Chapter 8 Beck
Beck
I’m walking home from the station, my mind full of the usual chaos—calls, paperwork, all the mess that comes with a job like mine, when I hear her.
“Beck.”
I stop, boots scraping against the gravel, before I turn toward the voice. It’s Officer Lara West, leaning casually against a streetlamp as if she’s been waiting for me all night.
The way she stands, relaxed but alert, makes it clear she’s not here for pleasantries. Lara knows how to get right to the point.
“Lara,” I say, giving her a nod. “What’s going on?”
She raises an eyebrow, her gaze calculating as she takes me in. In a small town like ours, the local cops always know more than you think, especially an Alpha like Lara. She doesn’t let her eyes stray far from mine, and that alone makes me uncomfortable.
“Not much,” she answers, a casual tone masking something simmering beneath the surface. “Just another day of the usual. But I did hear something interesting.”
My stomach tightens. “Yeah? What’s that?”
Lara’s lips curl into a faint smirk, but it’s sharp. Too sharp for it to be friendly.
“Lo Marsh is back in town.” She lets the words hang between us, weighty and charged. “Imagine that.”
I’m not sure how to respond to that, but I keep my face neutral. “Yeah, she is.”
Lara doesn’t miss a beat. She leans forward, just enough to show she’s in this conversation for real. “You talked to her yet?”
I run a hand through my hair, hoping it looks casual, but I can feel my frustration burning. “A bit. She’s… around.”
Lara doesn’t let it go. She never does. Her stance tightens as if she’s not just asking questions, she’s digging for something.
“Around, huh? You sure you’re not avoiding the subject? I mean, she’s not exactly the easiest person to ignore when she’s standing in front of you.”
I hesitate for a moment, choosing my words carefully.
“We’ve got history, Lara.” I let that statement settle between us, letting her hear what’s unsaid. “And I’m not looking for a drama show.”
She doesn’t back off. Her gaze sharpens.
“You’re so good at pretending, Beck. You think people don’t notice?
They’ve got you figured out. Always keeping your cards close to your chest. And maybe that works for you…
but Lo? She doesn’t get the same luxury.
Her name is like a red flag for this whole town.
How do you think Sheriff Dempsey is taking this? ”
I can feel my pulse quicken, the old anger bubbling up. “I’m sure this is hard,” I growl, protectiveness burning through me. “Believe me, I know exactly how this town feels about her.”
Lara doesn’t blink, just continues to push, waiting for me to break. “After everything her family did…”
Her words land heavily on me.
I haven’t forgotten. I was there, watching it all unfold. Watching Lo fall apart just like the rest of them. But she’s right, there are no easy answers for what this means. Not for her. Not for me. Not for anyone.
“Lo’s not her father, Lara,” I finally mutter. “She’s not the one who did all that. She tried to expose it, remember?”
Lara’s voice lowers, going a little harder, pushing my limits. “Doesn’t matter. People see the name, and that’s enough. They’ll never forget. Lo’s stuck with the legacy of her father’s mistakes. And you… well, you don’t want to get yourself in a mess.”
I grit my teeth, feeling my patience slip. I know exactly what she’s saying, but I’m not about to let her push me into some guilt trip. “I’m not getting into anyone’s mess, Lara. And I don’t need a lecture from you about this town’s history. I was here, remember? I know the story.”
Lara’s eyes narrow slightly, but she’s not done. “Then you know what comes with it. You really think Lo’s going to last long in this town? She can’t outrun that legacy forever, Beck. She’s gonna end up right back where she started.”
I feel a tightening in my chest at her words. “She’s not gonna be here long. I don’t know what kind of mess you think this is, but she’s not sticking around to be the town’s favorite scapegoat.”
It’s more of a defense than I mean it to be, but it comes out that way. I’m trying to convince her. I’m trying to convince myself. But deep down, I can feel something gnawing at the edges of my certainty. A pull, a tug in the pit of my stomach. My gut knows the truth before my brain does.
I wish she wasn’t leaving.
