"Hey, sorry I'm late," I breathe as I make my way around the counter. With few customers in the café, Kiki follows me back, standing in the doorway to the break room as I hang up my jacket in exchange for an apron.
"I don't think you've ever been late," Kiki says. "What happened? Car trouble?"
"No — I was with a friend and we lost track of time."
"Well, you're only late by like five minutes, so don't worry about it. I don't go on break for another fifteen minutes anyway."
"So, I haven't seen you since you mentioned helping your boyfriend move? How did it go?"
Kiki and I return to the counter as I tie my hair up. She uses the rag in her hand to wipe around the machines. "He called me the day after I came back from his new place — we don't usually call each other; we text and Facetime, so I was surprised — but he said he needed time to adjust and grow roots and whatever other bullshit he spewed. He said he wasn't breaking up with me but putting us on hold. I broke three nails carrying his crap up two stories to his apartment. I was pissed, so I broke up with him and blocked his number."
"Oh."
"I swear the guys in this town suck," she mutters and leans against the counter.
"Yeah," I murmur. "Why don't you go on break now, and I'll handle things here. Take the extra fifteen."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. It's slow. Go ahead."
Kiki brings the strap of her apron over her head. "Thanks."
I work for thirty minutes alone, two hours with Kiki, and again by myself until closing. Other than one or two customers drifting in at a time, the café is quiet until I lock the main doors and prep for tomorrow's opener. The clean-up goes quickly as I replay the day's events in my head, picturing myself on Abby's wolf as she leaps through the forest.
At first, I was too focused on holding on to comprehend what was happening, but she was right; once I was brave enough to open my eyes, I enjoyed it. Riding her wolf was like riding a hairy racehorse, and when I jumped off, it took a moment for my adrenaline to calm down.
Abby said she could take me again sometime, and my endorsement left my mouth before my head caught up. But I will go. Today felt like Abby and I were thirteen again, except we didn't need to use our imaginations to play with the supernatural. In a way, thirteen-year-old me's dreams have come true because I wanted the world to be magical so badly when I was young, and now I know it is.
I finish closing down the café for the night, but just as I reach for the main lights, a knock sounds on the door's window. I peer over my shoulder and see Harvey outside with my jacket that my mom forgot to recover from the laboratory.
Without thinking, I point to the back side of the building, and Harvey walks past the windows towards the café parking lot. I flick off the lights and rush into the break room as my heart drums. I take off my apron and grab my bag and jacket, throwing on the jacket but squeezing my bag in my hands. My heart only beats harder, so I force a deep breath and open the back door while simultaneously shutting off the last light.
Harvey is waiting for me. My heart squeezes, but if our last sliver of a conversation is any gauge of how this one will go, we won't be here very long.
"Hi," he says and steps off the wall, holding my jacket and wearing the effortlessly charming face the Society women eat up.
I shut the door and lock it while side-eyeing him. "Why are you here?"
"Can we talk?"
I cross my arms and face him. "I haven't said anything to anyone."
"I'm not here to scare you into silence. You don't have to worry." He hands me my jacket, so I take it and fold it over my arm. "You forgot it in the Lab basement."
"Harvey, I know why you want to talk — you don't trust me. Abby broke some rule when she exposed herself, and now I'm a liability."
"You're right, she shouldn't have shifted in front of you, and I was angry when I found out. Despite that, I'm not worried you're going to tell — even if you did, it could end up hurting you more than it does us. I don't want you to face any consequences from Abby telling you what she is. Finding out something like this can have bad effects on people. Most are better off not knowing."
"I'm not...like that. I'm not better off in the dark. Abby said I took it well."
Harvey nods. "Okay. If you're doing well, I'm—"
"But I know something else is going on. She shifted, but she didn't reveal everything, and now she talks to me like she's speaking in code — like she's been silenced."
He says nothing, so I click my fob and unlock my car. "I have to go."
I step to my driver's door and pop it open. Harvey holds the door in place by the top rim as I lower inside, so when I reach to shut it, I drop my hand and look up at him instead. Then the question spills past my lips: "Why won't you just tell me?"
"It can be hard for people to understand and accept something they don't feel."
My eyes are fixed on his. Crickets sing in the trees against the parking lot, and suddenly they seem louder. I ask, "Did you tell Abby not to tell me?"
He says, "Yes. I'm sorry."
I look ahead. "I have to get home."
Harvey releases the door and says, "Drive safe," before shutting it for me. I press my body against my seat as a million more questions are bubbling and rising, ready to word vomit, but I know he won't indulge me. He steps back when I reverse and turn to leave. I know I can't stay.
Driving down the two-lane road home, I contemplate circling back, so I turn on the radio instead and huff while my fingers tap away at the steering wheel. I glance into my rearview mirror and wonder what would happen if I turned around. What would I say? Nothing I actually want to say, probably. The truth is too big to get out of my throat, and besides, Harvey is...unreachable.
