The Alpha had given Wyatt a lot to mull over. After their impromptu lunch, Wyatt and Ethan piled back into his truck and headed to the motel they’d booked when they had first arrived in town. Neither said a word as they bumped along the quiet country road.

Wyatt was the first to break the silence. “What do you think of the Alpha?”

Ethan flicked on his signal to turn into the parking lot of the Full Moon Motel. “He seems like an honest man. From what I picked up listening to some of the customers, most seem to like him. There are a few on the fence about him, but even those people are grateful for his leadership versus the old Alpha.”

Once again, Wyatt was thankful for his brother’s gift—though Ethan had considered his ability to hear other’s thoughts as a curse.

“Were you able to get anything off of my mate before she bolted?” Wyatt had to know what she’d been thinking. More specifically, he wanted to know why she had run off after promising to speak to him.

Ethan sighed as he placed the truck in park. “Are you sure you want to know, brother? A person’s first reaction to a situation isn’t always what’s in their heart.”

He’d given Wyatt that warning many times and it had always kept his curiosity in check. Until now. “Just tell me,” he snapped. His patience had expired.

“Very well. The only thought I was able to discern once she was awake—was fear. She was terrified about dating a shifter again, even if she’d seen you in her dreams.”

 

***

 

 

Callie had a lot to think about. More than she thought she could handle. After fleeing the diner and sprinting back to her apartment, she finally took a deep breath and calmed herself before she slid her key in the door and let herself in.

She’d barely had a moment to brace herself before she walked into the line of fire when her mother noticed she was home well before her shift was due to end.

“Is everything okay? Why are you home so early? Are you hurt, dear?”

And now she wished she’d have sucked it up and faced the man from her dreams. At least that option seemed less scary than trying to explain any of this to her mom.

“I’m fine. Everything is fine at the diner.” Callie had honestly hoped the short answers she’d given to her mother would have placated her for the time being. She had thought wrong.

She could practically see the gears churning in her mom’s head. “Well, if everything is fine, why are you here?”

Callie sucked in a deep breath. Damn. She so didn’t want to involve her mom in any of this, but what choice did she have? Any minute she expected the burly shifter to knock on her door, demanding the conversation she had promised him—but instead had run away from.

“Where’s Max?” Callie asked, hoping to change the direction of the conversation.

“I just put him down for his nap. Thankfully, that will give us some time to talk about what’s going on with you. You’ve been acting squirrely for weeks.”

Callie hung her purse up on the hook by the door and sighed. “I’d hoped you hadn’t noticed.” She should have known better than to try to fool her mom. She may be a normal human being, but her mom was as sharp as ever though her health had been on a steady decline.

“I was just getting ready to heat up some soup for lunch, why don’t you join me and we’ll see if we can’t figure out whatever it is that you’re dealing with together.”

With an offer like that, how could she possibly refuse? Her mom would push until she felt satisfied that Callie had told the truth. She’d forgotten how her mom had always acted as a human lie detector. There hadn’t been a single lie that she could’ve gotten away with in her youth. Seems the trend was going to continue. She felt like an awkward adolescent all over again as she marched to the kitchen table to confess something she’d much rather keep to herself.

 

***

 

The conversation with her mom had left Callie drained emotionally. Just the simple thought of dating another shifter brought back memories she had no desire to relive. Terrified didn’t even begin to cover how all of it made her feel. Her mom had no solution to her problems, but then again, she hadn’t expected her to.

They no sooner wrapped up their conversation when Callie heard Max calling from his crib. One look at her little guy and she let her feelings of fear wash away. She tried not to stress about the hours at work she’d missed or the tips from what looked like was going to be a busy afternoon. She’d ask Cam if she could make up the hours when she went to work tomorrow.

There’s nothing I can do about it now.

After spending a quiet evening collecting as many snuggles as Max could give, Callie fell into bed confident she’d sleep soundly through the night.

She’d been wrong, oh god, so wrong. The minute she had closed her eyes, Wyatt invaded her dreams. Callie wanted to deny him, but one look at him was all it had taken to lose her resolve. His lips slanted over hers. A kiss demanding that she yield. Even in her dreams she knew she should push him away, but she couldn’t. It had been so long since she felt anything other than sorrow and regret over a man.

Surely it would be okay to give in, just this once. Right? After all, it was only a dream.