the ice and freeze to death.