The Pack - On the Run

The bell chimed above our heads, marking our presence.

I stopped at the doors, bringing in the chill and smell of dampness. Louis paused just behind me, his warmth caressing my back as I curiously let my eyes wander about the cafe.

The interior didn’t disappoint. It was kept in soft, warm peaches and browns, and was as tastefully decorated as outside, accentuated by autumn themes with the sweet addition of the smell of pancake batter, syrup, and coffee. I could only describe Dairy Dream in one word: homey. It reminded me of the happy times when my family was still together.

The thought jabbed painfully at my chest, and the tears threatened to well in my eyes.

“Finally!” Jonah exclaimed, distracting me from my somber mood.

I shifted my gaze to the booth in the furthest corner of the cafe, partially obscured from the view by the tall, lush plant from behind which the teen’s voice came. Jonah leaned over the table, waving to get our attention.

Not only ours, apparently.

If the customers hadn’t noticed my and Louis’ entry earlier, they certainly did now. Almost immediately, I felt eyes on me. Four males and one female waitress regarded us with various degrees of curiosity and boredom. And although nothing was menacing about the looks, I still didn’t appreciate the attention I was getting. It was agitating my wolf, making the small hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

A soft growl I couldn’t control left my mouth, causing all the stares to turn from indifferent to wary. My lip slowly curled upwards in a warning, showing the row of my teeth. I fisted my hands in the balls, my body shaking, my wolf only too ready to shift to eliminate the potential threat.

Louis’ hard chest nudged my back. He moved closer, hovering over me, his stance as protective as possessive. It eased the beast inside me, breaking whatever spell I was under.

The wolf felt secure... And so did I.

I blinked a couple of times as the tension slowly left me, eyeing Louis from the side. His hard gaze was aimed at his Pack mates, his expression closed off. It was the first time I had seen him acting on the power he clearly held - and I blanched a little. Louis was indeed a wolf in sheep’s clothing. An Enforcer - Rosalynd called him. I started to wonder what kind of privileges this title had.

The wolves quickly looked away, getting back to their businesses. Only then did Louis tilt his head to where Mikey and Jonah were sitting.

“Let’s get to the boys,” He murmured, gently pushing me towards the booth as he splayed his outstretched hand on the small of my back.

Reluctantly, I let myself be guided to where the boys sat, hastily sliding onto the empty spot next to Mikey.

My brother greeted me with a piece of a flabby pancake aimed directly at my face, dripping in chocolate sauce.

“Do you want a bite?” He asked, his mouth full.

I smiled, about to decline his offer, when Louis pushed me closer to my brother, suddenly squeezing himself into a scrap of space beside me. I eyed him funnily, but the Enforcer didn’t even look my way as he scanned the cafe, absentmindedly playing with a napkin he grabbed from the cutlery basket.

I shook my head and focused my attention back on my brother. “No, thank you, Munchkin. I’ll order something in a minute.”

Mikey shrugged, stuffing himself with another forkful, while Jonah decided to jump in the conversation.

“Man, you have to try Oreogasm. It’s just freaking heavenly,” he moaned, almost melting on his seat, his navy-blue eyes rolling skywards to indicate how ‘heavenly’ the pancakes were.

I snorted while Louis glanced at his brother from the side.

“There’s no such thing on the menu as Oreogasm,” He pointed out, throwing a balled napkin at Jonah. It hit the teen straight in the forehead, startling him and forcing a fit of giggles from Mikey. Jonah barred his teeth at his brother, who grinned back wolfishly, a predatory glint in his eyes. The silent battle of wills didn’t last long, though, and, in no time, Jonah dropped his gaze at the plate, angrily jabbing the pancake with his fork.

I shook my head, raising my brows.

“Louis’s right, Jony,” A voice belonging to a female agreed. I shifted my gaze to the newcomer - the waitress - who caught my eyes and smiled, her expression open. She slid a menu in front of me.

“But it should be! Oreo Dream is just too plain,” protested Jonah grumpily.

The girl rolled her eyes in exasperation as if she had had the same conversation a gazillion times.

“I’ll be sure to pass your opinion to ma’ later in the evening,” she promised regardless. To Louis, she said. “The usual?”

I noticed her azure blue eyes cross with Louis’, but she glanced away precisely a second later. I furrowed my brows, again wondering what it was about my alleged ‘mate’ that made other wolves shy away so quickly.

I, for one, certainly did not share the feeling.

“Thanks, Leigh,” Louis answered, grinning at the girl. Her cheeks turned slightly pink, and suddenly, my senses honed on her.

I surveyed the waitress with renewed passion, the beast inside me growling her displeasure in my head.

