The Shifter's Future Mate (Fayoak Romance Book 1) Read online

  I checked the worksite. Alex’s volunteers were almost done planting the last two beds and others were cleaning up. I pulled out my phone and dialed Red’s number. I had to speak to her now. It couldn't wait any longer.

  The phone rang and rang, and went to her voice mail. When it beeped, I said, "Hey Red, it’s me. Call me back." I ended the call and studied my phone, a bad feeling inside me. It wasn’t like her to not answer. Her employees used that number to let her know if they were sick or going to be late. She could have been screening my call, but she’d never ignored me before. Not even when I’d made her spitting mad.

  I dialed The Peach and Rhonda’s cheerful voice answered, "You’ve reached The Honeyed Peach, Rhonda speaking."

  "Hey, Rhonda, it’s Maddox. Can I talk to Red?"

  "Oh, sorry," she said, her voice professionally friendly, "you just missed her."

  "Alright, thanks," I said before ending the call.

  I heard a whistle and glanced up. One of the firefighters stood by Alex and waved his arm in the air. The others looked up and when they saw his signal, they all stopped what they were doing and ran to the truck.

  "What is it?" I heard one of the firefighters ask another.

  "Bad accident on Aspen Lane near Post Oak Road between a small car and semi. Possible fatality."

  A chill ran over me. Aspen Lane was the way Red went home. Post Oak Road was one of the streets she passed. She drove a small car and I couldn’t reach her on her cell.

  Panic held me in its claws and I ran over to Alex. "Hey, I gotta go. Now."

  Alex’s eyes widened with surprise. "Okay," he said, "I have this under control."

  I nodded sharply and raced to my truck. The closest hospital was Fayoak General. Before I knew it, I pulled into the lot and slammed into a parking space. I had no memory of the drive. No idea if I followed the speed limit or stopped at any lights.

  I raced into the hospital and ran to the intake counter. The rational part of my mind noted it was relatively calm and it was a good thing no one waited at the counter. In my current state, it was highly likely I would have shoved them out of my way.

  A nurse in green scrubs looked up at me with a professional smile.

  "How can I help you?" she said.

  "There was an accident between a small car and semi. I think Roselani Bahl was the driver of the car. Where is she? Is she in the operating room?" My voice was fast and my heart raced. I couldn’t bring myself to ask if she hadn’t made it. My mind wouldn’t accept that she might be dead.

  "And you are?" the nurse asked.

  "Maddox Shepherd. I’m a friend."

  "I’m sorry, Mr. Shepherd," she said, "I can’t confirm or deny anything. I can’t tell you the names of anyone who is in the hospital."

  "I need to know if she’s okay," I said. I didn’t care if she heard the panic in my voice. I knew my eyes were cat-green and felt my claws dig into the counter.

  She shook her head. "I can’t tell you anything. We can only talk to the immediate family."

  "Can you tell me if she’s here?" My voice was desperate.

  "I recommend you call her, try to reach her. Call her family." I saw pity in her eyes and my stomach dropped.

  "Is there anything you can tell me? When will she be out of the operating room?"

  "I can’t tell you anything," she repeated, her eyes full of sympathy. "Go, call her family. They are the only ones who can tell you anything."

  I turned away, my heart frozen, frustration clawing at me. I had to find Red. I had to know if she was okay. I didn’t have the number for her grandmother, but I bet they had it at The Peach. I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone to call the restaurant as a couple in EMT uniforms walked past me.

  "One of the worst accidents I’ve seen in a long time," the male said.

  "That car didn’t stand a chance," the female replied, shaking her head. "Killed on impact. She was so young. Her family will be devastated."

  I froze, stunned. Their words played through my mind. Killed on impact . . . She was so young . . . Killed on impact . . . she was so young . . .

  "Hey, buddy, you okay?" A hand touched my shoulder.

