Gregory's Rebellion Read Online Free PDF

he did, the council knew what he’d done, but he didn’t say that. “Why don’t you tell me?” he asked instead.
    Gregory sat in the chair opposite and took a sip from his steaming mug before he spoke. “You’ve been away from your parents for several years now. You don’t have any friends. You haven’t been interacting with other cats. You—”
    “How do you know all that?”
    “The council keeps a close eye on all shifters. As I’m sure you know, we are all registered with the council at birth. I would imagine you’ve been on their radar since you applied for your social security card when you started working in the diner. I’m certain I’m not the only agent the council has sent here. They don’t send in someone like me to make an extraction unless they have all the facts about a shifter. They need to know exactly what they’re dealing with. You’ve probably been watched for some time to see if you made any relationships with other cats.”
    Hayden frowned. He didn’t like the idea that people had been spying on him, but the reason for Gregory’s presence calmed him significantly. The council didn’t know what he’d done. Thank God .
    “What’s going to happen to me?”
    Gregory lowered his gaze. He scrubbed a hand over his eyes and let out a long sigh. “I don’t usually get involved after I’ve handed someone over to my superiors. Some shifters, those with…problems, are able to be rehabilitated. Wolves, for example, are encouraged to join packs. Younger shifters are placed with families. It depends on the individual and their circumstances. But others…” Gregory didn’t finish the sentence—he didn’t have to. Hayden had a fair idea what happened to others.
    “Why can’t I stay here? I have my apartment and a job. It’s not like I’m a danger to anyone.” Even as the words came out of his mouth, Hayden knew they were untrue. He was a danger, wasn’t he?
    “That’s not going to be possible, Hayden, I’m sorry.”
    “But I don’t want to leave,” Hayden said quietly. “I’ve got Mac here—he’s been like a father to me, more of a father than my own ever was.”
    “But he’s human,” Gregory argued. “You need to be with other shifters, with your own kind. And your cat needs to be able to run and to hunt. The more you fight the shift, the more difficult it will become to resist and then there’s no telling what will happen. You could shift at any time, hurt someone. Cats that shut themselves away from others of their kind can become feral. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?”
    “No,” Hayden whispered. He never wanted to hurt anyone again.
    “When was the last time you shifted?”
    “About three years ago.” Hayden had made the statement casually as though he could barely remember, but he knew the exact date of when he’d last shifted. He could hardly forget. That day had changed him irrevocably. It had hardened him, stripped him of his trust and faith and hope. He couldn’t forget that night even if he wanted to. The large angry scar that ran down the left side of his face from his eye to his lip had become a constant reminder.
    Gregory pulled in a sharp breath. “Jesus Christ. Three years? But how? Why?”
    “I don’t want to talk about it.” Hayden gripped his coffee cup tighter and pressed his lips together. He couldn’t tell Gregory the reason he didn’t shift without revealing what he’d done that day three years ago, so he kept quiet.
    “When are you going to take me in?” Hayden asked in a small voice. “I need to collect my things from my apartment first and go in to the diner to say goodbye to Mac.”
    Gregory placed his mug on the coffee table beside him and got up from his chair. He crossed the space and sat next to Hayden. “We’ll go right away to collect your belongings, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to go back to the diner to say goodbye to Mac.”
    “What do you mean? Why not? I can’t leave without saying