35 Shadows and whispers …
35 Shadows and whispers …
L
At that moment … I would have dly chosen the shifters but they seemed to shrink back at the sight of Mr Dupree , their cocky expressions fading into apprehension .
The alley fell into an eerie silence as Mr Dupree’s imposing figure loomed at the entrance .
My eyes darted between him and the shifters , my body growing tense with surprise and wariness .
First of all , what was he doing e ? Second , why were the shifters looking scared ? He was a human , if anything he should be the one backing away from them .
Why did it seem they were shrinking under his gaze , looking at him sheepishly ?
“ Why is no one answering my question ? ” Mr Dupree chuckled – even that sounded sinister .
“ Is there a problem here ? ”
The leader of the shifters , the one that had tried to flirt with me in the café shook his head .
“ None , we were just leaving ,” he muttered .
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35 Shadows and whispers …
I watched as they turned and hurried away .
As they disappeared from my line of vision , I found myself alone with Mr D.
The relief I felt at the shifter’s departure was quickly overshadowed by a new kind of unease .
I forced a nonchnt smile as I stepped back , trying to suppress the urge to run .
Swallowing hard , I murmured turning to Mr Dupree whose gaze was on me now .
“ They’re just lowlifes , I could have handled them .
”
His lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes .
“ It didn’t look that way to me , Miss L .
Are you alright though ? Did they try to attack you ? ” he asked , as his gaze flickered all over my body .
I felt exposed .
“ No ! ” I shook my head eager to change the subject , I blurted out .
“ What are you doing here ? ” I winced internally at how usatory it sounded .
If he was offended by my question he didn’t show it , instead , his expression softened , though it did little to ease my nerves .
“ I live in the neighbourhood , ” he replied casually .
“ Xander and I were just taking an evening stroll.
We were in the coffee shop a while ago
19:27
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35 Shadows and whispers …
when I overheard those men talking about teaching someone a lesson .
” His eyes bore into mine .
“ When I saw you heading towards the back door and those men leaving shortly after , I put two and two together .
”
I shifted ufortably under his intense gaze .
There was something about the way he looked at me as if he could see right through me .
“ I didn’t realize I was followed .
Thank you for helping me , ” I said awkwardly , my fingers twitching as I resisted the urge to light another cigarette .
“ You shouldn’t be in dark alleys at this hour , ” he continued , his eyes straying to the cigarette pack peeking out of my pocket .
“ And sn woman .
You should know better .
”
g ? You’re a
My cheeks burned at the condescending remark .
I opened my mouth to retort but I thought better of it .
Instead , I managed another tense , ufortable smile .
“ Yeah … I should probably head back inside , ” I said taking a step towards the café’s back door .
“ Thank you for … intervening and saving me .
”
?
As I moved to go , his voice stopped me.
“ Those men are panther shifters , ” he said his tone as cold as ever .
“ They mighte back ; cats can be quite vengeful .
So ,
35 Shadows and whispers …
I’d advise you not to wander around alone again .
”
I froze my hand on the door handle .
How did he know
about shifters ? And why did it sound like he knew more than he was letting on ? My brow furrowed slightly as I processed what he was saying .
Panther shifters ? Panthers are messengers .
In the mythical world , they’re always used to track stray were – creatures and since they could mask their scent naturally and take up any form just like
Werefoxes , they had ess to almost any realm .
What were they doing here ?
Mr Dupree’s voice cut into my thhts .
“ Is itmon to see shifters in this part of tow
I turned back to face him , shaking my head , my unease growing .
“ No ,” I said slowly .
“ This is my first time running into any .
”
He nodded as if I had confirmed something for him .
“ Well , be careful , Miss L .
The world can be a dangerous ce for a young woman … especially one with your unique qualities .
Before I could ask him what he meant by that , he turned and walked away , disappearing around the
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35 Shadows and whispers …
corner of the building .
I stood there for a moment , watching him go , my skin prickling in a way it hadn’t done in a long time .
I rubbed my arms , trying to shake off the unsettling feeling .
My instincts were screaming that something wasn’t right , but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it .
Taking a deep breath , I turned and went back inside
the café .
Inside , the familiar warmth of the ce did little to soothe my frayed nerves .
My eyes scanned the room , and they immediatelynded on Xander .
