Chapter 95
“Coffee,” a gruff voice said. “Cream, no sugar.”
I looked up to see an Alpha sidling up to the counter, shrugging off a rain–soaked trench coat. I grit my teeth, choosing not to point out the trail of water he left from the door to the stool. Alphas rarely cared if I had to clean up after them, especially since I was just a human diner waitress.
I poured his coffee, glancing at him as he took his seat. He was tall and broad across the shoulders, with a shock of black hair and a single stray curl that was plastered across his forehead from the rain. With the stubble dotting his square jaw, he looked handsome in the most typical Alpha sort of way.
But it was his green eyes, piercing as they looked up at me, that caught my attention.
He froze when he looked at me, and I swore his eyes glowed for a moment–like glowing lichen hidden in a dark cave, or the bioluminescent ocean at night.
In that moment, I felt a sudden and profound connection to him. I couldn’t explain it, not at the time, but I knew that we were meant to meet.
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And somehow, the song playing on the jukebox didn’t sound so bad anymore.
“Arthur,” he said, extending his hand.
I glanced down. “Your hand is wet.”
He cleared his throat, cheeks reddening ever so slightly as he wiped his hand on a napkin. “Sorry.” He extended it again, and when I shook it, his large hand almost engulfed mine.
I swallowed. “What would you like?”
“Your name,” he replied.
“I mean–oh,” I said, suddenly feeling sheepish for the first time since starting this job. “Iris.”
After that, he ordered a burger and fries, and neither of us stopped chatting the entire time. Nearly two hours passed before he finally paid his bill, and I was reluctant to let him go.
As a human, I didn’t have the same innate ability to recognize my mate without being marked first, but I knew there was a connection there. Even if he wasn’t my mate, I knew that he could sense a connection, too, which was why I was surprised that he left without taking my information.
I felt a pang of disappointment as I watched him leave, wondering if he didn’t want me because I wasn’t a werewolf, and he’d just spent two hours flirting with me because he was bored or lonely.
But then I glanced over and saw he’d left his keys on the counter. Grinning, I grabbed them and ran after him, not caring that my uniform got soaked as I burst outside.
“Your keys!” I called, holding them up.
He turned, his hair already soaked by the rain again. I ran over to him and placed them in his outstretched palm, and he gripped my wrist, refusing to let me go.
“You should have given me your number along with them, he said, smirking.
“Since when do Alphas play coy?” I teased.
He simply shrugged, still smirking as I pulled my notepad out and wrote my name and number on a piece of paper that was already soaked by the time I shoved it in his hand.
Chapter 95
Then, with a wink, he climbed into his car and pulled away
+25 BONUS
The memory makes a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth. Even now, I can still picture that rainy parking lot, those neon lights, the dark hair plastered to his forehead.
I used to hate this song, but now… Now, it’s my favorite. Even after everything.
Arthur was so carefree back then. So was I, I suppose. I wonder if that’s why he drinks; to feel that same easygoing feeling, the sort of feeling that an Alpha President isn’t allowed to have.
Suddenly, I’m pulled out of my daydream by the sound of Arthur’s voice. I blink, looking up to see him standing in front of me with his hand extended.
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