Chapter One
Therewassomethingbittersweetabout unpacking boxes in a new home alone. When Aspen had walked away from everything in Montana to come to Wulfe, Washington, chasing his ex, he never thought the change would be permanent. In fact, when Leif had thoroughly rejected him, Aspen had thought to get in his old beat-up pickup and keep driving until he ran out of money or his tires fell off. But finding a friend in Wulfe had him feeling a way he hadn’t in a long time, like he had family again. Of course, a big casino win had also opened all the doors for him. Leif disappeared—again—and Aspen gave up. Some bears weren’t meant to find love. It seemed Aspen was on that list. So he took his newfound riches and settled for the only thing that comforted him at all—being near Kyrie. Kyrie was a young wolf mated to an ancient vampire. That friendship would be enough. Having a large bank account ensured he could live wherever he wanted now.
At the end of the day, he had to live somewhere. He knew he could stay in bear form and enjoy thriving in nature for the rest of his days. But Aspen didn’t want to be lonely anymore, and he preferred life as a man. He had already met a few of his neighbors. Aspen would stay here… even though Leif had moved on. It was time to let go of that dream. When he had broken things off to spare them a much bigger pain down the line, Aspen had made the biggest mistake of his life. He had tried talking to Leif, working things out, but Leif just ran. They were over. Aspen had to live with that now.
As Aspen pulled items from the box he unpacked, something fell to the floor. Aspen picked it up. It was a photo of Leif and him. Logically, Aspen knew they never aged, but it felt odd for the image to look like it had been taken yesterday. He couldn’t stop staring. They looked so happy. Aspen couldn’t even remember what happiness felt like. He lovingly stroked Leif’s face, forever frozen in time. Damn. Time was supposed to heal all wounds. That was bullshit. Being without Leif hadn’t even gotten easier to carry, much less heal. He had done this to himself. That knowledge didn’t ease the pain. In fact, the situation being his fault made things worse. Leif wouldn’t let him take it back. Now here he was: trapped in stasis.
The doorbell rang, yanking Aspen from a growing depression. He tossed the picture into the trash before moving to answer the door. The northwest’s pack leader, Waylon, stood on his doorstep. Waylon was always all smiles when Aspen saw him. Aspen liked him. Just another reason to stay.
“We’ve come to help.”
For a moment, the claim confused Aspen. Waylon’s six-foot-five frame blocked the doorway. “We?” Even as he asked the question Aspen stepped aside, inviting Waylon inside.
The moment Waylon moved, he revealed a slightly shorter man with light brown skin. His eyes were a very unique green. They were almost two colors, with a vivid green slowly going to light blue around his pupils. They were mesmerizing.
Waylon motioned behind him. “Yeah. This is Lysander. He was free and eager to help a neighbor and—hopefully—potential pack member.”
That statement had Aspen tearing his gaze away from Lysander’s eyes. He knew he had to look every bit as shocked as he was. “What?”
Waylon’s smile somehow got brighter. “Yeah. You live here now. We’d love for you to join us.”
Aspen didn’t know how to react.
Lysander saved him. “It’s nice to meet you.”
A nervous chuckle escaped Aspen as he accepted Lysander's outstretched hand to shake. “You too.”
Waylon motioned toward the door. “Would you like some help carrying in furniture? We can work together to make it lookhard.” Waylon’s offer was filled with laughter. Humans lived in Wulfe too, so they had to hide their strength sometimes.
“That’s why everything is still in the truck. I hadn’t figured out how to bring everything in alone without raising some eyebrows. Since I’ve only met the wolves on either side of me, I don’t know if I have any human neighbors.”
Waylon motioned toward the front door again. “Yeah. The houses across the street, two and three doors down, are human.”
Lysander cut in. “My cousin lives directly across from you. They’re on vacation right now, but they asked me to tell you they can’t wait to meet you when they get back.”
That was nice. When Aspen had chosen Leif all those decades ago, his pack had rejected him. Even the ones who were blood didn’t want anything to do with a bear who lowered himself to date a vampire. He had always known his family had their prejudices. It hadn’t surprised Aspen at all when they walked away. He was pretty certain they had been waiting for an excuse.
“I’m excited to meet them, and I’m grateful for the help. It’s not like I own a ton of stuff, but everything has still been overwhelming. Of course, it’s kind of my fault for choosing to do all this while Kyrie and Fen are on their honeymoon.”
Waylon squeezed his shoulder. “Well, you have a huge pack here. We take care of each other. Let’s unload that truck.”
The offer warmed his chest. He felt truly welcome for the first time, and he couldn’t cry and look like a baby. Pack was extremely important to Weres. It had been a nightmare being a lone bear. Most Weres were social creatures who put a lot of stock in their family. He saw people with their nonstop get-togethers and holiday celebrations. Aspen didn’t have that. He had felt isolated as hell for a long time. Whatever he needed to do to join Waylon’s pack, he was in.
Aspen led the way, and the three of them had everything inside in no time. They chatted and laughed. It was a good day. When the sun dipped low, Waylon left to be with his vampire husband. Aspen had to admit he had forgotten that part of Waylon’s life for a moment. The heartache and jealousy were real, but pointless. Aspen was moving on. Yep, that was what he was doing.
Lysander stayed to help Aspen unpack. They worked side by side in the kitchen in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, they worked well together, seeming to easily dodge each other as if they choreographed their steps. There was one thing killing him, and Aspen couldn’t take it any longer.
“You smell like magic.” Aspen didn’t look Lysander’s way or ask questions. He simply opened the door to getting to know Lysander better. Lysander could choose to leave the statement hanging there.
Lysander laughed. It was a musical sound that made every hair on Aspen’s body—which was a lot—stand on end. “I’m a fairy.”
Okay, Aspen had all the plans to be nosy now. He wanted all the details. “Seriously? That’s cool. I don’t think I’ve ever met a fairy before.”
“You’ve seen us. You just didn’t know you were seeing us.”
That was kind of an odd thing to say. Aspen didn’t know how to respond. He was pretty dang certain he hadn’t seen one before, but what did he know? It was not like he had recognized Lysander as a fairy. Maybe he had seen one before. Aspen did his best to keep the conversation rolling. “Are there many fairies in Wulfe?”
“Yes, and no.”