He was sitting at one of the tables , casually scring through his phone while sipping coffee and in cake .
He lookedpletely at ease as if he hadn’t a care in the world .
They must havee in when I was having those mysterious calls .
oling on a slice of
My eyes lingered on Xander for a moment .
Something about him and his father felt … off .
Earlier , Mr Dupree had talked about those shifters as if he knew I would understand what he meant .
He didn’t treat me like I was human .
Was he a werewolf or any
were – creature ?
other
I watched as he entered the café and made his way to
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35 Shadows and whispers …
Xander’s table .
He leaned down , whispering something in Xander’s ears before taking the seat opposite him .
A casual observer might have seen nothing wrong in the interaction but to me , it felt strange .
Despite Mr Dupree’s imposing presence and a strange aura thatmanded the respect he seemed to carry, the way he bowed his head as he spoke to Xander struck me as odd .
It was almost as if , despite
appearance , Mr Dupree was the servant and Xander
the master .
As this thought crossed my mind , Xander suddenly lifted his eyes and our gaze met .
his face and he raised his hand w
mile spread across
ng at me in a friendly manner .
The moment our eyes locked , that
prickle of apprehension returned in full force , sending a shiver down my spine .
My breath caught in my throat as I managed a weak smile, feeling my heart beat a little too fast as I awkwardly waved back .
Quickly , I looked away, hoping to avoid further interaction .
I needed to focus , get back to work and ignore the growing sense of dread curling in my stomach .
But before I could fully retreat, the front door of the café swung open again .
35 Shadows and whispers …
—
Three neers entered two women and a man .
Their scents hit me … they were werewolves .
They moved immediately to Xander and Mr Dupree’s table that was when everything dawned on me .
They were all werewolves .
There was no way they could associate with those two and not be wolves .
My mood soured instantly and my mind whirled with questions .
Were they from my pack ? Were they here to find me ?
Then I remembered that my parents had been d to let me go and it couldn’t possibly be my ex – mate .
Nathan ! My mind wandered to my friend as I slipped 、 out my phone to check if there v
any messages .
There was none .
“ Do you mind attending to the neers ? ” I asked Sarah who didn’t seem busy .
“ Sure ! ” she shed me a smile and took the menus to
their table .
Another realization struck me .
I hadn’t picked up any werewolf scent from Xander or his dad … , now that I thought about it , I couldn’t detect any scent from them at all .
My mind raced as I nced at them again .
Sarah
was done taking their orders and the
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35 Shadows and whispers …
neers seemed to be whispering something to
Xander who continued drinking his coffee and nibbling
on his cake .
–
Who or what were Xander and his father ? They
clearly knew about the mythic al world but they weren’t werewolves or shifters .
And why were they associating with these werewolves ?
“ Everything okay ? ” Nanny’s voice startled me out of my thoughts .
I nearly jumped but caught myself at the dying minute as I turned to her with a forced smile .
“ I’m fine ! ” I said “ Just that , a grou
werewolves
entered a while ago and I’m pissing myself with worry that my dad might have sent them but that’s impossible right ? He doesn’t like me that way ? ”
Nanny’s eyes immediately narrowed – not with fear , she was never afraid of anything , just caution .
“ The ones sitting at two tables near the window facing the streets ? ” she asked me , arranging stuffs on the
counter .
“ Exactly , ” I nodded .
“ Although the handsome kid with amber eves is my ssmate .
A transfer student and
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35 Shadows and whispers …
that’s his father , the one sitting opposite him .
”
“ Are they werewolves too ? ” Nanny asked , cleaning the counter now , giving them another casual nce .
“ I can’t tell ! ” I responded .
“ I didn’t pick up any scent and earlier , I … ” I trailed off .
I was going to tell Nanny about the Panthers but , I would have to tell her why I had gone to the back of the shop , she’d be hurt if she knew I had gone to
smoke.
R
Before I could decide on what to tell her , Sarah
returned to the counter with a weird smile on her face .
“ L , they’re asking for you ? ”
“ A – Asking for me ? ” I jabbed my index finger at my
chest , knowing what she was talking about even before she said it .
“ Who ? ”
“ The people on that table , ” she pointed at Xander’s table “ Not just you , but also Mrs Grayson .
”