Alpha Beast (The Alpha Shifter Collection)

Liam hated that Lewis had him beat. He couldn’t judge. Even before he’d truly met Jenny, he’d heard about her. The rumor mill was always running rife and certainly within wolf packs.

He slammed the door closed and couldn’t help but wonder what he was going to do if his son or daughter was given the same gift that Jenny had.

****

There was no way in hell Jenny intended to do as she was told. She wasn’t a child and no one was going to make her do something she didn’t want to do, not even her husband.

With a coat on and her cell phone at the ready, she managed to get past the guards with a few more idle threats. It wouldn’t take the guards long to realize she couldn’t hurt anyone, then this freedom she had would end. She’d have to come up with more elaborate escape plans.

Taking a car during the day was just stupid. She had no choice but to grab a cab and take the journey toward the same location. She paid the driver and climbed out, looking around at the open businesses. There were a few clients in each but not a whole lot.

Approaching the danger zone would only come with too much risk. She looked around and found a bench. It had been graffitied to within an inch of its life. She sat down, put her hands in her lap, and tried not to look like someone who was waiting for a ghost. She had to look odd to people.

Jenny stared at the house and thought about her brother. She wondered if it had been easy for him to keep this big secret or if it really upset him. She had an eight-year-old niece and hadn’t known.

Anna.

Clasping her fingers together, she waited.

“You shouldn’t be here, honey,” her grandmother said.

“This is coming from the woman who raised me and taught me not to ignore the people no one else could see.”

“I also taught you better than to make it appear like you’re talking to yourself.”

Rolling her eyes, she reached into her jacket and pulled out her cell phone.

“That’s good, dear. You’re lucky, back in my day, I didn’t have any such luxury.”

She smiled, wishing once again that her grandmother could hold her. “Did you know?”

“Yes, I did. It’s why we could help and protect her. Our abilities are so limited, especially in this world.”

“The ghost world.”

Her grandmother nodded. “The moment I saw your energy, I just knew. That little girl was our blood. We could take care of her. It’s also because of her that you can be hurt as well.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“It’s complicated.”

“Grandmother, I have no one else to talk to about this. You can’t keep me in the dark forever.”

“Spirits can hurt you if they’re related to you in blood and because of blood. Anna is part of our blood, so she can reach out to you.”

“And the other reason is if someone you’re close to, like in marriage, kills them, you can hurt them?” she asked, thinking of her mother.

“Yes.” Her grandmother reached out, putting a hand on top of hers.

“I don’t feel it.”

“But you can see it. You know it’s there.”

“So, anyone that my husband or my family hurt who hasn’t accepted it can hurt me.”

Her grandmother nodded. “It’s unfair, but I think that is how they use balance. We can see what others cannot, but there is always a price. There is a price for being a wolf, and there is a cost with this gift.”

“All of them suck.”

“That’s why it’s a curse as much as it is a gift.”

“I don’t see any part of this being a gift. Not a single bit.”

“You get to see and talk to me. You met your niece yesterday.”

“I didn’t know it was her.”

“But you got a chance where your brother and father will never know. You have that gift. Believe me, there are people close to you who wish they can talk to me.”

She frowned, glancing over at her grandmother while still holding her cell phone. “Like who?”

“I shouldn’t tell.”

“Grandma,” she said.

“Fine, fine. You know how I am with secrets. I don’t think any good ones are worth keeping. Your brother Danny misses me a lot. Wishes I was there to offer him advice. Your father. He misses me and your mother. I hear him whispering his pleas that I take care of her, and you.”

“He does?”

“Your father loves you very much. It’s hard for him because of the hair and how you’re so much like your mother.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Sorry, I shouldn’t cry.”

“You should cry. It’s good to get it all off your chest. It’s not good to keep things locked up tight.” Her grandmother sighed. “Your husband.”

“Liam wants to meet you?”

She nodded. “In case you didn’t know, I’m pretty awesome, but yes, Liam would like to talk to me, to ask his questions. He’s worried about you.”