When I get home, I go right to my bedroom and close the door behind me. I unbutton my pants, pull them off, and finish changing at my dresser. As I pull a sweatshirt over my head, I peer out the window to my right, and without any warning, a pair of yellow eyes stare back from the tree line. I stumble to the window and touch the glass for a better look, but the glowing eyes are already gone.
I jump when my bedroom door opens. Harper barges in and walks to my closet. "Hello?" I say, laced with attitude. "You can't just come in here and take my clothes whenever you want."
"I don't." She shuffles through my hangers and glances at me. "What's got you all flustered?"
I sit on my bed. "Nothing. What do you need?"
"Just a shirt to wear tonight. Nothing l have looks right."
"For what?"
She pauses then admits, "A date."
"A date?" I question. "With who?"
"A guy."
"What guy?"
She takes out a black top and lays it against herself. "You don't know him. He's a senior."
"A senior? What's his name?"
"Delsin." Harper takes the top off its hander and heads for the door. "I'm wearing this, thanks."
"Wait. Where are you going? Do you have plans?"
She stops in the doorway and shrugs. "Yeah."
Like pulling teeth, I ask, "What are you doing? I mean, it's already late."
"We're hanging out."
"Does Mom or Dad know?"
"They know I'm going out."
"With a boy?"
Harper sighs. "Can you just be on my side for once, Mia? Obviously, they don't, so don't say anything. Just because you didn't date in high school doesn't mean I shouldn't."
My lips part, but she leaves before I can rebuttal, shutting my bedroom door with a finalizing thud. I fall against my pillows and ponder: just because I didn't date... But it's not like I date now either. Does Harper think I'm a prude? Or something worse?
Am I a prude?
I take a pillow and squeeze it against my chest, but my realization cuts short once I remember the glowing eyes. I abandon the pillow and scoot off my mattress to stand at the window and examine the tree line, yet nothing crops up.
Abby said the thing I saw behind the café — the shadow with yellow eyes — was an Alpha wolf, so what I just spotted now must be that same wolf. Instantaneously, I think about it being Harvey's, and I wonder what makes an Alpha different in terms of werewolves.
"Stop thinking about him," I scold myself and return to my bed.
I lie awake for some time on my laptop, well into the night and past everyone's bedtimes, and around one in the morning, I hear a car pull up outside. I set my computer to the side and slip out of bed to peek out the window above my desk. From here I can just see Harper getting out of the passenger seat, but she dips back into the car for a moment before reeling back, shutting the door, and hurrying towards the house.
It's too dark to see anyone in the driver's seat. I step back and cross my arms; Harper is two hours past curfew, but mom nor dad is up to catch her, and Harper couldn't care less about an honor code. I'm supposed to report to Mom about this — or, at least, Mom believes I would — yet Harper's comment about me makes me second guess myself.
Should I have been staying out past curfew, living my life in high school instead of hiding away in my room? And I've hardly made any progress. I'm still spending my Friday night in bed, swamped in sweats, trying not to get popcorn crumbs in my sheets, and googling werewolves isn't an excuse. All that is Abby's life — Harvey's life — not mine.
I look around my bedroom now and think: should I be away at university, roughing it in a dorm, going to parties, and having fun?
My shoulders sink, and I lower to the edge of my bed.
My lower back burns as I walk into the kitchen after hours of working on an essay due Monday for midterms. I stick my stomach out and press my thumbs into the ache, stretching the opposite way and hearing a much-needed crack.Mom paces behind the counter island on her phone. "What does that mean? You can't come to dinner?"I open the pantry and grab a box of crackers, peering over my shoulder at her.She presses her palm to her forehead. "No, I know, it's fine. Stay, and I'll see you when I get back. I'll tell Dennise you couldn't make it."I open the box while glancing at her."Okay. Bye, Honey."Her phone drops from her ear.I pop a cracker into my mouth and ask, "Was that Dad?""Yeah, he has to stay late at the lodge, so he can't come to the society dinner with me tonight.""Oh." My brow furrows. "I know I'm not technically a part of the society, but what if I came with you instead? Everyone already knows me, and I volunteer, and—""And Harvey Norwood is going to be there?" She que
"Okay, the pastry display is fully restocked for the afternoon, so are you good if I leave?""Yeah, go," Kiki says while measuring out coffee beans. "Beck will be here soon, anyway.""Alright," I sigh and head to the break room, taking off my apron. With plans to see Abby in just a few minutes, I gather my things and go through the back door to my car. I take out my claw clip and let my hair fall over my shoulders, and I tweak it in the visor mirror before starting my car and turning out of the café lot. I go right instead of left because Abby's house is the opposite way to mine, and she told me to meet her there after work. She didn't say I would be going on another wild ride through the mountains, so I assume we'll just hang out there, and I can ask her more questions about werewolves.When I get to her house, I notice her mom's car isn't there. I park along the street and walk up the driveway, quickly sniffing my shirt to make sure I don't smell too much like expresso and pumpkin f