I know it’s selfish, but I wish she’d stay.
How weird is that?
Lara seems to catch the shift in my tone. She tilts her head slightly, sizing me up.
“You sure about that? Because I don’t think Lo’s the kind of person who shows up to say goodbye. You think she’s come back to apologize? To make amends for her family’s mess? You think that’s what she’s here for?”
I know what she’s trying to do—poke at my protective side, get me to see the reality of it all. But I don’t want to go there. Not yet.
“She’s here because she has nowhere else to go. That’s all. She’s not staying.”
“I hope you’re right,” Lara snorts. “Because the last thing this town needs is more Marsh drama.”
I don’t say anything to that, just nod, because she’s not wrong. The last thing anyone needs is more of the same mess.
But it’s hard to ignore that pull. That feeling in my chest that tells me Lo might not be so easy to forget.
Lara takes a step back, her tone softening, though not by much. “Be careful, Beck. I don’t want to see you get hurt again. We both know how much of a mess that can be.”
I feel the pressure, the reminder of what happened last time. The way Lo disappeared without a word, leaving me behind with all the unanswered questions and the wreckage of what we could have been.
“I’m fine,” I mutter, already feeling the walls go up again. “It’s different now.”
Lara’s eyes narrow, and for a moment, she looks like she wants to say more, but she doesn’t. She just gives me a long, assessing look, as if she can see straight through me.
“Just… be careful.”
With that, she turns and walks off, her boots quiet on the gravel as she disappears into the evening.
I take a deep breath, but it doesn’t ease the tightness in my chest.
By the time I get home, the house is quiet. Rosie’s in bed, and the faint hum of a nightlight flickers through the hall. It’s been a long day, but something tells me it isn’t over. Not by a long shot.
I close the door behind me, peeling off my boots and jacket, but before I can make it to the kitchen, I hear Cassie.
“Beck, can we talk?”
I turn to find her leaning against the doorframe to the living room, arms crossed, her expression more serious than I’d expect at this hour.
“Yeah. What’s up?” I ask, not bothering to hide the exhaustion in my voice.
But Cassie doesn’t seem to care. She steps into the room, her eyes locked on me with that determined look she always gets when she’s about to give me some unsolicited advice.
“Is Lo coming back here again?”
The question hits me, a punch in the stomach. My throat tightens, but I force myself to keep calm. “Oh… no.”
She doesn’t blink, just keeps those sharp eyes on me. “Are you sure about that?”
I rub my hand over my face, trying to brush off the sudden tension. “I told you, she needed help. Now she’s gone.”
“Home?”
“To her family’s townhouse.”
Cassie studies me for a long moment, her brow furrowing. I can almost sense her Omega instincts sharpening. She knows something’s not right, but she doesn’t push yet. Instead, she leans in a little, her voice lowering.
“So, is she staying in town, then? For good?”
I shake my head, trying to convince her, and myself, of something I’m not so sure about. “No. She won’t be here long. You don’t have to worry about it.”
But Cassie isn’t done. She steps closer, her eyes narrowing, and her words hit in a gut punch.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt,” she says. “You were already broken once because of Lo, and I don’t think you need to go through that again.”
I lean back against the counter, trying to come off casual, but I feel the tension building. “I’m fine, Cass. I’m not gonna get hurt.”
Her gaze softens, but her concern remains evident. “I know you think you’re fine, but you don’t have to protect me from the truth. I know what you went through. We all do. And the last thing I want is to see you go down that road again.”
I run a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the gnawing feeling in my stomach. “I’m not getting involved with her again. I told you, it’s not like that.”
But even as I say it, my mind drifts back to Lo, to the pull I felt when I saw her earlier today, the way she was still so… there. In my space. In my arms. Mine.
My inner alpha snarls at the idea that she isn’t close. At the idea that she isn’t scenting my home right now. It’s hard to convince myself that I can keep my distance, not when she’s already under my skin again.
Damn it.
I swallow hard, but the urge to pull her close rises in me.
