40. Frankie

Marcus sneersin the dim light, a pen clutched in his hand. "Well, well, well," he drawls, his voice dripping with mockery. "Look who finally figured it out. You're not even human, but a shadow shifter. Took you long enough, didn't it?"

My heart hammers in my chest as I stare at him, the reality of my situation crashing down around me. I'm a shadow shifter. The truth now blazes through my mind with undeniable clarity.

"What do you want, Marcus?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear and anger boiling inside me. I barely hide my smile. It's the perfect night to hunt, and it's been so long since I've taken out the trash. All my fear evaporates in that moment.

"What do I want?" He chuckles darkly, waving the light pen in the air. "Isn't it obvious? I want to watch you squirm. I want to see you suffer for all the trouble you've caused."

"I haven't done anything to you," I snap, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "You're the one who's been hurting people, abusing your power."

"Oh, don't play innocent with me," he sneers, taking a step closer. "You think you're so special, just because you can shift here with the rodents, but you're just a freak, Frankie—a freak who doesn't belong anywhere."

His words cut deep, but they also ignite a spark of defiance within me. I've spent too long feeling lost and powerless, but now, I have something he can never take away from me—my true nature, my power.

"I'm not a freak," I say, my voice growing stronger. "I'm a shadow shifter, and I'm not afraid of you."

Marcus's eyes narrow, his grip tightening on the light pen. "Oh really? We'll see about that." He lunges at me, the pen's light flashing dangerously close to my face. I instinctively raise my hands, and my shadow rises with me. My wolves, my protectors, surge forward, their forms solidifying from the darkness around us.

Marcus's eyes widen in shock, but he quickly recovers, a vicious grin spreading across his face. "So you've got some tricks up your sleeve. Doesn't matter. I know how to deal with your kind."

He activates the light pen, its beam cutting through the air. My wolves snarl, retreating slightly but not backing down. The light doesn't seem to affect them as much as it did the beast from before, but it still makes them uneasy.

"You think that little toy is going to save you?" I taunt, stepping forward. My confidence grows with every passing second, the power of my shadow shifting coursing through me. "You don't know what you're dealing with, Marcus."

"Oh, I think I do," he retorts, his voice trembling with barely contained rage. "You're just a scared little girl playing with shadows, and you know nothing about the world you were born into."

Born? I brush the thought away even though it makes my hands sweat. I take another step forward, my wolves flanking me, their eyes glowing with an inner light.

"I'm not scared," I declare, meeting his gaze. "Not of you."

He snarls, his face contorting with fury. "You should be!"

With a sudden burst of speed, he swings the light pen at me again, but this time, I'm ready. My shadow moves faster than I ever thought possible, intercepting the beam and deflecting it away. Marcus stumbles back, momentarily disoriented.

"Give it up, Marcus," I say, my voice calm and steady. "You can't win this."

His sneer returns, more feral and desperate. "We'll see about that." His laughter rolls over the dark alley, and his eyes peer up at the eclipse that's almost at its peak. "What your little friend didn't tell you is that all shadow shifters can shift during the eclipse."

My heart hammers in my chest, and my face falls. Licking my lips, I ask, "What do you mean?"

"Let me show you," he taunts, then with a gleeful smile, he shrinks down on himself, practically melting into a dark blotchy puddle on the ground before rising up in a large wolf like the ones beside me.

Oh shit. He… He can shift into a shadow wolf.

The door to the bar opens and closes behind me. What are the odds it's someone I know who can help me? Laughter rolls around me, and I know exactly who it is—Amanda and Chloe. I'm so fucked.

"Oh my gosh, look who's in over her head," Amanda sneers, her eyes gleaming with malice.

"Didn't we always say she was a freak?" Chloe chimes in, her laughter high and cruel. "Guess she finally found her place among the monsters."

My heart sinks, the realization hitting me like a ton of bricks. They won't help me. They never intended to. They want me gone, and they think this is the best way to get rid of me.

Marcus, now a massive, dark wolf, circles me and my wolves, his red eyes glowing with predatory intent. His form is larger and more menacing than any shadow I've faced before, and my wolves bristle, their growls vibrating through the air.

"You're not alone, Frankie," Amanda mocks, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "You have your little pets, but let's see how long they last."

I grit my teeth, anger and fear boiling inside me. I can't let them see me break. I can't let Marcus win. Summoning all my strength, I direct my wolves to attack, their forms a blur of shadows as they move in sync with my will, but Marcus is prepared. He dodges their attacks with ease, his own movements fluid and deadly. He lands a heavy blow on one wolf, sending it sprawling to the ground.

Panic surges through me. My wolves are losing, and I'm running out of time.

"Is this all you've got?" Chloe laughs, her voice sharp and cutting. "Pathetic."

Desperation claws at my throat as I struggle to maintain control. I need to think, need to find a way to turn the tide, but every time I try to focus, Marcus is there, tearing through my defenses, his laughter echoing in my ears.

My last wolf lunges at him, teeth bared, but Marcus catches it midair, his jaws closing around its throat. With a vicious shake, he tosses it aside, and it dissolves into shadows, leaving me completely exposed.

I'm alone. Truly alone.

Marcus turns his attention to me, his eyes glowing with triumph. "See, Frankie? You're nothing without your shadows. Just a scared little girl."

