Page 2 of Echoes of Us

“How does it feel to be back in good old Pineville, Kentucky, after living the high life in New York?” Lois smirked as she wrapped silverware, her sharp gaze filled with knowing amusement.

Willow laughed softly, shaking her head as she filled the salt shakers.

“It smells better,” she admitted with a shrug.

The smells of Pineville Diner always smelled good, with the home-cooking aroma coming from the kitchen.

She had worked here for years with Lois before she left.

“Not much has changed. You’re still working here, and Cooper is still the cook. Home sweet home, I guess.”

“How’s your grandpa?” Lois asked as she stood, gathering a stack of wrapped silverware and placing them on the tables.

Willow let out a sigh. “Ornery as ever,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “I think I’ve found his beer stash, only to turn around and find another. Doc Stevenson told him if he doesn’t quit, he’s going to end up in another diabetic coma.”

Lois chuckled, sitting back down across from her and closing the lids on the salt and pepper shakers. “He’s a character, that’s for sure.” She hesitated momentarily before adding, “You see Talon yet?”

Willow’s spine stiffened. Her stomach twisted. “No, and I don’t plan on seeing him,” she said sharply, her glare locking onto Lois. “Don’t you start with this crap, Lois, or I swear I’ll quit on the spot. I’m only doing you a favor by working here until Beth is back from maternity leave.”

“Damn.” Lois snorted, raising an eyebrow. “You sure did get cranky while you were off doing that fancy job of yours. I just asked a question.”

“And I just answered.” Willow’s voice was clipped, her patience already wearing thin. “And it wasn’t a fancy job. It was an art studio. I unpacked boxes and hung art.”

Lois huffed, crossing her arms as she leaned back in the chair, giving Willow a pointed look. “When you’ve worked in this place since high school, anything else is a fancy job,” Lois said with a snort. “And it’s a small town, Willow. You’re going to run into him probably sooner rather than later.”

Willow rolled her eyes, focusing on lining up the salt shakers to avoid the knowing look in Lois’s eyes.

“He’s single,” Lois said suddenly, her voice quieter, careful.

Willow froze. Her breath hitched before she could stop it as her heart flipped—damn traitorous thing.

“Don’t care,” she said quickly, shoving the salt shaker away as if it were to blame for the sudden, aching squeeze in her chest.

“That’s bullshit, but okay, I’ll drop it.” Lois snorted, then gave her a sideways glance. “Did you know that Cory’s dad died?”

Willow glanced her way with a narrowed glare. “I thought you said you’d drop it.”

“And I did,” Lois shrugged, not looking at Willow. “I said Cory, not him, who will not be named in your presence. You were close to Cory and figured you’d want to know about his father and that there is a new Alpha in town.”

The mention of Arthur Wessex sent an icy tremor through Willow’s veins. Her hands shook so badly that the salt shaker slipped from her grasp, toppling onto the table with a sharp clatter. Shit!

She curled her fingers into fists, willing the trembling to stop, but it was useless. Just hearing his name had shattered the fragile sense of calm she had desperately clung to since returning to Pineville. Arthur Wessex was the man who had destroyed her world.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to reach for the fallen shaker, hoping Lois wouldn’t notice the way her fingers still trembled. But she did.

“I knew it,” Lois whispered, then cursed under her breath. “He’s the reason you left. What did that son of a bitch do to you?”

“Nothing,” Willow said, clearing her throat. “And it’s not nice to speak of the dead like that.”

“Bullshit.” Lois shot back. “And if he hurt my friend, I can speak about him however I want. What happened, Willow? Please talk to me.”

Willow had wanted to tell Lois everything a year ago.

The memory of that night still haunted her, the way Arthur Wessex had shown up at her apartment, his presence a dark shadow against the outside streetlight.

His voice had been as cold as the winter wind when he told her to stay away from Talon.

She wasn’t fit for his son. Talon was to be the Alpha of the Cumberland Wolf Pack, who was destined to mate with a Shifter, not a human who was weak and an outsider.

Arthur had told her in no uncertain terms that she was ruining Talon’s life, and that was something she couldn’t live with. ..ever.

Arthur promised that if she walked away quietly, her grandfather could keep his home and property that had been in the Campbell family for over a century.

But if she defied him, if she so much as breathed a word of their conversation to anyone, all bets were off.

He would ensure she and her grandfather were run out of Pineville for good.

Her grandfather’s property was on Shifter land, and she knew without a doubt Arthur Wessex could make good on that threat.

Willow had known better than to challenge him. Arthur Wessex wasn’t just a powerful Alpha—he was a man who wielded influence like a weapon and had no patience for those who stood in his way.

Now, staring at Lois, she felt the weight of the secret she had kept for a long, lonely year.

Lois had always been different from the others, the only Shifter female who had ever treated her like family.

While most of the pack’s women kept their distance, Lois had been her friend since childhood.

She deserved the truth. Arthur was dead, his threat died with him. ..didn’t it?

“Willow, am I going to have to fire you on your second day back?” Cooper walked out of the kitchen, pointing a spatula at her. His friendly tone of voice contradicted his words.

“Please do,” Willow sighed more to herself, but Lois snorted and rolled her eyes.

“Come on, girls. Get moving.” Cooper ordered, looking around the diner. “The dinner crowd will be heading in soon, and it’s Friday night. The band is already set up, ready to go.”

“We got it, Cooper,” Lois said, then frowned. “I think you need to get back to the kitchen. I smell something burning.”

Cooper frowned, sniffing the air, then gave them both a stern look before hurrying back into the kitchen.

“Does that work every time you tell him that?” Willow grinned, shaking her head at her friend’s lie.

“Like a charm.” Lois snickered, then stopped Willow. “Listen, I’m sorry, okay? Just know I’m here if you ever need to talk.”

Willow felt like a complete asshole as she caught the flicker of disappointment in Lois’s eyes. Her friend had been nothing but loyal, and here she was, keeping secrets like some coward.

Glancing at the clock, she noted they still had ten minutes before the dinner crowd started pouring in. The band was tuning up in the corner, filling the air with broken chords and drumbeats.

She couldn’t keep this to herself any longer. Grabbing Lois’s arm, she pulled her toward a table tucked away in the farthest corner of the diner, away from the music and the watchful eyes of the band.

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone,” Willow said, her voice tight with a slight tremble.

Lois’s brows knitted together, but she didn’t hesitate. She reached across the table, squeezing Willow’s hand. “You know me better than that. I would never say anything.”

Willow swallowed hard, her pulse hammering.

Even though Arthur Wessex was dead, his threat still loomed in her mind, like a ghost whispering in the shadows.

If she spoke and told Lois everything, would her grandpa still lose everything?

She wouldn’t put it past Arthur to have left his threats behind in his will, making sure his control stretched beyond the grave.

But she was tired of the secrets, and now that she was back in Pineville, she needed at least one friend to help her face what she knew she would soon face, and that was...Talon.

Taking a deep breath, Willow opened her mouth, and before she could stop herself, the truth—the secret that had changed her life forever—came tumbling out.