Azalea

“Okay, who is Mr. Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous that grumpy Greyback has cleaning the gutters? I saw him leaving your apartment last night while I was finishing prep,” Amy asked, bustling around the kitchen, making dinner.

“Oh, please don’t start, Ames!” I said. “That’s not a can of worms I want to open right now!”

“Well, I’m not going to let you off the hook much longer. You need to spill. If you’re doing the tango with that hunk of a man, you have to give me details,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“What are you even talking about? Why would we go dancing?”

“Oh, girl. I always forget how naive you are. Maybe I should keep Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous away from you. He looks like he would corrupt you. And although I’m sure you’d love his brand of corruption, I don’t think you’re ready for all that Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous.”

“Liam. Okay, his name is Liam. We kind of grew up together,” I told her.

“How do you grow up with that and end up sad and alone?”

“I’m not sad and alone. I’m just alone. Plus, I have you and Abi,” I argued.

She just laughed. I gave up, returning to the receipts I was recording. I wasn’t ready to talk about Liam with Amy yet. I didn’t even know what was going to happen. Dr. Ronald didn’t know what was wrong with this “mate bond” thing yet.

I sat in the kitchen catching up on bookkeeping while Amy made dinner. I put in my headphones so she wouldn’t badger me for more information about Liam. We weren’t expecting a large crowd for dinner; the inn was only about 50% full, and lunch was far more popular. Amy was cooking steak and chicken fajitas, and I couldn’t wait. I’d already made a cake for dessert.

For the second time that day, someone leaned over my shoulder. My earbud was pulled out, and Liam said, “Hello, gorgeous,” in a seductive tone. This time, he was ready. I jumped so hard I fell off my stool. His strong arms caught me, preventing a fall.

“You did that on purpose!” I said angrily.

“So? I couldn’t help it,” he said, smiling adorably. “You were so focused; it was cute.”

I blushed, looking away. He laughed, setting me down. “Uh, dinner will be done soon. Will you be staying?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Do you want me to stay, Azalea?”

“We should at least repay you with dinner for cleaning the gutters. I appreciate the help. I can never reach them properly,” I said.

“I’d do anything you asked me to, Azalea,” he said, looking into my eyes. There was an emotion there I couldn’t quite read.

“Well, thank you,” I replied nervously. “I really do hate ladders. So, um, why don’t you wash up? Amy looks ready to serve dinner. I’ll help her.” He nodded but didn’t move. After a moment, I said, “I guess we could sit together in the dining room if you’d like.”

He smiled, nodding. This time he went to the sink. I sighed, grabbing a tray of food for the dining room.

“That doesn’t look like nothing,” Amy said as I joined her. I set the tray down.

“And what does it look like?” I said, crossing my arms.

“It looks like my little Lea has a crush on Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous. It looks like Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous has eyes for my little Lea,” she teased. Oh, if only she knew.

“I don’t have a crush on anyone!” I said, irked.

“It’s ‘have a crush’ or ‘crushing on,’ for starters,” she said, shaking her head. “Man, how did you ever live this long? Also, you totally do. I can tell by the way you look at him—or try not to look at him.”

“Okay, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Lea, you like him. You want to spend time with him. You want him to notice you. And girl, he’s noticing,” she said knowingly.

“Ames, he doesn’t like me, and I promise you, I can’t like him.”

“Lea, I really think your innocence is sweet. But I’m telling you, honey, that man is a walking inferno, and his eyes go straight to you whenever you’re near him.”

“Inferno? He’s not on fire! What do you even mean?”

She sighed. “Lea, when he gets close to you, how do you feel? Do you get warm? Maybe your cheeks flush?”

“I mean, he has an abnormal amount of body heat, so yes, I get warm when he stands close to me.” What I couldn’t say was that wolves were always warm. I still didn’t see how this proved he liked me.

“Girl, you might just be too hopeless. If only I weren’t married, I’d jump on that faster than a moving train,” Amy said, rolling her eyes. She went back to the kitchen.

I got the dinner plates. I may not hate Liam, but I wouldn’t say I liked him. I needed his help. I had no plans on falling in love with him. As soon as we fixed this mate bond mess, he’d go back to the pack and leave me, just like three years ago.

For some reason, this thought made my heart ache.

