Page 4 of Echoes of Us

One minute, Willow was walking out of the back with a tray full of drinks, smiling at the diners.

The next, she was on the floor, cold liquid seeping into her clothes, ice cubes scattering around her as broken glass glittered under the fluorescent lights.

All because her eyes landed on Talon Wessex across the room, glaring at her.

Now, as she knelt in the mess she had created, she looked up to find him standing above her.

His dark eyes locked onto hers, intense and unreadable, a storm brewing beneath the surface.

His jaw was tight, his entire body coiled with barely restrained anger—not at her, she realized, but at the man who had shoved her.

Still, the sheer force of his presence stole the breath from her lungs.

He reached his hand out, waiting as if daring her.

For a moment, she couldn’t move. Her heart slammed against her ribs, her past and present colliding in a way that made her dizzy. But then, as if drawn by an invisible thread, she lifted her hand and placed it in his.

The second their fingers touched, a jolt of awareness shot through her, sharp and undeniable. Memories surged forward—late nights tangled in his arms, whispered promises, the way he used to look at her like she was his entire world.

Her stomach twisted painfully. Because once upon a time, she had been his.

“Don’t put your hands down,” Talon ordered, his voice rough with concern as he grasped her wrist, careful but firm. “There’s glass everywhere.”

Willow’s breath hitched at the contact, his warmth seeping into her skin like a brand. He was always like this—protective, commanding, utterly unshakable. But it wasn’t just his strength that left her reeling. It was the memories, the echoes of what they had been before everything shattered.

“I—I’m fine,” she managed to say, even though her heart was in her throat.

Talon ignored her protest, his grip steady as he carefully pulled her to her feet. The second she was upright, his hands skimmed down her arms, checking for injuries. His touch sent a rush of heat through her, something dangerous and familiar.

She sucked in a sharp breath, trying to ignore the way her body responded to him, the way her skin tingled where his fingers lingered. She tried to pull away, but he stopped her.

“I said, I’m fine.” Her voice cracked, indicating she was far from fine.

“You were always stubborn.” His deep voice was low, almost like a growl.

Willow met his gaze, swallowing hard. “And you were always bossy.”

His lips twitched, but there was no humor in his expression. Only something raw. Something unreadable.

She should step back. Put distance between them. But she didn’t. Because for the first time in a long time, standing this close to Talon Wessex, she felt like she was...home.

“What the hell happened?” Cooper came out of the back with his spatula in hand, wielding it like a weapon.

“Just a little accident,” Lois said, looking between Talon and Willow. “Nothing to smack anyone with your spatula for.”

“Well, I hope to hell they paid their bill.” Cooper pointed the spatula at the table. “Look at this mess. Those glasses ain’t cheap.”

“Take it out of my check, Cooper,” Willow said, looking away from Talon to Cooper. “It’s my mess, and what my check doesn’t cover, just let me know.”

Lois started sweeping up the glass and ice, but Willow grabbed the broom from her just as Talon walked over, shoved a wad of money at Cooper, then turned and walked out of the diner. Watching him, she frowned, then pushed the broom back at Lois and walked to Cooper, grabbing the money.

“Hey!” Cooper yelped, trying to swipe it back, but Willow was quicker.

She headed for the door on a mission and followed the same route Talon had taken.

She noticed on her way out that most of the diners had left.

After bursting out the door, she saw why.

Talon was in the parking lot, fighting with the man who had shoved her.

Seeing Cory standing on the sidelines, she rushed up to him.

“Dammit, Cory,” Willow hissed when Talon took a hit to the side of the head. “Stop them.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. It’s Shifter business.” Cory said, then glanced over at her. “Good to see you again, Willow.”

“Yeah, you too,” Willow said quickly, then wanted to whoop when Talon got in three good shots but refrained and gave Cory a shove instead. “How is me spilling a bunch of drinks, Shifter business?”

