Stolen Soul

Chapter 13: Just a crush

Matt

When Lexi came into the dining room, I caught her scent before I saw her, it had changed slightly and smelled of a faint hint of arousal. My c**k twitched at the scent of it, and my stomach swirled with butterflies. That strange nervous feeling had evaded me for 2 years, and it sent pangs to my heart.

I shifted my body slightly to try and see her through the crowd of the dining room, when I caught site of her Alpha Landon cleared his throat and introduced his long-lost daughter. The room erupted into applause even though you could feel the slight tension in the air. Seeing the slight fear in her eyes at the number of strangers looking at her I headed her way.

“Hi Lexi, want to grab some breakfast and sit with us.” I asked.

The nervous energy in my stomach fades as she nods her head before I could ask her to come to the breakfast buffet with me, Luke grabs her by the wrist to drag her over to our normal spot.

“Hey bro, I’m starving we have training this morning we better get some food. Hate to see you hangry later.” Sam says as he slaps me on the back and shifts our bodies over to the buffet.

I have no idea what Lexi eats, so I grab three plates and load up on everything, while Luke piles as much food as he can on his plate, and then for good measure piles stacks of bacon on top of everything.

With a wink he chuckles, “What a man can’t love bacon? Everyone loves bacon.”

I head over carrying the loaded plates, as Sam goes to the juice bar. As I turn towards our table, I hear her melodic laugh. Her nose crinkles when she laughs, just a little and her eyes squint, it’s the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

I try to listen to what she is laughing about but standing in the middle of the room carrying a s**t ton of food is awkward enough, it’s now or never.

“What’d I miss?” I wonder out loud.

“Nothing.” They all state in unison and just like that she is laughing again, my heartbeat pounding in my chest at the sound of her sweet laughter, when the plates start to shift slightly, Izzy introduces her sister, as I try awkwardly not to drop the food.

I think she says something about everyone calling her Ana, which duh its her name, what the f**k else would we call her?

I must not have caught what she said correctly, because they are all laughing like hyenas again. Luke and Lexi are practically doubled over in fits of laughter, and I didn’t catch the joke.

Just as they catch their breathes from laughing, Sam approaches chomping on his bacon with no hands just teeth as he grabs it from his bacon mountain, Luke asks, “Hungry much?” and this time even I am laughing with them.

Sam just shrugs his shoulder dropping his food on the table and continues to devour his bacon.

“So, umm Lexi, I didn’t know what you liked so I just got some of everything.” I nervously state as I place the food on the table.

“Holy, cow this smells so good. I like pretty much everything, so you did good my friend you did good” by the time she finishes her sentence she is standing right beside me her hand patting my shoulder, as I take slow shallow breaths.

I quickly move away from her and take the seat across the table, Luke seems to catch me fumbling to move past Lexi and raises his eyebrows to me when I look over at him. Just when I think he might drop it he mind links me, does she make you nervous, because I haven’t seen a she wolf make you nervous since Nova.

Exasperated, I mind link back, we can talk about it later Luke, just keep it to yourself. I don’t know what I am feeling.

I will say Luke always has my back, and just like that he takes the tense off of me when he barks out, “Woah Sam, where’s the fire you’re going to get bloat if you keep eating that fast.” Sam, Luke, and I burst out into laughter, while the 3 girls stare at us dumbstruck.

“My mom always says that to us when we eat too fast, apparently it’s something that happens to domesticated dogs they inhale air or something, and then get sick from eating too fast. I guess it’s not that funny”, I mumble the last part.

Lexi looks up from her plate through her long lashes, and giggles, “I think its funny and cute.” As she says it her foot brushes up against mine. I debate if I should move my foot or leave it when my wolf, Ashton, come forward Leave it, I like it.

You like it? You don’t like anything, you haven’t liked anything since we said goodbye to Nova. I anticipate his silence, I am often met with his silence, or his sadness now, but am shocked when he comes back.

She doesn’t annoy me; her scent is pleasant. Her wolf is feisty, stubborn, and shiny.

Shiny? Seriously you like her because she is shiny.

Yes. Like gold.