  My attention snapped back and I looked around. I stood in the middle of the room, my phone in my hand. The EMTs were nowhere to be seen. The shadows on the floor were different than they were earlier. A man dressed in scrubs had his hand on my shoulder. I looked at him, dazed.

  "You need help?" he asked, concern in his face.

  I shook my head and stepped back out of his reach.

  "Buddy, you don’t look so good. Why don’t you come with me?" He took a step toward me and I turned and ran out the doors. I couldn’t believe what I heard. I was numb. I got into my truck and drove. My mind was blank. I moved, breathed, but inside, I was frozen.

  The next thing I knew I was surrounded by trees. My cat took over and I ran. Maybe I could run far enough to make it all go away. It was an understood fact that mated pairs rarely lived long after one of them died. I’d always thought them weak for giving up.

  Now I realized how little I understood. Red and I had never bonded on that level, but she was the only one for me. She was my love. My mate. Agony squeezed my heart and I wished I had realized it sooner. Before my feral side took over completely, I thought that maybe I would simply stay a panther and never shift back.

  13

  Roselani

  "Hey, lady," a gruff voice cut through my thoughts. "We ain't got to order yet."

  I turned my head to look over my shoulder. Two men and a woman sat in a booth. They stared at me. I blinked at them, then turned my head back around. I looked toward the pickup window as Sam slid their plates out. I must have put their order in without even taking it. That wouldn't be the first time today.

  "Your order just came up. One moment." My voice sounded robotic, even to my ears.

  I was trying so hard to keep my focus on The Peach, but I struggled to win against the steady stream of thoughts about Maddox. I couldn't wrap my head around the way he acted last night.

  "What the hell is she on about?" the man said as I walked to the window. "Our order can't be up if we haven't ordered nothin'."

  I fumbled for a serving tray and piled on their three plates without even really looking. Two orders of pancakes. One with peach jam, one with peanut butter. And an order of waffles. Plain, with unseasoned home fries on the side. I snapped out of my thoughts long enough to eye the plates. It was just weird enough. The last one seemed like a dry meal to me, but it was definitely what the woman at their table had planned to order.

  They still grumbled among themselves when I walked over with the tray of food. I felt horrible because The Peach was my life and I wasn’t presenting these tourists with the best impression today. My distraction levels were off the charts and still climbing.

  Hopefully, this particular table would be dazzled by their meals magically appearing without having even placed the order. And if I was lucky, they wouldn't ask questions either. My wishes disappeared into smoke the moment the woman saw me walk to the table with the tray. She scrunched up her nose in displeasure.

  "Actually," she started, "I don't like things having much—"

  "Seasoning or sauces, right?" I asked with a bright, cheerful smile. I could still salvage this if I could make myself focus for more than two seconds. I motioned toward her plate with a nod of my head as I set it down.

  Her eyes widened slightly, betraying her shock before they quickly settled into something more suspicious. "Exactly."

  "Hey, is there peanut butter on those pancakes?" one of the men at the table asked. "That must be for Emery here. He won't eat nothin' else on his pancakes."

  "Just accept that it's the best way to eat 'em, George," the other man scoffed as he took the plate I held out for him. "We all know you do it when nobody's around."

  "Do not," the man rebuffed. He looked genuinely insulted.

  As I set down the last plate, George looked up at me with
narrowed eyes and leaned toward me. "How'd you know what we wanted? Is this like that damned Candid Camera show? That's still around, ain't it?"

  Emery shook his head. "Nah, I think it's all about them prank videos online now."

  "Is this one of them, you think?" George asked, his eyes flitting between me and Emery as he searched for the conspiracy.

  "You're both stupid," the woman interjected with a loud sigh. "This whole town has been creepy. She probably phoned our hotel and asked them what we ordered for room service or something."

  I had to hide my shock. She made my job of trying to come up with an excuse a whole lot easier. I’d have to remember that for the future.

  I nodded, my smile still firmly in place. "That's right. We like to treat visitors as best we can around here. Enjoy!"

