He seems un-groomed and like maybe he's a little out of your league.

Deacon couldn't get Dr. Collins statement out of his head. Monica's dad's first impression of him had been disappointing. This had bothered Deacon all night long and he had tossed and turned with images of a gorgeous Monica in his dreams with her long, raven colored hair fanned out across his pillow and of her cool gray eyes begging for his attention. But when he woke up…

He's ungroomed.

He's out of your league.

Nonetheless, he rose before sunrise, but Dr. Collins’s disapproval of him had sparked other memories. Memories he'd fostered all these years. He'd even controlled the drastic emotions he encountered every time he had these memories, but like a festering sore, his conscious ate at him again. And not in a good way.

That Remy boy will never amount to nothin'. His papa was a liar, and his grandpapi was a rotten scoundrel.

It's best he leave this Pack.

He oughta go back to the Tunica Pack.

He could see all the faces of the men who'd prosecuted him before knowing the full story. "Loyal" pack members had driven him out of Aspen Valley and away from the Pack in the first place. It had taken him over a year to forgive them and come to terms that the only person responsible for his destiny was himself. He wouldn't let what his father did or what his grandpa was forced to do define his future. He'd already decided. He wasn't going back to the ways of the pitiful young man he once was.

Deacon drowned himself in the sounds of the motorcycle engine purring beneath him. He closed his eyes and counted to one hundred. He willed himself to focus on his immediate goals once again. He'd come back for very specific reasons.

He lifted his gaze and focused on the clearing in the woods, hoping that his cousin, Luke Lombardi would welcome him after all this time. He owed Luke his life. One reason Deacon had returned to Aspen Valley was to the pay the guy back tenfold for the favor he extended shortly before Deacon left town.

Deacon rolled his motorcycle up to the front of the office cabin, which used to be labeled "Lombardi & Sons Lodging Administration Office". Now the sign was gone, and the cabin he visited almost weekly when he lived on the property looked homely. Plus something smelled oddly unfamiliar about the place. The sound of a woman humming a tune inside and jostling stuff around came to him from his position under a tree. There was also a lingering scent of a human female inside. The woman wasn't Luke's niece, who'd been the office manager when Deacon left. Maybe Luke had finally hired someone new like he'd always talked about but never got around to doing.

Deacon decided that Luke couldn't have been in the office cabin and looked further across the property at his cousin's personal residence. He hated to bother the man so early in the day, but carrying stacks of cash around town wasn't something Deacon preferred doing. He rolled his motorcycle along the dirt road leading to Luke's front porch.

When Deacon reached the house, he caught a whiff of Luke Lombardi's wolf essence when a small gush of wind passed across his face. He applied the kickstand, propped his helmet on the seat, and stuffed his gloves down into his back pocket. As he grabbed a wool drawstring tote from the trunk bag, Luke Lombardi came around from the back of the house carrying a string of freshly caught fish.

"Deacon? Is that you?"

"Yeah. It's me."

Luke didn't look a day older since Deacon had last seen him over a year ago. He aged well, but no one could tell because he was good at hiding his true age. Although the man had worn his beard for the past few years, Deacon could still detect some carefree youth in him. Both men were only four years apart and were alike on many levels. Both had been misunderstood in their teenage years—and were considered the trouble makers and bad boys of the Pack. The difference now was that Luke had major responsibilities. His niece and nephew to look after. A business to run all on his own. A duty to his Pack as one of the newly appointed scouts. Deacon looked up to Luke, and he hoped to reach the level of respect that Luke had gained from the Aspen Valley community one day.

Luke was the only family he had left in Aspen Valley that he knew he could trust. They were blood related on Deacon's mama's side of the family. Even now, after not seeing Luke in over a year, a strong bond still existed between them. He was home now. It didn't matter how many bad memories that had developed here—this was his home.

"I heard you were back in town, but I wouldn't believe it until I saw you for myself," Luke said, holding the string of trout aside while the men gave each other a big bear hug.

"Yeah, here I am. I tried the office but there was a girl inside. It wasn't Nessa," Deacon said.

Luke scratched his head and glanced behind Deacon at the office cabin. "Yeah. Cassie will stay on my property for a couple weeks. I'm looking after her for a good friend of mine."

"I hope I didn't come by at a bad time," Deacon said.

"No, not at all. You're always welcome here anytime. I just got back from the lake. I saw these trout jumping high when I went for a quick run and I just couldn't resist. I ate a couple there and then brought some back for supper later this evening." Luke clapped Deacon on the back. "I thought I'd never see you again. What have you been up to?"

"Lots. I told you I'd be back when I got my shit together, and I'm here to tell you all about it," Deacon said.

"I've missed you, cousin. We've got some catching up to do. Come on inside. I'm gonna get these trout on some ice and change into something else."

Deacon sighed, relieved that Luke hadn't looked down on him for being rogue for so long. The last few days had been a roller coaster ride for Deacon. He'd found almost every single person he told he would pay back and did just that. Not everyone welcomed him, but, so far, everyone had accepted repayment of the Remy debt. And Deacon felt good about what he had accomplished. He was now debt free and not one soul in Aspen Valley could say that the Remy family owed them any money.

Once inside, Luke kicked the door shut and said, "Make yourself at home. Nessa and Henry are up at college, so you don't have to worry about them begging you to take them out drag racing."

At the mention of his younger cousins, Deacon realized how good it felt to be home again. He chuckled. "I'm not the daredevil I used to be."

"Once a daredevil, always a daredevil. He's in there somewhere alright. You just have to let him out. I'll be right back," Luke said and then disappeared into the kitchen area.

Deacon missed a lot of things about Aspen Valley, but he didn't know if this could ever be his Pack home again. Luke had his business. Everyone else was pre-occupied with their own lives. He hadn't even been here when Dane Magnus was named the new Alpha. He was a rogue. A lone wolf without a Pack home. On top of that, the woman he wanted the most was the woman he could not have.

Deacon sat down on the couch and picked up one of the architectural magazines off the coffee table to flip through while he waited on Luke to come back.