by Emma Wolfe
His looked down at my fingers and then back up to meet my gaze. There was this desperation in his eyes that caused my whole body to shiver.
I knew I wanted to say something, but I wasn’t sure what it was anymore.
“It’s okay, Cora”—my name sounded amazing on his lips—”I’ve got to go, anyway.” He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and didn’t look back as he disappeared down the stairs.
I found a fold-out chair and collapsed. My heart was pounding as I took a few deep breaths. What was wrong with me? How could I have feelings like this for a complete stranger?
Was I going crazy?
Probably.
But despite my wavering mental status, I knew one thing. There was something about Liam that had me intrigued. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. At all.
After Liam, Grayson, and Rose left, Mom came walking up the stairs and into the kitchen. I was sitting at the table, the day’s earlier events rolling around in my mind.
Mom shot me a look as she pulled out a water bottle from the fridge. “That was strange,” she said after taking a sip.
I sighed as I pushed away from the table and stood. “It’s a small town, Ma. They do things different here.”
Mom chuckled as she watched me grab a granola bar from a box on the counter. I could tell from the look in her eyes she wanted to say something.
I sighed as I turned to look at her. “What?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just…”
I opened the wrapper and took a bite of the bar. I raised my eyebrows as I leaned in. “What?” I asked again.
Mom chuckled as she raised her hands. “I think that Liam character might have more on his mind than just kindness to newcomers.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I shoved the rest of the bar into my mouth and then threw the wrapper into the bag we were using for garbage.
I walked past Mom and gave her a look. “It must have been your imagination. There’s no way Liam is interested in me.”
Mom tried to straighten her expression as she nodded.
I headed back to my extremely empty room. After I shut the door, I flopped down on the bed.
Great. Just great. Day one in a new place, and I was already feeling completely out of control of my life.
If this was starting over, I wasn’t sure I wanted it.
7
Liam
It took a two-hour run after work for me to finally cool down. I worked myself to the bone clearing the parking lot so it would be ready for new asphalt on Monday. Then I slipped away from the pack and transformed so my inner beast could be set free.
I ran and ran until I was sure my legs couldn’t carry me anymore.
It wasn’t until I stumbled upon Corden land that I forced myself to head back home. No need to start up a war with a rival pack when our own pack was falling apart.
Dad was still up when my weak legs carried me into the kitchen that night. He was sitting at the table with a hot cup of coffee and the paper in front of him. His glasses were perched on his nose. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his white button-down shirt that was still tucked into his suit pants.
He looked perfectly harmless. Perfectly human.
Too bad I knew what hid under his skin.
“Where were you?” he asked, not taking his gaze from the article in front of him.
I shrugged as I walked over to the sink and flipped the water on. After I downed a few glasses, I turned. “Running.”
He glanced at me over his glasses. “What does that mean?”
I shrugged again and heard his agitated growl emerge. I sighed. Dad didn’t take too kindly to me being less than forthright.
“Stress,” I offered as I set the glass down on the counter next to the sink.
“Stress?” Dad asked. After a few seconds, he added, “About Grandpa?” I heard him sigh and stand up from the table. “I told you. We’ll be fine. The pack knows where we are and the choice we’ve made. They won’t come after us. We’ve moved on, and so have they.” He stood next to me with his coffee mug in hand.
I nodded. Sure, I’d go with that. Let Dad think that a ridiculous feud with our pack was what was bothering me. The last thing I needed was him finding out about Cora.
“It’s something else, isn’t it?” he asked narrowing his eyes. “Your pulse changed.”
I flexed my jaw, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Nope. You pegged it right.”
Dad studied me. I could tell he didn’t believe me, but I was pretty sure he wouldn’t suspect that his son had fated on a human. Mom was a human. I knew what our kind did to them. Dad had taught me well.
That was why I needed to be stronger. I needed to forget Cora no matter how much my inner wolf was calling out for her.
He sighed and sipped his coffee again. “Did you hear there’s a new vet in town?” he asked as he studied me over the rim of his mug.
I cleared my throat as the image of Cora floated into my mind. “Yeah, Dr. Peterson hightailed it out of here.” I studied Dad. “You don’t think…”
Dad shook his head. “He signed a contract. If he does talk, things will end very badly for him.” He sighed as he set his mug on the counter. “Have you seen the new vet? Do you think she’ll work with us?”
I scoffed and shook my head. “How would I have seen her?” Then I peeked over at him. “Why can’t we bring in one of our kind? Why do we need to even involve the new vet?” The thought of Cora in danger was affecting my pulse. I took a few cleansing breaths, hoping I could regain some control of my body.
Dad brushed his hands off and then folded his arms. “The fewer of our kind we have around, the better. We’re already raising suspicions with the four of you on the football team.” He trailed off for a moment. “It’s better if we keep to humans.”
Great. The last person I wanted involved with our problems was Cora’s mom. If she knew about us, Cora would know. And I couldn’t have that.
But Dad didn’t look like he was listening anymore. Instead, he pushed off the counter and waved to the cupboard. “Grab out those cookies from Mrs. Jones and meet me at the front door. We’re going to go introduce ourselves.”
