3. Kirsten

After hours of scrubbing and wiping, I'd managed to get a handle on the dust problem. The place had been coated in a thick, sticky layer of the stuff. When I'd arrived the day before, the first thing I'd dealt with was walking through the whole place to check for leaks, mold, or rodents. Much to my surprise, the place was totally secure and intact. Not a single mouse turd, which was a huge relief. I'd spent the rest of that day knocking down cobwebs and beating the grime out of cushions and area rugs. After an hour of sneezing from all of the dust, I'd fallen asleep in my old bed.

"God, this place is disgusting," I muttered as I mopped the floor a second time.

The first had only begun to cut through the years of built-up dirt and dust. How the hell could a place have gotten so dirty with nobody living in it? I'd already almost run out of the few cleaning supplies I'd brought, and I hadn't even begun to tackle the bathroom or kitchen.

By the evening of my second day in the cabin, I was stuffing old newspapers and junk mail into a trash bag between bites of the frozen pizza I'd baked—part of the grocery haul I'd picked up on my way to the cabin. A fine sheen of sweat had sprung up on my forehead as I worked, and I hadn't realized the sun had set when I opened the door to toss the bag out.

"Holy shit," I muttered. The whole day had vanished in a cloud of dirt and elbow grease.

I went back to the table, finished the pizza, and chugged from my insulated water bottle before heading back to the porch. Yanking the bag up, I carried it to the big trash can in the driveway. The first thing I needed to do the next day was go to Crestwood and get more cleaning supplies. Slamming the lid on the trash can, I stared down the long gravel driveway.

Crestwood. Not a place I really wanted to go.

Even as a kid, it had been uncomfortable the few times Nana and I had gone into town. Even after talking to Harley about it the other day, I couldn't quite put my finger on why. The shifters had never made me feel out of place. They'd been polite and more or less ignored us for the most part. Though, from what I remembered, most of them had been wary of Nana for some reason. When I'd asked her why they were standoffish with her, she'd simply said that was how things were there and not to worry about it.

The main thing that had always made it strange to be around them was the energy shifters gave off—the power and presence they all shared. It made you feel small and insignificant next to them. The sensation was magnified when there were so many of them together in one place, like in Crestwood. Tomorrow, I'd have to see if things had changed at all since I'd last been there.

Returning to the house, I spent the next hour washing all the dishes, pots, and pans in the house. They were all grimy from sitting unused for years. I stood, waiting for the sink to refill with water for the third time, staring off into space and wondering what to tackle next or if I should make it an early night and turn in.

Before I could decide, a knock at the door made me jump. All I could do was stare at the entryway as the water kept running into the sink. Several seconds ticked by, and when I was starting to believe I'd imagined it, another knock came.

I turned off the water and walked to the door, a tendril of unease settling in my gut. This house was in the middle of nowhere, straddling the unaffiliated area between two different shifter packs. I doubted anyone would be out here selling pest control or something door-to-door, especially at night. Although, being so near a shifter pack meant there was little danger. You'd have to be crazy to try to commit a crime so close to pack lands. Still, better safe than sorry.

Snatching a butcher knife from the block on the counter as I passed it, I hurried to the door. I slid the security chain in place, then unlocked the door, opening it as far as the chain allowed. Outside stood a man, obviously a shifter, since I could feel that weird energy they gave off. The man's face broke into a smile, and I saw no sign of ill intent on his face.

"Oh, good, I thought maybe you weren't home," he said. "My name's Waylan Cole, I'm on the council of the Crestwood Pack."

"Okay," I said, dragging the word out. "Can you tell me why you're on my porch at nine o'clock at night?"

He chuckled and nodded. "I guess it is getting a little late. Sorry about that, but I came by at the, uh, behest of my alpha. He wanted to meet the new resident."

Narrowing my eyes, I let some of my apprehension slip away, only for confusion to replace it. "He wants to meet me? Now? In the middle of the night?"

"I know what you're thinking," he said, winking at me. "Seems sketchy, but trust me, it's… um, it's sort of how we do things. Whenever a newcomer arrives, the alpha always wants to meet them and lay out the ground rules. I promise you won't end up in jail or anything weird."

The guy was telling the truth, at least about me not being in danger. This Waylan guy didn't have an evil bone in his body—I could see it in his eyes. My whole life, I'd trusted my gut when it came to people, and this was one of those times when my heart was telling me I was safe.

But still. Couldn't this guy have come by in the morning? I'd never met an honest-to-god alpha in real life. Were they all like this? So concerned about their territory that they didn't allow a stranger a moment to settle in before asking them why they were there?

