Claimed By The Wolf King

Chapter 1

Alyssa's POV

I was late.

Oh, I was so late. My boss is going to kill me, I thought. If I got fired I wouldn't be able to pay my rent and I was already behind on it. I thought of Mister Meow and what we would do if I lost my job. We'd have to live out of my beaten-up car that runs on fumes, I could barely afford it too.

Mister Meow was this scruffy orange thing that I'd found in a parking lot once day. He only had half of his left ear, scars across his face and most of his tail was missing. He was extremely skinny, he looked like he was going to just fall over and die, I had to do something to save him. He let me get close to him and pick him up, he purred in my arms and looked up at me with his green eyes. After that I had spent hundreds at the vet getting him immunised and treating for his infections.

He never tried to leave my apartment. He was content sunning himself in the window and waiting until I got home. He was always there to great me and have a snuggle. Plus he was great at catching the rats that kept spawning from my neighbours.

I threw my handbag into the passenger seat and got into the car, slamming door behind me. Starting the car I began to drive across town to the little diner I worked at. I worked fifty hours a week, barely survivng on the tips I made. I prayed to something that today we would have a good amount of tips so that I wouldn't have to worry. The diner was right on the highway so occasionally we had convoys of trucks and people travelling to neighbouring cities. They'd stop and order a coffee, stretch their legs and then be back on their merry way. Unfortunately they'd usually only tip me a couple dollars at a time.

It wasn't long before I was at the diner.

I got out of the car and brushed off some crumbs from my uniform, slinging my handbag over my shoulder. Entering the diner I could see my manager glaring at me. Hurriedly I went out back to put my things away and grab my apron and pen.

"She's going to fire you if you're late again," I heard a familiar voice say.

I turned and looked at my co-worker Connie. She was pretty with tanned skin, curly brown hair and these gorgeous brown eyes that made men melt. They always tipped her well and truthfully I was jealous.

"I know," I said rushed. "There was an emergency."

"Did Mister Meow choke on a mouse again," she asked giggling. It was an old joke between us, he had caught a small mouse a few months ago and did almost choke on it. I had to pull it out of his throat, it was still alive. "Lucky you were there to save it."

"Sometimes I think he's too dumb for his own good," I muttered. "I had one of my dreams again, I didn't realise the time."

Wrapping my apron around my waist I smoothed down my tied back red hair and started walking to the dining area. Connie wasn't far behind, she grabbed some napkins and started distributing them between the tables. I took the salt and pepper shakers to go fill them before the lunch rush came.

We had a couple of customers come in and out, it was a rather quiet day but I didn't mind. I was busy filling sauce bottles and cleaning seats and benches. Connie had been flirting with a couple of guys at one of her tables, refilling their coffees and chatting about something. I saw her flick her hair behind her shoulder and let off a little giggle. They were so enthralled by her.

I wonder if I would be able to do that. Would I pull off the flirtacious giggles and small gestures, I decided it probably wouldn't be worth my time trying. I wasn't unattractive but I wasn't her.

I caught my reflection in the window for a moment, red hair slicked back into a bun, freckles across my nose and cheeks. A curvy frame, with slightly larger breasts. I did try to cover up as much as possible though, to hide behind my clothing. Connie could pull off the sexy waitress look, but I couldn't.

My ex boyfriend once said I looked cute, sweet even.

That was all I would ever be. Innocent, naiive even. Something that people could just use and then leave behind when finished. I looked away from my reflection and let out a small sigh. Some people just weren't mean try to be something they arent.

Midday appeared quickly. The diner filled up fairly quickly, it started with just a few people trickling in. More and more cars pulled in and soon people were filling up all our tables. Connie and I split the diner in half and tried our best to make it work between the two of us. For a Tuesday it was extremely odd to be dealing with this level of customers.

As I was serving coffee to a table of two gentlemen I saw him.

He was wearing a tight back t-shirt and dark blue jeans. He was broad, and strong. You could see the muscles under his shirt flexing as he moved. His black hair was tied back in a pony tail at the base of his neck. Small strands of hair fell around his face, framing it and making it appeared more chieseled and angular. His boots made small echoeing noises as he walked up to the table I was serving.

"Excuse me beautiful," he said. I looked up towards his face, I barely reached his shoulders. "I have a meeting with these two gentlemen here."

"Of course Sir," I said moving out of the way. He entered the booth and smiled at me. I could feel my cheeks reddening as he looked at me. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes," he said eyeing me curiously. "Thank you."

I went over to the counter to get him a clean coffee cup and filled it with our nasty brew. As I was setting it down in front of him he reached for the cup, for a moment our hands brushed against each other. I felt a small spark and I almost dropped the cup, thankfully I recovered from that moment and managed to set it down without spilling it everywhere. I apologised and went off to go serve other tables, before I left though I thought I heard something.

I thought I heard him growl.