Oceanport hadn't changed much since my last visit here about a year ago. Hell, it hadn't changed much since I'd grown up here, really. Oceanport was one of those places that always looked the same, no matter how much time passed between your visits... but maybe that was what I liked most about this town. In a sense, it was always going to be home. No matter how far I ran, I would always have this place to come back to, and I'd find it just the way I left it. The post office still needed a new paint job, the old town hall still dwarfed all the other buildings, and the sun setting over the ocean still looked absolutely breathtaking as I drove into town in the old Honda Civic I'd rented at the airport.

I parked the car in front of the house where Kade lived with my cousin and his family. I hadn't been here before, not at this house. My cousin and Kade had built it together after becoming a couple. It had only been finished a few weeks ago.

Only a few seconds after I’d climbed out of the car and breathed in the forest smell in the air, Kade stepped out of the house.

“Nick!” he greeted me with open arms. “You found it!”

“Not that hard to find a new house in Oceanport!” I gave my friend a short hug. “It looks great! Spacious!”

“It is! Oh, I need to show you my basement studio. It's amazing!”

“Does this mean you won't be coming to LA as often anymore?”

“Aw, don't worry, you won't get rid of me that easily. Now, come on in. I need to show you everything.”

As we entered the house, the family dog came storming toward me and nearly knocked me off my feet. “Easy, Max!” I said, catching myself.

“Sorry!” Conner sprinted to us and grabbed the Golden Retriever by the collar. “He gets excited.”

“He might be a little calmer if you didn't forget to walk him all the time,” Kade chided.

“It's not all the time!”

“What about yesterday?”

Conner rubbed the back of his neck. “I was reading.”

“And today?”

“I only went to the bookstore because Hope kept crying.”

“Next time your little sister annoys you, take the dog out,” Kade suggested.

“Fine. I'll take him out now too.” Conner grabbed the leash from a hook by the door and the dog barked excitedly.

“Be careful,” Kade called after the two of them as they left. Then he turned to me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“What?” I asked.

“You know who works at that bookstore Conner loves so much?”

Confused, I raised an eyebrow at him. What was he talking about?

The corners of his lips tugged up in a wide grin. He looked a bit like my aunt Camilla whenever she was about to share a delicious piece of gossip with her pet parrots. Poor aunt Camilla was a little bit out of it, but in this moment, Kade's expression mirrored hers completely. “Your alpha works there.”

My what now? I shot my friend a worried look. “Are you on drugs? I know your house is close to the woods and I know your career can be stressful, but if you've been collecting any mushrooms, please stop that now.”

Kade whacked me across the back of the head. “Stop that. I'm not on drugs.”

“Then what the hell are you talking about?”

Kade glanced around. We were still in the entrance of the house, but now he dragged me into the living room with him. “That alpha you ogled at the wedding. I saw him in the store!”

“What wedding?” I squinted.

“Your brother's wedding.”

“Which br—”

“Dean's wedding!”

Oh. I tilted my head. “That was almost two years ago, dude. I don't remember ogling any alphas at that wedding.” I lied, even though I was starting to realize just what he was talking about.

“No, you never ogle any alphas. Except that night, you did. It's why I remember, and so do you. I can see it in your face. Who is he?”

What to say? This was none of Kade's business, but if I said anything to that effect, he'd only get more curious. I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

To my luck, I was saved by my cousin. Just as Kade was about to speak again, Shane appeared in the doorway to the living room, his five-year-old daughter by his side. “Hey, Nick! Good to see you made it here okay.”

“Yeah, so great.” I forced a grin on my face. “Hi, Shane. Hi, Mary.” I walked over to the little girl, feeling my friend's eyes on my back. “How do you like being a big sister?” I asked Mary to distract everyone.

“It's okay,” she said with a slight shrug. “I want to cut Hope's hair.”

Shane grimaced and looked at Kade. “I found her with a pair of scissors in the nursery.”

Oh, was that why they hadn't come down immediately?

Horror flickered across Kade's features. Almost like that time I nearly broke his guitar. Good. This was sure to make him forget all about me for a while. “A pair of scissors?” He rushed over to Mary and I stepped aside. “You cannot play with scissors, and you can absolutely not cut your sister's hair.”

I exhaled in relief as all attention focused on Mary. I did not want to tell Kade about the alpha I had ogled at Dean's wedding. Not that I had really ogled him. No, I'd simply watched him from afar. He'd looked so awkward on the dance floor. Part of me had wanted to go over and show him how it was done. I hadn't, though. In fact, I'd done all I could not to run into him at all.

Zander was my oldest friend.

When we were growing up, his family lived just down the street from mine. He was a quiet boy, the kind who didn't speak unless spoken to. But that made the words he did say all the more precious. Like when we were six and he said that I was his very best friend in the world. Or when we were eight and I'd been in a fight with my brothers and he said he would always be there for me.

And I couldn't help but remember that time when we were ten and we'd just found out we were alpha and omega. He'd said we were perfect for each other.

Perfect for each other.

When we were ten, I'd kissed him for those words.

Fifteen years later, I could only scoff. Perfect didn’t exist.

* * *

Thankfully, by the time Kade was done lecturing Mary, he'd forgotten about me and Zander. After dinner, the two of us sat out on the front porch with a beer or two and looked up at the stars. It was a chilly evening, but not so cold that we couldn't enjoy the view. To be honest, I was hoping for a bit of snow. My hometown was nice in spring, summer, and fall, but it was beautiful in winter.

“How are you liking Oceanport?” I asked my friend. “I mean, now that you've been living here for a while.”