Cory sighed, annoyed that he had to explain something obvious. “You disrespect one of ours…you get your ass literally kicked out of town.”

Willow’s stomach dropped. She hadn’t even realized the guy she had drenched was a Shifter.

Her fingers curled tighter around the cash in her hand. “But I’m not one of you.” The words escaped before she could stop them, barely more than a whisper.

Cory finally turned to face her fully, his expression unreadable. “Willow, you are and will always be one of us.”

Something inside her cracked wide open. It was too much. Seeing Talon for the first time in a year, making a fool of herself, watching him beat the hell out of someone, and now hearing Cory say she was still one of them because she wasn’t. Not really.

Arthur Wessex’s voice slithered through her mind like a poison she could never escape. You will ruin his life. He is destined to have a Shifter as a Mate, not a weak human.

A heavy silence fell over the crowd, and she slowly looked toward Talon. He stood there, blood on his knuckles, chest rising and falling with deep breaths, his dark eyes locked onto hers.

His shoulder-length black hair fell in wild, unruly waves, framing his face with a fierce, untamed allure.

The ever-present five o’clock shadow had deepened into a full, rugged beard, adding a dangerous edge to his already striking features, making him even more handsome.

And just like that, she felt it. The weight of every choice she had made.

The ghosts of the past clawing their way back to the surface.

The undeniable truth she had spent a year trying to forget.

She had never stopped loving him. And she never would.

Hearing the murmurs ripple through the crowd, Willow’s stomach twisted. The weight of their stares pressed down on her, heavy and suffocating. It felt like every raw, vulnerable emotion she had fought to bury was now fully displayed for all to see. She needed to get the hell out of there.

Turning on her heel, she started to walk away, only to realize she was still clutching the wad of money.

With a sharp curse, she straightened her shoulders.

No. She was no coward. She might have run a year ago, and maybe some of them thought less of her for it, but they didn’t know the truth.

They didn’t know she had left to save Talon from herself.

And she didn’t care what they thought. She had loved him enough to walk away.

Enough to make the hardest decision of her life.

Swallowing hard, she turned back around and walked straight up to Talon. He watched her approach, his expression unreadable. His dark eyes locked onto her as if he were waiting for her next move.

She held the money out to him, her hand trembling slightly, but he didn’t take it.

Didn’t even look at it. He just stared at her as if he was trying to see through her, past the walls she had built, past the distance she had put between them.

The heat of his gaze made her heart pound, and she felt seen in a way she hadn’t in so long.

Jerking her eyes away from his, she let them sweep over the crowd. Faces she had known all her life—faces that had always regarded her as an outsider, a human in a world of Shifters. Most of them had never given her a chance.

Sharp, bitter anger burned through her, and before she could stop herself, she turned back to him and forced the money toward him again. “Please take it, " she said, her voice barely above a whisper but firm.

Talon didn’t move. Her throat tightened. She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze head-on.

“I don’t want to disrespect you in front of your… pack.” She whispered for him alone to hear.

His jaw clenched, his dark eyes burning into hers. But he still didn’t take the damn money.

“Leave!” Talon’s voice was sharp, his tone an order, his dark eyes never leaving hers.

A lump of emotion lodged in Willow’s throat, making it hard to swallow. She started to turn away, forcing herself to keep her chin up and ignore the way his command cut through her like a blade.

Before she could take a step, his hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist.

“Not you.” His voice was firm, his grip loosening, his fingers warm against her skin.

Her pulse stuttered. Slowly, she glanced around, realizing that everyone was dispersing, heading for their cars. The two men from earlier were dragging the one Talon had beaten to a pulp toward the parking lot. No one questioned his authority. No one defied him.

That was the power of an Alpha.

Her gaze flicked back to him, and despite everything, she found herself lifting the crumpled wad of cash again. Her hands trembled as she held it out.

“Please take this,” she whispered, wishing she could disappear into the shadows, stop feeling, and—.

