As dawn broke over Lost Creek, Esme was still wide awake, and she had sat and watched the sunrise from behind the snowcapped mountains as she nursed a cup of coffee and let her mind churn over all the events that had begun to unfold.

She had to get to Zeke.

He had left her in such a rush the previous evening, and her head had been in such a tangle of lust, energy, and emotions, that she had let him go without pursuing the facts. He knew what was happening to her, and he knew what was going on in town. She was going to have to convince him to tell her.

She got ready quickly and pulled on a pair of indigo jeans, a thick blood red sweater, and a woolly hat, before she pulled on her snow boots and thick padded coat. She looked around the room and couldn’t believe what a mess it was in. She had thrown clothes all over the floor, her make-up was scattered out of her bags and her shoes were in a pile by the door. When she had gotten back the previous evening, suddenly, everything looked very faded and old, and she had decided she needed a completely new wardrobe.

Everything she looked at, no matter where it was, had become as if the definition had been turned up on it and she could see it much more clearly. The motel room looked outdated and moth-eaten as a result, and she couldn’t stand the sight of any of her clothes. She shook her head in disbelief and headed for the door.

 

Out in the street, the town was still recovering from the beer festival, and Esme smiled and tried to act normal as she walked through the crowds and was spoken to by many of the locals. They were all so friendly, and they all seemed to want to greet the new girl.

She made her way to the coffee house and loitered by the doorway before she debated whether she should ask someone if they knew where she could find Zeke.

She didn’t even know where he lived, but she had the feeling he was close by. She didn’t know why, but she could sense him. The whole night, as she had tossed and turned, she had the feeling that he was keeping some kind of watch over her, and now that she was out in the open, it felt even more prominent.

She pushed open the door to the coffee house and went up to the counter. After she had ordered a large latte, she went to a table in the corner and sat by the big, roaring fire, before she sipped it slowly and pulled out her cellphone. She opened up a web page and started to type in the only thing she could think of…

The Nowhere Bar, Lost Creek.

The search results started to crowd across the page and she scrolled up and down, before she went back to the top and clicked on the first result. The official website.

When it opened, she smiled.

There, right across the top of the webpage was a big, black, running wolf.

She traced her finger over its image and felt electricity in her hands.

She went straight to the contact page and pressed on the number, and then she held the phone to her ear. The dial tone rang out and she listened as it went on and on. She waited for five rings and had just about convinced herself no one was going to answer, when suddenly, the line went live, and she heard a familiar voice on the other end.

“Hello, Esme,” Zeke said gruffly.

She could hear the sounds of life behind him, and she knew then that he wasn’t in the bar. She could hear the playing of an accordion, and the same tune was right outside the coffee house. She could see the musician playing it, and she felt warm inside. He was right near her.

“Where are you?” she asked with a wry smile playing across her lips. “Are you watching me right now?”

“I am,” he said.

“But I called the bar…” she offered.

“It’s closed and no one is there,” he said. She could hear his footsteps too, and it sounded as if he was getting even closer to the music of the accordion. “The line diverts to my cell when no one is there.”

“Well, that explains it then,” she smiled. “So you knew I would call?”

“Yes,” he said. “I knew it was you the second it happened.”

“It seems you know a lot that I don’t,” she said bravely. “And I think you know what I’m going to ask you.”

“I do,” he said, and she could tell he was smiling.

“Come and find me, Zeke,” she said. “I can tell you won’t have to look far.”

“I’ll be there in two minutes,” he said. And then the line went dead.

She looked down at her cellphone and then held it to her heart. She sat forward in her seat and looked around the place, before she squinted to try and see out the windows and out into the crowd on Main Street beyond.

His eyes pierced through the hustle and bustle before anything else, and then the rest of his dark and dangerous appearance. When she saw him, her heart skipped a beat and she held her breath.

Damn.

He was looking as good as ever, and now she felt even more connected and attracted to him.

Her heart began to pound harder and harder, and with each step closer he took, she could feel him all over her.

The bell tinged above the door as he pushed it open and stepped inside. His eyes were focused solely on her, and he walked toward her with a sense of purpose. Esme’s breath caught in her throat, and as he reached her, he dipped down and placed a blazing and tingling kiss on her cheek.

She felt all of her senses become even more awakened, and she knew she was smiling at him with wide eyes, as he sat down on the couch next to her and took hold of her hand.

She gasped.

Having his skin against hers again felt so good, it was almost making her quiver.

