chapter 2
731 Words
SHIANN’S POV
The morning rush hits like a storm.
One minute it’s quiet.
The next—
We’re drowning.
Orders pile up.
Coffee runs nonstop.
Voices blur together into one constant hum of noise, clinking dishes, and shouted requests from the kitchen.
I move on autopilot.
Smile.
Serve.
Don’t think.
“Thank God it’s busy,” Kyra mutters beside me, tying her apron tighter as she scans the packed diner
.
I huff out a breath. “Yeah. No kidding.”
It’s easier like this.
When I don’t have time to think.
When my mind isn’t wandering back to—
Him.
I grab the coffee pot, moving from table to table.
Refill. Nod. Smile. Repeat.
Just another normal morning.
That’s all this is.
“Yeah, this is the second girl now.”
I freeze.
The words aren’t meant for me.
They come from one of the tables near the back—two men sitting across from each other, leaning in like they don’t want to be overheard.
Too bad I already heard.
My grip tightens slightly on the coffee pot as I step closer.
Slow.
Careful.
Like I’m just doing my job.
“Both from around here,” the first guy says, shaking his head. “Gone without a trace.”
A chill slides down my spine.
“Cops think they ran off?” the other asks.
The first guy snorts. “Yeah. Right. Two girls in less than a week? That’s not running.”
No.
It’s not.
I swallow, forcing myself to step forward.
“Refill?”
They both look up like they didn’t even notice me standing there.
Amber eyes.
Both of them.
Same dark hair. Same build.
Brothers.
They have to be.
Something about them feels… off.
Not dangerous.
But powerful.
They shake their heads, and I move on, but my heart is already racing.
Too fast.
Too loud.
Two girls.
Gone.
My mind flashes immediately to one person.
Lily.
I scan the diner again.
She should be here.
She’s always here.
“Hey,” I say, sliding back over to Kyra.
“Where’s Lily?”
Kyra pauses, frowning slightly as she looks around.
“Good question…”
My stomach drops.
“She didn’t call you?” I ask.
Kyra shakes her head. “No. Did she call you?”
“No.”
That’s wrong.
That’s really wrong.
Lily always calls.
Even if she’s sick.
Even if she’s late.
Even if it’s nothing.
She always calls.
A knot starts forming in my chest.
Tight.
Uncomfortable.
Wrong.
“Maybe she just overslept,” Kyra says, but there’s no conviction behind it.
I don’t answer.
Because we both know—
That’s not Lily.
“Okay,” she says after a second, her voice a little more serious now. “If we don’t hear from her by the end of the shift, we’ll go check on her.”
I nod.
Once.
But it doesn’t help.
Because now I can’t stop thinking about it.
Every table I pass.
Every order I take.
Every second that ticks by—
Two girls are missing.
And Lily didn’t show up.
My wolf starts pacing.
Restless.
Uneasy.
She feels it too.
Something’s wrong.
I try to focus.
Try to keep moving.
Try not to let it show.
But the more the morning drags on…
The worse it gets.
By the time the rush starts to die down, my nerves are shot.
“Finally,” Kyra mutters, stretching slightly as the diner settles into a quieter hum.
I barely hear her.
I grab the coffee pot again, more out of habit than anything else.
My eyes keep drifting to the door.
Half expecting Lily to walk in.
Apologizing.
Laughing.
Explaining everything away.
But she doesn’t.
And that knot in my chest?
It turns into something sharper.
Something colder.
Fear.
“I don’t like this,” I say quietly.
Kyra nods.
“Me neither.”
Silence settles between us.
Heavy.
Unspoken.
We both know what we’re thinking.
Neither of us wants to say it out loud.
But it’s already there.
If two girls are missing…
Then what if—
No.
I shut that thought down immediately.
“End of shift,” Kyra says firmly. “We go straight to her place.”
I nod again.
This time harder.
Because now?
I don’t care if I’m overreacting.
I don’t care if I’m wrong.
I just need to know she’s okay.
- Writer
