Page 3 of Lion's Crossing

He nodded. “Yes, hopefully.”

With his short answers, the alpha still didn’t seem like he was in the mood to talk, and since we weren’t moving, I decided to pull my own earbuds out of my bag.

“Attention passengers,” the voice came over the coach’s static-filled PA system. “There has been a brief delay in our travels, and we are working quickly to get on our way again.”

That didn’t tell us much. It could have meant there was a problem with one of the passengers, or there was an enginemalfunction. Either way, I hoped to be moving again soon. I was supposed to arrive ahead of the check-in time at my hotel, but with the delay, I would likely arrive right on time.

The alpha beside me began typing furiously on his phone, so I leaned back and pressed play on my music streaming app. I had my playlist on shuffle, so I didn’t know which song would play first. “Fated For Forever” was the first random song I heard, sung by the pop group FNL about how when an alpha finds their fated mate, they will love them forever. The group had since disbanded, but I still enjoyed the music they had released. I wasn’t a huge fan of theirs, didn’t know all their names or anything, but appreciated their sound. A short clip of the group played on the app, showing the group dancing to the music. And that’s when I realized the identity of the alpha sitting beside me. He was a former member of FNL.

I froze for a moment, hoping he hadn’t looked over to see what music I listened to on my phone. I didn’t want him to think I was some crazed fan who would be all over him because of his celebrity status. Leaning into the corner of my seat, away from the alpha, I switched to a new song then brought up my search engine. Looking up FNL, I tried to find a list of the members to figure out which one sat beside me. After checking out a few fan pages, I learned his name was Linc, he was a lion shifter, and he lived in Shifter Crossing before heading to Saramto to become a pop star. And after leaving FNL, he’d become a music producer for Adan Records.

It all made sense why he hid his identity. I would have, too, if I rode on a train with all these people. Most wouldn’t care about his identity, but one fan pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable behavior would be enough to ruin the ride. And I didn’t want to witness that, either.

I made a mental note to only talk to him about being from Shifter Crossing. That was, if he decided to talk to me.Because, so far, he seemed engrossed in his phone. Even though we weren’t moving, I returned to looking out the window and listening to my music. It wasn’t as if I could do anything else.

Chapter Four

Linc

An hour. A whole hour passed, and the train hadn’t moved. There was no update on when we would be on our way again, no talk of transferring us to buses for the rest of the trip, and the attendants had disappeared completely. The passengers, including myself, became restless, unable to stay in their seats, and voices grew louder with irritation. I considered going to the washroom, but the lineup kept me in my seat. It wasn’t as if I could leave the coach to relieve myself. I had to hold it or find a bottle and a corner to discreetly take a piss. And the scent of my omega neighbor kept getting stronger, making him that much harder to ignore.

Chewing on my bottom lip, I turned toward the omega and considered starting a conversation with him. I didn’t want to come off as a complete snob, if by chance, he did know who I was. Yet, he stared out the window. I had no idea what captured his attention, as only a field of corn lay beyond the tracks. Nothing to be that engrossed in, unless he watched something between the rows that I missed.

“Attention passengers,” a staticky voice came out of the speaker. “We have diagnosed the issue with the engine, and a repair crew is on their way here. Once they get the issue fixed, we will be on our way again.”

A collective groan filled the coach. We’d already waited long enough, only to learn our trip was delayed even more. Pieces of paper were thrown at the speakers while more passengers stood to stretch. Someone leaned their chair all the way back, while the passenger behind him punched the seat that trapped his knees. I suspected if we had to stay in the coach much longer without it moving again, at least one fistfight would break out. Likely more.

I sent a quick text message to the head of production at Adan Records to let him know I was still delayed, before leaning back with a sigh. Maybe I should have driven to my parents’ house four months ago to take care of my father. With my car, I would have reached my apartment or gone straight to work by now. Though I hadn’t expected the trip home to take so long, believing the train to be better than traveling on the highway. Plus, my car sitting in my parents’ driveway would have been a dead giveaway that I’d gone home. I hadn’t wanted any fans to know my whereabouts, as that would have made taking care of my father that much harder.

The omega beside me turned away from the window, his sent wafting in front of me the instant he moved. He took out his earbuds and placed them in his bag before wiping his palms across his pants.

“So, are you from Shifter Crossing, or one of the nearby towns?” I had to say something, no longer content with trying to ignore my sweet-smelling neighbor. And that was the most common thing to say when you saw someone new in Shifter Crossing.

“I’m from Shifter Crossing.” He folded his hands in his lap yet couldn’t keep them still. “Lived there all my life.”

Strange since he didn’t look the least bit familiar. I thought I’d known everyone who grew up in Shifter Crossing. “So, you know Zambrano’s? The convenience store there?”

He nodded. “I go there quite often since I don’t have a car.”

“Well, my parents own the store.” I didn’t know what else to say, suddenly fumbling over my words, making conversation while trying not to sound arrogant. “I’ve been visiting them for the past few months.”

“Oh, cool. They’re super nice. So’s your sister.” His hands settled, yet he still hadn’t glanced in my direction. “I mean, assuming Kayla is your sister.”

“Yeah, she is. I’m Linc, by the way. Since we’re from the same hometown and stuck here for a bit longer, at least, I thought we could get to know each other. I thought I knew everyone from school, but I’m sorry, I don’t recognize you.”

“Knox. I’m Knox.” He raised his shoulders up to his ears. “I was homeschooled for many years, but I went to high school at Armstrong Secondary School.”

“So, do you remember Principal Mountain?” Maybe that would help me find common ground. I didn’t have the principal for long, but the man liked to strut around the halls and pop into classes at random moments just to check in on the teachers and students. Not in an authoritarian way but to understand the dynamic. Definitely memorable for anyone who had him.

“No.” Knox shook his head. “He left the year before I started. I had Principal Kang.”

“Ah, so you must be a couple years younger than me. I left for Saramto before Principal Kang got there and finished my courses online.” It had felt like a boarding school for future pop stars. One that I’d wanted to attend. I’d studied in between dance practice, recording, and performances. And often late at night.

“Yeah, but I’ve heard about you.” He quickly tensed, leaning back with his hands in his lap, and staring at the seat in front of him.

“You know who I am?” I was amused by the confession. The omega hadn’t given me anything to worry about the whole time he’d sat beside me. No sneaking a selfie with me, picking at my clothes for stray hair, or glancing over my shoulder to see what I had on my phone. Those were the less conspicuous fans.

“Well, I didn’t at first. Wasn’t even sure if you were from Shifter Crossing.” He raised his phone. “But then I listened to ‘Fated For Forever,’ and when the song clip came up, I realized why you looked familiar.”

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