Page 4 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
"Which city?" The question came out more demand than polite inquiry.
"Does it matter?" I shot back, defensive instincts finally kicking in.
Something shifted in his expression. Approval, maybe. "No. It doesn't."
The simple statement hung between us, loaded with subtext I wasn't ready to examine. He wasn't going to push for details I wasn't ready to give. In Sterling's world, that kind of boundary respect didn't exist.
"I'll be back later for that wifi," he told Hollis, finally stepping back. "When it's less... crowded."
The door closed behind him with more force than necessary, but not before I caught the way he glanced back at me through the window.
"Well," Hollis said mildly, disposing of the last ceramic shards. "That was interesting."
"Does he always break things and then abandon them?"
"Only when he's been caught off guard." Hollis's smile was knowing. "Which doesn't happen often. Rhett's usually prepared for everything."
"I didn't do anything."
"You existed. Sometimes that's enough."
The observation made my chest tight with something I wasn't ready to name. I gathered my things and headed for the door, hyperaware that traces of smoked cardamom still lingered in the air despite his departure.
"Seven AM tomorrow," Hollis called after me. "And Willa? Welcome to Hollow Haven. I think you're going to fit in just fine."
Walking back to my car, I found myself thinking about the way Rhett had looked at me. Not like Sterling's colleagues had, with calculation and assessment of my usefulness, but like I was something unexpected that had disrupted his entire day. Like maybe that wasn't entirely a bad thing.
I'd come to Hollow Haven to disappear, to find the kind of invisible life where nobody noticed me and I didn't have to notice anybody else.Two days in, and I'd already attracted the attention of a wildlife officer whose scent immediately cut through my suppressants like they were nothing and a mechanic who looked at me like I was the most interesting thing he'd seen in years.
At this rate, I'd have the entire alpha population of Hollow Haven circling me by the end of the week.
The smart thing would be to leave. Pack up, drive somewhere else, start over again. But I needed this job, needed the routine, needed something that felt like stability even if it wasn't really safe. Besides, I was probably overreacting. One broken mug didn't mean anything. Rhett Callahan could look at me however he wanted. As long as he kept his distance, I could handle the rest.
How hard could it be to avoid one grumpy mechanic in a town this small?
Chapter 3
Wes
I'd been doing this job for eight years. Eight years of early mornings, predictable routes, and animals that made sense. Wildlife didn't lie, didn't play games, didn't smell like jasmine and summer rain or make me want to fix things that weren't my business to fix.
So why was I standing in my kitchen two days later, coffee growing cold, thinking about brown eyes that had looked at me like I might be dangerous?
The morning mist was rising from the forest floor outside my cabin, carrying the familiar scents of pine needles and damp earth. This was my territory, my peace, the place where I could exist without complications or unwanted questions. Here, the only sounds were my radio crackling with dispatch calls and the distant conversation of birds settling into their daily routines.
I forced myself to focus on the tablet in front of me, reviewing yesterday's calls and planning today's route. Three property inspections for hunting licenses, two follow-ups on the bearsightings near Hillcrest Road, and a routine check on the eagle nesting site up near Miller's Ridge. Simple, straightforward work that would keep me busy and far away from Magnolia Crescent.
Not that I'd been deliberately avoiding that area of town. I just didn't have any professional reason to patrol residential neighborhoods where the biggest wildlife concern was usually Mrs. Peterson's cat getting stuck in trees. Even the trap I’d laid out for the raccoons remained empty, giving me the perfect excuse to stay away.
New people moved to Hollow Haven regularly. Had to, with the way young adults left for bigger cities and better opportunities. Most of them were harmless. Retirees looking for quiet, young families wanting small-town values, the occasional remote worker who'd discovered they could afford more house if they weren't tied to urban centers. Omegas were rarer, especially ones traveling alone. Especially ones who smelled like they were running from something. Scent lined with that undertone of fear and anxiety.
I'd heard through the inevitable small-town gossip network that she'd gotten a job at Pine & Pages. Hollis Green's bookstore seemed like exactly the kind of quiet, low-pressure environment someone like her would choose. Hollis was good people. The kind of alpha who understood that not everyone wanted to be managed or improved or fixed. Sometimes people just needed space to breathe.
Which was fine. Good for her. Yet I had no reason to think about whether she was settling in well or if employment would help with whatever had brought her to Hollow Haven in the first place. No reason to wonder if…
"Base to Wes." Sarah's voice came through the radio, cutting through my unwanted thoughts. "Got a call about an injured owl, Magnolia Crescent area. Behind the rental houses."
I stared at the radio for a long moment, coffee cup halfway to my lips. Of course.Of courseit would be Magnolia Crescent.
