Chapter 4

"I'm sorry.I won't be able to give you two a ride today. I've got something I need to take care of."

I almost didn"t believe her. Kiara had been driving me and Leo to Blackridge for Leo's school twice a day, but because I never left the classroom during that time, she was getting frustrated with me again.

"But… I can't drive," I admitted quietly. Women didn't need to know how to drive in the pride. We weren't allowed to leave the compound unless it was an emergency, and never without a male present. The few times I was in a car, I was always a passenger.

"Just ask someone in the compound to drive you. They're friendly enough. I gotta go. I'll see you later."

She hung up before I could protest and I let my hand drop into my lap, frowning down at the phone. The only other people who lived here at the compound were all males. What was Kiara thinking telling me to ask them? I wasn't that brave.

"What's wrong?"

Leo was ready for school already, his bag packed and on his shoulder. It took a lot of convincing to get him to go to school every day, and the only way he'd accept it was if I stayed with him. He flicked his hair out of his face, his baby blue eyes watching me closely. I masked my discomfort, forcing out a small smile.

"Nothing. Aunt Kiara is busy this morning. She says we need to ask someone else for a ride."

Annoyance flashed across Leo's face before he dropped his bag by the door. "I'll do it. You wait here."

Relief flooded through me, followed closely by shame. I shouldn't have to rely on my son to talk to people for me. I didn't want him taking care of me for the rest of his life. He was already too serious. He needed a chance to be a little boy. The pride never afforded him that luxury. I didn't want to continue that cycle.

Pushing to my feet, I edged toward the door. I could hear Leo's voice as he spoke to one of the males, asking politely for a ride. The male's voice was familiar, and thankfully, not the dragon. I wasn't sure I could handle being in a vehicle with that man. I heard what happened to the pride who made him angry. So far, despite living in his home, I hadn't run into him.

I worked up the nerve to step into the hall, but the man went back into his apartment before I could join the conversation. Leo waved his hand lazily towards the closed door behind him before taking my hand and leading me back to our rooms.

"He said he needed to shower first. We'll leave right after."

"Th-That's good. Who was that?"

"Jack. He's a flight shifter. He's mated to the owl."

I winced. Oh. Those two. I was really hoping not to run into them any time soon. They weren't unkind or anything, but our first meeting didn't go well. I thought I was alone in the kitchen with Leo, and I was making dinner when the couple came in. The surprise and fear forced an immediate shift and my lioness's protective instincts went haywire, trying to protect Leo from the strange males.

It was the resident witch who stopped me from attacking them. I struggled to control my lioness sometimes. She was usually timid and skittish, but when she thought she was protecting Leo, she was fierce and it was difficult to hold her back. Runa stepped between us and the flight shifters and her soft tones and calm nature settled my lioness enough for me to take back control. I hadn't seen her since, but in the rare occurrences that Kiara convinced me to go for a shift, I smelled her closer to the back. Kiara said she had her own cabin back there, and to steer clear of it because it had a lot of protections around it.

Still, without Runa's interference, I wasn't sure the flight shifters would've come out unscathed and I avoided them ever since out of sheer guilt. I was honestly surprised Jack agreed to give us a ride after I treated him so suspiciously.

I wrung my hands nervously while waiting for him and kept my gaze down when he approached. He was a low level dominant, and probably not a threat, but he was also a male. That alone made me nervous.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Y-Yes. Thank you for driving us. My sister was busy."

"It's no problem," he said brightly. "I had to head there early anyway. I needed to meet with Liv before we left for the shop. Have you met her yet?"

I nodded slowly, following him outside to the car. He seemed like the type who enjoyed talking, and the longer he spoke, the more at ease I felt. He was kind and eager and seemed to really enjoy working for two women. My gaze finally dragged away from my lap and I looked up at him.

"... I mean, the space we have now is great, but this new place is a lot closer to the crew's shop, and I definitely think Derek would be happy about that. Have you met him yet? He's such a sweetheart. Follows Liv around like a puppy. A massive, almost seven foot tall puppy."

When he glanced at me, I shook my head quickly. I tried to get to the trailer park late enough that most of them were gone for the day. I wasn't comfortable meeting everyone yet.

His smile was kind and not at all judgmental. "Out of everyone, Derek might be the one you should meet. He's big, yeah, and his animal can feel kind of heavy. But he's the sweetest guy there and great with kids. Just ask Javi. He says Derek gives the best shoulder rides in the whole entire world."

I hummed, twisting my fingers nervously. Rhea made the suggestion that I meet one male at a time to orient myself easier, but I hadn't chosen who yet. Anyone but her mate. She said Link was kind and nothing like the alpha or the males of the pride, but he was still a lion. I didn't want to meet him.

"His mate, though. She's a force to be reckoned with. She likes to tease, so don't take anything she says personally. She doesn't mean any harm. I'm glad I had time to shower before we left, though. If I come to work smelling like Christian, she'll spend the rest of the day poking fun. Like she's any better. She's a panther shifter, but she spends so much time with her mate, she almost always smells like a bear at first."

Since he was being friendly, I thought I should probably warn him that his tactic to avoid the teasing might not have been as effective as he thought.

"She, um… She might be more focused on your neck than your scent…"

He frowned and slowed at a bend to check his neck in the mirror. When he noticed the love bite not quite hidden by his collar, he dropped his chin to his chest with a defeated expression, his ears turning bright red. "Damn. I didn't know he did that. Now I won't ever hear the end of it." He shot me a sheepish grin. "Thanks for telling me. Christian didn't say anything about it before he left this morning. I'll have to get back at him somehow."

He didn't sound malicious, so I didn't take him too seriously. I didn't know much about his mate, but it was obvious in the affection in Jack's tone that they loved each other very much.

A small amount of jealousy filled my belly, and I turned to look out the window again to hide it. I'd never get that. No one was going to want a single mother, much less one with anxiety and a broken animal. I had to be happy with what I had.

While I was wrapped in my thoughts, we pulled into the trailer park. I hadn't been expecting the crowd out front and when I noticed, I sucked in a sharp breath. Normally at this point, everyone would be at work and the trailer park would be mostly empty. Today wasn't the same, and Jack seemed oblivious as he parked the car and got out.

"Mom?"

I was breathing too quickly, and I felt trapped in my seat. Why were there so many males here today? Was this why Kiara didn't want to drive us? Was she hoping to force me to interact with them? That seemed cruel, even for her.

Leo's hand on my shoulder made me jump and flinch. A whimper worked its way up my throat and white noise filled my mind. I couldn't do this. I couldn't face all of them together. This was a mistake, and because I couldn't drive away, I was trapped here. My lioness scratched against my skin, demanding that I let her out to protect our cub, but I was frozen in my seat. I could barely hear over my panting breaths, and when Leo opened my door to check on me, a sob ripped out of my throat.

"G-Go to s-school. I–" I could barely work the words from my throat. My entire body trembled, and I couldn't see past the tears.

"No! I'm not going without you!" he snarled. "We're going back home. Mom, I–"

I shook my head quickly. "No. You have school. I-I-I'll have Rhea bring you home when you're finished and–"

I wanted to run. I needed to. Leo was safe here. Kiara assured me the crew was safe. He would be alright without me. The lioness pushed harder against my mind, and I had to grit my teeth to keep my skin.

"What's wrong?" a deep male voice asked. An unfamiliar male. Nausea rolled through my stomach and I swallowed against the bile threatening to escape.

"Nothing. Go away. She doesn't–"

A shadow fell over us both as the male moved to stand next to us. "If nothin's wrong, she wouldn't be cryin'. What's she scared of?"

"Males," Leo growled. "Like you. Leave her alone."