My knees buckle, and I fall to the ground, the weight of my failure crushing me. Amanda's and Chloe's laughs ring in my ears, a cruel reminder of my isolation. Tears sting my eyes as I realize no one is coming to help me. I'm on my own.

Marcus prowls closer, his form shifting back into his human shape. He towers over me, his sneer a twisted mask of satisfaction. "This is where you belong, on your knees and powerless."

I close my eyes, my body trembling with fear and anger. I've never felt so alone, so utterly defeated. The darkness around me feels suffocating, pressing in on all sides.

"Look at her," Amanda says, her voice dripping with contempt. "She thought she could be one of us. How pathetic."

Chloe steps closer, her smile cold and cruel. "Goodbye, Frankie. This is the end for you."

The words cut deep, and I feel my spirit breaking under the weight of their betrayal. I don't know how to fight back. I don't know if I can.

Amanda and Chloe share a malicious glance before they start to shift. Their forms blur and melt into the darkness, rising again as massive wolves, just like Marcus. They circle me, their eyes glowing with a malevolent gleam.

Everyone can shift.

Panic surges through me as they close in. My mind races, but I can't see a way out. I'm surrounded, outnumbered, and completely outmatched. I scramble to my feet, backing away as they advance, their growls rumbling through the air.

"Run, Frankie," Amanda taunts, her wolfish grin widening. "Run while you still can."

Before I can move, she swipes at me, her claws slashing across my chest. For a moment, I freeze in shock before I feel the pain, then Chloe strikes, swiping across my abdomen.

Fear grips me, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it's going to burst from my chest. I turn and sprint down the alley before my brain registers the pain, the sound of their laughter and growls echoing behind me. I don't know where I'm going, only that I need to get away, but the shadows press in around me, the darkness feeling more like a trap than a refuge. I can hear them following, their footsteps echoing through the empty streets. I'm running blind, my breath coming in ragged gasps, every instinct screaming at me to keep moving.

I stumble and fall, scraping my hands against the rough pavement. Pain shoots through my palms, but I force myself to get up and keep going. I can't stop, not now, but it's no use. They are too fast, too relentless. I feel them closing in, their presence a suffocating weight. My vision blurs with tears, and I choke back a sob, the hopelessness overwhelming. I'm alone—truly, desperately alone.

That's when the pain sets in, and I stumble into a brick wall. My chest feels like it's burning from the inside out. All the lights in the town are off, but I glance down at my chest. With shaking fingers, I lift my sweater up and over my head. My bra is completely shredded, and there are multiple long gashes across my torso, spewing blood. They are deep. I swear I can see a rib and intestines. Breathing shallowly, I grab my sweater and press it against my chest, trying to stop the blood flow.

I need to get somewhere safe. Where? Tori's. If Amanda and Chloe can shift, though, then that means she can too, and for some reason, that feels like a betrayal. It cuts just as deeply as this cut.

Dorian? Bishop? Leo? Matteo? Did everyone keep this secret from me?

Tears burn the backs of my eyes as I crash against the brick building, my body feeling too heavy to go on, and I slide down the wall. I feel defeat, pain, and anguish. Tears fall for the first time in years.

Get up. Get up, and fight, I tell myself. With one last push, I stand up and yelp in pain, only to slap a hand over my lips. I push off the wall and round the corner, but I run into another object. With a cry, I fall to my knees, hitting hard enough for them to crack, and a sharp pain reverberates up my legs.

"Frankie," a voice calls. "Fuck, Frankie."

Hands reach for me, holding me up.

My head lolls to the side, and I squint. "Dorian?"

"You need to shift," he tells me, holding my face with his palms. I swat him away, betrayal burning in my gut.

"You knew too," I cry out. My pain isn't just physical. I feel like it's burning me from the inside out, and the only one who hurt me that deeply before was… was… Valerie. Tears I've held back for decades spill down my face.

"Come on, Frankie." Dorian pulls me into his lap, cradling me. "Shift, Frankie. Shift, and your wounds will heal. I promise."

"You knew," I accuse with what I feel is my last breath.

"Shadow Locke University." Those three words make everything click into place. My mouth falls open, and the tears keep coming. I hate them. I hate that they exist and fall from my eyes. I thought I could build something here. I thought this was how I planned for my future, but this whole time, I lived in a place with people just like me, and they never told me.

"Shift, Frankie," Dorian says again, but I feel myself fading fast.

"Damn you." He shakes me. "Fine." I can just make out his scent of leather mixing with the iron of my blood. "If you won't help yourself, then I will."

My eyes flutter closed as the world spins all around me. Dorian jostles me, and pain slices through me again, causing me to cry out.

"It's okay. We're through," he assures me, but I have no idea what he's saying. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and lightning as red as a fire hydrant zips through the sky.

"Stay awake for me. I need you to stay awake."

"What?" I push off of him, but he doesn't budge, lifting me with ease. My eyes frantically sweep around us, and it takes everything in my power to keep them open.

"Where?" Everything is the same, but darker and almost dead.

"Welcome to the shadow realm, Frankie." Dorian cradles me close as he rushes down the road, almost too fast for a human. "Welcome home."

Home?

It's the last thing I hear before darkness takes over.