Asphalt Moon

My wrench slipped for the third time and I wanted to throw it through the wall. The Harley's engine was supposed to be simple. It wasn't. And the guy who owned it was leaning against the garage door, watching me with those stupid brown eyes that made my brain stop working. "You're losing your touch," Cade Voss said. "I'm not losing anything. Your bike is cursed." "Maybe it's you." I looked up. He was smiling. That lopsided thing he did when he knew he was being annoying. "You want to fix it yourself?" I asked. "I want to watch you." I threw a dirty rag at his face. He caught it. Behind me, the office radio played some old song. Tío Ray was inside, boots on the desk, snoring. The sun was going down. Another Tuesday. Cade walked over and stood too close. He smelled like gasoline and soap. "You going to the race Friday?" he asked. "No." "Damon asked about you." My stomach did a weird flip. Not the good kind. "What did you tell him?" "That you're not interested." "Good." "He didn't believe me." I put the wrench down. "Damon Rourke can think whatever he wants. I'm not a prize." Cade tilted his head. "He said something else. Said you feel it too. The pull." I opened my mouth to tell him that was crazy. But the words didn't come. Because sometimes, late at night, I did feel something. A tug in my chest. Like someone was calling my name from far away. "That's nothing," I said. "Lena." "It's nothing, Cade." The garage door rattled. We both turned. A black motorcycle sat at the entrance. The rider killed the engine and swung off. Tall. Dark hair. Gray eyes that almost glowed. Damon. He walked past Cade like Cade wasn't there. Stopped in front of me. "Evening, Lena." "You're not welcome here." "I know." He looked at the Harley. "Third cylinder still rattling?" "None of your business." Damon smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "The full moon is in three days. You know what that means." "That you get weirder than usual?" Behind me, Cade stepped forward. "She said you're not welcome." Damon ignored him. Kept looking at me. "Ask your dad what he used to be," Damon said. "Ask him about your mom." My blood went cold. "Don't talk about my mom." "She was like us, Lena. And so are you." "I'm not like anything." Damon reached out. His fingers brushed my wrist. Just a touch. But something sparked. A jolt. Like static electricity. "You feel that?" he whispered. I pulled my hand back. My heart was pounding. "Get out." Damon nodded. Walked back to his bike. Before he kicked the engine on, he looked over his shoulder. "The moon doesn't lie, Lena. See you Friday." He roared off into the dark. Cade grabbed my arm. "Lena. What was that?" "I don't know." "You felt something. I saw your face." I shook my head. Walked to the office. Tío Ray was awake now. Standing in the doorway. His face was pale. "You heard?" I asked. He nodded. "I heard." "Is it true? About Mom? About me?" Tío Ray looked at the floor. Then at Cade. Then back at me. "Sit down, mija. We need to talk." My hands were shaking. "I don't want to sit. I want the truth." He sighed. The kind of sigh that carries twenty years of secrets. "Your mother was a wolf," he said. "And so am I. Was. I walked away." "And me?" Tío Ray's eyes were wet. "I don't know," he said. "The wolf skips sometimes. But Damon showing up… the way he touched you…" "What?" Tío Ray grabbed my shoulders. "If you felt a spark, Lena, that's the mate bond. It means your wolf is waking up." The floor tilted. "I don't want a wolf." "It doesn't care what you want." Cade put his hand on my back. "We'll figure it out." I looked at him. Then at my dad. Then at the dark road where Damon had disappeared. The moon wasn't full for three more days. But I could already feel it pulling.