The chapters will be for the short story Warrior's Redemption from this point forward.
Clement “Austin” Shelton: Everything can change in a blink. I went from a promising military career to having no direction. I was told, “The Goddess guides us on our paths. But we all have to put in the work to find our destinies.” and encouraged to look within to find out who I am. I’ve taken those words to heart. But is it possible for a guy like me to find redemption?
Suzie Walterson: Growing up living down the road from the Shelton family, I knew that Clement Shelton was a dick. I have known it my whole life. And I didn’t think losing a leg could change him. But an accident put me in his debt in more ways than one. Has he changed, or is it just a ruse?
Returning from Incubi was hell. As glad as I was to be home in Bloodmoon territory, I returned in a sorry state. I was one of the few injured sent home first and in the worst state. Only I would manage to lose a leg in a fight. I made a stupid mistake, and now I’ve fucked up the rest of my life. Grandma will probably fuss until grandpa tells her to stop babying me. I can just imagine what grandpa is going to say. I’d try to imagine what dad will say, but I am sure I’ll be met with indifference. As Doctor Bryant finished his examination, my hospital room’s door flew open. The whirlwind of the Shelton family burst through. They got here faster than I thought. “Clemmy!” My grandmother called, hurrying into the room with a tote full of I don’t want to know what. Probably another sweater or scarf long enough to turn me into a mummy that she knitted. “Michele, stop trying to fuss over him.” Grandpa commanded in his gruff voice. In an instant, grandma took two steps back and low
“Come on, Suzie…” Shannon pouted, tugging on my sleeve. “It’s a bad idea, is all I’m saying. And I really should just go home.” I shook my head, shutting my locker. “Oh, come on. Stan’s going to be there. Aren’t you a little interested in seeing him shift… or rather seeing him before and after.” Shannon giggled, wiggling her eyebrows at me. I roll my eyes but smile a little. Stan is handsome, and he only got his wolf this past full moon. So far, none of the she-wolves in our pack are his mate. Shannon grinned. “Yes. I knew I’d get you with that.” I rolled my eyes, zipping up my winter jacket. “You realize no matter what he looks like naked; he’s going to be insignificant if I compare to Amelia’s big brother.” I blushed just thinking about the handful of times I’ve been in Madonie and seen little Ivan. His mate is a fortunate woman, that’s all I can say. And she, of course, knows it. We were happy for Ivan when he found his mate two years ago when Amelia made him go to a
I’ve spent the last five years getting my life together. Unless it’s required for all pack members, I have distanced myself from the pack. Not in a sense that I want to turn rogue or something stupid like that. I don’t want to leave the pack. But early in my recovery, if I trained in either human or wolf form around others, I got unsettling looks and heard their whispers. Which shows they wanted me to listen to them bad-mouthing me. We’re werewolves, so they know I could hear them, and if they didn’t want me to listen to it, they’d have used a direct link to who they were gossiping to. So it was done with intent. I get it. I was an asshole for… well, my whole life. So to avoid such situations, I trained at human gyms and would let Jax out in areas where I wouldn’t run into packmates. Random pack members weren’t the only people I spent less time around. Grandpa has written me off and for the stupidest of reasons. He’s pissed that I decided I wanted to be known as Austin f
OH, MY GODDESS!!! How can he be that dense!? How can I be this stupid!? Ugh! Why would I think after three months of talking and what I thought was subtle flirting meant a damn thing to him? It was all just in my head. I BAKED him a PIE! I don’t bake for ANYONE! I can’t believe I baked him a pie. I went through the effort of styling my hair, putting on makeup, and picking a cute outfit. And none of it mattered. I walked in on Austin with one of his coworkers. I can’t believe I was so wrong about this. I grumbled, digging out my cell to call Diann to come back and get me. I’m going to feel like such an idiot for this. I had told Diann about my cute physical therapist and the flirty vibe I’d been picking up. She’s the one who encouraged me. Hell, I’m wearing her skirt! “Hey, girl. Why are you calling? I dropped you off like a minute ago. Was he out sick or something?” Diann asked with a chuckle. I, however, wasn’t laughing. “Suz? Oh no. We misread his signals.” Dian
I haven’t seen nor heard from or about Suzanne Walterson in months. She hasn’t had to come to the office now that her sessions are over. And I tend to keep my distance from pack gatherings so we don’t cross paths. Even if she lives down the street, we don’t generally cross paths. I went years without seeing that kid. Since her brother moved to Madonie, I haven’t had any reason to go by her house. Not that Stephen and I were ever good friends. Mostly I was his ride since I had my car. And given how we left things, his fist in my face, we will not be mending fences. I hadn’t thought that three months of seeing her three times a week would change anything. I got by just fine, not talking to or seeing her before. So why have I missed seeing her? Miss the low-key banter during her sessions. I’ve attempted to distract myself with Denise. She’s not a bad person. I get along with her well enough, but she’s human and not my mate. Unlike the she-wolves at the pack who have snubbed
The most awkward thing about being a werewolf is the nudity part of shifting. Sure we grow up around it because every adult you know shifts, and not a single kid in the pack hasn’t seen their parents naked because of it. It makes us more adjusted than the humans who are just so conservative and worried about nudity. Are some people’s naked bodies more impressive than others? Oh hell yes. I’ve seen Ivan Furlan naked. Now that’s impressive. So while nudity is normal and part of the culture, it is still awkward to shift around the other kids getting their wolves for the first time. My parents took me out to the woods on the full moon night, where everyone was taken to shift for the first time. It was me, Shannon, Paul, and a few others. Overall there were about ten of us shifting on this full moon. So it was our families and Alpha Logan and Luna Aurelia with us. “You’ve all been preparing for today your whole life. Shifting to our wolves is as natural as breathing.” Alpha Log
‘Smooth. Real smooth. Dumbass.’ Jax chuckled while I rubbed my cheek where she slapped me. I’ve been slapped more than once by a she-wolf, but Suzie certainly packs a punch. Maybe rubbing my nose against hers was too forward for her taste. “I see you got Edith’s strength.” I groaned, still rubbing my face. “And I was holding back.” Suzie snorted. “Not a fan of rubbing noses. Noted.” I smirked as she glared at me. “Maybe you should go see if…. Denise likes rubbing noses.” Suzie huffed, turning away from me. Okay, that might have hurt more than the slap, especially as it reminded me that I was in Denise’s bed just last night. ‘Yeah, until she threw you out of it because you wouldn’t commit to her. And the reason you couldn’t is standing in front of us.’ Jax snorted. Though wait, how would Suzie know anything about Denise? I furrowed my brow because even my dad didn’t know about Denise. And I know I do not have her scent anywhere on me. Taking a step around her to be
With a quick pivot at the moment of impact, I remained standing as the boy crashed to the floor, holding my prosthetic leg. “Stop trying to cuddle my prosthetic, you weirdo.” I rolled my eyes, taunting. “While not a bad thought to try and unbalance me, you seemed to be under the false impression that I haven’t learned how to move and fight without the leg.” I sighed. “Don’t underestimate your opponent because of their outer appearance. Now come at me again.” I explained once more, gesturing for him to come at me. The kid was frustrated, tossing my leg aside as he rushed me again. I was laughing as I hopped out of the way. “Toro, toro.” I taunted as he lunged at me. Then with a laugh, add, “Oh lay” when he’d miss. He was huffing out of breath, and a few of the other sparing pairs who felt they had practiced enough had circled up to watch. The giggles of the crowd seemed to piss the boy off more. “Stop playing with him, Cl… Austin.” Scott sighed, correcting himself as he