Strength Enduring Read online

  She could only wonder what their other friend, Cheyenne, kept from them, as it seemed the four best friends who thought they could tell each other anything, each kept something close to the heart.

  With a sigh, she stripped out of her sweaty clothes, tossed them into the hamper, and studied her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t like how pale she was and the fear that was in her eyes even though she didn’t know what she should be afraid of. She turned to the side and lifted her breast ever so slightly so she could look at the scar that had been on her body since she was a baby. She called it a scar rather than a birthmark because it never felt as if she’d had it since birth. The knowing was just one more thing that made her feel off. But it wasn’t as if she could explain it.

  On her ribcage, right below her breast, was a long scar that looked like a wisp of flame. The mark had grown as she did, and it had forever piqued her curiosity for how she had come to get it. No one could see it unless she wore a very tiny bathing suit, which was something she didn’t often do. Or when she was in bed with another. That meant that only a few close people had ever seen her scar other than her parents when she was younger and her doctors.

  The red mark didn’t hurt, and it didn’t do anything. It was just there to remind her every time she looked at herself in the mirror that something was different about her.

  Or maybe she’d been spending too much time with one foot in the world of the paranormal that something as innocuous as a scar seemed far more important than just a mark on her flesh.

  Of course, thinking about the paranormal made her think of Kam. She couldn’t believe she’d actually gone up to him two nights prior and told him flat out that she knew they were mates. She wasn’t a wolf, and she wasn’t supposed to have that knowledge at all. But then again, that sense of knowing was loud in her mind when it wanted to be. After she had said the words, he had just stood there like a deer in headlights, rather than the wolf that he was. Then she had walked away, a sway in her step as if she hadn’t a care in the world. That was so beyond the truth, but she hoped she’d put on a better façade than what was going on in her mind.

  She had no idea what she was going to do if he actually came after her and said that, yes, they were mates, and he wanted to do something about it. She also didn’t know what she would do if he never came after her at all. What she did know was that she was tired of standing back and waiting.

  But the ball was in his court. And she guessed she would just have to wait it out.

  She turned away from the mirror and went to get ready for her day. She had a meeting with the principal before her afternoon classes. She was an elementary school teacher, and that morning was a late start for a half-day for a teacher work day. Normally, she’d be in her classroom, either setting up for the next week, grading papers, or working on lesson plans, but the principal had wanted to see her, and that meant she needed to be on her best behavior.

  Most people wouldn’t think of her as an elementary school teacher since she seemed to be the more outspoken one of her group of friends. But just because she stood up for those she cared about and herself, didn’t mean she couldn’t take care of children. She loved teaching, adored enriching lives and watching for that spark when a child truly understood what they were trying to learn. Her job wasn’t easy, she worked far too much and got paid way too little, but she still loved almost every moment of it.

  But even as she thought that, she couldn’t help but wonder if today would be her last day—that sense of knowing coming at her again. She tried to brush it off like she usually did. There was no reason that she wouldn’t be a teacher after today. No reason at all. She worked harder than any of the others at her grade level. She was the one they sent the so-called problem students to. She didn’t think any of her kids were problem students. Some just needed a little extra help or had a different way of learning. That was her job as a teacher, to facilitate what each student needed. Some people didn’t understand, but she did, and she wasn’t going to stop fighting for her kids anytime soon.

  And now she was getting angry and standing on her soapbox for no reason. The principal probably just wanted to talk about her lesson plans or something. The woman was very hands-on, a former teacher herself, even if she was a little standoffish in the personality department. Just because Dhani had dreamed a really weird dream didn’t mean it would leach into the rest of her life like it might have in the past.

  By the time she had her coffee, did her morning yoga that she really didn’t like but needed to do anyway, and got ready for her day, she was still a little early when she got to her classroom. That meant she had a few minutes to make sure that the students’ desks were situated and that everything would be ready for them when they returned that afternoon.

  When the time for her meeting came, she rolled her shoulders back and did her best not to act as if she were worried when she stepped into the principal’s office.

  “Shut the door behind you, Ms. Coburn.”

  Ms. Layne had a stern voice and an even sterner reputation. Dhani wasn’t afraid of her, but she wasn’t going to lie and say that she wasn’t intimidated.

  “What was it you wanted to meet with me about?”

  “Take a seat.”

  Dhani did, that sense of dread in her belly tumbling around and growing bigger by the second.

  “Ms. Coburn, there’s no easy way to say this. But after this meeting, I’m going to ask you to calmly pack up your things and go home. There’s a substitute teacher waiting to take over your class. You are no longer needed at the school.”

  Dhani blinked. “What? What are you talking about? You can’t just fire me. I’m a damn good teacher.” She probably shouldn’t have cursed, but it was too late now, and she was scared—not even angry at this point. The anger would probably show itself soon.