It was like everything around me started moving in slow motion. I knew Dad had said something, I just didn’t want to believe it was what I’d heard. “What? No, it’s like nine at night. We don’t need to go over there.”
Dad waved away my comment. “Please. What kind of mayor would I be if I didn’t go introduce myself? Now grab the cookies and let’s get going.” Dad already had his hand on the door.
Desperation clawed at my chest. I needed him to stop. There was no way I could go over to Cora’s with Dad. He would figure out the moment I stood in front of her that his son was in trouble.
So I faked a yawn and stretched. “I’m really tired. You can go over, but I’ve got school in the morning.”
Dad’s gaze snapped to me, and I could feel his command before he even spoke it. “Now,” he said, pointing to the ground.
My gaze dropped, and I could feel submission ripple through my body. When my alpha spoke, I had to listen. The curse of being a teen wolf shifter. So, despite the warning bells, I pulled down the plate of homemade cookies from the cupboard and made my way over to him.
Dad looked satisfied as he pulled open the door and started down the steps.
I followed him into the night air.
At least I had ten blocks until we got to her house. That meant ten blocks to figure out how I could get out of this. Ten blocks to prepare myself to see her if my plans failed.
Ten blocks to push the one girl my inner wolf was obsessed with out of my mind for good.
Cora
Thankfully, Mom had been busy finding furniture while I was out getting groceries. Apparently, this was a very small town. Lots of people had showed up to greet us, and when they took in our sparsely furnished home, they declared they had something that would be perfect for the bare spots.
By the end of the night, our house was full of second-hand furniture. Nothing matched, but it was cozy. Just what we needed.
I slipped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my hair and another around my body. I was exhausted from everything that’d happened today, and the hot water on my muscles was exactly what I needed. I pulled open the bathroom door and headed toward the kitchen.
“Mom?” I asked as I neared the entryway. I was dying of hunger and wanted to snack a little before I dressed. “I’m start—”
All words left my mind as I stared into the very wide eyes of Liam Bronson. I yelped and covered my mouth with my hand. Liam was standing next to a man who looked like an older version of him. Except, instead of looking shocked like Liam, he just looked amused.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, trying to force my feet to move.
The fridge door closed next to me, and Mom appeared with two bottles of water. Her gaze roamed over me. “Cora, we have guests,” she said, nodding toward Liam and who I could only assume was his dad.
That snapped me out of my trance. I nodded and hightailed it to my room, where I slammed the door and collapsed on my bed. I covered my face with my hands as I silently screamed inside.
What was the matter with me? Why had I come out in just a towel, and why, oh why, wasn’t Liam leaving me alone?
He was literally everywhere.
My bedroom door opened, and I peeked through my fingers to find that Mom had come in. She shut the door and turned with an amused look on her face. “What are you doing? Get dressed and get out there. The mayor has come to say hi.” She headed over to my closet and opened the doors.
I groaned. “Why are they here?” I asked as I peeled myself off the bed and joined her as she went through what clothing I had hung up.
“They like to meet all move-ins, and since I’m actually a business-owner here as well, they stopped by.” She pulled out a yellow summer dress and held it out to me.
I shook my head and hung the dress back up. “Ma, it’s nine at night. I’m not dressing up.” I padded over to a box and pulled out a T-shirt and pajama shorts. “This is fine.”
Mom scrunched up her nose but didn’t resist. Instead she made her way back over to the door. She rested her hand on the handle and then turned to study me. “He’s cute, isn’t he?”
The only person who came to mind was Liam. I shot her an exasperated look. “He’s a little young for you to be saying that.”
She hesitated and then shook her head. “Not Liam, his dad. I looked, no ring.”
I blinked a few times as her words registered in my mind. It took a few seconds, but things finally made sense. “Yeah, sure,” I said, ready for her to leave my room. There were about a million reasons why I did not want to have this conversation. One, because my heart hurt for Dad, and two, it felt wrong on so many levels. Worried that she’d want to talk more about this, I pushed on her shoulders to get her to move.
“His son’s not too bad, either.” She giggled over her shoulder.
“Mom,” I said, exasperated. “You’re being rude. Go out there so I can dress and join you.”
Mom chuckled. “Hurry up, I need my wing-woman.”
I shot her an annoyed look, but she just winked and slipped out of my room.
Once she was gone, I took a deep breath. I quickly dressed, threw my hair up into a messy bun, and stared at myself in the mirror. I really didn’t want to look like I was trying, but for some reason, I also didn’t want Liam to think I looked like a bag lady.
So I put on some mascara and lip gloss and called it good—at least I didn’t look like a drowned rat. Sure, I wasn’t going to win any beauty pageants, but, really, would I ever?
And then I felt like a complete idiot. Why did I care so much? I didn’t like Liam.
He was annoying and frustrating, and I hated how he walked around thinking he could just dictate what I could or couldn’t do.
But, despite my efforts to convince myself that I didn’t care, my heart had other ideas. It was galloping in my chest as Liam’s sexy smile floated into my mind.
