Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17830 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17830 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
He took a seat next to me and gave my cheek a kiss before taking the last sandwich on the plate, reminding me once again just how selfless and good-hearted he was.
And it was then that I made a decision that threatened to rip my heart in half, but my brain knew it was the right move.
“Cedric, where is your bathroom?” I asked through a tight throat.
“Down the hall where we came in, the second door on the right.”
“Thanks.” I scooted my chair back and he kissed my cheek again before I stood up.
“Hurry back.”
With a tight smile and a nod, I walked out of the dining room. I entered the hallway he spoke of, but instead of heading towards the bathroom, I stepped closer to the front door.
My chest ached at the sound of laughter behind me. I wanted to rejoin them and become part of their world - their family. But I didn’t belong. There were too many glaring differences between us. Cedric would be better off without me.
I took a deep breath and opened the front door. I stepped out onto the porch and silently pulled the door shut behind me before padding out to my truck. Everything inside me screamed to go back, but I shook off the noise. It was my own selfishness and greed. It was better this way.
I started my truck’s engine and gripped the steering wheel with shaking hands. I had to convince my foot to step on the gas. This is for Cedric.
Chapter Six
Cedric
My ears perked up at the sound of a dull roar. “Did you guys hear that?” My friends fell silent and we listened to the unmistakable noise of tires on a path.
“Is someone here?” Felix asked.
My heart dropped into my stomach as I shook my head. “Someone’s leaving.”
I leapt from my seat and ran to the front door. Scraping wood and footsteps sounded behind me as my friends followed. I threw open the door just in time to see Asher’s tail lights as he rounded a corner in the clearing.
“I don’t understand,” Grady said sadly. “I thought we were getting along wonderfully. Did we do something wrong?”
I shook my head again. I’d heard every word that was said when I was in the kitchen preparing lunch, and everyone had been getting along great.
“Maybe he just needs some space,” Brandon offered. “We can be a lot to take in, especially all at once.”
My human half knew that he was probably right; Asher surely needed some time and space to process things. He was all human, so maybe hearing us inviting him into our home and family was too much, too soon. Rationally, I knew that I could speak to him or visit his home to explain my situation.
But my lion half was anything but rational. It didn’t care about space or conversations. It only wanted to take and claim. It wanted its mate. It wanted Asher back. Now.
My spine curved and snapped as my hands touched the floor of the porch. My palms widened and my nails sharpened into claws. My clothes ripped as my body thickened and sprouted hair over its surface. And then a roar of despair and need rumbled in my chest, shaking the ground beneath my paws.
I took off like a shot, slapping the ground and sending dirt flying as I chased after my mate. Footsteps thundered behind me and I knew my pride was in tow in their lion forms. They were with me through everything and would support me in anything.
At lion’s speed, it didn’t take long before we caught up to Asher’s truck. The sight pushed me harder, faster. I, along with my pride mates (including Brandon, who was riding on Talon’s back and hanging onto his mane for dear life), ran ahead of the vehicle before turning back to face it.
Felix and Enzo leapt at the truck, placing their wide paws on its headlights while sinking their back paws into the earth. Asher let out a cry and slammed on the brakes. The vehicle squealed and fishtailed as the twins slowed its speed to a stop.
Before I even had a plan, I jumped onto the hood of the truck and eyed Asher who was sitting behind the steering wheel and looking as if he’d seen a ghost. His skin was pale and his eyes were huge. I definitely didn’t think this through. If meeting my friends all at once was too much to handle, having a pride of lions chasing you was probably over the top.
Asher’s wide gaze flicked back and forth between my blue eyes and the crop of pink hair on top of my scalp; two features I kept in either form I took. After about six glances, he whispered in shock and disbelief, “Cedric?”
I quickly shifted back into human form, but seeing me change from an animal to a butt-naked human on his truck did nothing to calm my man down. His eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped against the window.