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What wasIgoing to do? After Perry had left Wolfheart, I’d spent so much time tearing myself up over what I could’ve done or should’ve done to help him, but in the end, none of it mattered because he was gone and I couldn’t change the past. Suddenly, unexpectedly, I had anotherchance.

But what couldI reallydo?

And didI really want to get involved? I wasn’t the same person that I was back then. I’d gone my own path, just like Perry had gone his. I couldn’t chase a memory of what wehad.

“It’s getting late,”Perry said. He stood up, and my hand slid away from his shoulder. “I should be getting home. My daughter is waiting forme.”

“You’re at your family estate?”Iasked.

“Yeah.”

We climbeddown from the roof of the building and made our way down the stadium stairs to the debris-covered tarmac. Grass and weeds were starting to poke through cracks in the asphalt, and birds hopped around picking at bugs in the overgrowth. Give another ten years, and our spot would probably be unrecognizable. As we walked out towards the parking lot, our hands hung by our sides, just a few inches apart. I wanted to reach out and take his hand, but I resisted. I wasn’t used to this nervous feeling. It was like I was eighteen again, full ofbutterflies.

Iswungmy leg over the seat of my motorcycle, my helmet squeezed underneath myarm.

“You don’t needto worry about me, Arthur,” Perry said, standing by the door to his car. “In fact, I’m sorry to have gotten you involved again. I didn’t expect that we’d be seeing each other again, like this. So I think it’s probably for the best we let thingsbe.”

Before it goes any further.I knew that was what he meant. But I’d tasted him again, and felt the warmth of his touch. The den had beenopened.

“It’s too late, Perry,”I said. “For better or for worse, we’ve been thrown back into each other’s lives. We’re gonna see each other again. I’m gonna take care ofyou.”

Itwistedthe key in the ignition and my bike growled to life, its throaty roar cutting the quiet of this place. The way Perry looked at me, I could see that he wasn’t surprised at my response. He knew as well as I did that there was nothing either of us could do. We were together again. There was no going back, no ignoring it. I slipped on my helmet. Jamming my boot onto the pavement, I opened the throttle and swung my back tire around, burning rubber and kicking up an arc of pale smoke. Then I released the brake and rocketedaway.

Life didn’t often givesecond chances. I wasn’t going to waste thisone.

* * *

Islugged backa whiskey and ordered one more. Loch sat next to me, turning his glass on the counter. The lounge musician played something unremarkable on the piano as people feigned interest to get away from their conversations for amoment.

“And he just showed up out ofnowhere?” Lochsaid.

“Yeah,”I said. “Appeared like a fuckingghost.”

“What are the odds,”he said. “Just after I told you I learned he was back. You don’t think he’s trying…” He stopped himself, considering his words. “Do you trusthim?”

“Yes,”I said, without hesitation. “I know how it looks. Convenient appearance after thirteen years, needing help. Perry isn’t like that. And he’s not asking for anything fromme.”

“Okay,”Loch said. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to cause anyoffense.”

Ishook my head.“It’s a fair assumption.” I sipped more whiskey. I probably shouldn’t drink this much, but I was trying to make sense of this wholesituation.

“Ididn’t realizehe meant this much to you,” Loch said. “You never talked about himmuch.”

“Icouldn’t,”I said, swirling the drink in my glass. “It was just too much.” I sighed. “I’m not used to feeling out of control, Loch. It feels the way I did back then. Out of control. I need to help him, but I don’t know what I can do. He’s bound to this marriage. It’s a bond that can’t bebroken.”

“The sacred oathisn’t easily broken, that’s for sure,” Loch said,nodding.

“It’sa good thing you and Tresten worked out, huh? You would’ve been in the samesituation.”

He chuckled.“Don’t remind me. I understand what Perry must be going through. It can only be worse as omega, though. To have your life signed away like that, bound to an alpha you don’t love. Damn. Poor Tresten. He got stuck withme.”

We both laughed.“It really is amazing that it did work out,” I said. “Fortunate.”

“Fate worked in our favor,”Loch said. “I’ve learned to trust in fate. When it blows good stuff your way, you gotta take it. And you know, I think it’s blowing your way. There’s gotta be some way to dissolve theirmarriage.”

“Yeah,”I said, not sounding so sure. The sacred laws of mating and marriage went back thousands of years. Omegas and betas belonged to their alpha. Once the rites were performed, the bond was solid in the eyes of society—especially for highborns. Omegas and betas risked being ostracized from their families and clans if they tried to separate from theirmates.

“Iwork at the Dawn Academy,”Loch said. “I’ll ask some of my friends there to look into the law ofit.”