  “It’s come to my attention, no…it’s come to the board’s attention that you took off too many days in a row last quarter. And while some schools may allow that, we do not. Your personal life seems to have bled into your professional one, and the board is not pleased. We are not pleased. There is no union here, Ms. Coburn. There is no recourse for you. If you fight this, it’ll be harder for you in the end. I’m sure your friends will be able to help you.”

  Dhani had taken time off to help nurse her friend back to health after Dawn had been hurt. And then she’d done so again when Aimee was hurt. She had used what she thought was accrued vacation time but, apparently, that wasn’t how the board wanted to play it. She hadn’t missed the way the other woman had emphasized the word friends either.

  The board wasn’t happy that Dhani was friends with the Talons.

  And because the new relationship between the humans and the shifters was so fragile, there was no recourse for her. She could fight, she could go to the press, she could try to sue for discrimination, but what would that accomplish?

  She’d always been a fighter. Always stood up for others. And yet, right then, she couldn’t think of a reason to fight for her job…but she could stand up for what was right.

  Stand up.

  The words slid into her mind like the dream had, and she did her best to ignore them, not understanding why that sense of knowing would come back with a vengeance now.

  “You can’t just let me go,” she said, her voice growing stronger by the minute.

  “Ms. Coburn, this wasn’t my decision alone. And, yes, we can just let you go at our discretion. We strive to have teachers who help enrich our students’ lives. We cannot have someone here that will keep them in danger. And you having to spend so much time away from the school and with those people, tells me you’re not putting your students first. You’re putting them first.”

  Dhani had heard a lot of prejudiced things in her life. Had witnessed it firsthand and had stood up for those who needed her to do so. She had never been one to back down when someone was in pain because another was misguided or just ignorant or frankly, an asshole. Yet she had never thought the words c
oming out of this woman’s mouth would actually be directed at her. What the hell was wrong with people that they didn’t want someone who happened to know shifters to teach their children?

  Now, she was pissed.

  “You’re telling me that the board is a bunch of prejudiced assholes that are going to let me go because I happen to be friends with a Pack? That’s some bullshit right there.”

  “Watch your language.”

  “You’re firing me anyway. I might as well do something to make it legit. Because you using some lame excuse that I took too much time off—which we both know is a lie—is just petty. You might as well come out and just say that you’re elitist and don’t want your precious little humans touched by a wolf. Guess what, I’m human, too. And let me tell you something, honey, the wolves were living amongst us long before you realized you were going to judge them for not being like you, so you can go fuck right off.”

  She couldn’t quite believe she had just said that, but it didn’t matter now. She wouldn’t have gotten that angry, wouldn’t have said what she had if the woman hadn’t had such vitriol in her tone about those that Dhani called friends. Because, fuck that shit.

  “The parents don’t want you here. They’re the ones that called, and we agreed that you’re not wanted here. Get out of my office. Now. Before I call the police.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’m done. But the children that I’m leaving better get the best damn education out there. Because they are the ones you’re hurting. Not me.” A lie. She hurt so damn badly, but she wasn’t going to give this vile woman and her precious board the satisfaction. “And if you try to fuck me getting another job anywhere outside of this school, I’ll go to the press. I’ll name and shame this damn school. I’ll name and shame you personally. I didn’t sign a confidentiality agreement, and I won’t be quiet when it comes to the way the board is being a bunch of prejudiced assholes.”

  And with that, Dhani stormed out of the office and past the other teachers who had totally been listening in. No one would meet her eyes, so she flipped them off on her way out. She was done with this school and the way she’d had to hide who she was so she could fit in. She wasn’t the calm and demure type. But she had done it for the students.

  And now she was being kicked out.

  Seething with rage, she went to get her purse out of her desk and froze. Someone had written wolf lover and whore in red marker on her whiteboard, and now she knew exactly where she stood.

  She wasn’t wanted. And, apparently, in the school, she had never been wanted.

  Just the way Kameron didn’t seem to want her.

  No, she wasn’t going to think about that because she had way too much on her plate to think about a man. She quickly erased the words on the board, the red still peeking through after a single swipe of the eraser. So she sprayed it down and cleaned it again. The words couldn’t hurt her any more than that first sight, but she didn’t want the students to see. They were young and impressionable, and she was going to miss them with all of her heart.

  But she couldn’t stay.

  So she gathered up her purse, anything personal from the school that was hers, and walked out to her car, ignoring the stares and the whispers. They could talk all they wanted about her, call her a wolf lover or whore, but she didn’t care. She was done with this, and she was tired of living between two worlds.

  She had spent the past year learning more about the world of the supernatural than she’d ever thought possible. Now, two of her friends were mated within the Pack, and she spent more of her free time at the den than anywhere else. She wasn’t Pack, was only a guest, but now it seemed that she could possibly have a mate of her own within the Pack.

  She was so confused; constantly tugged in two directions.

