Chapter 1 - Thea

"You're exaggerating," I said, leaning against the counter as I rolled my eyes at my sister.

"All I'm saying is that you should get out more," Astrid said.

"I get out all the time," I argued. "I hang out with the Silver Wolves' mates all the time. You know that. You're usually there. And I've made other friends since coming here. I have more friends now than I ever have before."

She gave me a pointed look. It was identical to the expression I might have given. Granted, Astrid and I looked a lot alike, down to the way our blond hair fell and our heart-shaped faces.

"I'm talking about dates," she said. "I know at least a couple of shifters who have approached you, making it very clear they're interested, and you always turn them down."

I frowned, my jaw working as I tried to figure out how to best explain that part. She wasn't wrong, either. I'd rejected a few guys, but I had my reasons.

"They're not really interested in me specifically," I said slowly. "They're interested in me because I'm arguably ‘exotic,'" I used air quotes for the last word as I rolled my eyes again. "You know the weird fetish some guys have about fucking an absent."

Astrid breathed through her nose, even though she knew I was right. Some guys had a weird fascination with absents—shifters who couldn't actually shift. Wherever we'd lived, once people found out I was one, I'd get dozens of creepy guys hitting on me. It made it difficult to decipher the difference between men who liked me for me and guys who just wanted to fuck me for clout or whatever. It was probably one of the reasons I was still a virgin, to be entirely honest.

The doorbell rang before we could continue the conversation.

"I'll get it," Rand, Astrid's mate, called from the hallway. A moment later, the front door opened. "Hey, man, come on in," I heard Rand say.

A whiff of charred oak and vanilla wafted through the air. I stiffened, recognizing the scent. Internally, my wolf stirred with interest at the smell, making her approval known. Traitor.

A broad-shouldered man with a sharp jaw sauntered into the room. He was laughing at something Rand had said, his eyes crinkling, his smile making him even more attractive than normal.

"Hey, Thea," he said.

"Hi, Tannen," I replied, trying to keep the ice out of my voice.

"Doing all right?" he asked.

I gave a curt nod, trying to figure out the best way to extricate myself without coming off as too rude. Thankfully, Rand saved me from having to figure that one out.

"Tannen and I are meeting some of the rest of the guys for drinks in town," Rand said. "That all right, Astrid?"

"Yeah, get out of here," Astrid said with a shooing motion. "Thea and I can entertain ourselves."

The two of them walked out, but the tension in my back didn't ease until I heard the front door open and close. The remnants of Tannen's scent vanished from the air.

Tannen was one of the Silver Wolves, an elite, ostensibly-retired-but-not-really spec-ops team. They settled in Brixton a few years ago. Rand was a member of the group, and when he and Astrid became mates, we moved here.

For the most part, I liked the Silver Wolves. Jameson was a good alpha, Malcolm was a doting grandfather, Mark knew his way around all sorts of machinery, Klyte was funny, and so on. The only person I really had a problem with was Tannen.

The thing was, when I first met him, I actually kind of liked him. I fell for his charm. I liked his interest in tech and his friendly demeanor. He was funny and intelligent, and easy to talk to.

The weeks leading up to my arrival in Brixton had been eventful to say the least. Moving here had been a bit of a struggle at first, even though I had put on a good face for Astrid. I hadn't known anyone, and, as an absent unable to shift, I wasn't sure how the town would treat me.

Tannen, who often came over to hang out with Rand, had always seemed friendly. He'd always make sure to talk to me and ask how I was doing. He was a genius when it came to tech and had helped me and Astrid out when we were having computer troubles. He was handsome, smart, and kind. I could tell I was falling for him.

But then came the reception after Rand and Astrid's wedding. I'd been going to grab a drink when I heard someone say, "Doesn't seem like there's much difference between being human and an absent. I feel a bit bad for her."

My head whipped around, my mouth dropping open. Tannen stood there with his back to me as he chatted with Mark, both of them completely oblivious to my presence.

Mark shrugged. "She's sweet, though. You have to admit that."

I opened my mouth, fully intending on firing back a retort. I couldn't wait to see the chagrined look on Tannen's face when he realized I'd overheard him. Except the words died in my throat. Maybe I had misinterpreted him. I should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Still, the words continued to reverberate in my ears throughout the reception and lingered long after.

I had dipped away from Tannen and Mark, biting back the tears until I managed to get up to my room, where I stayed for the rest of the party. Astrid had come to check on me at one point, and I'd just told her I had a headache while Tannen's words circled in my head.

I was comfortable as an absent. I'd accepted it years ago and could normally be pretty positive about it. At least until situations like this.

The hurt quickly turned to anger, and I bristled. I was tired of being judged by being an absent and not who I was as a person. It had happened all my life, and I was sick and tired of it.

And then the rumors about him started to reach me. About all the girls, how he was impossible to tie down and had no interest in anything long-term. It turned out that the intelligent, tech-loving shifter I'd met was a bit of a bad boy. That cemented my opinion of him.

So I made up my mind to try and avoid Tannen as much as possible. That turned out to be harder than I'd anticipated. Thanks to Rand, it seemed like he was over here every other day. It drove me crazy. The one person in the entire town I wanted to ignore had to be Rand's best friend.

The other problem was that as much as I tried to deny it, I was still hopelessly attracted to him. My wolf reacted whenever he came over, wanting to be near him, to rub against him… to do more than that. And it didn't help that I still caught glimpses of the sweet, caring Tannen I'd first met. Part of me wanted him, and I was determined not to let that ever happen.

"Thea?" Astrid asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"What? Sorry," I laughed. "Got lost there."

"I was asking if you wanted to pop open a bottle of wine and have a popcorn and movie night."

I grinned. "That sounds fantastic," I said. Anything to stop thinking about Tannen , I thought.