Another two weeks had passed since I had seen the mysterious stranger and he hadn't been back here to get more coffee. And even though I had only seen him the one time, I had hoped he would back. I hadn't seen someone that attractive in a long time and it would be nice to see his features once more, then I would be over whatever strange fascination I had with him and I would move on.
Me and a new co-worker were working late tonight, and besides the manager, we were the last two here. I was leaving a half hour before he was, he drove and I had to walk, and so I had already started my portion of the cleaning. I was just finishing up, when his deep baritone voice pulled me out of my concentration.
"You're in high school right? 16?" I turned and looked at him, leaning against the counter, eating a muffin that was going to be thrown out tonight. He was tall and bulky, just like the Adonis that I had seen earlier, but he was smaller than him. Still freaky big but much smaller than the Adonis.
"Yeah. Why?" I leaned against the opposite counter and watched him eating the muffin. He had dark brown hair and it always spiked to the left. He had a square jaw that was pointed but not unattractive and his dark brown hair was contrasted with bright green eyes.
"I was just wondering. You don't seem like a 16 year old." He spoke with his mouth full and his nose pressed against the muffin wrapper, trying to get as much muffin off as possible.
"You don't seem like a steroid taking lunatic but I guess we're both surprised." I mumbled under my breath and finished cleaning my last task of the night, and happily took my apron off. I turned and looked at my co-worker, who was giving me a look.
"I'm not a steroid taking lunatic, Grace." He crossed his arms and I could visibly see him starting to get rigid, his body starting to make cracking sounds.
"I didn't think you'd hear that." I awkwardly set my apron down and slowly made my way into the back keeping my eyes on him, until I was out of sight. I thought the conversation was over, until I grabbed my bag and made my way to the front. Colton, my co-worker, was standing there arms still crossed, body still rigid and cracking.
"You should probably get checked out, on account of your body making cracking noises and everything." I stepped away from the counter, keeping my distance. He looked very agitated and I didn't want to stick around in case I said anything else without thinking.
"By Colton!" I called out and quickly walked out of the coffee shop before he would track me down and started making my way home.
It was dark out and the only lights were the streetlights, the stars were hiding behind the clouds, and even if it wasn't cloudy, you wouldn't be able to see the stars very well.
"There was money in my pocket. Shoes on my feet but I always felt like the one black sheep. There was food on the table, a place to sleep. But there's no rest for the one black sheep." I sung along to the melody stuck in my head and kept walking, keeping up a steady pace.
I was determined to get home as quickly as I could. Usually I enjoyed my walks home, but tonight it was darker than usual, cold and windy. I was chilly, I wanted to get home and crawl into bed and go to sleep as soon as possible.
"Two dropouts headed eastbound, Chevy truck with no A/C. Starlight Fort Kearney Campground, said "Why not Tennessee?". Got fire in my bones, boy, got words to say. Lord knows I'm not home." I continued singing along and picked up my pace when I felt a cold rush of wind knock into me.
It hit me like a ton of bricks almost leaving me winded. It came out of nowhere and blew in my face, cold wind whipping at my hair and face. My eyes watered and my cheeks stung from it. I closed my eyes, hoping to wait until it had stopped blowing in my face, and when I opened them again, I let out a scream, falling back on my ass and my hands.
"Grace! Jesus! Stop Screeching!" The man from the coffee shop, the hot one, was standing in front of me, hands on his ears, wincing.
"What the hell are you doing in the middle of the street at 11:30 at night?!" The man started at me for a minute before he took a sharp inhale of breath and then he exhaled. I looked around, awkwardly standing there while he breathed.
"What are you smelling?" His eyes landed on me and we stared at each other for a minute before he smiled.
"The air here, even though it's in the city is quite fresh." I took a step away from him and shoved my hands in my pockets.
"Why are you out here at 11:30 at night?" The man chuckled and looked at me, and amusing look in his eyes.
"Maybe I should ask you that Grace." I rolled my eyes and rocked back and forth on my heels.
