God, she was pathetic. The only daughter of Kong, hiding in a locked bedroom, too embarrassed to face her potential mate.

Greyson had looked totally shocked when she’d panicked. He’d startled her, though. Him grabbing her suitcase was unexpected—she hadn’t known he was right behind her. It was times like this she wished so hard she’d been born normal, that she’d been born with hearing. She wished she had the same senses as all the other shifters, but that wasn’t her path. She’d never heard her mother’s voice singing lullabies at night to her and Torren, or Dad saying “I love you, Little Monkey,” or the birds or the wind in the trees or thunder or fucking anything except her own voice if she yelled loud enough, and she hated the sound of it. It was thick and off-key.

Stupid silence. It had ruined her first meeting with Greyson. He probably thought she was a total nutcase now. And he would be right. She was. But it wasn’t always like this.

On the bed, she drew her knees up to her chest and stared at her open suitcase. She’d meant to unpack, but the drawers were full of Greyson’s clothes. She probably should’ve checked if the 1010 trailer was available before she moved in here, but she hadn’t been thinking straight. When she’d seen the rejection in his eyes as he tried to send her away, she’d panicked.

Oh, Greyson was a monster kitty. He felt heavy, and so dominant, but he’d gone to his knees the second she’d startled at him grabbing her luggage. Why? Why would a big alpha male like him do that? It didn’t make any sense. She was beneath him. The lowest-ranking member in the family group, she would be the lowest-ranking member here, too. And yet he’d knelt and angled his head, exposing his neck in submission to her.

No man had ever done that.

Gen made her way to the door and rested her forehead against the cold wood, hand hovering over the handle. For once, be fucking brave.

Inhaling deeply, she eased the door open and padded out into the hallway. Carefully, she peeked around the corner. Greyson was standing by a small island in the kitchen, a bowl of cereal in front of him, spoon lifted to his open mouth, his eyes on hers as he stood there frozen like a statue. There was a loaded moment that sparked like electricity between them before he broke it and turned his back on her.

For a split second, she was hurt, but then he pulled a bowl from the cabinet by the fridge. His lips didn’t form a single word as he made a second bowl of cereal, complete with milk and spoon. With a quick glance at her, he exposed his neck again and slid the bowl toward her. A peace offering.

Chest heaving with emotion she didn’t understand, Gen made her way to the small kitchen island and sat on the single barstool. She dared a smile of thanks to him, and then in silence, always in silence, she ate off-brand Frosty Loops with him, one slow bite at a time. He kept pace, and with each bite, his eyes softened. The wariness left his countenance, and by the end of the bowl, the corners of his lips were turned up ever so slightly in a smile.

“You have a nice smile,” he said. His lips were easy to read. Greyson was a man who enunciated well. Bonus points.

She wanted to return the compliment. Even slight, his smile kept drawing her attention. Full lips under a blondish-red beard and straight, white, perfect teeth. His eyes crinkled in the corners, even when his smile was tiny. She bet he was stunning when he gave a big smile. But she couldn’t return the compliment because she didn’t trust her voice. Never had. So she ducked her gaze shyly and stood to take her bowl to the sink. She took his too, and rinsed them. She felt his eyes on her back, and when she turned around, he said, “You didn’t have to do mine.”

She shrugged. She’d done all the dishes for the family group. One bowl and one spoon was nothing, and he’d been kind to make her a snack in the first place.

“…to me?” he asked. She’d missed the first part, so she watched his lips and hoped he would repeat, but he didn’t. He just frowned at her, confusion swirling in his piercing blue eyes.

He opened his mouth to say something, but before he formed a word, he turned suddenly to the door. His neck muscles twitched with words she couldn’t see, and then the front door opened suddenly, so hard it banked against the wall. The man who came in looked furious. Blond hair, gold eyes, his heavy dominance filled the whole room and made him feel the size of an eighteen-wheeler instead of a six-foot-tall man. He was talking too fast, jamming his finger at her. There were others leaking into the house behind him.

For once, be fucking brave.

Gen ignored her bone-deep instinct to run back to the room and lock herself in so they wouldn’t make her leave. Instead, she forced one foot in front of the other and stood by Greyson. He looked down at her, determination in his eyes. “It’s okay.”

He looked at the dominant man, probably the alpha, Benson Saber, if her research on the reclusive crew was correct. They were yelling at each other. She could tell by the bulging veins in the alpha’s neck. There was another man behind him, smiling as he looked back and forth between Ben and Greyson. There were two other women, and then…Eden? Shocked, Gen signed hello to her. Eden looked just as stunned to see her standing in the small cabin, too.

“Gen?” Eden grinned so big as she ran for her.

Eden lifted her off the ground like they used to hug when they were growing up around Damon’s Mountains. A set of impossibly strong arms went around them both in their hug, and with one sniff, Gen smelled Jaxon. Jaxon was here, too? She was laughing like a lunatic. She probably sounded like one, but fuck it. Her friends were here. This wasn’t so scary now.

Eden released her and signed in simple alphabet, What are you doing here?

Fingers flying with excitement, Gen explained that she was here to see Grey. When she turned to point at him, he was staring at her hands with a deep furrow to his brow. She froze mid-explanation. Oooh, that’s right. He didn’t know.

“You’re deaf?” he asked.

Gen dropped her hands immediately at the disappointment on his face. Her stomach curdled with that all too familiar rejection. He was just staring at her, the cereal smile long gone, waiting on an answer, so she nodded.

He scratched the back of his head and took two steps back, and now he wouldn’t meet her eyes. Anger flared through her chest like a wild fire on a windy day. In ASL, she signed, Stupid boy.

“I don’t understand what that means,” Greyson said, enunciating each word slowly. He was probably speaking at yelling volume too, like that would help.

Her disappointment yawned open like a canyon. She gave him her middle finger. Understand this. She shrugged out from under Eden’s arm, and made her way back to the bedroom.

She couldn’t hear what was going on out there, but she could imagine it. Jaxon and Eden would be sticking up for her. They’d grown up near Damon’s Mountains together, and that created loyalty. She loved them for it, but it wouldn’t matter. She was leaving in the morning.

The deep disappointment in Greyson’s eyes flashed across her mind, and her hands began to shake again, but this time out of fury. She’d been so stupid to have moments of hope during their cereal meal. Hope that he was different and wouldn’t judge her. Hope that he could be the one to keep her safe, give her a good life. Hope that she could do the same for him.

If it doesn’t work, try again.

Tonight she was going to cry and let herself feel disappointed over the let-down, because it was okay to hurt for a little while. Even tough girls were allowed to cry sometimes.

But then tomorrow, she was going to wake up, pack her things into her Mustang, and then she would try again.