Page 2

D aire parked his truck and grabbed the clipboard before hopping out of his cab. The day was overcast and the cool breeze picked up a little. If he’d been a human, he would’ve said it was chilly.

Entering Jericho’s office, he saw a woman standing in front of the empty assistant’s desk, looking at her phone. She was tall, with long honey-colored hair streaming down her back. A very curvaceous ass filled out her jeans nicely. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened when she met his gaze. Sky blue eyes, a cute little button nose with a dusting of freckles. His wolf sat up and took notice as it’d been a long time since he’d gotten laid. He didn’t like messing with anyone in Sheridan to avoid the awkward sidestepping that he wasn’t interested in a long-term thing. Been there, fuck that. So, he usually headed to Colorado Springs whenever he wanted to find company.

“Hello,” he said.

The woman startled and laid a hand over her heart. “You scared me.”

“Sorry, that wasn’t my intention.” He offered his hand. “Daire Nolin.”

She shook it, smiling. “Kinleigh Shire. I just texted Payton. She’s on her way.”

A spark of electricity shot through him at her touch, and by the flare of interest in her baby blues, she felt the same.

“Moving here?”

“No,” she replied. “Just visiting my cousin for a little bit.”

“Anyone I know?”

“Um, yeah. It’s Payton.”

That surprised him. “I didn’t know the Luna had family outside Sheridan.”

Kinleigh nodded. “Our mothers were sisters, but when Mom met my father at the Assembly, she moved to his pack in Oregon. Aunt Nancy came here with Uncle Marcus.”

For a moment, they stared at one another in mutual appreciation. At least he hoped she was impressed with him because he wouldn’t mind spending some time with her. Their hands were still clasped, and he was reluctant to let go.

“Maybe we could have a drink later on,” he murmured.

“I would like that,” she said, a little grin lifting at the corner of her mouth. “Where and what time?”

“Bar a couple of streets over, called The Unicorn. Funny name, but good place to relax. How about seven?”

“Deal,” she said.

Suddenly, the door opened and Payton Savidge rushed in. She smiled at him, but when her gaze landed on Kinleigh, she gave a little squeal and rushed over. Kinleigh dropped his hand to hug her cousin.

“I can’t believe you’re here!”

“I can’t believe it’s been five years since we last saw each other,” Kinleigh said with a laugh.

“How long are you staying?”

“Oh,” Kinleigh said with a sigh. “Not sure. With the whole, you know, rejection thing.”

Daire’s wolf pricked his ears at that. “Rejection?”

Both women turned to look at him.

“Hi, Daire,” Payton said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“Completely understandable.” He held up the clipboard. “I brought the estimates for Jericho.”

“Awesome!” Payton said. She took the clipboard from him. “He’s over at the new site, so I’ll put this on his desk. He’ll probably get back to you in a day or two.”

“Thanks,” he said, then addressed Kinleigh. He pushed the word “rejection” to the back of his mind. “See you later tonight?”

“Yep,” she said, giving him a wink.

He chuckled, then looked at Payton. “Thank you, Luna.”

She waved as he exited, leaving them to catch up. Looks like he had a date, and maybe a little more if he played his cards right.

****

P ayton looked at her wrist which did not have a watch on it. “You’ve been here a minute and already got a date.”

“Maybe more if I play my cards right,” Kinleigh said with a chuckle. “That man is gorgeous.”

“Daire is a good guy, but don’t expect a happy-ever-after. He’s not the settling-down kind of man.”

“Not to worry, and since I’ve given up on relationships, neither am I.” Kinleigh sighed. “ He took that from me. He took everything from me.”

Tears threatened to well up, but she blinked them away and struggled to keep her breathing even. Vaughn wasn’t worth her tears or her sorrow.

“Anyway,” she continued. “Maybe Daire Nolin will help heal my broken vagina.”

Payton laughed. “Well, I hope you have fun. Now let me put this on Jericho’s desk and we’ll get a bite to eat.”

Kinleigh nodded, watching as Payton hurried to the office in the far corner of the room. She hadn’t seen her cousin in years, and she was suddenly glad she was in Sheridan. Glad to have someone to talk to, who understood what she was going through. It wasn’t that long ago she thought Jericho had abandoned her.

“All right,” Payton said when she emerged. “Let me lock up.”

She took out a set of keys and Kinleigh followed her outside, watching as Payton locked up the office. Then she linked their arms as they took off down the sidewalk. The town of Sheridan was one of those picture-perfect places usually seen in magazine layouts. People waved or greeted them, showing deference for their luna.

