Page 24 of Sawyer

He lunged at me again, and I scrambled for something—anything—to protect myself.

My hand found a wine bottle on the kitchen counter, and without thinking, I swung it.

The bottle shattered against his head, the sound echoing through the room.

Mason staggered, his eyes wide with shock before he crumpled, collapsing on top of me and knocking me to the floor.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe—his weight pinning me down, the shock freezing me in place.

I shoved him off me, my heart pounding. He wasn’t moving. His breathing was shallow, but he was out cold.

Must’ve been the alcohol, I thought, relieved. A shifter wouldn’t usually go down that easily, but Mason had clearly drunk too much.

I looked at my bleeding arm, shaking from adrenaline. Everything had spiraled so quickly—from a simple argument to this.

I stared at his unconscious form, my mind reeling.What the hell just happened?

Back in the present, I realized I was clutching my arm, fingers absentmindedly tracing over the old scars.

Lisa’s eyes stayed on me, concern written all over her face, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. We both knew what was going through my head.

After everything with Mason, I stayed with Chris and Lisa here in Pecan Pines for a while—just until I could figure things out.

But what was supposed to be temporary became more permanent when I realized how quiet it was here. It felt safe.

At the time, the local pack wasn’t allowed to conduct pack business in town, which made it easy to avoid them.

And that’s exactly what I did for the past year—kept my head down, focused on the shop, and stayed out of their way.

Shifters never bothered me here, and I didn’t go out of my way to notice them either.

It was like my mind had created this blind spot, steering clear of anything that reminded me of what I’d left behind.

That’s probably why I never noticed Sawyer and his family’s second-hand bookstore before. I never went near it, never let myself get too close.

But lately, things had been changing, especially when I found out Mason had moved on.

He was mated to another shifter now. I heard the news a few months ago and honestly, I felt relieved.

It was like a weight I didn’t even know I was carrying had finally lifted.

I was fine on my own. I had my routine, my shop, my life. And I was healing. Slowly, yes, but healing all the same.

I didn’t need anyone else. At least, that’s what I told myself.

Until I met Sawyer.

Ever since we kissed, it felt like a dam had burst. I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

The way his lips felt against mine, the warmth that surged through me. It had been so long since someone made me feel like that.

And now I couldn’t help but wonder: was I ready for this?

Ready to open myself up again, to start something new? Especially with a shifter.

I’d only just started putting my life back together—the shop was doing well, and I was starting to feel comfortable in my own skin again.

Liking someone now? Considering something more? It felt like a risk. One I wasn’t sure I could take.