  Before I could incriminate myself any further, I quickly turned away from the table. I had only made it a few steps before I heard something that caught my interest.

  "I told you this was a weird place to come huntin'," Emery said with a sigh.

  Emery was right. This was a weird place to come hunting. We had people stop in now and then before heading up into the mountains, but it was quite the journey from here. There were so many places closer to the hunting areas to stay, especially if they're not looking for the sort of hospitality you would find in a tourist town like Fayoak.

  Oh well, I was sure they would enjoy touring the orchards while they were in town. Mrs. Greenhaven's was beautiful this time of year. I smiled as I remembered the times Maddox and I had walked through there together.

  The hours passed and the breakfast shift passed into the lunch rush. Again and again, my tables looked at me in surprise as I set down plates of food and drinks that they hadn't ordered. No matter how hard I tried to force myself to focus, I couldn't seem to get a handle on myself. My thoughts drifted back to Maddox no matter where I took them. I made jokes about seeing what customers were looking at on the menu and guessing, but I don’t think many bought it. The locals simply shrugged.

  Somehow, I managed to focus long enough to take the deposit to the bank and got the needed change, but when I got back to The Peach my thoughts started their merry-go-round again. I had reached my breaking point, so distracted that I started to get flashes of random customer's futures, rapid fire, when Cassy suddenly appeared in front of me. It took me a moment to register that she was even there.

  I knitted my brow together. "You're not on the schedule today, are you?"

  She shook her head. "Y'know how you covered for me the other day?"

  "Mhm," I replied simply and waited for her continue.

  She let out a small puff of breath and gave me a hesitant smile. "Well, I know this is super annoying," she paused and grimaced slightly, "but I really need those hours. Could I take the rest of your shift today?"

  I had been feeling a little tug from the future that told me I needed to go see Meghan, so I was more than happy to oblige. I knew Cassy needed the hours anyway.

  "The rest of my shift is all yours," I replied with a reassuring smile.

  I left work and got into my car. I pulled out my phone and realized I had left it off. I impatiently waited for it to come to life then made a quick call to Meghan to see if I could come over. She was thrilled at the thought of having someone there to fetch things for her so she wouldn't have to get up. I was equally thrilled to have a distraction from my thoughts.

  After I hung up, my phone chimed. I glanced at the screen and saw I had a missed call and voicemail from Maddox. My feeling that I needed to go see Meghan intensified, and it felt like they might be related. I needed to see Meghan before I listened to his voice message. It would have to wait.

  I tossed my phone into the passenger seat and drove away from The Peach. I rolled down the window and let the fresh air clear away the worries crowding my mind. I still had no idea what to do about Maddox, but I needed to give myself a break. It would be a brief reprieve, undoubtedly, but I was happy for now. I drove with my window down, the sun warm and the air cool on my skin. I could pretend like I wasn't going to have to find some way to gracefully lose the man that I had loved for years.

  Reality threatened to tug me back to my moping and confusion as I finally stood in front of Meghan's front door. I made a mean face to scare away the thoughts before they ruined my relatively good mood, then I opened the door.

  Immediately, I heard Meghan's voice shout from inside, "I'm not getting up. Meet me in the living room."

  I closed the door with a laugh. I waited for the tug from the future to identify itself, but as usual, my gift was being its unreliable self. It always seemed that the more I wanted it to be clear, the more it hid away from me. Unfortunately, patience was the only answer when it did this.

  As I made my way inside, I called out, "You were serious about this whole not moving thing, huh?"

  "God, yes," Meghan said as I walked into the living room. Sprawled out on the couch in her house clothes, Meghan had her hair thrown up and wore no makeup. "I'm so ready for this baby to get out already."

  "Surely it's not that bad, right?" I asked with another laugh.

  She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "You just wait until you're the one who can't see her feet or even put on shoes without help." She sighed.

  "For all my griping," she continued before I had a chance to reply, "I already know I'm not going to be able to put the baby down once it's here. I'll just be carrying the weight in a different place."

