Chapter 9

Zoey’s POV

It had been two months since Parker asked me to stay with him. As promised, he started supervising my training. I thought he would go easy on me, but I was wrong.

Every day, I would go hiking with him. While he running in his majestic, brown wolf form, I was on my bare feet. My soles grew calluses running through the thick branches and pointed rocks. I love running, but his ways were torture. In Parker’s case, he refused to allow me to wear one. In his words, it would help me get a feel of what it was like living in the woods away from the comforts of the pack I was born in.

He also taught me some basic hand-to-hand combat, rock climbing, and other stuff he felt was necessary for my new life as a rogue. At first, I almost quit due to the multiple wounds, cuts, and injuries I got from this training. Luckily, the werewolf genes within me were helping me heal faster than a normal individual would. I wish that these genes would help me heal my broken heart as well.

Oh, cut the crap! I should stop thinking about my past life to help me move forward without carrying any emotional baggage that would slow me down. I would never move forward if I would keep on thinking about that!

Today, I found myself standing on top of a big rock with my heart throbbing inside my chest like crazy. I felt that my chest was about to explode.

“What are you waiting for? Do it, Zoey! Jump!”

I looked down, checking the depth of it. I stepped back, shuddering a little in the process.“I-I can’t do it. I will surely die,” I whispered with my mind filled with doubt.

“Oh, no you don’t! Don’t give me that lame excuse that you can’t because I know that you can. We have prepared for this for too long. Now is your chance to show me what you got.”

I looked at him still terrified about what he asked me to do. He was standing at my back and purposely convinced me to jump to my death.

This man wanted me to jump off this mini cliff and shift in mid-air! How insane could that be?

“I’m sorry. But I really can’t do it. It’s too early for me to do this. I am not yet ready. “

I couldn’t be as honest as I could possibly be stating those words.

Parker heaved a sigh. He scratched his head and then smiled. “Are you sure you don’t want to even try it?”

“A hundred percent no. This mini cliff was too shallow. I’m afraid I would not be able to shift in time before I hit the ground.”

“In that case, let me help you then.”

Before I could even react, I felt his hands push me off the cliff.

“No!!!!!!”

A rush of air hit my face as I fell into an emptiness. I tried my best to hold on to something but I failed. I panicked and didn’t know what to think or do. It took me a couple of milliseconds to realize I was falling to my death.

And I need to act. Fast!

“Remember what I thought you, Zoey! Concentrate and feel your wolf!”

I shut my eyes and empty my mind. Now is not the time to worry about anything else world. I need to concentrate on channeling my wolf inside. Else, my gelatinous brain would surely splatter on the ground.

I searched thru the endless void in my subconscious mind. And then, I saw a white light and it was running farther and farther away from me. I chased after it. I knew that it was the only way to survive this. And when I did, it changed everything I ever knew about shifting.

My body hit the ground. Only this time, I landed with paws instead of my head. I did it! I fucking did it!

“Yeah! I knew you can do it!” Parker shouted from the top of the boulder. In a split second, he jumped off the mini cliff and shifted in the mid-air. He then transformed into his human form and walked straight in my direction.

“I am proud of—”

I didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence. Instead, my fist landed on his face.“ You could have killed me!”

I didn’t even realize I shifted back to my human form. Damn! I might have been too angry. But in fairness, I shifted that fast so that means I am getting used to it.

“But you didn’t die,” he answered feeling no sign of remorse for what he did. He wiped off the stain of blood oozing from his punctured lip while smiling. “I knew you can do it and you did. Besides, do you actually believe that I would risk your life just to prove I was right?”

I was speechless. I may have known Parker for a very short time, but he was more of a father to me than my biological dad ever was. I knew that he would never do anything to harm me.

He offered me a home, a place where I could be whoever I want to be without worrying about how my actions would affect my family in return. All my life, I was only known as the weak sister of the famous Savi and Hunter Davis. In their eyes, I was nothing. I was no more than an omega and not worthy of any respect or recognition.

He thought me new things. He introduced me to carpentry and other woodwork. I learned to sculpt simple things like wooden cups, spoons, etc. He also allowed me to check out the books at home where I learned about sewing, cooking, and other activities I couldn’t access easily back in Moonlight Pack.

Here in the jungle, I was free.

“Do you want to go down the mountains and meet my friends?” Parker asked suddenly.

Friends? Did he have friends? I thought he lived in isolation.

“Are they rogues too?” I joked. I went to the big rock on my right and sat on it.

“Hmm…Kinda. They have a small community like that of a pack. However, they functioned differently. Also, they have been living with humans since I met them a few years back. They were practically blending in with them without any problem.”

My forehead creased at what I heard from him. “You mean werewolves co-existing with humans? That’s impossible!” I objected with certainty.

“Well, you should see for yourself. There's a bar called the Lycan Cave owned by a good friend of mine. It’s basically an open mic bar. You should come and meet them. You would also meet some rogues there too.”   

I laughed at the last thing he said. If I was still in Moonlight, it was prohibited to even mention the word. But here, it was like an identity you can embrace and be proud of. Well, at least, in the case of good rogues like us.

“That sounds lovely. But I didn’t have anything decent to wear,” I stated. Admittedly, I was excited about the idea of meeting other pack-less wolves like us. And yet, I was also a young woman who wanted to make herself presentable.

“I know you’ll gonna say that. Follow me,” Parker said. I was a bit perplexed by what he said, yet decided to follow him back to our house. It didn’t take long before we were back in our log cabin.

“Wait here,” he instructed while stepping toward his room. When he came back, he was carrying a box with a red bow tied to it. “Here, this is for you.”

“A gift? For me? What for?” I asked simultaneously.

“Think about it as a welcome present from me.”

I excitedly took the box, grinning from ear to ear. It didn’t take long before the lovely white, above-the-knee, mini dress was revealed to me. It was beautiful!

I held on to its straps and pressed them against my body. “I love it!” I squealed.

Parker smiled at the notion. “Welcome home, Zoey,” he said while stretching his hands to offer me a hug.

Indeed, this was home.