A Shifting Love

Chapter 5: Alpha August

The following day, I woke up to pounding on the front door. I rolled over to check the time on my phone. 7:20 AM. There were several missed calls from Raven, who I assumed was the one knocking. I got out of bed and went to answer the door.

“Finally!" Raven cried, making her way into my apartment. “What took you so long?"

“I'm pretty sure it's because I was doing this essential thing called sleeping," I replied sarcastically. “And you interrupted my last ten minutes."

She shrugged. “You know I'm an early riser, Autumn."

“No. You're insane." Raven woke up at 4:00 every morning, no matter what.

“It's great to have a routine," she replied, moseying over to the dining table. “And, I brought bagels and cream cheese for breakfast this morning."

I hadn't even noticed the brown bag she was carrying. “Thanks, Rae. I'll make the coffee."

Raven began to set the table as I tinkered with my coffee maker.

“What time did you get home last night?" she asked.

And just like that, memories of the night before filled my thoughts. The Night Stalkers, Nicholas, and our conversation in the picnic area had all happened.

“Hello?" Raven said, snapping her fingers. “Did you fall asleep?"

I rubbed my temples, hoping it would calm my mind for a few minutes. “You know what, I'm going to jump in the shower. It was a long night."

“That bad, huh?"

“Nothing a hot shower can't fix," I lied. Raven and I told each other everything, but it was best not to mention the Night Stalkers at that moment.

“Well, don't take too long, she said, smearing cream cheese on her bagel. “This is our daily Bryce talk time."

“Girl, bye," I replied, marching to the bathroom.

There were more serious issues I had to worry about now, and I had no idea what to do about them.

***

“What was so urgent that you had to meet with me right away?" My dad, August, asked me later that afternoon in his office.

Thoughts of Nicholas and the Night Stalkers had occupied my mind all morning. I had contemplated skipping class before I met with him but decided against it.

“Who are the Night Stalkers, Dad?"

His brown eyes immediately grew wide. “I-I-I don't know what you mean."

I shook my head, embarrassed at my dad's poor attempt at playing dumb. “Please don't lie to me."

Dad got up from his desk and went to the door; he peeked out the blinds and double-checked the lock.

“Lower your d*** voice," he hissed. “I don't know where you got your little info from, but we don't talk about those monsters. Ever."

“Don't you think the pack needs to know about them, though?"

“Everyone who needs to know already does, Autumn." He gripped the top of a chair so hard that I thought it would split.

“You seriously don't think your daughters had a right to know?" I questioned. “Did you at least tell mom, your Luna?"

Dad ran a hand through his short dreads. “Little girl, you are trying my patience right now."

As frustrated as I was, I knew better than to push him too much.

“I just want to know what's going on, Dad," I pleaded, switching to a softer approach. “Who are these creatures?"

He released the chair from his death grip and sat back down. “I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you've heard about those monsters. I know how you young kids like to gossip."

I silently thanked the Moon Goddess that he assumed I had just heard rumors about the Night Stalkers. Nicholas will be relieved to hear that.

“I heard they were pretty scary," I said. “Supposedly, the Night Stalkers live in the woods and attack people at night."

“There haven't been any reported Night Stalker attacks since I've been in charge, but what you heard is true."

I was glad to hear no shifters got attacked on my dad's watch, but people might have chosen not to say anything. That is what I was doing, after all.

“Is that true that they are cursed?" I asked.

“Yeah," he nodded. “And they deserved it too."

Bingo. I thought. It was time to hear what Nicholas' dad failed to tell him. The truth.

“So," I said, inspecting my fingernails. “Why were they cursed?" It drove me crazy, pretending to be casual about the whole situation. Dad seemed to buy it, though.

My dad arched a brow. “I'm surprised the gossipers didn't say."

I shrugged. “Maybe those people didn't think it was a big deal."

Dad pounded the desk with his fist, causing me to jump. Several items, including his framed degrees, fell off the wall.

“What the hell, Dad?"

“No big deal!" he barked. “I wouldn't categorize torturing and murdering shifters as no big deal, Autumn."

“Murdering shifters! Oh, Goddess, no!"