“This is quite an unusual pack,” Kinleigh observed. “Lightfang is closed off. Wolves only, if you know what I mean.”

“Jericho’s dad, Branson, always said that packs have to embrace progress, otherwise we’re doomed to be extinct.”

Kinleigh thought about that. “He had a very good point. We didn’t start carrying cell phones until about ten years ago.”

“Is your dad more secular in his rule?”

“No, but without my mother by his side I think he just coasted through the motions.”

They passed a few ladies and all of them smiled and waved.

“Everyone is so nice,” Kinleigh murmured. “And you have humans here as well?”

Payton nodded. “Not many, but the families here keep quiet about the shifters. During the summer tourist season, a lot of hikers come our way, so their jobs are usually taking care of them.”

“Your pack sounds amazing.”

“Yeah, this a great place to live. Even when I thought I was defective.”

“Don’t say that,” Kinleigh said, laying her head on Payton’s shoulder. “You were never defective.”

“I know that now. I thought I would never have this life. I never cared about the luna title. It was the thought I’d never have Jericho that almost broke me. Thought I’d never be happy.”

“I’m glad you have him,” Kinleigh said, unable to keep the sadness out of her voice. “Let’s change the subject.

“Okay.”

They arrived at the diner and delicious scents of apple and cinnamon greeted them when they entered. Her mouth immediately started to water for a taste of whatever yum-yum was cooking.

An older woman with short grey hair greeted them with a huge grin. “Hello, ladies!”

“Esmeralda, this is my cousin, Kinleigh.” Payton playfully held up her hand to her mouth like she was trying to tell a secret. “Don’t believe a word this old bird tells you.”

“Really?” Esmeralda asked dryly. “I’ll tell Wayne you’re on dish duty for the remainder of the month.”

Payton let out a mocking gasp, and Esmeralda rolled her eyes.

“Go sit down,” she ordered. “I’ll bring you the special.”

She winked at Kinleigh, who chuckled. Payton led her to a back booth.

“She’s very nice,” she said.

Payton nodded. “Esmeralda is a lifesaver. When Jericho was gone, she gave me a purpose to get out of bed. She became my de facto therapist when my parents thought I was a dud.”

“How are Aunt Nancy and Uncle Marcus?”

“They’re on a cruise for their anniversary. We still don’t have a great relationship. There’s too much between us to forget. You know?”

Kinleigh nodded. She knew all about how her aunt and uncle had been ashamed of her until Payton’s astral wolf came out to protect the pack pups.

Just then, Esmeralda showed up with two plates, each held a turkey club sandwich and sweet iced tea. “Apple pie for dessert. Enjoy!”

“Thank you. This looks amazing.”

For a few minutes they ate in silence. Kinleigh was hungrier than she thought, and the food was delicious.

“I’m sorry your moon-fated mate turned out to be a dickhead. I’m here if you need to vent.”

Kinleigh blinked back tears, her appetite suddenly taking a nosedive. “I’m only glad I found out about his real motives before I got the mate mark.”

“Me too.”

“He accepted my rejection, but now I have this hollowness inside.” Kinleigh tapped over her heart. “There are no second-chance mates, so that bastard took away my future.”

“You can find a chosen mate,” Payton said softly. She reached out and took hold of her hand. “You don’t have to be alone.”

“I know,” Kinleigh said sadly. “But I won’t have children. My pack won’t have an heir.”

“I think it’s dumb not allowing a woman to be alpha.” Payton scowled. “Jericho and I have already talked about this. If we have only girls, he has no problem training a daughter to be alpha heir.”

“I might have alpha blood, but I don’t have alpha power,” Kinleigh admitted. “Truthfully, I was never interested in ruling anyway. My dad said he has some people in mind that he can vet, so I guess we’ll see.”

“You could turn it into a reality show. Each week a contestant gets voted off the island.”

“That’s an awesome idea.” Kinleigh chuckled. “It just sucks that I had this idea of my future, and in five minutes it was ripped out from under me. How do I move on? Where do I go from here? It’s not like there’s a dating app for chosen mates.”

Payton reached out and grasped her hand. “If you’d like, we can stop by the apothecary and see if Savannah has anything to mend your heart.”

“What can human medicine do?”

Payton’s eyes widened as she leaned closer. “She’s an Other.”

Kinleigh frowned. “A what?”

“Apparently, there are a lot of magical creatures out there, and wolves aren’t at the top of the food chain. She’s an Enchantress.”

“I ... have no idea what that means or what to say.”

“Come on,” Payton said as she pulled out some money and laid it on the table. “Let’s see if Savannah has any suggestions.”