Liam

I listened to Azalea and her friend. Thank Goddess for wolf hearing.

“It looks like my little Lea has a crush on Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous. It looks like Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous has eyes for my little Lea,” Amy said. Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous? I guess I haven’t hidden my attraction to Azalea. I didn’t know anyone was paying attention enough to notice, though.

“I don’t crush anyone!” Azalea snapped.

“It’s ‘have a crush’ or ‘crushing on,’ for starters. Man, how did you ever live this long? Also, you totally do. I can tell by the way you look at him or try not to look at him,” Amy said. My heart raced. I couldn’t read Azalea; I couldn’t tell if I affected her.

“Okay, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Lea, you like him. You want to spend time with him. You want him to notice you. And girl, he’s noticing,” Amy said. Could it be true? Do I have a chance to fix things with my mate? Would she accept me? My uncle worried about her wolf. I don’t care if she has a wolf or not; I just want her.

“Ames, he doesn’t like me, and I promise you, I can’t like him.” Oh, how wrong you are, kitten.

“Lea, I really think your innocence is sweet. But I’m telling you, honey, that man is a walking inferno, and his eyes go straight to you whenever you’re near him,” Amy said. She’s not wrong. When I’m near her, there’s nothing else. I could spend every minute watching her and still not have enough time. Goddess, how do mates function in everyday life?

“Inferno? He’s not on fire! What do you even mean?” Azalea replied, her voice higher.

I heard Amy sigh. “Lea, when he gets close to you, how do you feel? Do you get warm? Maybe your cheeks flush?” My heart raced. I leaned closer to the door.

“I mean, he has an abnormal amount of body heat, so yes, I get warm when he stands close to me.” My excitement dropped. I’m a wolf; we’re warm. But was she just saying this because Amy is human? What if Azalea really couldn’t feel the bond? Could I make her fall in love with me like humans do? Would she resist me? I could try, but if she couldn’t be persuaded, it would be hopeless.

I was interrupted by the kitchen door opening. Amy came in, stopping when she saw me. “Uh, hi. I don’t think we’ve met; I’m Liam. I’m Azalea’s, uh, friend,” I said nervously.

“I know who you are,” Amy said, looking odd.

“Oh. Nice to meet you,” I said, feeling awkward. “I’m just going to find Azalea.”

“Wait,” she said forcefully. “Look, Lea is… naive. She’s good. She doesn’t have much, and I don’t think she had the best upbringing, even if she won’t tell us. Despite all that, she has a big heart and doesn’t need someone messing with that.” She paused. “She’s never talked about her childhood. Never mentioned friends or family. But here you are. Someone she ‘grew up with.’ Just what do you want from her?” she asked harshly.

I eyed her. So, the gossipy cook was more intuitive than I thought. I sighed. “I have no ill intent towards Azalea. I just want her to be happy. She asked for my help, and that’s all I want to do. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like her. But if Azalea doesn’t want me around, she’ll have to tell me. Until then, I will be whatever she wants and needs me to be,” I said.

She eyed me. “I’m not a cliché type of person, but you hurt her, and you will regret it.” She got trays of meat and headed to the dining room. She paused. “Look, she’s so naive it hurts. She’s got no idea she has feelings for you and probably can’t even begin to sort out those feelings. Just take it slow with her. Let her be in control. I get the feeling she never had choices before she showed up here. The old man says she was basically dropped at his doorstep with almost nothing. Whoever left her didn’t even let her finish high school.” She left.

I never thought about the fact that I convinced my parents to get rid of her before graduation. I was so focused on getting her out of the pack I forgot all about graduation. She probably never got the chance to graduate. Plus, she was barely going to be 17 at the time. Finding a job must have been nearly impossible. The old man probably just took pity on her; I’m such an a**.

I went to the dining room. I found her greeting guests. Her smile was radiant. I want to make her smile.

She looked up, saw me, and smiled, walking towards me. “Hi. We have a table in the back. We can grab a plate and go sit if you like,” she said.

“Sounds delightful, as long as I’m with you,” I smiled. She blushed. We got plates and went to a table in the back.

We sat and ate in awkward silence. Gavin decided now was the best time to badger me.

“Talk to her, idiot. Tell her what your uncle said. Tell her she’s still our mate!” he demanded.

