Chapter 45 No Signal
Kane stared at Luna, her words echoing in the sudden silence of the car. “Your mother was Helena Sterling?”
“Yes.” Luna’s fingers tightened on the photograph. “The same one who helped create the serum.”
He pulled back onto the road, but his knuckles were white on the steering wheel. “How long have you known?”
“I found the photo at the haven after the attack. I recognized your dad’s face from a picture in your office but I wasn’t sure what relationship they had.”
“You’ve had it this whole time and you didn’t say a thing? What else do you know about this?”
Luna hesitated.“Not much.”
Kane studied her face. "You're holding something back."
Luna stayed quiet.
She turned to the window, watching trees blur past. The vision flashed through her mind again. Richard chasing Helena through the woods, her mother’s face twisted in terror. But what did it mean? She couldn’t accuse his father without understanding what she’d seen.
“Luna?”
Before Luna could respond, her stomach growled so loudly it broke the tension.
Kane’s mouth twitched. “When did you last eat?”
“This morning. Maybe.”
“There’s a diner about thirty minutes out. We’ll talk after you’ve eaten something.”
Twenty minutes later, the car lurched violently. A rhythmic thumping filled the air.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Kane pulled onto the shoulder and got out.
Luna joined him, staring at the shredded tire. “Can you fix it?”
"If I had a spare that wasn't also flat, sure." He pulled out his phone. "No signal. You?"
She checked hers. “Same.”
Thunder rumbled overhead. Fat raindrops began to fall.
“Perfect.” Luna looked around. Nothing but trees and darkening sky in both directions. Then she spotted lights through the rain. “There. Is that an inn?”
“Only one way to find out.”
They jogged toward the lights as the drizzle turned into a downpour. By the time they reached the entrance of Pinewood Inn, they were soaked through.
The lobby was all dark wood and faded charm. A young man sat behind the desk, scrolling through his phone without looking up.
Kane approached, water dripping onto the floor. “We need two rooms.”
“No vacancies.”
“Can you check again?”
“Don’t need to. We’re full.”
Luna stepped forward, pushing wet hair from her face. “Please. Our car broke down and we’re stranded.”
The receptionist finally looked up, taking in their drenched state with zero sympathy. “Sorry. Try the place forty miles south.”
“In the storm? With no car?” Kane’s voice took on an edge.
The elevator dinged. An elderly couple emerged with matching floral suitcases.
“Checking out,” the old man announced cheerfully.
The receptionist looked at Kane and Luna. “Okay , so we have one room available now.”
Kane looked at Luna. She nodded.
“We’ll take it,” he said.
“It’ll be ready in about an hour.” The receptionist handed Kane a key card. “You can come back then.”
Kane pulled out his phone. One flickering bar of signal appeared. He called a tow company, arranged for someone to come in the morning, then reserved a rental car for tomorrow.
“There’s a diner attached,” Luna said, nodding toward glass doors at the far end of the lobby. “We should eat while we wait.”
The diner was nearly empty. They slid into a cracked leather booth, still dripping.
A waitress in her sixties approached with menus and a sympathetic smile. “You two are drenched. Let me get you some towels.”
“That would be amazing,” Luna said gratefully.
The waitress returned with towels and water. “What’ll it be?”
Kane ordered a burger. Luna got the club sandwich with fries.
“And a bottle of your house red,” the waitress added with a wink. “On the house. You look like you need it.”
She disappeared before they could argue.
Luna squeezed water from her hair with the towel. “This isn’t how I expected today to go.”
"Finding out our parents' histories were completely intertwined?" Kane's voice was dry. "Or getting stranded in a storm?"
“Both. Though the storm might be easier to deal with.”
The waitress returned with the wine and two glasses. Kane poured, sliding one to Luna.
“I shouldn’t,” Luna said, even as she picked it up.
“After today? I think we’ve earned it.”
The wine was surprisingly good, warming her from the inside. They ate in comfortable silence for a moment.
Kane stole one of her fries.
Luna’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. “Did you just take my food?”
“You weren’t eating them.”