Gravel grinds against my car tires as I turn off Audrey Way and onto Norwood House property. My grip on the wheel hardens, and my knuckles turn white, but no amount of squeezing can lessen the feeling I get in my gut when I see Harvey outside. At the top of the gravel driveway is an electric saw and long planks of wood, the type used for flooring.Harvey stops what he's doing and wipes off his hands at the sight of my car. He has no jacket on despite the chill, but Abby's told me werewolves don't succumb to the cold like humans; they're always warm. I step on the brakes and put the car into park, feeling an itch in my throat — a doubt. A slow, shaky breath pushes out my nose, and then I unbuckle my seatbelt and pop open my door.Harvey walks to the car, but his steps let up once I face him."I talked to Abby," I say, not bothering to shut the car door. Instead, I stand behind it like a shield. "She told me about mates.""Okay." Harvey glances left, toward the mountains, and his eyes s
Three days have passed since Harvey told me we're mates, but, most of the time, I haven't been thinking about it. I've been with Harper.Whenever I'm not at work or doing a college assignment, and whenever she isn't at school or doing homework, we hang out together. We get coffee or lunch, or we watch TV in her room, and yesterday we decided to carve jack-o'-lanterns even though the pumpkins probably won't make it to Halloween.She often talks about Delsin. I don't have to outright ask her about him to know she really likes him. They have plans next weekend, yet all I do is smile while she gets giddy talking about it because I can't decide whether to interfere; it's not like I know how to explain why Delsin isn't trustworthy, anyway.Harper goes to bed early because of school, so I spend the rest of my nights in my room whether I'm doing school work, reading, scrolling on my phone, or tidying things up.When I do think about Harvey, it's before bed. I can't distract myself when I'm al
I've woken up nine times to a text from Abby, and they all say the same thing: Harvey isn't back yet. Usually, I sleep through my phone alerts; it's only a soft buzz on my nightstand and a moment of dim light but waiting for Harvey has put me on edge, and once I read the text, I can't fall back asleep.What was assumed to be a week of Harvey helping another pack in Maine has turned into a hodgepodge of spacey, distracted days and endless, restless nights. I was late for work three times and missed an assignment deadline — something that hasn't happened since high school.On Saturday night, Abby texts me repeatedly about getting together, but I'm too busy helping Harper to conjure excuses as to why I'd rather stay home. Harper tries on six different outfits out of her closet and four from mine but can't decide on anything to wear on her date with Delsin. "I still think the black skirt was nice," I tell her while lying belly-up on my bed, "and you can wear those winter-tight things you
"Do you think you and Harvey will get married? For us, the mate bond is enough on its own, but I know humans get married to make things super official — legal and all. I'm sure Harvey would if it's what you wanted.""Oh?" I glance at Liberty as we follow the others to the kitchen. "I can't say I've—""Stop trying to freak her out." Abby steps in."She's mated to an Alpha. If I was in her situation, I would want to be legally bound."We pass the dining room, and I nearly pull a muscle twisting my head to get a better look. There's no furniture, only stacks of hardwood flooring, grey patches covering the walls, and an entire section of the floor missing, revealing the basement; only once I double-take do I realize one wall is gutted entirely.The hall opens up into the kitchen, and Abby takes me the opposite way of Liberty, instead towards Jalen and Luke. We lean against the counter and watch Jalen make himself a drink while Luke b-lines for the fridge. The sounds of more beer cans open
"Harvey! You know Mia is here, right? She's so sweet...and funny. Oh, here she is. Mia, look, he's home."Abby latches onto Liberty who's clearly had too many drinks and coaxes her away. Harvey can't make it past the foyer without being surrounded by his pack, but he sees me past them, and those in the way step to the side. My face burns; I didn't plan on talking to him with an audience.At first, Harvey looks at me like I'm not really here, but he quickly realizes what's going on — everyone has gathered in his absence, and I've been invited. He breathes out and eyes Abby."Surprise," she says. "Mia's met everyone.""And we love her," Liberty tacks on."All of you go home, and if you're supposed to be on duty, shift and get to it." Harvey turns to me, and my body goes stiff. "Mia, come on."Harvey nears me and places his hand on my back, guiding me the way Abby and I came. I peer back at her, and she mouths, "I'll wait for you."When we turn the corner, I say, "I'm sorry if I'm not su
I'm home.I stare at the message for a minute before pressing send. It delivers, and I toss my phone to my bed while I wind down and get ready to sleep.Harper's bedroom door was shut when I got back with no light illuminating the cracks, and by the sight of their coats on the barstools and mom's purse on the counter, I know my parents are home from dinner. I'm not sure why no one decided to ask where I'd disappeared to all night, but with their rose-colored perception of Black Lake, it's easy to assume wherever I am, I'm perfectly fine.I return to my room from the bathroom and finally end my anticipation by checking my phone. There's a message from Harvey, and I sit on my bed to read it: I want to talk again, especially about your expectations and what you're comfortable with concerning our matehood. Let me know when you have the time, and I'll make it work.The butterflies in my stomach start fluttering again. I lie back and contemplate my reply, deciding to say: This sounds like a