Something else occurred to me, and I spoke without thinking. "I didn't have to meet the alpha the last time I stayed here. When I was a kid. What's different now?"

Waylan's expression changed. Not appreciably, but enough for me to notice. His brows furrowed in confusion.

"You've…" His frown deepened. "You've stayed at this cabin before?"

"Yeah. With my nana—er, my grandmother. Back when I was a kid."

Waylan's smile returned. "Wow. Okay. Uh, welcome back, I guess."

"You haven't answered my question. Why do I need to meet the alpha? If it's such a big deal, I can stop by his place tomorrow or something."

"Well, that's, um… the thing is… it's the law."

"The law?" I repeated in a monotone.

"The law. Yeah."

"And it wasn't the law twenty years ago?"

"Uh, no. It wasn't. It's a new law. All packs do it now," Waylan said.

"But I'm not on your land, so the laws of your pack wouldn't apply to me, would it?"

Waylan's eyes widened a bit, but his smile never faltered. "You see," he said quickly, "you're close to our land, and that means you are under our protection. See, the neighboring pack isn't so nice. We're only looking out for your safety. Besides, if you want to do any shopping in Crestwood, you'll want to meet the alpha. That way, he can let the rest of the pack know not to be freaked out by a strange human walking around."

That made sense. Humans rarely visited shifter towns, mostly due to the worry that they'd make some mistake or break some unwritten rule and offend the shifters. And dammit, I did need to go shopping tomorrow.

"You're not gonna take no for an answer, are you?" I asked wearily.

He shrugged and gave me a pained smile. "Sorry, boss's orders. You don't want me to get chewed out, do you?"

"Oh, for God's sake. Fine," I hissed. "Let me grab my stuff."

Out on the porch, Waylan nodded toward a black Jeep parked behind my car. "I can give you a ride if you want."

"Thanks, but I'll follow in my car. No offense, but I'd rather have my own means of escape."

Waylan looked truly distraught as he suddenly shook his head. "Miss—sorry, I'm an asshole, I never asked your name."

"Kirsten. Kirsten Holly."

Waylan nodded. "Miss Holly, you have no reason to worry about escape. Like I said, there's nothing sinister about this meeting. I promise it's only a formality. But it's fine if you want to follow along."

He climbed into his Jeep as I got into my car. Why was this happening? Sure, shifter towns were very insular, and a stranger would cause a bit of an uproar. I hadn't really thought about that before coming here. That being said, why the hurry? Hell, they could have at least waited until the morning.

Another confused thought bounced into my head. Why hadn't they come the day before when I'd first arrived? Had they only now found out I was at Nana's cabin? How?

Those questions would have to wait, though, because we'd arrived. A large house, though not as big as I'd anticipated, sat with its back facing the forest behind it. Waylan exited his Jeep and hurried over to open my door. A gentleman, at least.

"What's this alpha's name, anyway?" I asked. "If he's so fired up to meet me, I guess I should know his name."

"Jace Stone. He's a great guy, really. No need to be nervous."

"Who said I was nervous?"

Waylan grinned. "I like you. You've got fire. Come on."

He led me to the front door and inside. Waiting for us in the living room was the man who must have been the famous alpha shifter Waylan had been telling me about. My first impression, as much as I hated to admit it, was that he was the most attractive man I'd ever laid eyes on. It irritated me that this was the first thing that sprang to mind, but I couldn't help it. His black hair was swept back and hung to his shoulders, his muscular frame tensing and readjusting as we walked in. His eyes—hazel—locked onto me, almost like he wanted to peer into my soul.

A warm flush crept up my neck, and I willed myself not to blush in front of this man. I didn't know a thing about him. However attractive he was, it was nothing but superficial. I was an adult. I could admit when I found someone strikingly handsome.

As soon as he opened his mouth, though, any attraction I felt toward him began to dissipate.

"Why are you here?" Jace asked, blunt and to the point.

"Whoa, okay. Hi," I said. "My name is Kirsten. Nice to meet you, too," I added, hoping he could hear the sarcasm in my voice.

Jace grimaced and shook his head. "Sorry. Nice to meet you. I'm Jace Stone. Now, can you tell me why you're here?"

I glanced over at Waylan, who looked uncomfortable and a little embarrassed. Already, it seemed this wasn't going as he'd thought it would.

"I asked a question," Jace said, leaning forward again. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was basically interrogating me.