  Her parents were human, remote, and distant. Cheyenne was her only human friend left. Dawn had always been a wolf, even though she had hidden it for her own safety. Aimee was now a lion shifter of all things, but no one outside the Pack was allowed to know that. The fact that Dhani did was a huge sign of trust on the Talon’s part and one more reason that she didn’t understand why she was the way she was. Dhani was pulled toward this new world. She’d always known things, had always listened to her intuition even though she also had a very analytical mind. Her parents had never understood and constantly berated her for it, but she hadn’t been able to help it.

  She listened to her gut feelings, even though they didn’t always make sense. And that was why she had gone off in that office. She had known that morning that something was going to change, but she hadn’t been able to figure out what it would be. But as soon as her principal showed her prejudice, Dhani knew that she could no longer work there. She would miss her children more than anything, but that school wasn’t the right place for her. And as she drove towards the Talon Pack den, she prayed that there would be a place for her within those wards with the people she trusted most.

  She couldn’t help but feel like she was on the outside looking in when it came to those at the den, but she had steadily been making friends there over time, and she wanted to be part of something more than herself. She didn’t need to be a Pack member, not unless they wanted her to be, and she didn’t know how that all worked as a human anyway. But she wanted to be a part of something greater than herself. Maybe she just wanted help. Because she had never felt this lost before, and she didn’t know what to do.

  She hadn’t realized she was crying until she pulled up to the sentry gate and rolled down her window.

  “What’s wrong, Dhani? Are you hurt?” Tino, one of the main sentries that she usually interacted with and who also happened to report to Kam, leaned into the window to sniff at her. She was still getting used to the way shifters used all of their senses to figure out situations.

  Dave, the other sentry on duty, opened her passenger door. She hadn’t even known Tino had reached over to unlock it.

  “Let us help,” Dave said, his voice concerned.

  She shook her head, wiping away her tears. “I’m not hurt. “Her voice sounded steady, so she counted that as a win. “I had a really rough morning, and I know I should have called ahead, but I really want to see my friends. Can I come in? Or can they come out to speak to me?”

  Tino looked over at Dave, who was now sitting in her passenger seat, patting her hand as if he were trying to soothe her. They were really great guys, and she was glad they were the two who happened to be here when she drove up.

  Tino presumably went to call ahead like she should’ve done to see if she was allowed into the den. The fact that she’d even been allowed onto the territory at all was because she was familiar to the others on guard duty. But getting into the den itself and passing the wards was a whole other matter. She didn’t particularly like going through the wards. Before Aimee had been changed, her friend always had horrible reactions to the magic. Everyone now knew it was because a witch had cursed her, but now that the curse was gone and Aimee was a shifter herself, as well as bonded to the Pack, she had no issues with the wards. Cheyenne had no problem at all—then or now—which said that she was completely human and welcomed into the den by the moon goddess herself.

  Dhani on the other hand always got slightly lightheaded, but not as much as Aimee had before everything changed. The others thought it was either because there had been a witch somewhere in Dhani’s line, or maybe she was just one of the few humans that were oddly susceptible. Because her parents were both very human and very anti-anything-not-normal for that matter, she had a feeling she was just one of the unlucky few who had adverse reactions to the magic.

  That would make what she was about to ask a little tricky, but then again, that sense of knowing was right back at it, filling her brain with impossible dreams.

  When Tino gave the go-ahead, she drove past the wards into the side parking lot where guests were allowed to park. As always, the magic tingled over her skin, and she drove really slowly, far below the speed limit in case she got lightheaded again
. Every time she went through the wards, the reaction was different. This time, she only got a slight headache, but her skin went clammy.

  She parked, took a deep breath to shake off the weird reactions, and when she got out of the car, the two people waiting for her were the exact two people she wanted to see. That sense of knowing struck again.

  Brie and Dawn stood side by side, worried expressions on their faces, telling Dhani that Tino had called ahead and warned them that she was upset.

  Before she could say anything, however, two words slipped into her mind, a whisper in a voice she thought she knew yet couldn’t place.

  Two words that meant something, though she couldn’t help but wonder what.

  Stand up.

  Stand up?

  She’d stood up for herself and her friends at the school, but she knew the words meant something more, something to do with what she was about to ask.

  “What’s wrong, Dhani?” Brie asked.

  “Talk to us,” Dawn said. Both were at her side, holding her close.

  And because she knew she was loved, protected between these two impossibly strong women who happened to work with the children of the den at the daycare and the school, she did as the words had whispered.

  She stood up.

  “I got fired today because my former job is full of prejudiced pricks. And because of that, I knew I had to come here. I need a job. I want to teach. I know you’re short two teachers because of the child boom you had recently, and you have one person getting certified now, but I’m a teacher. A good one. Hire me. I’m not Pack. I’m not a wolf. But I can help. Please, let me help.”

  She heard the desperation in her voice, knew she sounded as if she were begging, but in the end, that was exactly what she was doing.

  Brie’s eyes widened as Dawn growled.

  “They did what?” Dawn asked.