Grayson put the last of his boxes on the floor and looked around his empty bedroom. After six years he was finally going home.

 “Are you all set?”

He turned and looked at Anita, his roommate, leaning against the door frame with a sad puppy dog look on her face. They’d met when he’d started university and simply hit it off. According to her, he had ‘fresh meat lost in a big city’ written on his forehead. She’d been a great friend to him, and he hoped he was the same to her.

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe this is the last time we might see each other for a while,” she said to him. “Why are you rushing home so quickly?” she whined.

Grayson chuckled. “It’s time for me to go home, sweets. I’ve been here long enough.”

“Can’t you at least stay until after your birthday? That’s what in a couple of weeks, right? I’ll make you an apple pie from scratch.”

“You’re really pulling out all the stops, aren’t you?”

“Hey, I’m just trying to keep my bestie with me for as long as possible.” She walked over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you, small town,” she said using the nickname she gave him from the day they met.

“You can always come with me,” he told her, wrapping his arms around her slender waist.

“I can’t,” she blurted out. “I just got a new job, remember? And I’m trying to knock out my last classes. Plus, I’m Professor Carter’s teacher assistant this semester.”

“You sound busy,” Grayson commented.

“I’m just trying to be like you.”

“Me? Why?”

“You’re the one was crazy and took more classes than they needed so they could graduate with two Master’s degrees. I’m not sure how you were able to complete your internship with all you had going on.” She pulled out of his arms then walked over to his twin size bed and sat down.         

“It wasn’t easy, I sacrificed a lot of my fun time, remember?”

“That’s why you should stay a bit longer.”

“Hey, I stayed a couple of months longer than I wanted. You knew I wanted to leave at the beginning of the summer and now it’s October. I need to start the next stage of my life.”

“Yeah, I know, but I don’t want you to go,” she whined.

He was crazy for finishing his studies quicker than most. Taking classes both online and in class, not going home for summer or winter holidays. He fucking busted his ass to get two degrees one in sports therapy and the in holistic oriental medicine. The only time he took time off was for spring break.

Everyone needs to have fun sometimes.

The only time he’d gone back home was for his great-aunt Ermaline’s funeral which fostered his drive to finish school as quickly as possible. Grayson was the same way in high school, being one of the five students to graduate with not only his diploma but an Associate’s degree as well.

 “It was hard going home for Erma’s funeral even if it was for one day. Gods, it was hard getting on that plane to come back here.”

Anita sighed. “Never knew someone who loved any kind of small town living like you.”

A smile tugged on his lips. “If you ever visited Vale Valley, you’d understand.”

“You’ve been telling me that since I met you.”

 “It’s the truth,” he beamed.

Grayson loved Vale Valley, his grandmother had to talk him into leaving.

“You need experience before you settle down,” she told him. “Trust me, you will understand when the time comes.”

His parents simply nodded and agreed with her. Few people could disagree or argue with Rosemary Vale. She’d been the town’s mayor since forever.

“I bet your parents are happy that you’re finally coming home.”

“Nope, they have no idea I’m coming home. My mom keeps asking if I’m coming home next summer and I keep changing the subject. But I have a feeling she suspects something’s up since I haven’t given her my graduation date.”

“Goddess you have that sappy look on your face again. Are you sure it’s the town you’re ready to go home to and not some farm boy you left behind?”

He walked over to the door, picking up his bag and suitcase. “He’s not a boy, and as far as I know, he’s never worked on a farm.” He smirked. “But I doubt he knows I’m alive. So, for now, I’m just a boy missing his family and small-town living.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I did what my parents and Nana wanted by going to college and getting my degrees, and now it’s time to go home and full fill my dreams.”

“And what’s that again?”

“Shit, woman, how many times do I need to repeat my plans?”

“As many times as I want, dammit,” she snapped, and Grayson was slightly taken back. 

What the hell is going on with her? 

“I want for you to make me understand why you need to do it in a small town and not here.”

“Because Vale needs me,” he said for the hundredth time since he told her his plans. They’ve disagreed about him opening his own health and aromatherapy center.

“Come on, small town, you worked hard on your degrees and could make a killing working for any national sports team.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You keep telling me that your hometown needs you when I think you’re the one that needs it.”

Of course, I need it. I need to feel and see the town’s magic to be whole again, he mentally yelled. Anita didn’t know about the secrets of Vale Valley or that she had been living with a shifter all these years. Instead, he said. “I know I can. But not everything is about money.”

“Fine, it’s not about money, again why not open your health center here?”

“Seriously, there’s a freaking gym practically on every corner in this state. I came here with a plan in mind, and now that I’ve accomplished that, it’s time for me to go.”

“That’s what I don’t get,” Anita said getting up from the bed.

“What do you mean?”

“You talk as if your family is loaded, but I’ve seen the way you eat. At one point I thought I saw ramen noodles coming out of your nose.”

The truth was his family was quite well off. But Grayson was never one to splurge. Other than paying for his tuition and books, he didn’t see the need to spend loads of money just because he had it in the bank. Besides, he was sinking everything he had into building his health center.

Grayson grinned probably looking like a fool just thinking of his family and friends that he couldn’t wait to see. His parents didn’t like the fact that he never came home on his breaks, but they respected his drive to go after what he wanted. Grayson walked back over to her and pulled her into his arms. He pulled back and kissed her on the side of her head.

“Call me if you need me.”

