No. Doesn’t matter now. There’s only one way to fix this. Cut it off. Completely. Even if it destroys whatever’s been building between us. Even if it makes her hate me. Better that…
Than dead. I don’t go back to the garage right away. I can’t.
The anger is still riding too close to the surface, claws scraping just beneath my skin, demanding release. If I go back now, I’ll tear something apart—and it won’t fix anything.
It never does.
Instead, I circle the outer edge of town, moving fast and silent through the trees. The forest is familiar in a way nothing else is. Predictable. Honest. No secrets here. No lies. Just instinct.
I slow near the ridge overlooking Redwood Crossing, my gaze sweeping over the scattered lights below. Houses. Shops. Lives unfolding in quiet, ordinary ways. Unaware. Safe.
For now.
Felix’s words echo in my head.
You’re compromised.
My jaw tightens. He’s not wrong. That’s the problem.
I drag a hand down my face, exhaling sharply. “Idiot.”
I should have seen it sooner. The way I started showing up at the bookstore without thinking. The way I lingered. Watched. Listened. The way I noticed when she laughed. When she frowned. When she looked at me like she was trying to figure me out. That was the first mistake.
Letting it matter. Lettinghermatter. I stare down at the town again, my gaze snagging on the faint glow of the bookstore’s front windows. Even from here, I can picture it clearly. The shelves. The warm light. Tessa behind the counter, probably still moving around, still working, still refusing to slow down even after a long night.
A sharp, unwelcome pull tightens in my chest. I shut it down immediately. No. That ends now.
A branch snaps behind me. I turn instantly, every muscle going taut. But it’s not a threat.
It’s Conrad.
He steps out of the trees like he’s been there the whole time, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
“You’re making a lot of noise for someone trying to think,” he says.
I huff out a breath. “Wasn’t trying to be quiet.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
He moves closer, his gaze flicking briefly toward town before settling back on me. “I smelled another shifter earlier.”
“Rogue,” I confirm.
His posture shifts immediately. “Where?”
“Edge of town. Watching.”
Conrad’s jaw tightens. “How long?”
“Long enough.”
He studies me. “You handled it?”
“I made it clear he’s not welcome.”
“That’s not the same as gone,” Conrad points out.
“I know.”
