Nightmares of the Alpha

THREE

Seth’s POV

Of all the coffee shops in this town, the Stitch’s Brew was one I had walked by many times, but never visited. Though I appreciated the dark implication of the name, one peek through the front window revealed that the inside was terribly disappointing. The regulars here all fell into one of two categories - either they were lonely old women or vapid young hipsters who thought it was cool to dress and act like the former. So you can guess my surprise when I felt drawn to it’s doors on my way home from an inter-pack meeting this afternoon.

Even more surprising still was how my wolf was fixated on this silly, bumbling girl. I could not, for the life of me, imagine why. Still, having nothing better to do, I went along for the ride. He had lead me here today after all and I rarely denied him. Plus, we weren’t strangers to letting off steam from the responsibilities of being alpha by prowling for human playthings. It had been far too long since our last conquest had fizzled out, becoming predictable and boring. It was definitely time for something new, but.. her?

Yes, I watched her, but it was the way humans slowed in traffic to ogle at a car fire. That’s what she was - an utter disaster. I liked my playthings to be strong, so I could enjoy the chase and the satisfaction of breaking them. This one didn't seem like she would be much of a challenge. She practically fell all over herself at the mere sound of my voice. Yet my wolf pressed on, fighting for control, salivating as he tracked her every clumsy movement. To humor him, I called her over, hoping to at least get some entertainment from the interaction. She didn't disappoint, either. She was wrapped so tightly around our little finger that the stupid thing even forgot she was wearing a name tag.

Entertaining for sure and I had to admit that her smell was enticing. Now that she was this close, I couldn't ignore her scent. Unlike my other human toys, this girl's smell wasn't cloyingly sweet. She smelled of the woods after a heavy rain. This time, it wasn't just my wolf that wanted to get closer. Maybe there was more to this little fool than I had thought.

When I reached out to take her hand, sparks exploded throughout my entire body. Mate. Westley, my wolf, couldn't be held back any longer - eager to meet his mate, he took full control and whispered to the girl, "mine."

I hadn't seen many wolves mated with humans, but one thing I was not expecting was for the girl to pull her hand away so suddenly as if she was in pain. And her eyes... she looked as though she were watching her own death play out in front of her. Here I was, wanting to claim her right here in this coffee shop, but our mate bond was having the opposite effect on her. Why? I reached out, my instincts telling me to comfort her, and it felt like a knife through my gut when she recoiled, stumbling backwards.

"One latte coming up" she breathed as she hurried out of my sight, causing Westley to howl in distress inside of my head.

We came here today because SHE was here - my mate, my other half, the source of my greatest joy and my wolf's greatest strength. And she feared us. Did she feel the sparks? What happened? I brought my fist to my mouth, the one she held, to inhale what was left of her scent, calming me as I waited for her to return. Yet, when I heard footsteps, it wasn't the wet earth I smelled, but sour milk. I looked up to find the older woman who had served me behind the counter earlier - Eleanor, said her apron.

Down slammed my coffee mug on the table, caramel streams trickling down the sides as the liquid inside settled. "I don't know what you did to my niece, but she's all shaken up! You take this one on the house and just get out of here immediately," she seethed, her bony arms crossed in front of her in a defensive stance.

"Of course. My apologies," I said flatly, my head bowed to hide my wolf's fury. We would have our mate, but there was no sense in making an even bigger scene right now. It would be best to leave with our dignity intact. Plus, there was no use in doing anything that would scare her even more.

As I made my way to the exit, I caught her watching my departure from behind a display of brightly colored yarn. Lips trembling, but her eyes were wide with more than horror... there was a curiosity sparkling there. I angled my head ever so slightly in her direction, locked my eyes onto hers - as green as the woods she smelled of - and wet my lips. A sharp intake of breath and I could sense her arousal. Turning quickly back toward the door, I made a show of dropping my business card into the "win a free coffee" raffle bowl on my way out. Only looking back over my shoulder for an instant to smirk in her direction. She was biting her lower lip, watching my every move. Yes. There was nothing to worry about - we would see her again quite soon. I was sure of it.