“Don’t forget to call me,” Lewis said as we pulled up outside my motel. I looked at the dark and gloomy building and turned to him.

“Sure you don’t want to come inside?”

He shook his head.

“I have a few things I need to sort out before that happens.”

By things, I knew he meant Faye, and I knew he meant talking to his parents. Out of all the men in Grayson Falls, I’d chosen the Alpha whose forefathers had founded the town, the one whose dad was the mayor. Everything he did was under scrutiny, which meant that our relationship would be off limits.

I rested a hand on his thigh and felt him tense up.

“Not here,” he whispered.

“No one’s looking,” I responded, catching sight of an older man on the porch sitting in a chair with a newspaper.

“Max, I’m in a freaking Mercedes. How many of those do you see around town?”

It was true. No one in the town drove anything other than a pickup truck, and only Lewis and his extended family had big luxury cars. I always remembered as a teen enjoying being driven around in them. It was one of the highlights of growing up.

I pulled open the door and took a deep breath. Just over twenty-four hours ago, I’d been somewhere completely different. I’d been in New York in my shared apartment with friends talking about how I never wanted to settle down with anyone ever, and now I was regretfully leaving the car of someone whom I couldn’t picture going back to the city without.

I turned to him. He was looking at me, a sad smile on his face.

“I really wish I could kiss you,” I whispered gently, looking into his eyes. He moved his hand slowly over to my seat and took mine in his, squeezing it.

“Soon, I promise. Okay?”

I nodded, getting out of the car.

“I wish it could be a summer night every night.”

He laughed.

“We just had a close shave. I’ll come here next time. Hurry, before someone sees us.”

I smiled and closed the door, watching as he reversed and drove away. I stood for a moment, not wanting to go inside despite the cold.

“You need to watch yourself, you know?”

“Excuse me?” I looked over at the man, a fellow Omega, sitting in the chair. He was looking at me, shaking his head.

I walked over to him, and in the porch light I saw that he was much older than I’d anticipated.

He looked at me as I unlocked the door next to him.

“You don’t know his kind,” he said again.

“Look man, I just want to go inside and get to bed. You got something to say, just say it.”

He shook his head and looked straight ahead at the parking lot.

“I’ve seen my fair share of crap in this town, kid. I’m telling you, you gotta watch who you mix with in this place here.”

“I’m from this town.”

“Then you should already know.” He got up and folded the paper into a neat square. “Folk around these parts are too wrapped up to see what’s in front of them.”

He opened the door of the room next to mine and stepped inside.

“Wait!” I called as he closed it slightly. “What does that even mean?”

He chewed slowly, looking at me, and for a moment I thought he was going to explain, but the flash from behind me made him stop and narrow his eyes at me.

“Just quit meddling,” he hissed.

I looked over my shoulder just in time to see a large black Range Rover crawl past and disappear around the corner.

Someone had been watching us.

I turned back to ask what he’d seen, but the door was closed.

I knocked, looking down towards the window, but the light was off, and I heard nothing from within.

I finally retreated to my room, confused. It was a known fact that Grayson Falls was full of mad old loonies who’d driven themselves crazy by being stuck there forever. Lewis and I had always talked about it when we were younger, saying how we didn’t want to end up like them, and we’d planned to leave as soon as we finished school, but something about that guy seemed different. It was more fear than madness that had been behind his words.

I turned the lamp off and lay in bed, my thoughts overflowing far too much to switch off and sleep.

Despite what anyone said or thought, Lewis and I had a history that no one understood, and a few loose warnings or rumors weren’t going to stop me. Not now.