Tasting 163

163–The Shadow People

Nora:

Life never went back to normal. It had only been a day, but it was the toughest day of my life. I felt

guilty despite not having done anything wrong. I could have dated anyone since I was single, so

why couldn’t I meet Ryker and Cain’s eyes?

Anyway, it’s not like I faced them. Nash and Silas were another mystery. Nash’s changing behavior

and Silas’s whole demeanor were suspicious.

“Yeah, I’ll start going to school again tomorrow,” I told Lord Atwood as I joined him for dinner. I had

just sat down when he suggested I should go back to school now.

“Hiding isn’t for the innocent. You didn’t do anything wrong, so you don’t have to worry,” he was

partially right. Now that we’ve covered it up, I didn’t need to worry, but I still felt guilty about what

people were saying about me.

“That’s true, and if anyone picks on you, message me,” Nash said, taking a bite of his steak. He

didn’t wait for his brothers to arrive and started eating while his father and I waited patiently.

Then Silas came first, wearing his casual white hoodie. Behind him was Cain, dressed all in black.

He appeared without glancing my way.

“Where’s Ryker?” Lord Atwood asked, looking behind them but not seeing his son.

“He left early with his gear. I don’t think he plans to return for a day or

two,” Silas, Mr. Know–It–All, responded to his father.

“Dad, the complaints about the shadow are gone, and there are no more dead bodies found around

the pack’s border,” Nash cleared his throat, mentioning something I had entirely forgotten.

“The fog? It was really strange when I spotted those people,” I chuckled a little, shaking my head.

My focus returned to the food as soon as I finished my comment. I didn’t realize I had become the

center of attention for those around me.

There was something peculiar about the way they were studying my face, to the point where I had

to stop eating and look up at them.

“What did you say?” Silas took the lead, his eyes narrowing on my face.

“I came across the fog and those people. The pack members hardly moved a muscle, but whenever

I looked away, they would take a step closer,” I shook my head at the memory of that day. It was so

eerie that I forgot about my school bullying troubles and only remembered them.

“Nora! What do you mean by ‘people“?” Everyone else remained silent, letting Silas handle the

issue. At this point, I wasn’t foolish enough to not understand that something serious was being

discussed. Whatever I saw that day must have meant something horrific, and now they wanted

details.

“I left school early to avoid bullying. That’s when I came across the fog and these figures standing in

it. I couldn’t see their faces, just their lower bodies. They seemed like shadows,” I held my breath to

explain. further. “And every time I looked away and then looked back at them, they had moved

closer. But they never moved while I was watching them.”

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I stopped talking because now I wanted to see what they had learned from my experience with

those people.

“They weren’t members of the pack, Nora,” Nash stated, glancing at his brothers before turning to

me. “You need to look at me and understand this,” he insisted, grabbing my full attention. Lord

Atwood covered his face in his hands, as if on the verge of a breakdown. Their reactions were

scarier than my recounting of that memory.

“Those people are deadly. Everyone who has come across them has died,” his statement shook me

to the core. I leaned back and broke eye contact with Nash. My eyes scanned the others, hoping

one of them would admit they were joking. When no one did, anxiety began to creep in.

“But I’m alive.” I shrugged shakily, trying to appear confident that their assessment was wrong.

“For how long?” the moment Silas said that, everyone turned to him and stared at his face.

“We can’t lie to her,” he said in self–defense.

“Wait a minute! You’re not suggesting that I’m going to die, right?” I let out an uncomfortable laugh,

but the way Lord Atwood kept hiding his face was unsettling.

“Of course not. You won’t die because we won’t let it happen. But—you need to make sure you

don’t come across them again,” Nash added, at strange fear for me evident in his eyes.

“How do I do that?” I gulped.

“We don’t know,” Silas interjected gently.

“Don’t scare her,” Cain finally intervened, slapping Silas‘ shoulder and

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leaning over the table to speak with me. “Avoid going to certain narrow areas—streets, alleys, or

hallways, at least not when you’re alone.”

“I wasn’t scaring her. I was just telling her what usually happens after that,” Silas uttered under his

gritted teeth but so softly that his words barely reached his father’s ears.

“But what about school hallways?” I asked, feeling oddly frightened because they seemed serious.

“Abandoned places,” Cain corrected himself. “And don’t worry, we’re researching this. In fact, Silas

will be embarking on a journey in a few days to find out more about these fog people,” Lord Atwood

finally uncovered his face once his sons had informed me what I needed to do to avoid

encountering those deadly individuals again.

“Okay, I’ll be careful.” I mumbled, barely touching my food anymore.

“Now, let’s talk about some good news,” Lord Atwood forced a smile, prompting his sons to look his

way.

“There’s good news, and you kept it from us?” Cain leaned back in his seat, raising an eyebrow at

his father.

He hadn’t spoken to me privately again, and his behavior now seemed normal—not like a mate

talking to his mate, but more like a stepbrother concerned for his stepsister.

“I’ve planned a fall ball, and I want all of you to bring your mates or people you’re interested in to

this ball.”

Everyone fell silent after the announcement, despite Lord Atwood expecting a cheerier response.

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