BLOOD MOON MATE: Claimed by the Enemy Alpha

s back doo

in her hand, staring at the six inches of

t once. Not in nine years of moving,

rio

out smaller t

en with two fingers, like touching it less

he fryer was still running, o

prep counter next to a k

this isn'

stomach knew it before her brain caught up, t

d over the

runched und

ed mug, sugar and coffee soaked i

out loud to steady h

it her face, shelves of produce untouched

yanking the door so hard it banged

ing on top like whoever went through it hadn't even wanted the money. The little desk f

ed in her mind an

nd leaves the drawer sit

igan on the floor

she wore every shift, sleeves

am. Not a rip from snagging on something. A tear,

thout thinking and h

ked at

acky at the edges, same

N

flat. Not

, thumb jabbing Marion's contact before

Ring

u've re

the voicemail finis

voice, cheerful in a way that made her w

ck up, pick

th

er waitress on shift tonight,

half a laugh already in her voice.

ion wit

ed. "What? N

night, did you see her act

Too lon

. Wren, what's goi

explain it and didn't trust her own vo

back already. Wren silenced it and shoved the phone in her pocket. Whate

and all, because leaving it here felt like l

nt of the diner and that'

m the notepad by the register, st

. Pressed hard enough to t

anyone. Don't

d it thr

y less insane on

eyes. Whose eyes

, because her aunt had never in her life written her a note that

t Marion b

Marion be

roken into in Reno. Calm the one time a man followed them three blocks in Sp

nce seen handwr

She noticed it distantly,

and headed for the front door instead of the back, becau

or jingled, too loud

s ago. Her car sat alone under the one working streetlight, the

ree steps

heard t

eadlights swinging across the gravel and pinnin

blinding, c

d, like her body already knew running

didn't s

eel at the last second, missing her by a foot, an

king

yed on, throwing her shadow long a

hen a second one

y got

" a voice said from the

opped straight th

e. She hadn't said it out loud