by Aspen Grey
Let’s just talk about this. I can come see you at work?
I sighed. I felt terrible about it, but I’d told him before I came in tonight that I thought it would be best if we moved on.
“You’re a great guy,” I told him. “You will make someone else very happy. But…I’m meant for someone else.”
“Someone else who is in jail for murder?” he’d protested. “Someone else who’s never coming home? How long are you going to carry the torch for this guy, Owen? I mean—he’s a murderer!”
“No, he’s not!” I’d roared, grabbing my things. “I don’t believe it for a second, and I know him. You don’t!”
I’d stormed out and taken my pickup truck to work. I wanted to be alone, but at the same time, the silence of the storage lot was torture. Left alone with my own thoughts, memories of Trevor kept creeping into my mind, causing my heart to ache and my body to feel weak. For once I kind of wished I worked at a busy restaurant full of things to do to keep my mind off him.
I did whatever I could. I walked around the lot, checking all the units, trying to think of anything but him. I’d even downloaded some stupid games for my phone, but it was no use. Sitting there alone beneath the full moon, all I could do was cry inside—cry about what could have been and the cruel mystery of what had happened with my man.
No. I texted back. I’m sorry, Charlie. I really am. It’s not you, it’s me…
I regretted that one as soon as I sent it. “It’s not you, it’s me?” How cliché can you get?
But is it really a cliché if it’s true?
I set my phone aside and tried not to picture Charlie at home in his apartment wondering what to say next. He had to have seen it coming though. I was fair and honest with him when I told him I couldn’t be with him anymore, but I still felt bad for hurting him. But it was nothing compared to the pain I felt every day. I wasn’t his fated mate. I wasn’t even a good boyfriend. He’d get over me, move on, find someone meant for him and be happy. At least I hoped he would.
Thankfully, he didn’t text back, and I set my phone aside and took another lap around the property. There wasn’t much to see beyond the rows and rows of shuttered red doors, but it was better than sitting in that stuffy booth all night. It took about seven minutes for me to complete the lap, and everything went about the same as it always went, which was completely uneventful. But when I got back to the front gate, I saw something that caused me to freeze.
A silhouette.Someone was standing inside the gate, motionless, and they were staring at me. Instantly, my hand went to my pocket for my phone, but I realized I’d left it in the booth like an idiot. No one was supposed to be on the property at night without a pass, and this person didn’t even have a car. How had they gotten in? The gate was closed behind them. Something was fishy.
“Excuse me!” I called out, sniffing the air. “Sir?”
The figure didn’t answer. Whoever it was, he was tall and I could barely make out that he was wearing a dark suit.
This is definitely fishy…
“Sir?” I called out again. He was close enough to me that if I ran for the booth he’d be able to catch me. If he was a human I’d be able to take him if things got violent, but as the wind shifted, I realized I was face to face with a very strong alpha.
My legs weren’t listening. I couldn’t move. I’d told Charlie not to come, and unless he didn’t listen and decided to show up, I was alone, without a phone, without a way of contacting anyone. Then it happened.
The alpha began moving towards me, quickly but not running. He moved like a boxer. He was a tough guy and he was here for me. But why? I’d never done anything to anybody. I’d moved here alone after Trevor was taken from me and mostly kept to myself.
He must be after something in one of the units, I thought as I started to back away. I had no choice. I had to shift and run for it. But just as I was about to take my wolf form, something more unbelievable happened.
The scent hit me first and my legs went weak. I dropped to my knees, not even able to brace my fall, as an enormous alpha wolf leapt from the shadows. His menacing jaws closed around the intruder’s neck and clamped down with enormous strength. The man barely even had a chance to cry out before he was silenced forever. It was all over in an instant.
The fierce alpha wolf turned to me, blood dripping from his razor sharp fangs that gleamed beneath the glow of the full moon. I should have been terrified. Anyone else would have been. But I wasn’t. It wasn’t because I was exceptionally brave. It was because I knew him. I knew that in a million years he wouldn’t hurt me. And I knew this because the wolf standing in front of me was him.
Trevor. My fated mate. He shifted back to his human form and stood there naked before me, his chiseled body mouth watering and gorgeous. My heart stirred and I almost fainted as he walked right up to me in all his glory.
It’s impossible, I thought as his scent wrapped around me like a warm blanket. A scent I never thought I’d smell again.
“Am—am I dreaming?” I said as I looked up at the man who’d claimed my heart five years ago. But Trevor shook his head and smiled that same smile that never failed to make me melt. “No, baby. You’re not dreaming. I’m so sorry I’ve been gone. But I’m back now, and this time I’m not going anywhere.”
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