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Lune waseverything Flora remembered and yet it was nothing like she remembered. Not because the town had changed. It hadn’t; she had.
She was no longer the little girl who cowered behind her mother’s skirts. Nor was she the shy Culling woman who allowed others to determine her worth. She was stronger, more capable of advocating for herself. She was also now an experienced driver. There was so little of the girl who last set foot in Lune all those years ago. As long as she avoided the little blue shack of a house on the rundown side of town, she’d be okay. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. It also helped that she had the weight of two badass wolves and one very protective hybrid at her back.
They hadn’t talked much after their conversation in the Porsche. Nor did he say more than a handful of words to her when they got to the bed and breakfast, and when Mateo and Kade asked if she wanted to join them in the bar downstairs, Draven pinned a stare in her direction that told her it was a bad idea. The same look sent a thrill down her spine, leaving her with an itch to defy him.
She enjoyed watching him get riled up when she pushed his authority. Her favorite was the small vein in his neck that throbbed when he clenched his jaw to stop himself from snapping at her. There were times she wished he’d let go. That’s when she found him most attractive. In the moments he forgot who he was supposed to be and let her have it. Whether it was a carefree moment like when he sang with her or when he reamed her for keeping secrets. His own humanity was damn sexy, and she wished he could see what she saw.
After he deposited her in her room and had her confirm through the door that it was locked, Draven stomped down the hall and left her alone. Flora collapsed into the bed. The weight of where they were was almost too much to handle, but all she could do was trust that Draven and his men would protect her.
The next morning after breakfast, Draven demanded that Flora show them around the town so they could gather last minute supplies they needed and secure horses to ride deep into the forest. It would be faster than walking. He also wanted to know where they could gather information about the location of the stone that Callum had given them.
Flora had no doubt he’d put her in charge of their day to keep her occupied, but it worked and she was grateful. It was incredible how many of her favorite things were still there. The ice cream shop, the theater, the small town museum. At every stop, Draven, Mateo, and Kade listened intently to her memories, and asked questions with such interest that she almost believed they cared.
Almost.
Flora had to remind herself that while the wolves were nothing like she expected, they weren’t there for her. They were there to find the moonstone and secure Draven’s place within the pack.
Still, it was nice to pretend, even for a moment, that this could have been her life. That she could walk down the streets of her home town on a late spring day with friends and just soak up what the tiny town had to offer.
As she walked beside them down the streets of her hometown, the fear she expected never came. Not entirely. Though she remained on high alert, she wasn’t startled by every movement or sound. Her gaze often fell on the man beside her, and she found herself waiting for his emerald stare.
Draven’s entire demeanor had changed since their chat in the Porsche. He was still the silent observer, his eyes always scanning the world around them and internalizing what he saw. She wished more than once that she could jump into his brain and view the world as he did. But as the day went on, he fell into an easy banter with her, like she was one of the guys.
This side of Draven was one she wished more people got to see. Back in Tennessee, he was the epitome of what an Alpha should be. He was fiercely loyal to his men and pack, but instead of leading with the dominance he’d shown he was more than capable of, he wanted them to choose to follow him. Which he more than deserved. But in Lune, just as when they were alone, Draven was just a man who wore his heart under the cuff of his sleeve.
She may be part of the deal to find the moonstone, but the fact that he would agree to protect her when he had no obligation to was a testament to his honorable nature.
And his men were not far off from their leader. Kade was the silent asshole of the group, but Flora didn’t miss the way he silently showed he cared. When they visited the Master Outfitter, he spent nearly an hour showing her the difference between various types of weapons and camping gear and how to use a flint if she ever needed to start a fire without them. There was no doubt he was the tactician of the group.
Mateo on the other hand, though loyal and fierce, was no doubt the comic relief of the group. He had the three of them in stitches with his commentary. Flora would have thought that growing up with the pack he would be used to the small town, but as it turned out, he wasn’t a country boy at all. He grew up in New York City and only ventured to the pack estate when the full moon rose, and Moon Ridge was nothing like Lune.
Lune was a mining town and while the locals were friendly to visitors, they preferred to keep to themselves, much like the pack.
Mateo didn’t care about the quiet dignity of the small town. He was loud and tried to make small talk with everyone, asking them questions about their lives and their families. It was heartwarming, until she realized he was using his charm to seek information about the moonstone. It was genius really, even if he came up empty-handed.
The people of Lune were not forthcoming with their secrets. Any time one of them asked about the trail with the cave where the moon touches the earth, the townspeople would get silent and walk away. Flora knew the location was nearby; it was part of a story she’d heard time and time again as a child. It was how she’d known they needed to come to Lune. But she had been five years old the last time she’d been in Lune, and it wasn’t as though she was going on any hikes to explore.
Draven remained quiet for the most part as they enjoyed her hometown, though he always seemed to be only inches from her. His hand would brush along the small of her back to guide her, and if her heart started to race even slightly, he was there with a gentle hand, reminding her she wasn’t alone.
“Do you want to stop?” Draven whispered in her ear, sending a shiver through her.
She glanced up at him and back at the candy shop she’d often visited with her mother as a child.
“Can we?”
“It’s your day to show us around—you tell me.”
“Well, I, for one, want to stop.” Mateo interjected, glancing through the window like an eager child. “They have the spicy suckers I grew up with, and I can’t get them in Tennessee.”
Flora’s face twisted in disgust. “Spicy suckers?”
“They’re sweet, too. Watermelon covered in chili powder.”
She looked up at Draven, who shrugged as if to say he didn’t get it either.
The thought of the burn the deceiving candy would leave on her tongue did not sound appealing. “If I wanted spicy, the last place I would look is a lollipop.”
“Your loss.” Mateo turned and went into the shop, with Kade following behind him.