"I'm here to clean out my grandmother's cabin."

"And why isn't she here doing that?"

A tight knot of anger swelled in my chest. "Because, jackass, she's dead. She passed away less than two weeks ago."

Some of the suspicion on his face vanished, and his eyes crinkled at the edges, almost into a frown. "Oh. I'm sorry about that. I really am, but you said that house belonged to your grandmother? Are you…" He glanced at Waylan, then back at me. "Are you, or your grandmother, for that matter, one of them?"

Crossing my arms, I glanced around at the room, wondering why the hell I'd agreed to come here. "Them who? What the hell are you talking about? A human? Yes, I'm a human, if that's what you mean. Can I go back home yet? It's getting really late, and I'm too tired to deal with this bullshit."

Jace stood, clenching and unclenching his fists. The speed of the movement shocked me. Shifters could move so damn fast. I didn't even have a chance to flinch.

"Who was your grandmother's mother? Did you ever meet her?" Jace asked, looking more confused and suspicious by the second, and if I wasn't mistaken, he kept sniffing the air like he was trying to smell something.

"My great-grandmother?" I asked incredulously. "No. I never met her. She died before I was born, for God's sake."

Jace opened his arms wide. "All I'm trying to figure out is who sent you here. Simple as that. Answer the question, and we can be done. Once I know, then I can grant you access to shops in my town."

What was this guy's problem? Grant me access? He was acting like I was some spy sent to infiltrate his precious little pack or something. If all alpha shifters were like this, then I was glad to have never met one before.

"I'm going to say this one more time," I said, straining to keep my anger in check. "I'm here for the summer to clean out my grandmother's cabin to either rent or sell. At the end of the summer, I'm going back to Houston, and you and your pack will never see my face again. Is that enough background for Your Majesty?"

Jace froze, speechless. He sent another look toward Waylan, who only shrugged helplessly.

"I have no intention of sticking around here," I added. "Your buddy here told me it was the normal courtesy to come by and get the alpha's blessing and introduce myself before shopping in town. If you don't want me spending my money in Crestwood, then fine, I'll drive the extra distance to the next town over. Maybe the Scottsdale alpha will be more accepting. I don't want to step on any toes, you know?"

At the mention of Scottsdale, anger flared in Jace's eyes. His lips peeled back and a snarling growl erupted from his mouth, sending the first true spike of fear through me. But I managed to stand my ground.

"You don't want to go to Scottsdale," Jace hissed. "I can assure you, if you think I'm bad, you'll really hate their alpha."

"Okay, whatever. Do I have your permission to shop in town or not?" I asked, raising my voice in annoyance.

"Maybe we should take a second and calm down, huh?" Waylan cut in. "I could go grab a couple beers or something. I think we got off on the wrong foot here."

"No need," Jace said through clenched teeth. "You can shop in town." He visibly relaxed, his shoulders easing. "As long as you don't cause any trouble, I'll tell the folks in town that you're free to come and go as you please. I promise."

"Oh my gosh," I said with mock surprise. "So gracious of you."

I was pushing my luck, I knew, but I couldn't help it. This was not the way I'd wanted this summer to start. Even though he'd granted me the ability to shop in town, I didn't really want to anymore. Though I probably still would. It was an extra thirty minutes to get to Scottsdale, and nearly two-and-a-half hours to the nearest human town.

This whole thing was leaving a bad taste in my mouth, and part of me wanted to call it quits and go back to Houston the next day. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that. I still hadn't gone through Nana's boxes or her closet. God only knew how much stuff I'd want to take back home. I was stuck here for at least a few more days. Besides, deep down, I did want to spend the summer in the cabin and remember the good times Nana and I had spent there.

"You're free to go if you like," Jace said, sitting down again.

"Awesome," I huffed, turning to leave.

"Thanks for coming by," Waylan said as I left. He looked pained and slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah. I really appreciate it," I called over my shoulder as I slammed the front door behind me.

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I could hear them talking inside as I hurried to my car. As I slid into my driver's seat and started the car, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. Only then was I able to think. The weird standoff-slash-interrogation had been more dramatic than I'd anticipated, and now I had the strangest feeling. A kind of buzzing or humming deep in my mind that shuddered in my chest as well. It began the moment I'd walked in and seen Jace.

The sensation wasn't inherently unpleasant, which was weird. The guy was a total dick. Pretty as a picture, sure, but a real douchebag.

Who knew what it meant? I didn't care. No matter what happened over the next few months, one thing was for certain. I did not want to see Jace Stone again.