Chloe’s screech chases me out of the cabin, lightening my mood, if only for a moment.
All too soon, my thoughts circle back to Leif. The contrast between his reaction to the market and his reaction to the party stands out like bold text on a blank page.
Not social anxiety.
Not general caution.
Something specific.
Someonespecific?
The pieces assemble themselves as I walk, forming a picture with clear outlines but blurry details.
What changed?
The attack on Jared?
No, we’d gone to the market twice more while the young Alpha was recovering from a beating.
So whoever he’s avoiding, it started three weeks ago.
An Omega with advanced degrees and teaching experience, new to the island. His tutor-nanny job pays well, but that can’t have been his dream when he went into education…
So what is he running from?
Whatever it is, he can’t outpace it forever. Sooner or later, his careful avoidance will fail. And when it does, he’ll need more than his own resources to weather what comes.
Chapter Four
Leif
The Breakwater Hotel ballroom spills golden light across the lobby floor. I stand at the threshold, one foot on polished marble, the other still planted on the lobby carpet, as if my body can’t decide whether to enter or retreat.
Inside, crystal chandeliers catch the harbor lights, scattering prisms across the dark wood floor and the gathered crowd. The celebration of Phase One’s completion pulses with laughter and clinking glasses, all of it beckoning me forward while my instincts scream to turn and walk away.
My heart thumps so hard I’m certain the woman checking coats ten feet away must hear it, and sweat prickles along my hairline despite the air conditioning. Three weeks of careful navigation through Pinecrest without encountering Carson has left me on a constant edge.
But the teacher summit ended yesterday. Carson should be traveling back home today to prep for the start of the new school year on Monday.
The coast is clear.
I tug at my collar. Working on the island, I’ve gotten used to wearing casual button-downs and khakis loose enough to chase after an active child. Now, I chafe in a charcoal suit with subtleblue undertones, a crisp white shirt, and a tie in shades of deep indigo.
A waitress passes by with a tray of champagne flutes, the bubbles catching light like tiny stars. She pauses, offering me a glass.
I accept one. “Thank you.”
She continues into the ballroom, weaving between clusters of people without spilling a drop.
Through the open doors, I spot familiar faces. Kyle throws his head back in laughter at one of Clint’s remarks, his weather-beaten face relaxed and open. Blake stands near the windows with Dominic, both engaged in conversation with an older couple I don’t recognize.
I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with cedar-infused candles and catered seafood, and the knot of tension between my shoulders loosens. I’m allowed to be here. I was invited. This celebration marks the completion of a project that will bring security to Quinn’s family, for the entire Wright pack.
And for me, at least for now.
I wipe my damp palms on my thighs, the expensive fabric reminding me that I can still choose elements of my life. Carson doesn’t get to take everything.
“Mr. Leif!”