I growled and stood. If I wanted them to leave, I needed to get out there, make an appearance, and insist that this impromptu meeting was over.
So I turned my door handle and made my way out to the kitchen.
Mom and Mr. Bronson were sitting at the table. A water bottle sat in front of Mr. Bronson. As I stared at it, I couldn’t help but remember Liam this afternoon. The way he’d just pushed himself into my life. The way he’d acted like he could tell me what to do. The way he’d protected me, even though we’d only just met.
“Hey,” a low voice said from behind me. Startled, I turned to see Liam leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He looked just as uncomfortable as I felt.
“Hey,” I said as I walked over to open the fridge. Before I even got my fingers around the handle, a water bottle appeared in front of me.
Liam had moved from his spot and was staring down at me, holding out his water bottle. Like he wanted me to take it or something.
I stared at it and slowly moved my gaze up to him. He gave me a weak smile.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t drunk from it. I’m not thirsty.” He wiggled the bottle in front of me.
Not sure what to do, I reached out and took it. After a few sips, I returned the lid and set it on the counter next to me.
“Is this going to keep happening? You showing up all the time?” I asked, glancing over at Mom and his dad who seemed engrossed in conversation.
Liam sighed, drawing my attention back to him. He ran his hands through his hair.
“Dad wanted to come meet your mom since she’s the new vet. He insisted that I come.” He scrubbed his face and then shoved his hands into his front pockets.
“Really?” I asked.
He flicked his gaze over at me and then sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said. His voice was low. “I haven’t been feeling like myself lately. I’ve gone…a little crazy.” He shot me an apologetic smile.
I stared at him. Did he mean that? I’d only known him for all of a day, so for all I knew, this was the norm.
“Ah, you two have met,” Mr. Bronson said suddenly appearing next to us.
I glanced over and into eyes the same brown as Liam’s. Mr. Bronson was a little shorter than his son but had that same commanding presence. I glanced down to see that Mr. Bronson had his hand extended. “Theodore Bronson, but you can call me Theo.”
I nodded as I shook his hand. “Cora.”
Mr. Bronson’s smile was wide and welcoming as he dropped his hand to wave toward Mom. “Beatrice told me,” he said.
I glanced over at Mom and mouthed Beatrice? Mom shrugged.
“You look like you’re Liam’s age,” Mr. Bronson said, nodding toward his son.
I nodded.
“And where did you two run into each other?” Mr. Bronson asked as his gaze roamed over Liam.
Liam didn’t seem to like that at all. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight. “We met at Jordan’s last night.”
Mr. Bronson’s eyebrow remained quirked as he stared at Liam. Then he turned, his politician smile returning. “I feel like we may have overstayed our welcome. We’ll get out of your hair.”
Mom nodded, and after a few goodbyes, they left, shutting the door behind them.
Mom chuckled as she put away the cookies and tossed Mr. Bronson’s empty water bottle. “That was strange, huh?” she asked.
I twisted and untwisted the cap to my water as my mind wandered from Liam to Mr. Bronson—and finally to the story Rose told me.
My mind felt like a minefield of questions and unknown answers.
“Cora?” Mom said, stepping into my line of sight.
“Mmhmm,” I said, turning to look at her.
“You okay?”
I opened my mouth but then decided it would be best not to say anything. Especially when I had no idea what was going on myself. “Yeah.” My shoulders sagged. “I’m tir
ed though. Can I go to bed?”
Mom studied me for a moment then reached her hand out to feel my forehead. I must have felt normal because she didn’t say anything. She nodded toward my room. “Go get some sleep. Big day tomorrow. New school.”
I forced a smile and then turned to make my way to my room. Once inside, I shut the door and stood there. My body finally relaxing.
I made my way over to the window and glanced down. There, in the shadows, was Liam. He was standing next to the tree, his eyes trained on my window.
When our gazes met, he straightened and took off running into the woods.
I’m not sure how long I stared at the trees, wondering if he would come back. But eventually, my body was too tired to stay awake, and I stumbled over to the bed and slid under the covers.
His dark eyes haunted me as I closed my eyes.
I knew I should be bothered by the fact that there was a strange boy literally camped outside my window, but for some reason…I wasn’t.
Which left me wondering, as my body began to sink into the mattress, who was Liam Bronson?
8
Cora
Mom was humming to herself as I walked into the kitchen the next morning. She was still in her pajamas and had an apron tied around her waist. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and there was a smudge of flour on her face.
“Wow, Ma. Pancakes?” I asked, reaching to grab a plate.
Mom laughed. “Well, it’s your first day at a new school.” She paused, raising her spatula. “Don’t expect this every morning now.”
I raised my hands. “There’s the mom I know and love.”
She shrugged and slipped a few pancakes onto my waiting plate. She looked so happy. The stress of living in a town where she and Dad had started their life together seemed to have dissipated.
She needed this.
“The mountain air looks good on you,” I said as I grabbed the syrup.
Mom nodded. She grabbed a pancake to snack on as she filled up two glasses of milk and handed one over to me. Smiling, she raised the glass and clinked it to mine. “It looks good on us.”