Kade sipped at his beer and glanced up at the stars, as if he had to give this question some serious thought. “I guess it's not too bad,” he said on a sigh.

“You're just messing with me, aren't you? You're loving it.”

He shot me a grin. “Yeah, I know what I used to say about small towns, but Oceanport really is kinda relaxing and all that. It's nice for the kids. The location is kind of inconvenient, though.”

“What? Are you trying to tell me that Maine isn't the heart of America?”

“Hate to break it to you.”

I laughed. “Well, I'm sure it's better than the shit hole where you grew up.”

“Can't argue with that.”

I nodded. My friend had grown up in a community dominated by a religious cult. Members of this cult called themselves Vinists and pretty much believed that alphas were superior to omegas in all things. Somehow Kade had managed to escape their clutches, but from what I'd heard it wasn't easy for omegas to break free—a fact that depressed me a bit whenever I thought about it.

Kade must have seen something on my face because he asked, “You heard anything from your brother?”

This time, I didn't have to ask which of my many brothers he meant. We were both thinking about Rhys. My twin brother, who had married a Vinist and converted, accepting everything that came along with it, including the loss of his independence. Saying that our relationship had become sort of rocky after that would have been an understatement. “Sometimes he responds to my text messages,” I said.

“You think he's doing okay?”

“I don't know.” I felt my face fall. It was weird not to know what was going on with Rhys. I always knew. Even when I'd moved to LA and he'd gone to college in a different state, we used to talk or text every day, just to keep each other up to date on everything. Unlike many twins, Rhys and I had always had different interests, hobbies and friends, but that didn't mean we didn't care about each other.

Until Rhys started dating that stupid Vinist asshole, anyway. I could never so much as pretend to be supportive of that relationship. He'd not taken it so well.

“I'm sure everything's fine,” Kade said.

The words meant little coming from someone who'd spent years of his life trying to escape the sort of relationship my brother had willingly agreed to. I knew my friend was trying to make me feel better, but I really didn't want to think about any of it.

“I think I'm gonna go to bed. It's been a long day.”

“All right. Try not to worry about your brother too much, okay? I'm sure he would say something if he really needed help.”

“Yeah, I guess,” I said, although I knew he wouldn't. Rhys would never admit if he made a mistake.

I suppose that was something the two of us had in common.

“Oh, have you applied for any new jobs?” Kade asked as if to distract me from Rhys’ issues.

“Yeah, but only one or two. Crappy retail jobs. I should hear back by the time I return to LA.” I didn't tell him that third job I applied for with a comic studio. For some reason, I wanted to keep that to myself. Probably because I didn't think I had any chance there, anyway. How could I? My art was mediocre at best. My comics made people chuckle, but that was all.

Once my I got back to my room, I went to my suitcase and unpacked my drawing pencils. I'd taped bubble-wrap around the box to make sure nothing happened to them on the flight. They might not have been the most expensive pencils, but Rhys had given them to me. Every year since we were kids, he gave me pencils for my birthday and I gave him a drawing in return. It was a silly little tradition, but I loved it. I didn't want these pencils to break. After freeing them from their wrapping, I got some paper and sat at the desk.

Idly, I wondered whether I'd ever hear back from that job with the comic studio. Probably not. It didn't really matter. I could always put my doodles on paper in my free time; I didn't need to be doing it for a living. How many people got to work their dream jobs anyway?

* * *

The next night, Kade ambushed me during dinner. And that was after I'd helped him prepare it too! We were having a roast with mashed potatoes on the side, and I'd prepared the potatoes all by myself. I was just chewing on a forkful of potatoey goodness when Kade turned to Conner, who was sitting next to me.

“How's your research project coming along?” he asked.

“It's going okay, I guess,” the boy said, eyes lighting up. “I found some really good books in the library.”

“Have you checked the store yet?” Kade asked.

“Oh, no. Not for that. I'm out of money.”

“Really? That's a shame.” Kade cut into his roast with a thoughtful expression. “I'll give you thirty bucks if you'd like to go after school tomorrow. Nick can take you.”

Conner glanced at me while I stared at Kade. This bookstore they were talking about had to be the one where Zander worked. Obviously, my friend was trying to set me up. Weren't we a little old for that?

“I can't tomorrow,” I said.

“Oh?” Kade turned to me. “I didn't realize you had plans.”

“I don't need anyone to take me,” Conner piped up.

“Yes, you do,” Kade insisted, meanwhile, his mate—my cousin—studied him with a frown.

“He really doesn't. It's only—”

“No, Nick has to take him.” Kade put a finger on Shane's lips, effectively hushing the alpha. I had to fight not to laugh at the picture.

Conner tilted his head, clearly confused. The poor kid had no idea that this wasn't about him. “I go by myself all the time.”

“Sure, but it's getting dark out earlier now. I'd feel better if Nick was with you.”

“Is this because I'm omega?” Conner scowled, shoulders slumping.

“No, it's because you're still a child and your dad and I care about you.”

Part of me wanted to glance under the table to see if Kade had his foot on Shane's.

“C'mon,” Conner whined. “This is Oceanport, not LA.”

“Bad things can happen anywhere, any time.”

Conner sighed. I felt bad for the kid. This really wasn't about him at all, but he had no way to know that. “Fine,” I said. “I'll take him.”

“Great.” Kade gave me a wide smile. “I knew you'd come through.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. Not super adult, but neither was my friend right now. Shoveling another forkful of potatoes in my mouth, I resigned myself to my fate. Worst case scenario, I could always wait outside the store.