Eli was up and looking at the coffee pot, willing it to make caffeine for him. Good thing I thought of that. “Good morning? Afternoon? Goddess, I’m so tired.”
“Good thing I thought of that. Here.” I handed him lunch and a hot cinnamon bun latte. He worked at a gym overnight and could eat whatever he wanted and keep an amazing physique because of being an athlete as well.
“You’re a lifesaver.” He took the coffee from me along with a bag and took a long sip. So long, I was afraid he’d burn his tongue off. Eli opened the sandwich after we sat at our little kitchen table. “You…you’re not limping. Good day?”
Eli was observant. He tried to help me where he could but his life was busy as mine once had been. He trained hard and I made it a point to support him at his events, as many as I could go to. He had high hopes for the next Skin to Fur tournament and sometimes asked me questions about my training and plan…before. It didn’t bother me to be included. I was glad I still had something, even just knowledge, to offer.
“It’s a good day, yeah. I’m enjoying it.”
“That’s good. Did you do something differently?”
I had. I’d met an incredible alpha who somehow rounded all my jagged edges in one night at the club. If Wulf could do that in one night…maybe there was something concrete to my wolf thinking about mate and something more than just a date.
That would all be easier if I had asked for his number or had any hope at all of seeing him again.
Crowned was a popular place and, while I’d been going for months, I’d never seen Wulf before, so my heart sank as I thought about never seeing him again.
“I met someone.”
“Like a doctor? A PT?”
I had no idea about Wulf’s life. Felt pretty bad about not asking him about it either. Instead, I’d spilled my story and he’d listened. “I’m gonna leave it at that I met someone and it changed some things. I’m not ready to divulge more.”
Eli nodded. “I get that. Sometimes, I don’t want to tell anyone when something good happens. Like the bubble might burst or something.”
“Exactly.”
My phone rang. Work. They asked me to go in for a short shift. It was a Saturday and this happened more often than not. Weekends were important for the hotel. And I didn’t mind the extra money.
My shift ended later than I’d thought and by the time I got home, I was getting achy again. Maybe the sitting. Maybe the adrenaline from the night before had finally worn off. Either way, I was ready to go back.
Yes, I was chasing the good feelings Wulf gave me but even more than that I was chasing the man. The alpha.
I craved more of him. His presence that grounded me. His stare that made me feel wanted and adored.
The way he spoke to me like I was the only omega in the room.
I hungered for all of him.
Hopefully, I hadn’t blown my chance with the most intriguing alpha I’d ever met.
Chapter Nine
Wulf
I had a few appointments that hadn’t been rescheduled, but I was still out of the office by five o’clock and headed home to continue to ruminate over the biggest decision I’d ever had to make. Just twenty-four hours ago I’d seen no future at all, and now I had the most difficult one. Whether to help the omega by using my skills or accept what my wolf insisted, that he was my mate.
I made a grilled cheese sandwich and poured a glass of iced tea, but when I finished them I was no closer to knowing what to do. Above all, I wanted to see the omega again. I’d never encountered him at the club before, but if he’d been there to play every time, while I hung out in the conversation area, it wasn’t that odd that we hadn’t run into one another. Technically there was a view of the main floor from where we sat, but with the heavy crowd and the fact that I actually wasn’t into watching other people, no big surprise I’d missed him in the past.
In the shower, I suddenly had an idea of how I could maybe make this work. And there was only one way to find out, so instead of pajama pants, I shimmied into my black leather ones, a fitted black T-shirt and low-heeled boots. I hadn’t bothered to dress up for the club since…well, in a while.
But tonight I wanted to look good.
The club was busy, when I arrived, a mob of people in the front area checking their phones while I waited anxiously tapping my feet. If I accepted the offer to invest, I wouldn’t have to stand here waiting. I’d be able to go in another door and keep my phone in my pocket.
It seemed like a silly reason to make such a big investment, but right now, desperately wanting to get in and find the omega, it seemed good enough. Of course, there was one guest of a member who had not read the material sent to him and didn’t want to turn over his phone. Leading to a DM being sent for and a discussion that nearly led to the guest being sent back out onto the street. Fortunately for him, the member he was invited by showed up and talked sense into him, but it had brought the line to a halt, irritating everyone behind them.
Finally, I was able to enter the club and begin my search for Striker. Maybe I should have asked at the front whether the attendant knew if he was there, but I wasn’t entirely sure what the protocol was for that sort of information.
