But tonight, I couldn’t fall asleep. My mind kept flitting to those brief minutes with Lars on the beach. I’d ended up running away from him because, apparently, that was what I did when faced with amazing-smelling alphas who showed any sort of interest in me.
His scent was all pine and bonfire, earthy and masculine like the alpha himself. I’d had to stop myself from climbing into his big lap and running my hand through the strands of blond hair escaping his bun.
He’d made me feel instantly safe.
I clung to my bike handles as I navigated the dark path into town, hoping no one would be around this late. I needed something to drown out my omega, who kept shouting at me to track down Easton and Lars, scent mark them, pull them into my nest, and then sit on their knots. I’d tried distracting myself by re-reading one of my favorite romances, but the love interest was an alpha who reminded me of Easton, and I’d put the book down. There hadn’t been a TV in the house when I moved in and I didn’t have the money to buy one yet. So here I was, parking my bike by the Hollywood Cinema at 9:30p.m. I’d seen on the sign outside the theater that they did a late-night showing for $3, so I thought it just might be the perfect distraction.
The small lobby was lit when I walked in, and I was hit with the overwhelming smell of movie theater popcorn, but it was completely empty. A small sign announced that the owners weren’t about to stay up late and to drop money for tickets and concessions into a small box sitting on the counter.
The sign brought a smile to my lips. It reminded me so much of the grumpy lobstermen I grew up with and the sense of trust we had in our small community.
I pulled a couple of crumpled bills out of my pocket. I bit my lip, wondering if I should splurge on popcorn and soda. It was only another $3. I decided to go for it, dropping my money in the box and helping myself to the concessions before heading into the small theater room.
I let out a little happy squeak when I saw it was empty, not quite believing my luck. I’d never heard of the movie that was showing tonight—Beyond the Bleachers—but I wasn’t very up to date on my pop culture. I settled back in my seat as the pre-movie trailers started playing.
11
FINN
The doorof the house slammed closed behind me as I stormed down Main Street.
If I stayed inside for one more second, I would murder Easton.
I still couldn’t fucking believe he’d done this. The three of us had run our business together for years. We didn’t make decisions without consulting each other, and certainly nothing on this scale. He’d applied for, and accepted, a massive government project that would take weeks, if notmonths,to complete.
I headed down the empty street with no destination in mind.
After our disastrous visit to the lighthouse this morning, Easton had returned home, discouraged that he couldn’t find the lighthouse keeper. I’d lost my shit on him, yelling that this was not how we ran the business. Lars had stepped in and told me to calm down. In that moment, I wanted to punch Lars, too. I’d escaped to my room, and that’s where I’d stayed the rest of the day.
I was embarrassed by my behavior. Easton was particularly sensitive to yelling. What he’d done was wrong, but he didn’t deserve that. It was just easier to yell than admit I was fucking devastated to have to witness, up close, someone else living in the lighthouse.
The town had offered me the lighthouse keeper position after my grandpa passed, but I had a job, a business to run, and… I’d been scared of what it would be like to live there without my grandparents. Would it always feel like their ghosts wandered the halls? Now I felt like I’d let him down. Someone else was in their space, inmyhome, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I didn’t understand why Lars wasn’t as angry about the situation as I was, but he’d returned from the lighthouse in a surprisingly good mood. And that just made it worse. I was alone, even in my own pack.
I wasn’t ready to talk to either of them, but I was going stir-crazy in my room, hence the current wandering around the quiet town.
The illuminated marquee of the Hollywood Cinema caught my eye. I was just in time for the 10:00 p.m. showing. Hopefully a movie would help me calm down so we could all have a more productive conversation tomorrow.
I headed inside, threw some money in the box in the lobby, loaded up on a shit-ton of snacks, and headed into the theater to watch whatever atrocious film Missy and Herbert had dug up. I’d never known people with such a talent for finding borderline-unwatchable movies.
The previews were already playing when I entered. I came to an abrupt stop when I saw a lone woman sitting right in the middle of the theater.
In my favorite seat.
I was about to turn around and walk out—I didn’t want to be around anyone right now—when the woman spotted me, let out a little startled squeak, and knocked over her full bag of popcorn.
Her soft “oh no” reached my ears, and she sounded so distraught I couldn’t leave. My alpha, who’d been dormant for a while, perked up as I moved to her row. I set down my large popcorn bucket and stack of candy boxes.
“Sorry for startling you. Let me help you with that.”
The woman was trying to pick up the spilled popcorn but paused to look up at me. The light from the screen illuminated her face, and my heart skipped a beat. She was stunning. My mouth grew dry, and in the back of my mind, I knew I was looming over her and should move, but my feet were rooted to the spot.
She straightened up, hands filled with popcorn. “Oh, it’s not your fault. I’m just clumsy.” She laughed a bit, but it sounded forced. “Is there a broom or something I could use to clean this up?”
My brain couldn’t quite catch onto what she was saying. Nothing mattered when the most gorgeous woman was in front of me. I couldn’t catch any trace of a scent—not for lack of trying; I was a fish gasping for air—but I was pretty confident she was an omega.
“A broom?” she asked again, shifting slightly from side to side. The light from the movie screen dimmed, and I couldn’t fully take in the shape of her round hips and stomach and breasts, and I held in a growl. I wanted to see her in the brightest light so I could take in her every curve, every freckle, every strand of hair.