No. That was a lie. She didn’t wish for any of that. What she really wanted—what she ached for—was to fall into his arms and pretend the last year hadn’t happened. But that wasn’t an option. She had made her choice when she walked away. She had lost him.

Talon took the money from her hand without breaking eye contact. Instead of pocketing it, he extended it toward Cory.

“Take this. Give it to Cooper,” Talon ordered.

Willow blinked. “Wait. What?” she asked, frowning.

Cory reached for the cash, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Cory, don’t you dare—”

“Sorry.” He didn’t sound even remotely sorry as he tucked the money into his pocket. “I do as my Alpha commands.”

A snort of amusement left Talon, drawing Willow’s attention back to him. The sharpness in her glare wavered as she stared into those deep brown eyes that once held so much warmth for her.

“Congratulations on your Alpha... ah, ship,” she said awkwardly.

Talon’s lips twitched, the barest hint of a grin appearing. “That’s not a thing.”

“Well, whatever it is,” she muttered, crossing her arms. She hesitated, shifting uncomfortably before finally adding, “But... I’m sorry about your father’s passing.” The words tasted bitter coming out of her mouth. Because if there was anyone in this world she despised, it was Arthur Wessex.

Talon held her gaze, and his voice was low and unflinching when he finally spoke. “I’m not.” He stepped closer, his towering frame making her tilt her head to meet his eyes. “He was a bastard.”

The silence between them thickened, stretching between them like an unspoken weight. The parking lot was nearly empty now, with just the two of them standing there, caught between a past neither had entirely let go of and a present neither knew how to navigate.

Willow inhaled sharply, deciding someone had to break the tension. She opened her mouth, hoping whatever came out wouldn’t sound completely idiotic. “Listen, I—”

“Willow!” Lois’s voice cut through the air, and Willow turned just as her friend came running out of the diner, waving Willow’s phone in her hand. “The nurse just called. She said you need to get to the house. Now.”

Panic surged through Willow as she grabbed the phone, her fingers trembling. “What happened?” she demanded, her voice sharp with fear.

“She didn’t say,” Lois admitted, her expression creased with worry. “Just that you needed to come home immediately.”

Willow’s heart pounded. No. Please, no.

“Take my car,” Lois said quickly, digging into her pocket for the keys. “I’ll call someone to take me home after my shift.”

“She’s not taking your car.” Talon’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. Before Willow could protest, he wrapped his hand around her arm and led her toward a truck parked under the streetlights. “Tell Cory to find his way home,” he threw over his shoulder.

“Talon, you don’t have to—”

He ignored her, yanking the passenger door open as if the discussion had already been decided.

The sharp determination in his movements told her arguing would be pointless.

Knowing it was a losing battle, she let out a quiet sigh and climbed in, gripping the edges of the seat as if grounding herself.

As he shut the door and strode around the front of the truck, Willow couldn’t help but watch him, taking in every detail.

Talon Wessex was bigger, broader, and more intense than she remembered.

His movements carried the calm strength of a man who had learned the weight of responsibility.

He had always been powerful, but now… now there was something different about him—confidence and presence that demanded obedience and respect.

Alpha.

She swallowed hard.

But beneath the hardened edges, she caught glimpses of the Talon she had once known. The boy who had stolen her heart, the man who had whispered promises against her skin, and the one who had held her as if she were the most precious thing in his world. And her dumb ass walked away from that.

The driver’s door swung open, and he slid inside without a word. His scent—woodsmoke and something distinctly Talon—washed over her in a wave of familiarity so intense that it nearly knocked the breath from her lungs.

The silence between them crackled, thick with tension and unspoken words. He gripped the wheel, flexing his fingers once, before starting the truck. The low rumble of the engine vibrated through the cab, filling the space between them.

Talon just sat there for a moment, staring straight ahead, his jaw tight. Then, without looking at her, his deep voice rumbled through the quiet. “Buckle up.”

It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command. And damn it, despite everything, Willow’s fingers trembled as she obeyed.