She didn’t like what she saw, and, frankly, me neither.

Leigh was gorgeous. She had silky long black hair that stopped at her shoulder blades and didn’t frizz in damp, autumn weather. It was now tied on her head into a slick ponytail, showcasing her diamond-shaped face, straight nose, and cheekbones to die for. Her full, pouty lips were coated in a ruby red matte lipstick, whereas her long legs, clad in brown uniform shorts hugging her round butt, seemed to stretch on end. She was much taller than me and curved in all the right places.

Louis would be stupid to resist such beauty.

It boiled my blood hot.

I gritted my teeth and gripped the menu so hard I was bending it, determined to focus on the list in front, not my strange unfounded feelings of jealousy.

It wasn’t like Louis and I were even together - mate bond shit or not.

“And what’s for you?” Leigh’s friendly voice reached my ears.

I glanced up at her, my gaze harsher than necessary, and her eyes widened a fraction before they flashed icy blue in response. A broad, cocky smile curved her lips - one that I pretty much wanted to crawl from her face.

“Whatever you recommend,” I answered, surprisingly calm and collected.

“Sure. The Raspberry Passion is my personal fav, but customers like Jony here also go for The Oreo Dream. If you like something less sweet, though, you should try The Ultimate Buttermilk Pancakes topped with blueberries or bananas of your choice,” she supplied without missing a beat.

“I’ll have the latter then. With bananas,” I grumbled, handing her the menu, not averting my eyes from the girl even for a second.

It seemed to only amuse Leigh more. She flashed me a bedazzling smile and left our booth under my watchful gaze, which stopped only when Louis elbowed me to the side. I shifted my attention to the guy, annoyed to find a smug smirk curving the side of his mouth, his quicksilver eyes twinkling in merriment.

“What?” I snarked, my irritation skyrocketing for no bloody reason.

“Nothing,” He shook his head, chuckling, while Jonah rolled his eyes, sighing ostentatiously.

“Bloody mates. You always take the feelings of jealousy to a different level. It’s freaking creepy. Thank God, there’s not enough of you, females, that I’ll find myself bonded to anyone anytime soon,” he shuddered, hugging himself.

“Yeah, dream on,” snorted Louis, at the same time a loud protest left my mouth.

“I’m not jealous!”

Jonah threw me a duh look, and Louis grinned, stretching his arm on the rest behind my back as he leaned closer.

“Sure you are. But it’s actually cute,” he murmured straight into my ear, his breath tickling the side of my neck.

A pleasant shiver ran down my spine, and I moved away as if electrocuted.

“Both of you need to have your eyes checked,” I grunted, feeling my cheeks grow hot. “Anyway, who are the Enforcers?” I asked, desperate to divert the subject from my humble self.

“The Alpha’s very own group of hitmen,” Jonah answered only too eagerly, earning himself a grumble. “What? It’s true!”

Louis cringed as he threw me a sheepish look. “What Jonah is trying to say is that, yes, the Enforcers do represent the Pack’s business, which in werewolve’s reality is often quite... messy. But that’s not the only thing we do.”

“They’re also like the police,” Jonah chimed in, slurping his milkshake. “And a handful of them, like Louis, can go against Alpha’s direct orders if they are harmful to the Pack. Which is pretty funny, actually, if you think about it. The Enforcers are part of the Pack, but they still answer solely to their very own leader. In Redforest’s case, Louis.”

I turned to face the older of the Evertons, my mouth agape. “Let me get it straight. You’re the Alpha of the Enforcers?”

“We do not carry official titles,” murmured Louis, his cheeks tinted with light pink. “Plus, it’s not like I can defy the Alpha’s orders unless they threaten the Pack’s interest and well-being.”

“And I’m your supposed mate?” I was stunned.

“You are my mate. Period.” Came Louis’ firm reply.

“Shit,” I mumbled, propping my head on my hands, suddenly really interested in the brown spot of dirt on the table.

God, what I’d actually gotten myself into? Could my life turn any weirder?

Wait. Did it mean I could also go against Alpha’s orders?

I abruptly lifted my head up, darting my eyes to Louis. He caught my gaze, a bit wary as if he was afraid I would suddenly freak out on him. I almost did. But it dawned on me that being mated could not be as bad as I had thought at first.

I started to whirl a lock of hair on my finger.

“Hypothetically... if I’m your mate, does it mean I’m granted the same privileges as you?” I asked, my voice deliberately casual.

Louis frowned, his focus honed on me, eyes taking on the sharp, calculative glint.

“You still can’t disobey me.” He correctly guessed where my thoughts ran off to.

“F...rag it!” I caught myself before I cursed in front of my younger brother, just as Leigh came with two plates in her hands.