"I was just coming from work and it's none of your business. You don't know me." I took a side step off of the sidewalk and back onto the sidewalk, moving around him.
"You don't me Grace. If I don't get to ask about you, you don't get to ask about me." There was an amusing tone is his deep, sexy voice and I blushed, hoping he didn't see it.
"Fine. Bye." I threw my hand up and shot him a short wave and kept walking down the sidewalk. The man watched me go about 10 feet before he laughed again.
"You work with Colton." I turned on my heel and stared at him. He knew Colton? One giant man knew another giant man?
"Yes. How did you know that? You know Colton?" The man, whose name I still didn't know, stared at me and smiled.
"I know Colton. He is a friend's brother. My friend. He just got a job there. He's very excited about it." The man's voice held a different tone that I couldn't quite identify.
"Yeah well Colton needs to get check out. I said something about him being a steroidal lunatic, and I didn't think he heard but he did…" The man watched and listened to me, keeping an amused grin on his face.
"Then he started getting all ridged and stoic and his bones started cracking." The man's amused grin fell and was replaced with a straight face. His eyes held no one emotion and it was a little nerve-wracking seeing all these emotions in his eyes.
"Go home. Now." His voice and tone changed. He was no longer the joking creepy guy, he was the angry creepy guy who just bossed me around.
"Excuse me?" I dropped my hands to my sides and took a step towards him. What the hell was his problem?
"Grace, dammit! Go home now!" There was an authoritative tone to his voice. I rolled my eyes and turned on my heel.
"Fine whatever. Asshole." I continued my walk down the street, ignoring any looks he may have passed my way. I hoped I would never see the creepy asshole again.
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I gave Colton one job. He was going to get a job where Grace worked and he was going to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't come into trouble. I figured since he was one of the more settled younger wolves he would have no trouble being around humans without feeling the need to go full wolf. But apparently that was the wrong idea. When Grace had told me that his bones started cracking, that he starts getting ridged and stoic, I was more than a little angry.
I saw red. I swore my eyes were starting to turn yellow. I swore I could feel my own body tense up, my own bones starting to crack. I was pissed.
I managed to get over to the coffee shop without giving into my wolf side, and when I saw Colton, I grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the shop. We didn't stop walking until we had found an empty alleyway.
"What were you thinking, Colton?" I pushed him against a brick wall of a building and held him there, tight enough to cause him to be uncomfortable but not pain.
"She pissed me off." I growled and pushed him harder. He was not in pain, he could handle it. We could all handle a great deal of pain.
"By a comment? By one simple comment? That's it?" He was silent for a moment and my eyes flashed, my wolf pushing to the very edge, wanting to come out.
"I'm sorry Alpha. I shouldn't have let it get to me." I scoffed and put him down, my hands letting go of his shirt.
"Why did it get to you? Why couldn't you just do your job?" Colton looked at me, the edges of his irises turning yellow. He didn't have as much control over his wolf as I had originally thought.
"I was doing my job, Alpha." I growled low at his sarcastic tone. He had better cut the fucking attitude.
"Explain, now." My wolf was back at the edge pushing. My body started getting ridged. The bones in my feet starting to crack.
"That human…" I cut him off with a growl. I slammed my hand against the wall beside his head and got his full attention.
"That HUMAN is your Luna! You explain to me, right fucking now, why the hell you almost shifted in front of her." Colton looked away from me and relaxed his body. He was showing a sign of submission.
"I am not in full control of my wolf." I took a step back and cross my arms, Colton looking away from me. He was awaiting punishment, punishment that I would not give here.
"Clearly. When we get back to the pack I will deal with your punishment." Colton nodded and I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him off the wall. We both started walking back to where my vehicle was, both of us in silence.
"What're you going to do about Grace and Chloe?" I turned and looked at him, eyes guarded. I had Chloe taken care of, but not Grace. Grace would be a challenge.
"I have no idea."
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cutie5lexis
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Lynn Ann 31(couldn't put the . in or else it wouldn't show up)
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Lynn Ann 31