A Hidden Destiny

Proper introductions

Liam

As I sat back down at the table to enjoy this heavenly apple pie, I was met with a glare from Aiden. “What?” I said with no emotion and continued “I’m not allowed to chat with women now?” If looks could kill, I would be buried ten feet under now. I grabbed my plate and took a bite of the delicious pie. This was the only reason I agreed to hold our budget meeting here instead of our usual settings at the office. When Aiden told us to relocate, he was quick to tempt us with a piece of apple pie, before we could complain. Yeah, I’m a sucker for apple pie, if you hadn’t guessed it already.

“Do you know her?” he asked suddenly, rather calm, as he leaned forward in his seat. His body language told me that he was curious about her, even though he tried to sound like he didn’t care. “No, not yet” I smirked, trying to provoke a reaction out of him. Aiden growled. He freaking growled at me, moody f*cker. “Her name is Madeleine. We bumped into each other yesterday just down the street.” I said matter of factly, pointing in the direction of said meeting down the road. He didn’t say anything, so I decided to poke the bear. “Why? What’s up with the growling?” I asked with a grin. “Nothing” he answered bluntly, looking over my shoulder towards the bar. I glanced over my shoulder to see what he was looking at and my suspicion was confirmed. He was looking directly at her. “Do you think she’s some sort of threat?” I asked jokingly while turning back to look at Aiden, but at the same time knowing that any stranger could be exactly that, a threat. To my surprise, he was already standing up, walking past me towards the bar. Towards Maddie.

Aiden

Madeleine. What a beautiful name. Her name sounded so good leaving my lips. I knew I had to speak with her again. If not, just to hear her voice again. I would stay silent for days and just listen to whatever she would let out of her sweet mouth. But as the Alpha, I also needed to know why she was here. Travelling? Settling down? Visiting friends or maybe family? She seemed familiar in a weird kind of way, but I couldn’t exactly remember from where. Booming with confidence, I made my way to where she was sitting at the bar. With my back straightened, I cleared my throat, ready to introduce myself properly this time, but I suddenly felt my palms getting sweaty. Was I nervous? That couldn’t be… I was never nervous. I quickly dried my hands on my navy blue dress pants, hoping the sweat wouldn’t leave marks on my pants. Standing a couple of feet away from her, I was about to introduce myself just as she dropped her spoon and groaned. I watched her as she held her phone in her small hands, navigating the screen and almost aggressively putting it back down on the counter. She seemed troubled, maybe even anxious.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you” I said and positioned myself against the counter, only one barstool separating us. I liked the closeness, but wanted her to feel comfortable in my presence. “Oh, you didn’t, it’s just something I recei-“ she quickly stopped herself, “never mind”, she added with a small smile, while her hand made a dismissive gesture. Her big blue-green orbs were looking straight at me and the intensity of her stare made me forget to take a breath. They were absolutely mesmerizing. I swear, time seemed to stand still for a couple of seconds and I stood there thinking that maybe this was the moment a mate bond would appear between us. But sadly nothing happened and my wolf whined in dismay. Disappointment didn’t even describe what I was feeling right now. I really thought that she was the one I had been waiting for. Why else would I feel this pull towards her? I’ve never been this interested in a woman before.

“We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Aiden.” I said, stretching out my hand for her to shake. She looked at my hand and back to my eyes, her gaze lingering a bit before reacting to my outstretched hand. “Oh, I must be mistaken, I thought your name was 'Jerk'” she replied with a smirk while raising her eyebrows in a teasing way. I chuckled. “I guess I deserved that one”, I answered with a smile. She smiled back at me. “You can only pay with cash”, she said, trying to mimic my voice while making a funny face. She was funny too. I couldn’t help but to let out a laugh. “That’s not how I sound at all.” I dismissed her antics with a grin.

After a minute of us just looking at each other, I tried again. “Can we start over? What was your name again?” I asked her, my hand scratching the base of my neck in a nervous way. She went quiet with her locked on her hands on the counter, probably contemplating whether I deserved to know her name or not. Then a smile rose on her precious face, her eyes glistening in the lights from behind the bar, “I’m Madeleine,” she finally said.