She nodded. He was about to walk away but she stopped him by grabbing on to his arm. Grayson looked at her and had the feeling something else was bothering her. It wasn’t about him going home, she’d known that he was going to leave for months.

“What’s up?” She stared at him for a few seconds, and he got a bit worried. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” she told him, but he had the feeling she wasn’t telling him the truth. “I’ll make sure that the movers don’t break anything when they pack your stuff.” She pointed to the boxes behind him. “Go on, get out of here, or you’ll be stuck in traffic.”

He stared at her for a few seconds, getting the feeling that she wasn’t being completely honest with him. Something told him that he should stay and talk things out with her and have her tell him what’s really bothering her.

“You know you can tell me if anything is bothering you.”

Anita rolled her eyes. “Goodness, you’re a mother hen. I’m fine.”

Sighing, he realized that she wasn’t planning on telling him anything. He leaned and kissed her again on her forehead then walked out of his apartment, and this time she didn’t stop him. Grayson and Anita had shared the apartment for five years.

They’d stayed in the dorms their freshman year but decided to get an apartment in their sophomore year. He took the steps down and stood in front of his little car that his dad had gifted to him on his eighteenth birthday. It had kept up with his busy schedule the entire time he was in school, and it would take him back home. He would miss Chamberlin City, but not enough to live there for the rest of his life.

Grayson got in his car and started it up, pulling out into traffic. It would take him three days to get home, and he couldn’t wait. He wasn’t lying when he told Anita that Vale Valley was special. There was something about his hometown that a big city couldn’t satisfy in him. The people didn’t connect or try to get to know each other. Everyone was always pushing and rushing to get somewhere. No one had time to slow down and see what was right in front of them. He missed the slow pace of Vale Valley.

His hometown was as mysterious as it was beautiful, a town that welcomed the natural and the unnatural with open arms. He smirked thinking about his family. His mother was a mermaid, and his father was part werewolf, thanks to his grandmother Rosemary.

But his family was a mix of every supernatural under the sun and moon. From witches, vampires, werewolves, mermaids, selkies, and the occasional human who had superhuman strength thanks to their bloodline. His grandmother was also one of the longest living female alpha werewolves and saw her five hundred pack members as her family.

Grayson was sure that people would call him crazy and put in an asylum if he told anyone, even Anita, that most men living in Vale Valley could get pregnant or that he had cauldron brewing, spell casting witches in his neighborhood. He was sure that no one would believe him that vampires and werewolves existed.

One of his friends growing up was a reindeer who’d kick their ass if asked if he’d ever pulled Santa’s sleigh. Grayson was stupid to think that Vale Valley was the only place supernaturals existed, but it was the only place where they could be themselves.

With the mixture in his lineage, Grayson would be able to get pregnant because he was also an omega. That’s why he was careful on spring break outings, he was young and healthy and loved sex. But he wasn’t crazy. He got strange looks when he told his bed partner to double up on condoms. But it didn’t stop him from having great sex.

From a young age Grayson knew he was an omega, and a bit kinky in bed. The guys he tended to go for were taller, broader in the shoulders, hard muscles, and much older than him. He was twenty-four years old and preferred his men on the mature side and liked to be called daddy in bed.

It turned him on to say it, and he saw how much the word aroused his bed partner when they hear it. He loved it all, getting spanked, being tied up, and being completely dominated in and out of bed. He wanted a career sure, but behind closed doors, he wanted to give his partner complete control.

Anita once commented that he had daddy issues which could be the reason why he went for older men. He sweetly told her she was wrong. The way Grayson saw it, he wasn’t starved for attention from his father. He and his dad got along great, despite butting head sometimes, but he supported Grayson with both words and actions. What he wanted was a leather daddy.

He’d been to a few BDSM clubs when he gave himself time to have fun. The only contracts he signed were for that night. But now he was looking for something permanent. The question was, would he find what he was looking for in Vale Valley? One good thing about going away for college was no one knew or cared that his father was the sheriff or that his grandmother was the mayor. It was a wonder that he’d lost his virginity before his freshman year of college.

So, why the hell am I going back home?

It wasn’t as if he had a terrible upbringing. His grandmother and parents pampered him and his twin sister Monique.  Anita was right, he could work at any Fortune 500 company, but he wouldn’t be happy. And he knew he would be that good at his job. Grayson knew that his heart belonged home in Vale Valley even if he didn’t find the man of his dreams. He wouldn’t regret his choices to return to his small-town life.

Grayson switched off his mind and focused on the long drive home. He hadn’t told his parents that he was coming home earlier than planned or that he was practically graduated. He still had one class to finish but that one he was doing online. It would take him at least three days to get home. He couldn’t wait to see and hold his family.

He’d spoken to them practically every day or when his schedule had allowed and saw them whenever his family came to visit. But it’d been a few months since he last saw them. Doing it over Skype was nothing like feeling one of his mom’s hugs, or hearing his sister’s chuckle, his dad’s booming voice, and his grandmother butting into everyone’s business. Nothing stayed a secret where she was concerned. She was the town’s busy-body and felt it was her duty to take care of everyone in town.

Grayson really missed her. He bit his lips trying to hold in his excitement. Grayson had a feeling the minute his grandmother saw him she would be meddling in his life and he’d allow it for a little while. He just hoped she didn’t meddle too far. His family might be unconventional to human standards, but he didn’t think they would understand his need to be spanked or tied up while he was being fucked.

Nope, that will be my little secret. No one needs to know what I enjoy in bed.