It’s a battle. My mind screaming for control, my body betraying me with every instinct to claim her, to pull her into the fold of my pack.
It’s like a flicker of fire lighting up my veins, and I can’t decide if I want to burn it out or let it spread.
“I’m not gonna let myself get sucked into it, Cass,” I mutter. “Lo’s not staying, anyway. She’ll be gone before we know it. You know how she is.”
“I know you, Beck. You don’t let people in, not really. But Lo? She’s different, Beck. She always has been. It concerns me that she’s here.”
I don’t respond right away, because I’m not sure what to say. I know Cassie’s looking out for me, but the way she talks about Lo, as if she’s some kind of ticking time bomb, makes it harder to stand firm in what I told Lara.
“I’ll keep my distance,” I say finally. “I’m not gonna let myself get sucked into all that again.”
But even as I say it, I know something’s off. I can feel the tug in my chest again, that pull I can’t shake. Lo’s back, and despite everything, despite all the reasons I should stay away, there’s a part of me that wonders if I can really keep my distance from my Omega.
She’s not mine.
Cassie steps closer, her arms uncrossing as she seems to soften a little.
Her expression is still filled with that familiar concern, but now there’s something more, a kind of quiet understanding that I’m not ready to face.
She lets out a sigh, one that holds too much weight for someone who’s not as involved as I am.
“Beck…” she says softly, and my heart stutters for a moment. When she says my name in that tone, it’s never good.
Before I can say anything, Cassie pulls me into a hug. I’m not prepared for it, but I don’t pull away either. Her arms are strong around me. She’s trying to ground me, and I let her. I don’t have the strength to push her away right now.
“I’m just worried about you,” she murmurs into my shoulder, and I feel the warmth of her breath there. “I don’t want you to go through that again. I don’t want you to fall into that same hole she left you in.”
Her voice cracks a little, and that catches me off guard. My sister’s always been the tough one, the one who tells it like it is, but right now? She’s all heart, all older sister trying to protect her younger brother from the thing that’s hurt him the most.
“I’ll be okay,” I mutter, trying to convince both of us. But I’m not sure I believe it.
I think it will kill me to lose my Omega again.
Cassie pulls back just enough to look at me, her eyes a little too knowing.
“You say that now,” she says gently, “but I can see it. You haven’t let go of her, Beck. Not really. You’re still hanging onto something that isn’t good for you.”
I want to tell her that I’m not. That I’m over it. That Lo’s history, her family’s history, doesn’t have to be mine.
But I can’t. Because somewhere in the pit of my stomach, I know she’s right.
Because I still dream of Lo’s scent at night, when I palm my cock and can’t get her out of my head.
“I don’t want to see you hurt again,” Cassie continues, her tone softer now, almost pleading. “You’ve already been through enough. Don’t go chasing something that’s not meant to be.”
I want to argue, to tell her that I’m not chasing anything. That Lo’s gone. That I’m not going to let myself get tangled up in the past again.
But the words get stuck. Because somewhere inside, I’m not entirely sure I want that. My Alpha instincts will always crave her.
“I’ll be careful,” I finally mutter, barely a whisper.
Cassie doesn’t seem convinced, but she nods slowly, squeezing me once more before letting go. “I know you will,” she says softly. “Just remember… you’re not alone, okay? You’ve got us.”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. It’s strange, hearing her say that. Strange because, in the back of my mind, I’ve always felt alone in this. It’s been me against the world when it comes to Lo. But Cassie’s right. I do have them.
But no matter how much they want to shield me, I don’t think anyone can keep me from this pull.
Not when my instincts are going haywire.
When she steps back, her eyes still full of concern, I manage a small, tired smile. “I’ll be okay, Cass.”
“I hope so,” she says cautiously. “I really do.”
She watches me for a beat longer before turning, and I hear her footsteps retreating into the hallway. But as I stand there, something unsettles me.
I might have told Cassie I’ll be okay, but it’s not that simple. Lo’s back.
And something tells me, no matter how much I try to keep my distance, I won’t be able to let go of her so easily.