Chapter 44: The Surprise Visit
The bell above the shop door jangled, a sharp, discordant sound against the steady hum of an idling engine. Rhys didn’t look up from the carburetor he was cleaning, his hands moving with practiced, oil-stained precision. “Be with you in a sec.”
“Take your time.”
The voice wasn’t one he recognized.It was a woman’s, low, firm. Not a customer’s polite uncertainty. Something in the tone—a deliberate, waiting stillness—made the fine hairs on his forearms prickle. He set the metal part down on a clean rag and straightened up, his spine giving a soft pop.
She was leaning against the far wall, near the rack of mufflers, arms crossed over a simple gray t-shirt.Dark hair, sharp eyes, warm brown skin. She watched him with the unblinking focus of a predator assessing territory.He knew her instantly. The scent in the air confirmed it: citrus, smoke, a protectiveness so potent it was practically a physical barricade around her.Rina.
Rhys wiped his hands slowly on another rag, buying a second. His face settled into a neutral mask, the easy warmth he’d started to feel around Aurora draining away, replaced by a weary preparedness.He was used to shouting.To drama. He’d built a life trying to avoid it, but it had a way of rolling into his shop like a stalled car.He walked over, the concrete floor gritty under his boots. He stopped a respectful distance away, not offering a hand. “You lost?”
“Not even a little.” Rina pushed off the wall. She was shorter than him by a foot, but she held her ground like a sparring partner. “Aurora’s making me do this.”
“Do what?”
“Apologize.” The word came out like it had rust on it. “For going off on you in the street.It was… disproportionate to the situation.”
Rhys almost smiled. He didn’t. “That’s the most begrudging apology I’ve ever heard.”
“Yeah, well, savor it. It’s a one-time offer.” She took a step closer, her eyes narrowing.“But the warning I gave you out there?That stands. And I’m gonna spell it out for you right now, so we’re crystal. You ever hurt her—not just physically, you break her heart, you make her feel small, you breathe wrong at her—I will find you.I will castrate you with a rusty spanner. And I will shove your dick so far down your throat you’ll be shitting it out for a week. Are we clear?”
A low, unexpected chuckle rumbled in Rhys’s chest. He couldn’t help it. The graphic violence of the image, delivered with such matter-of-fact bluntness, was almost artistic. “Noted. The imagery is… specific.”
“I’m a very specific person.”
“I see that.” He leaned back against a workbench, crossing his own arms, mirroring her stance without the threat. “You can stand down, Rina. I’m not gonna hurt her.”
“Says every alpha right before they do.” She didn’t relax. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-one.”
“You own this place?”
“Yeah.”
“How long?”
“Five years. Worked here for ten before I bought it.”
She gave a curt nod, her gaze sweeping the shop, judging its order, its solvency.“You were in a long-term thing before. Aurora said it ended bad.”
A muscle ticked in Rhys’s jaw. That was territory he guarded, barbed wire and keep-out signs.But he understood the interrogation.He’d have done the same. “She cheated.I found out. It’s done.”
“So now you’re on anonymous hook-up apps looking for a sweet omega to… what?Soften the blow? Pass the time?”
He met her eyes directly, letting her see the frankness there.“I joined looking for a release. Nothing more.Then I saw her profile. Talked to her.” He shrugged, a slight lift of his broad shoulders. “She’s different.”
“Damn right she is.”
“I know.” The two words were simple, final.“I’m not using her, Rina. I like her.I’m taking it slow. She sets the pace.”
Rina was silent for a long moment, her scrutiny intense. She was looking for the lie, the slickness, the predatory gleam. All she saw was a tired man in a greasy shop telling a truth he hadn’t fully admitted to himself yet.Some of the rigid tension bled from her shoulders.
“She trusts you,” Rina said, the words an accusation and a concession. “That’s her superpower and her biggest vulnerability.She trusts, and she gets hurt. It’s my job to minimize the damage.”
“It’s not a job,” Rhys said quietly. “It’s your heart. I get that.”
Something flickered in Rina’s expression, a crack in the armor.She looked away, toward the open garage door and the slice of city beyond. “You better get it. Because she’s already wrapped around yours, whether you want it or not.That’s how she is. She sees something good, she clings.”
He thought of Aurora in his cabin, falling asleep on his chest like it was the most natural anchor in the world.“I know that, too.”
Rina let out a long, controlled breath. “Okay.” She turned back to him, giving one last, sweeping look.“Okay. Just… keep her phone charged, for fuck’s sake.”
A real smile touched Rhys’s lips this time. “I’ll buy her a portable charger.”
“See that you do.” She finally uncrossed her arms, the official inquisition seeming to conclude. She took a step toward the door, then paused. “She’s talking about bringing you lunch here next week.”
“I’d like that.”
“Yeah.” Rina pulled the door open, the bell jangling again. “Try not to have engine parts scattered everywhere. She’ll try to help clean up and she’ll get grease on everything she owns.” She left, the door swinging shut behind her, cutting off the slice of daylight.The shop felt quieter afterward, the humming engine suddenly loud. Rhys stood there for a minute, the scent of citrus and smoke gradually being overtaken by oil and gasoline. He pulled out his phone from his back pocket.Rhys: Your attack dog just left. I’m still intact.Mostly.Aurora’s reply was almost instantaneous.
Aurora: Oh god.I’m so sorry.Was it awful?
Rhys: She threatened to feed me my own dick.It was kind of impressive.Aurora: She has a way with words.
Rhys: She loves you.That’s what matters.Lunch next week?
Aurora: Yes please.He slid the phone back into his pocket. He looked around his shop, at the familiar chaos of projects and tools.It all looked the same.But it felt different. Seen.Approved, in a grudging, violent way. He walked back to the carburetor, picking up the rag.The work was steadying. He had a lot to think about, and even more to live up to.The weight of it didn’t feel like a chain. It felt like a reason.