Nova’s wolf Layla was silver, I guess it makes sense you would like shiny, she also shimmered in the moonlight.

I loved Layla. I only find Lexi’s wolf pleasing. You seem to feel the same for Lexi, you find her pleasing right?

I’m not sure how I feel. I do find her attractive.

I am brought back to the table’s conversations by Luke snapping his fingers in my face and yelling “Earth to Matt, what’s going on in there?”, all eyes on me as they burst into laughter again when I come to and start shaking my head back in forth.

“Sorry just spaced out,” I sigh.

“You space out? Never.” Sam says incredulously. The girls are laughing again, but my brothers are looking at me like something is up. I don’t space out, my wolf has been practical silent for years, and I am always alert, Luke already caught me acting odd and if Sam wasn’t enthralled by bacon he likely would have too.

“So, what are you guys up to today?” Lexi asks as she looks at us from across the table.

Shockingly Sam answers with his mouth still full nonetheless. “Not much, we have warrior training, and patrols. Same s**t, different day,” he chokes the food down when he is finishes speaking and follows it up with a swig of orange juice.

“Sam, has anyone ever told you that you are disgusting?” sneers Ana.

“Disgustingly awesome.” Sam retorts.

“That was seriously lame.” Lexi cuts in.

“I spend my days protecting you ladies, and all I get are complaints about who I am, I am deeply offended,” Sam states as he mimics being stabbed in the heart and then clutching his hands to his heart in mock surrender and death.

I barely pay attention to the back and forth conversation, I just keep catching myself staring at her, the last time I am pretty sure she caught me, and Luke has seen me do it too. To stop myself I become hyper focused at the last of the eggs on my plate, as I push them around, trying not to look at her too long when Luna Amara approaches the table.

After a slightly tense conversation, Lexi leaves with her mom, and we are all left sitting at the table, when Luke goes to speak, I mind link him to cut him off, I said not here, we can talk about it in my room.

That serious, okay. Luke solemnly states back via the mind link.

Sam stands first, “See you later ladies; I need to change and head out for training. Brothers see you in 30?”

We nod, I get up and leave, as Luke stays back with Izzy for a moment.

I hear him and smell him jogging behind me to catch up, “Bro wait up.”

I continue to walk briskly to my room, uncertain what I should tell my brother, or why I am telling him anything at all.

As I reach for the handle to my room, Luke places his hand on my shoulder. “Nova would want you to be happy.”

“Happy? My other half is gone, taking by vampires for some witch war before I even got to really know her. Imagine if Izzy was just gone, forever. Besides Lexi has a mate, it would be unfair to pursue her.”

I push the door too forcefully, as it crashes to the wall, shaking slightly from the impact, and ricocheting back at me. Looking behind the door, I am both grateful that we put those plastic wall covers to prevent dry wall damage behind every door in the packhouse and annoyed, I just cracked the damn plate and will need a new one.

“Bro, why are you so pissed? So, you think she is cute, if you feel guilty about that, just avoid her.”

“Ashton, likes her too.”

“Did I just hear you right, Ashton likes her too. I thought he hated everything now.”

“Yeah, me too, guess not.”

To my surprise for the 2nd time today, Ashton growls through the mind link, You know, I can hear you two. Assholes.

“He called us assholes; says he can hear us. Guess he has his sense of humor back now too.”

Luke stands their mouth agape, as he runs his fingers through his curly brown hair. “s**t man, I don’t know then, I thought when our mates died our wolves stopped caring, just waiting to be reunited with them and the moon goddess.”

“I did too, he says she is shiny.”

“Her wolf is pretty shiny, looks like gold. I thought it was cool.”

Shiny wolves are cool, the coolest. I’m stopped mid thought by this second invasion of Ashton’s commentary in my mind, when your wolf goes silent for awhile you sort of forget they are really there, just holed up in the back of your mind.

“You know what I think he is f*****g with me now; I am just going to avoid her.”

I’m not, wolves have no reason to lie. I like them. Ashton growls back at me.

Luke moves to turn his body to the door, and with a deep sigh, says almost to low for me to hear “Yeah man, that’s probably for the best,” before softly shutting my door.