Hidden Moon (Hot Moon Rising #4) by Afton Locke Read Free Book Online

an
    argument?”
    Usually, she loved the connectedness of the pack. When one hurt, the others felt it.
    Today wasn’t one of those days. At the moment, she wished she had a simple life to
    escape to like Alan did. She sniffed, fished a tissue out of her other pocket, and wiped
    her eyes. Were her tears for him or Curtis? Probably both—for very different reasons.
    “Yes, Derek. I told him I’m not marrying him.”
    He straightened Curtis’s chair and sat in it. “I think that’s a wise decision.”
    “You do?”
    “He’s not your mate. The union would not strengthen the pack.” He patted her arm.
    “Be patient. Your true mate will find his way to you eventually.”
    She wadded up the damp tissue. “I’m afraid he already has.”
    His brow lowered, and he leaned toward her, making him look every bit the
    protective wolf he was. “Alan?”
    “Yes, but not to worry. He plans to leave as soon as he can.”
    “Good. I don’t trust him.”
    But, for some reason, she did. He was part of the pack and belonged here. Although it
    might be easier to let him leave again, she couldn’t. Aside from her selfish feelings, his
    father needed him. Her sixth sense, warning of some unseen danger, told her the pack
    needed him, too.
    Whatever it took, she had to convince him to stay, even if her heart broke in the
    process.

    29

Chapter Four
    Alan groaned as he stared at the diner kitchen at the end of the day. It looked as if a
    hurricane had blown straight through it. Batter spills crusting on the counter. Vegetable
    peelings on the floor. Where to begin? He resigned himself to clean the grill first since it
    served as the heart of the kitchen.
    Shelley had driven Dad home an hour ago to rest. The man had been more of a
    hindrance than a help, criticizing everything Alan did.
    “I’m a computer programmer, not a restauranteur,” he’d muttered more than once.
    But Don had sassed him back each time, until he weakened and almost fell face first
    into the fryer basket. Alan needed some rest himself. Every muscle in his body ached
    with fatigue. The only good thing about exhaustion was it tamed the beast in him.
    It also kept his mind off Shelley. The vulnerable expression on her face this morning
    had punched him in the chest. He’d hurt her. Despite what she’d done to him on prom
    night, he had no desire for revenge.
    The lines of his stupid poem danced before his eyes all day. Her feelings for him were
    as real as that frayed piece of paper. He hoped she understood why they couldn’t act on
    them. She’d been in and out of the diner today, cleaning and ordering supplies. Every
    time he looked at her, a knife twisted in his heart, reminding him what they could have.
    He slid the spatula across the grill, the scrape of metal on metal matching his mood.
    Yeah, he could have everything if he was normal—great sex, love, family. In between
    orders for omelets and burgers, he’d kept picturing her soft white tank top and her
    shorter-than-sin shorts. Peeling them off, tossing them to the floor, and pulling her into
    bed while their children slept down the hall. Hazel eyes gazing up at him with love. The
    spatula dropped with a clatter.
    My woman , the wolf in him screamed.
    Well, he wasn’t normal. Although he’d had the mutation his whole life, it had never
    been more unbearable.
    I have to get out of Moonlight.
    30

    Okay, he’d run the place a whole day, and it sucked. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he
    liked the customers. The tourists were okay, but he could do without the pack. They
    stared suspicious holes into him every time he set foot in the dining room. Luckily,
    Curtis hadn’t been among them. The man had a score to settle with him. He could have
    Shelley, but if she didn’t want him, that was their problem.
    Besides, Alan already had a job—a much easier one that paid better—to return to.
    Living beast free gave him a great bonus. Dad clearly couldn’t handle the diner anymore.
    As he scraped a