Hunter's Attraction

Bond Sealed

Jean-Pierre watched as Lily gracefully exited the classroom. From her gait alone, JP could ascertain that she was agitated but very controlled. Experience had shown him that most girls would have fought Isabel either verbally, physically, or both.

At first, seeing the gathering tears in her eyes, JP was certain Lily was about to cry. Instead, she managed a shaky smile while calmly writing her contact information, exquisitely removing herself from the nearly hostile situation. Jean-Pierre was impressed. Maybe he should rethink this—No! He refused to take a mate, and a human one at that. No. Jean-Pierre shook his head, turning his attention back to his friends.

“Okay, what?” Isabel asked with a frown just as JP was returning to the present. All three young men—JP, Diego, and Julian—looked at her.

“You didn’t have to be so mean,” Diego narrowed his eyes at his sister.

“I was assessing her,” Isabel replied defensively.

“You were bullying her,” Julian frowned.

“If she can’t handle a bit of ‘bullying’ from me,” Isabel used air quotes, “how in the world is she going to survive our pack? I mean… come on!”

“JP is going to reject her,” Diego motioned to Jean-Pierre, who was gazing at the classroom door almost longingly. “There was no reason for your rude behavior.”

“Seriously,” Julian agreed, “I mean… if she knew about werewolves, sure, vet her. But she’s a human… cheerleader or something. Everything about her screams valley girl: she probably thinks we hate her because she’s white. What do you think, JP?”

“I think…” JP turned away from the door, “it is what it is. Isabel, you could have been nicer. Julian is right; she probably thinks it’s a race thing. You’re going to have to apologize.”

“Fine,” Isabel huffed. “I’ll blame it on PMS or something.”

“Good,” JP swallowed thickly. “Hopefully, we don’t see her for the rest of the day.”

***

“…and here is your nametag.” Lily accepted the apron and name tag with a bright, grateful smile, her heart fluttering with excitement. Her day had improved significantly after her text with her father. “Sorry it took so long to get here,” the manager, Jesse, apologized with a friendly grin, her long, curly hair bouncing as she moved.

“It’s fine!” Lily beamed at her name printed in bold letters, feeling a rush of pride. “Thank you!”

“Now, we are short one barista. How comfortable are you on the register?” Jesse asked. "I know we touched on it in training, but...”

“I can do it,” Lily replied, her confidence soaring.

“Great! I’ll be on prep if you need me,” she said, giving her a thumbs-up before heading to the back.

Lily nodded enthusiastically, practically bouncing on her toes as she moved to her place behind the register. She double-checked her surroundings, noting the cozy ambiance of the café, then took a quick selfie, sticking her tongue out playfully. With a deep breath and a determined smile, she stood ready, eagerly awaiting her first customer.

***

“¡Guau!” JP smiled at Julian’s exclamation once the sun hit their faces. “Finally! Freedom!”

“We weren’t being held hostage,” JP laughed, “it was Econ.”

“It was boring,” Julian clarified.

Jean-Pierre smirked. “You slept through more than half the class. You’re lucky our professor doesn’t seem to care about, well, anything.”

“Dude, that’s what you’re here for. You pay attention; I sleep. Besides, I need all the sleep I can get. I have a late-early patrol.”

“Ooh,” JP flinched. “Drew the short straw.”

“Seriously, what is my father thinking? Ten to three a.m.? I need my beauty sleep.”

“The price of being the son of a Beta,” JP laughed as the two walked toward the campus’s small café.

“Laugh all you want; wait until it’s your turn. It’s so…boring.”

“I don’t start until the weekend, and I have a day shift,” JP stated proudly.

“You’re so lucky no one trusts you.”

Jean-Pierre paused. “I don’t see how that makes me lucky.”

“No,” Julian turned to his cousin, “I don’t mean…lucky.”

“Then what do you mean?” JP frowned.

“I mean, your less-than-stellar status in our pack gets you the best, easy shifts.”

“Oh,” JP muttered, his mood slightly deflating as they continued walking.

“Bro, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything—”

“It’s fine,” JP cut him off. “Let’s just meet up with the twins at the café so you can drop me off at home. I still have a curfew, remember?” Jean-Pierre stopped in his tracks when he felt a buzz in his pocket. He looked at his phone. “Of course,” JP huffed.

“What?”

“Isabel is texting me,” he stated with an eye roll. He returned his phone to his pocket, not even checking the text messages. “She’s sent me at least 10 messages in the last 2 minutes.”

“You know, dating Isabel would elevate your status.”

“Shut up,” JP said as he opened the door to the café. “Just…shut…” His voice trailed off. That scent! It was back! “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he mumbled. She worked here? Isabel’s incessant texting now made sense.

“Why are you stopping?” Julian asked from behind.

“Uh…sorry,” JP apologized, stepping to the side.

“Wait,” Julian smiled, “is that her?”

“Yep,” JP popped the ‘p.’ The world faded around JP as he stared at the brunette angel working the register. He had spent most of their class period scowling at her existence, but now that he truly saw her—Lily was perfect. Chestnut hair pulled into a perfectly tight ponytail, large chocolate eyes, perfectly sculpted eyebrows, and impeccably manicured nails JP knew to be ‘French-tipped’ from that one time his mother got a manicure. Jean-Pierre couldn’t help but wonder if she was still wearing heels. “Dude!”

JP felt his body jerk. “What?” he growled at whoever shoved him. It was Julian.

“You’re basically drooling over her.”

“Cállate,” JP muttered under his breath, glancing at his cousin before turning his attention back to Lily. Before more could be said, before JP could move, his world completely turned on its axis. They made eye contact—hard eye contact—the sort that made JP dizzy and nauseous while butterflies erupted in his stomach. Suddenly, everything clicked in his mind. He knew, just knew, that somehow the bond had just been sealed. “Mierda,” he whispered. Life had just become severely complicated.