Chapter 3 - Nova

My nerves were completely fried by the time I reached the front of the line. I felt lightheaded from not having eaten anything substantial in four days; stale crackers and a package of breath mints were my current diet. I was absolutely exhausted after sleeping scrunched in my car for three weeks with no warmth except a thin blanket I stole from a clothesline. 

The warrior who leaned down to speak with me was a mountain. Muscles rippled under his well-tailored uniform. His face was pleasant enough, but I was still intimidated; I remembered how much it hurt to be pushed around by my dad’s pack members. If Blue Stone members looked like him, they would kill me within a week. 

He must have realized he was scaring the shit out of me. He crouched down and smiled. I noticed his eyes were hazel. It was odd to notice that while I was trying to remember how words actually worked. 

“You’re new.”

Wow, he’s observant. That clicked my brain into gear so I could function. 

“I’m here for an appointment at SmokeShield Cyber.”

His dark eyebrow rose as he took in my pathetic car. “You’re not their normal clientele.”

Grinding my teeth, I did my best not to be snarky. My mouth got me in trouble in my dad’s pack. “Sorry to disappoint. Blanche Hatcher is waiting for me.”

The guy grinned. “Are you Nova?”

I frowned at that. How would he know my name? 

“Yes,” I answered cautiously.

“I’m Tyler. My mate, Dallas, works with Blanche. She talks about you all the time.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what else I was supposed to say. 

After giving me directions to SmokeShield Cyber, Tyler let me through the gates. My car jerked forward, wheezed loudly, spit out some black smoke, and finally obeyed well enough to limp along toward my destination. 

Pulling up to the sprawling estate, I cringed. Hummers, Range Rovers, Escalades, and a Corvette were parked in the driveway. My rusted-out Honda looked rather pathetic. I looked around for a sign pointing me toward SmokeShield Cyber but didn’t see one. 

Before I could call Blanche, the front door opened, and she came rushing out. 

“Wow! You were not kidding about your car! How did that thing make it here from Missouri?”

“Several prayers, gallons of water, and pints of oil.” I quipped as she hauled me out of the car and into a hug. 

There was a leak in the radiator and oil lines. I had to constantly watch the gauges to make sure it didn’t overheat or run out of oil. 

Blanche became my pen pal when I was in the seventh grade. It had been a program started by Queen Sarah as a way for shifters to connect. The new Alpha Queen even kept that program going. Blanche was three years older than me, but we clicked right away and remained friends. 

She tried to get me to come to the Blue Stone Pack when my dad kicked me out, but she had still been living at home, and I was pretty sure her parents would not have been happy if I had shown up on their doorstep. Now, she lived alone and had a solid career. I was proud of her. She was different from the girl who first wrote to me; she was more confident and settled.

“Lunch is almost ready, so you came just in time.” Blanche was pulling me toward the door. 

I put the brakes on and shook my head. “I don’t want to interrupt lunch. I can just wait out here.”

“Don’t be silly. There is always plenty of food. We have people drop by all the time. Sonni insists on feeding anyone who walks through her front door.” She was a little oblivious to my desperate attempts to get my wrist free so I could flee. 

Blanche was stronger than I would have guessed, and I was yanked through the front door. The tile was slippery as hell under my well-worn sneakers. My feet decided to fully betray me right as my brain registered that someone was coming down the staircase. One foot went left, and one foot went forward, right between Blanche’s feet. 

I landed hard on my back with a yelp, then I let out a full-on scream when Blanche landed on top of me. Pounding feet came running from every direction, and I wanted to crawl back out the front door and hide in the bushes. 

“Oh my goodness! Blanche, how many times have I told you it is not nice to sit on your guests?” An amused feminine voice sounded to my right. 

Blanche grunted and then dug her elbow into my stomach as she tried to gracefully get up off the floor while wearing a skirt. Someone reached down and picked her up; they actually lifted her right off of me and set her on her feet. 

I blinked several times at the hulking male standing in front of me. Blanche shook her head and giggled. 

“Thank you, Cassian. I wasn’t sure how I was getting up with my dignity still intact.”

“Now that you have fully squashed your friend, maybe we should help her up, too.” Cassian smiled at me, and my mouth fell open. He had the most adorable dimples. 

“That is the reaction my mate gets from every single female he meets.” My eyes moved to the goddess standing at the foot of the stairs. Of course he would have a fabulous mate. Besides, there was no way a male who looked like that would have any interest in me. 

In my old pack, I was ridiculed and bullied. In the human world, I was invisible until my bosses needed someone to blame. I wasn’t the type of female who stood out in a crowd. Luna Madeline had made sure I knew that fact; Freyja did, too. I was plain and forgettable. 

Another male reached down and lifted me to my feet. His fingers met around my waist, and I saw his frown. When I was kicked out of my pack, I was a frumpy one-hundred-eighty pounds. For the past six years, I have had to scrape by, and I now weigh about one hundred and five pounds. I hated my body. I hated it at sixteen, but I would give anything to have a little extra meat on my bones now.

Blanche grabbed my hand. “That is Alpha Hawk. He is Sonni’s brother and our territory alpha for the southern region.”

I smiled and thanked him for helping me stand. Then, Blanche introduced me to the beauty by the stairs. Luna Sonnet, or just Sonni, as she told me. Cassian was one of her ten mates and was a dragon shifter. Ten mates; my brain couldn’t even grasp that. I would think I had died and gone to heaven if just one male walked up to me and said I was his mate. 

Without a wolf, I would never know if someone was my mate. I was basically human but with better reflexes, hearing, and sense of smell. I was also probably disgusting to these wolves and dragons. I felt disgusting in my tattered clothes. What I wouldn’t give for a real bath instead of washing up in a gas station bathroom sink. 

When I snagged jobs as a maid at motels, I was able to sneak in and take a shower while cleaning the rooms. My last real shower was nine days ago, and it had felt wonderful.

Blanche pulled me back to the conversation. “Nova is one of my best friends, the one who has always listened without judging me.” 

“Nova, we would love to have you join us for lunch. Rosa and Cassian set up a taco and nacho bar.” Sonni slipped her arm through mine and guided me into the main living space. 

My eyes widened. It was bright, airy, and well-lived in without being cluttered. It was also open so you could see everything. A small Hispanic female was placing a bowl of salsa on a long table; she smiled at Sonni and introduced herself as Rosa.