Shirley
The bar was unusually quiet for a Friday night. Not dead, but… strange. Maybe it was me. Maybe I was the strange one now.
The last few days had left my mind a whirlwind of confusion—runes, werewolves, secret labs hidden beneath barns, and a man who claimed I was his fated mate.
Dante Ryker had opened a door I didn’t know existed, and now I couldn’t shut it. Not completely.
But tonight, I wanted normal. Just a bit of it. I wanted to pour drinks, listen to Zara’s endless gossip about her new boyfriend, and pretend my neck didn’t tingle with magic I didn’t understand.
I was just finishing up my shift, wiping down the bar with a sigh, when the front door creaked open. Zara’s smile widened instantly.
“There he is!” she squealed, hopping down from her stool.
I looked up, expecting