“I was pacing myself.”
“That’s just letting them get cold.” He took another one.
Luna speared three of his fries in retaliation.
“Hey!”
“Payback.” She ate them slowly, maintaining eye contact.
Kane laughed, the sound unexpected and genuine. “When did you get so petty?”
“I learned from the best.”
They finished eating, trading fries back and forth until both plates were empty. The wine bottle was half gone.
“So,” Kane said, leaning back, “we’ve been living under the same roof for weeks and I still don’t know basic things about you.”
“Like what?”
“Favorite color?”
Luna blinked. “That’s what you want to know? After everything today?”
“We spend all our time talking about moon fever and territory wars. I’d like to know something normal about you.”
“Purple,” she said. “Deep purple, like twilight. You?”
“Green.” His eyes held hers. “Like your eyes when you’re angry.”
Heat crept up her neck. “Favorite season?”
“Fall. Cold enough to be interesting, not cold enough to be miserable. You?”
“Spring. Everything coming back to life.” She took another sip of wine. “When was your first shift?”
“Thirteen. Destroyed my mother’s entire garden. She was so furious.” He smiled at the memory. “You?”
“Sixteen. Really late for an omega. I thought something was wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you.”
The way he said it made her look up. His expression was softer than usual, open in a way she rarely saw.
“Biggest fear?” she asked.
“Disappointing people. Yours?”
“Being forgotten.” The words came out before she could stop them.
Kane reached across the table, his fingers brushing hers. “Not possible.”
The waitress appeared. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m closing up the kitchen. You two need anything else?”
“Just the check,” Kane said.
Back in the lobby, the receptionist waved them over. “Room 204. Second floor.”
When they got there, he opened the door to reveal a small but clean room. One bed. A tiny couch that might fit Luna but would never accommodate Kane's six-foot frame.
“I’ll take the couch,” Kane said immediately, eyeing the tiny loveseat.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re over six feet tall. You won’t fit.”
“I’ll manage.”
“Kane, look at it. Your legs would hang off the end. You’d wake up with aches all over.”
“I’ve slept in worse places.”
Luna set down her bag. “We’re both adults. We can share a bed without making it weird.”
“Can we?”
The question hung in the air. Luna felt her pulse quicken. “Unless you’re worried you can’t control yourself around me?”
Kane’s jaw tightened. “That’s not the issue.”
“Then what is?”
He didn’t answer, just stood by the door looking conflicted.
“Fine.” Luna headed to the bathroom. “But when your back gives out from sleeping on that couch, don’t come crying to me.”
They took turns in the bathroom, changing into inn-provided robes since their clothes were soaked. Luna came out to find Kane standing by the window, watching the storm.
“It’s getting worse,” he said without turning around.
“We might be stuck here tomorrow.”
“Would that be so bad?”
Luna joined him at the window. Rain lashed the glass. Lightning illuminated the parking lot.
“Depends,” she said quietly.
Kane turned to face her. “On what?”
“On whether you’re going to keep being stubborn about the sleeping arrangements.”
“Luna…” His voice was rough. “You have no idea how hard it is being this close to you.”
They stood close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. The wine made her brave. “Who says it’s easy for me?”
His eyes searched her face. “You mean that?”
Instead of answering, she reached up and touched his jaw. The muscle jumped under her fingers. Kane caught her wrist gently, pressing her palm against his cheek.
Kane’s other hand came up to cup her face. “If we do this…”
“Shh...” she stopped him, “Let’s not talk about it.”
“Are you sure?”
Luna rose on her toes, bringing her lips close to his. “Stop asking questions.”
He smiled, then closed the distance between them.
The kiss was soft at first. Then Luna made a small sound and Kane pulled her closer, one hand sliding into her damp hair. She gripped his shoulders, feeling the solid strength of him, tasting wine and rain and possibility.
When they broke apart, both were breathing hard.
“We should…” Luna started.
“If you say we should stop, I’m putting you out in the storm,” Kane warned.
She laughed against his mouth. “I was going to say we should close the curtains.”
His smile was slow and devastating. “Good idea.”