Page 13 of Allie

I startled at the sound of his voice, making me grabbed the handles of the treadmill to keep from losing my footing. “What?” I asked and fell back into a rhythm.

“My name. I’m Grant.” His voice was low, like he didn’t want anyone else in the gym to know. That was crazy because we were the only ones there.

“It’s nice to meet you, Grant.” I flashed him a wide smile and shut off my machine. “I’ve never lived in a town where I don’t have to hide my magic. It's awesome.” I laughed and wiped the machine down, then draped the towel over my shoulder and faced him.

"Are you always this chipper in the morning?" He grumbled and shut off his treadmill.

"Pretty much," I shot back.

"Must be exhausting," he said, but I caught the edge of a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Exhilarating, actually," I corrected him. "You should try it sometime."

"Pass." He glanced at me, his gaze briefly appraising, before he turned to grab his towel.

Despite his standoffishness, I found myself drawn to the challenge he presented. There was something magnetic about the way his eyes held stories he wasn't ready to tell. It was compelling, and I wondered what it would take to peel back those layers.

He faced me again and studied my face for a moment, then he reached out and brushed a stand of hair from my cheek. When he touched my cheek, a jolt of magic nipped at my skin like static electricity.

"Sorry," he muttered, his fingers lingering a moment longer than necessary before he pulled away.

"It’s fine," I managed, flustered by the intensity of that brief contact. My heart raced, and it wasn't from the running.

His eyes met mine, a flicker of something undefined passing between us—a spark ignited, leaving the air charged with the promise of things unsaid and connections yet to be explored.

The gym door opened, drawing my attention toward the sound. I smiled as Roan made his way to me, a bemused smile on his face as he cradled Aspirin in his arms.

"Seems someone couldn't bear to be away from her mama," Roan's deep voice rumbled through the gym, soothing and rough all at once.

"Hey." I smiled, watching Aspirin stretch out in his arms like royalty surveying her kingdom. "And here I thought you weren't a cat person."

"Only for this one," he replied, nodding towards Aspirin with an affectionate twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Grant cleared his throat beside me, and I remembered my manners. "Oh! Roan, this is Grant. Grant, Roan."

Their gazes locked, and the air around us seemed to thicken. Two predators acknowledging each other.

"Nice to meet you," Grant said, though his voice was flat. The warmth from earlier vanished like mist under the sun.

"Likewise," Roan responded, but his eyes never wavered from Grant's. The intensity of their stare-down made my skin prickle uncomfortably.

"Anyway, I should get going." Grant's words sliced through the tension, breaking the tension a little. "Deadlines wait for no man—or woman." His eyes flicked to me briefly, then back to Roan, before he turned and left with a tightness in his shoulders that hadn't been there moments ago.

"See you, Grant," I called after him, trying to inject some cheer into the awkward farewell. He raised a hand without looking back, and then he was gone, leaving a strange hush behind.

Turning back to Roan, I caught the tail end of a scowl that he smoothed away as our eyes met.

I scratched Aspirin behind her ears to soothe my own nerves. "What was that all about?"

He shrugged, nonchalant, but there was a guarded edge to his posture that had my senses tingling. "I don't really know him," he said, and then after a beat, "Grant doesn't have the best reputation around here."

"What kind of reputation?" I asked, folding my arms.

"I don’t know. There are rumors that he just isn’t a good guy. Like I said, I don’t know him, and I listen to gossip, so it might all be bullshit, anyway." Roan's gaze held a hint of the wolf in him, protective and intense. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Just be careful around him.”

"I’m a good judge of people. Grant seems misunderstood. My witchy senses are never wrong." Plus, I felt the same pull toward Grant as I did with Roan, Draven, and Asa. I wasn’t sure how to bring that up to Roan.

"I thought we could grab breakfast on the way to the library."