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“I did,” he agreed, and squeezed my hand. He pulled into a side street and found a place to park in town. The street was quiet this time of day, with only a scattering of tourists walking down the sidewalk. It was a bit too early for spring flowers to be in bloom, but in another couple of weeks, the green belt running through the middle of the road would be a riot of colors. “But it wasn’t shoved in my face like you, Ember. It’s okay to feel that loss differently from the rest of us, honey.”

I scowled. It felt wrong, somehow, to say I grieved our parents deeper than the rest of my family. They all mourned our parents in their own way but…it had taken years for me to be okay again.

“I lost my parents one night when a phone call changed everything.” Terran turned to face me. “But I almost lost you too, and I can’t help but also feel grateful that you’re still here.”

My eyes welled up with tears, and I swallowed hard.

“You already love them, Em. You’re not getting around that. You’ll feel worse if you don’t let yourself enjoy all the perks of being happy, having a pack, and then realize in ten years you were holding back the entire time.”

I grumbled. He was right. “It’s still scary.”

“Oh, scary as hell.”

I climbed out, and he came around to my side right away, scanning the street. I hated the stalker with fresh ire for putting such a cautious look on my brother’s face.

“You’re already in love. Might as well let go.” Terran put his arm around my shoulders.

“Right, throw myself off a cliff,” I muttered.

“You can’t stop loving West. Or me. Or the rest of us.” My brother shrugged like it was nothing, instead of my biggest fears. “They will be there to catch you if you fall.”

We entered the hardware store, and I wandered around while Terran bought some stuff. Nails, or hammers, or whatever he needed for the resort, and then we kept walking down Main Street.

One More Page, the local bookstore, was ahead. I tugged on Terran’s sleeve. “Can we go in? I need the next book inDaggers and Designations. You could preorder the nextOath of Ash and Wing?”

Terran grinned. “Of course. Why else would we be in town?”

We opened the door to the bookstore. A small coffee bar sat to the side of the main area. It was the picture-perfect idealization of what a small-town bookstore with a coffee bar should be, the platonic ideal of all bookstores everywhere. It had two stories, the top floor accessible through a winding staircase or elevator, and books covered every surface. The couches and armchairs stuffed into the corners were soft and comfy, with hardwood tables and cool lamps.

The checkout counter was hardwood and looked like an old-fashioned hotel counter. The walls were sage green with a maple trim.

The coffee bar was small, and they only served a few different drinks, but the chai tea was amazing.

Beatrice, a beta girl with hair she dyed a different color every week, usually ran the shop. I scanned the store but saw only ahunky alpha putting books on the shelves. He smiled at both of us. “Welcome. Can I can help you find anything?”

“Where’s Beatrice?” I frowned, immediately suspicious of anything outside of my routine.

“She’s visiting her mom,” he said almost apologetically. He was good-looking, with long eyelashes and nut-brown skin. His glossy back hair was tousled and he wore dark wash jeans with a white T-shirt. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for the time being. I’m Dominic but most people call me Dom.”

He smelled good, like being near the ocean on a sunny day, all watery minerals with a hint of citrus.

“So long as you know where the romantasy is,” I said, mollified.

“We got a new shipment in,” he said, gesturing at a thick stack of books. Terran and I made a beeline for the books.

Terran handed me the next books in my current series, and we picked up extras for Holly and Holly’s stepdaughter, Mari. We had a book club going and I felt proud we’d managed to get our hands on it first.

Terran glanced over at Dom again, and I hid my smile. The alpha did smell good. Not enough to tempt me, but maybe I wasn’t the only one who noticed. I’d never seen Terran give a guy a second look, but there was a first time for everything.

I approached the counter with my haul, and Dom smiled. “Found some books you liked?”

“Yes, thanks.” I tapped Terran’s shoulder. “Pay up, brother.”

Just so the alpha would know we weren’t together.

The alpha gave Terran a warm smile and looked him over. Terran looked like he had just finished yard work, because he had. His jeans had holes and grass stains, and his T-shirt had a few dirt smudges.

None of that seemed to deter the alpha. “My omega is obsessed with theOath of Ash and Wingseries too.”