“Esme,” he whispered as he held her hand to his lips and kissed it, before he brought it down to his knee and held it there, covering it with his other palm.

“I’m so confused,” she said as she looked deeply into his eyes. “I don’t have a clue what is happening to me, but at the same time, it all feels so very right.”

“Because it is,” he said as he smiled at her warmly. “I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time.”

She searched his face for answers, but he just looked back at her with so much adoration she almost couldn’t handle it. She wanted to live out what they had done in her dream. She wanted to pull him to her, rip his clothes off, dive onto his lap and embrace him and kiss him until they both couldn’t stand it any longer. She wanted him to ravish her, to explore her entire body, but as the heat began to rise between them, Zeke smiled at her naughtily and winked.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “And you’re a very bad girl.”

Esme blushed and couldn’t help but laugh.

“I need answers, Zeke,” she said. “These past few days have been so confusing. Ever since I set foot in this town strange things have been happening to me, and they seem to be magnified when I’m around you.”

He nodded his head and squeezed her hand.

“I know,” he said. “And I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark.”

“Well, then don’t any longer,” she said. “I need you to tell me it all. I need you to tell me what you are.”

He looked deep into her eyes and held her gaze there as he smiled at her warmly and sighed.

“You and I have been fated to meet since we were born,” he said suddenly.

Esme felt her eyes widen, but she couldn’t say she was surprised by that piece of information. It was clear that there was something big at play here between them.

“And we have met before,” he said.

“In the forest?” she asked carefully.

“You remember?” he sat forward and held her hand ever tighter.

“I remember parts of it,” she said as she searched his stunningly green eyes. “I remember I was playing with a boy, and then there was a wolf. My mother was terrified, and she pulled me away and we have been on the run ever since.”

Zeke looked at her sadly and nodded his head.

“Your mother isn’t as flakey as she appears,” he said as he gripped her hand tightly and looked toward the door to make sure no one was listening to them. “I don’t know how she knew, but someone told us, at the time, she was aware of the prophecy.”

“The prophecy?” Esme asked. Her head was completely spinning, and things were getting crazier and crazier by the second.

Zeke nodded his head again.

“Tell me, Zeke…. I can’t stand being in the dark any longer.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “You were a child in the woods, we had been playing in the park that day and you and I ran off into the forest. I didn’t know a whole lot about what I was back then, but I knew I had a certain power. One that only me and a few others in our town seemed to know about. My mother kept me safe, she hid me from the town’s people and we only ever went to the park on quiet days for that reason. The day you arrived there, as soon as I saw you… I can’t explain… you were like a shining light. I told my mother. I said to her, that little girl over there, she means something to me. And I still remember the way she looked at me… it was as if her whole world had just been made complete. She knew what I meant when I said that, and she told me I had to find you. That, somehow, life had brought you to me way before our time.” He broke off and smiled at Esme.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but she knew it all made sense. She remembered how she had felt when she had seen the boy that day, as he spoke, all of her memories were being ignited and coming back to her full force. She had been drawn to him too.

“I came over to you,” he continued. “And I led you into the woods. I didn’t know why, but all I could think of was that I had to show you who I truly was. We were playing and I climbed up onto the rocks, and I had to let go of what I had held inside of me for so long. I knew that the moment I saw you, I could be myself. I didn’t have to hide from you, Esme… I had to let everything out and be who I truly am. You had to see me for me.”

“The wolf?” she asked nervously.

Zeke nodded his head.

“I’m a shifter, Esme,” he told her. “I can shapeshift from human to wolf form… That is the secret that Lost Creek is hiding… all of its oldest families and inhabitants, a select few… they are all the same as me.”

He took a breath and looked down at the floor as if he were afraid of what she may say. Esme let it all sink in for a moment, and then she took his hand in hers and squeezed it back.

“I have been having dreams since I arrived here in town,” she said. “I never knew if the memories of the boy and the wolf in the forest were real, and my mother never told me anything whenever I asked her.”

“Your mother was likely afraid,” he said. “From what I discovered since about you and her, she too has had her encounters with magic and outside forces.”

Esme swallowed hard. She had never heard her mother speak of such things, but it didn’t surprise her. She had always insisted they keep moving. She had always wanted them to leave no trace and keep the sun behind them.

“We are fated to be together, Esme, because, by doing so, we could potentially stop a massive threat to my kind.” He said it so sternly she almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“You’re not just my fated mate,” he whispered as he held her hand and looked at her deep in the eyes. “You could also be the salvation of The Lost Alphas.”