  A smile so happy that it was infectious spread across her face. I hoped that someday I would know the feeling, too. The love she already had for her baby, despite the wear and tear on her body, had been wonderful to witness.

  "You're going to be such a good mother," I said, my heart bursting with warmth.

  She grinned. "And you'll be a great aunty."

  I looked off to the side as I felt my face fall. I didn't want to ruin this moment. If only she knew how close I came to being an aunt for real, not just in spirit, so to speak. Meghan suddenly groaned from the couch and I looked back over in a panic, but she was okay. In fact, she gave me a very annoyed look.

  "Rose, I love you, but you're being so dense," Meghan said as she threw her head against the back of the couch.

  I frowned and moved to take a seat beside her. "What're you talking about?"

  She rolled her eyes at me. "That frowny face just now?"

  I stiffened slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "Oh, please. You and Maddox." She sounded so exasperated, like I should know exactly what she was talking about, but I didn't even know she knew about us until this very moment. "When are you two going to figure this out already?"

  My heart picked up speed as thoughts raced through my mind. This was going to make things very awkward for us when his mate showed up. It was okay when I thought only Maddox and I knew about our little thing, but now Meghan? Did that mean Joseph knew, too? It was my turn to flop my head back against the couch as I thought about all the repercussions.

  My agonizing was interrupted as my phone rang. My heart leapt in my chest, hoping it was Maddox. I hadn’t listened to his voicemail yet because I didn't want to be rude, but if he called me I wouldn’t hesitate to answer. I pulled out my phone and glanced at the display, frowning when I saw it was Alex calling me.

  "Hey, Alex," I answered with a hint of confusion.

  "Rose, hey, quick question: Have you heard from Maddox today? He left some tools behind and he's not answering his phone. I've been trying on and off for a couple of hours."

  "Um, no, actually," I said slowly. "I'll try to pass the message on though."

  "Great, thanks." He sounded cheerful as he ended the call, but my mind was suddenly even more confused than it was this morning.

  Alex calling me to check on Maddox's whereabouts was yet another reminder that apparently the whole town knew about us. I used to be so certain that it was under wraps, but now I was freaking out.

  I did
n't realize he and Alex were suddenly on friendly terms, either. That was weird. I could've sworn Maddox hated him from their first interaction. What were they doing together that involved Maddox’s toolbox?

  It was also a little odd that Maddox wouldn't answer his phone. He was the sort of guy that was always easy to get in touch with. Concerned, I lifted my phone to call him again just in time to witness the blinking battery icon, then the screen went black.

  "Hey, Meghan, can I use your phone?" I asked. "Mine just died on me."

  Meghan's exasperation gave way to concern as she handed me her phone. "Something wrong with Maddox?"

  "I don't think so, but I want to be sure." There was no use in worrying her over something that could very well be nothing. She didn't need any extra stress this far along in her pregnancy.

  I scrolled through her contacts until I reached Maddox's name, then called. It rang and rang. I could see him not answering for Alex, but his sister? There was no way. She was due any day now. He wouldn't let a call from her go to voicemail. I was about to press the button to call him again when the phone vibrated and rang in my hand. I was so jumpy all of a sudden that I threw the phone at Meghan.

  She caught it with a laugh. "Calm down."

  Meghan answered her phone with a bright smile. "Hey, what're you and Dad up to—Wait, Mom, slow down, I can't—Maddox has been what?"

  My heart slammed against my chest. She brought a hand to her mouth as a sob forced its way through her lips. I knew without even being told. I knew. This was why the future had called me here.

  "He's . . ." I trailed off, my attention snapping to her for confirmation. Her expression told me everything. I saw her cat in her eyes. I saw the panic. I pressed a hand to my mouth to stifle a trembling sob.

  Meghan and I rushed to the hospital as quickly as we could. I drove and she called Joseph at work so he could meet us there. Maddox's parents were waiting for us outside his room when we arrived. Joseph ran in moments after us.