“No, I can’t. She could reject us or run away. I need to play this slow,” I shot back.

“You’re the dumbest wolf I’ve ever met. Just claim her. Maybe if we actually mate, her wolf will come out!”

His idea was interesting, but I wouldn’t force her to mate with me to test his theory, no matter how much I yearned for her. “Hey, you’re the wolf here. And I will not force her to mate with us!”

“The more time we spend with her and don’t mark her or mate with her, the more likely you will be to lose control. I can’t promise our instinct won’t win out eventually.”

“I will never hurt her. I will never let it happen.” I said. “I don’t need to tell you how much of an a** I’ve been. She will never be hurt by me again.”

“Okay, well, if you’re not going to talk to her, then let me have control!” he said excitedly.

“No can do. You’re a horny wolf, and I don’t trust you with her,” I denied him.

“We’re Alphas! Of course, we’re horny. It’s not just me! You’re wasting our mate time!” he complained.

“You are not getting control! Now drop it!” I replied angrily. I was so caught up in my argument with Gavin that I hadn’t realized Azalea was staring at me curiously.

“Oh, sorry. Was talking with my wolf for a minute,” I told her quietly. Her eyes widened. “Don’t worry; I’d never let him out here.”

She nodded. I wished I knew what was going on in her head. After a moment, she asked, “Do you speak to him often?”

“Yeah, all the time,” I answered, confused.

“Oh. That must be nice. You must never get lonely with your wolf to talk to,” she said, picking at her food.

“Sometimes, it’s more like a yappy dog in my head that won’t stop giving me his opinion,” I said. Her face looked a little sad. “Do you get lonely, Azalea?” I asked.

She didn’t respond right away. “Maybe a little, but it’s okay. I just find something to do or a book to read. I’m used to keeping to myself. I don’t bother anyone this way,” she said.

Azalea

We sat at a table in the back. I didn’t want wolf stuff brought up around the humans, or for Amy to eavesdrop.

We started eating, and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t expect him to stay after his uncle left. He seemed to be arguing with himself. After a few minutes, he noticed me staring.

“Oh, sorry. Was talking with my wolf for a minute,” he said. I’d interrupted him. It was probably important. He has important business, but I’m wasting his time with chores like cleaning gutters.

“Don’t worry; I wouldn’t let him out here,” he said. I hoped he wouldn’t shift in the dining room. I nodded, not understanding. I wanted to know what having a wolf was like, since I never got to have mine. I asked, “Do you speak to him often?”

“Yeah, all the time,” he answered, confused.

“Oh. That must be nice. You must never get lonely,” I said. Amy said I was lonely. I pushed my food around. I’ve always been alone. No friends at school or in the pack house. Everyone ignored me or picked on me.

“Sometimes it’s more like a yappy dog in my head that won’t stop giving me his opinion,” he said. Having someone in your head who was only yours would be special. A built-in friend who couldn’t leave. I bet it was comforting. I couldn’t admit it to Amy, but sometimes I wished I had friends. She was my friend, and there was Abi, but we were busy with the Inn. We couldn’t afford an assistant, and I was taking on more because of the old man. Sometimes I wondered if we were friends out of convenience.

“Do you get lonely, Azalea?” he asked. He’s going to leave again soon, and I won’t be his problem. Thinking about him leaving made me sad.

“Maybe a little, but it’s okay. I’m used to keeping to myself. I don’t bother anyone this way,” I said. I played with my food. He looked somber.

“Azalea, I think we need to talk. There are things I should tell you, even though my uncle asked me to wait,” he said, looking around. “But we should probably do this somewhere more private.”

I nodded. “Why don’t we go back to my apartment?”

“That’ll be great,” he said. I got up to wash my plate. He followed, looking odd.

“That’s all you’re going to eat?” he asked.

“Howdy there, Miss Lea!” John said, walking from the serving table.

“Oh, hi John,” I said. “How are you today?”

“A lot better now that I’m talking to you,” he said. “What are you up to today?”

“Oh, you know, a little of this and that,” I said. Liam cleared his throat. “Oh right, well, I better get going. Please enjoy your dinner.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like you finished yours. Wouldn’t you want to join me?” He asked, grinning.

Liam had enough. He wrapped his arm around my waist and said, “I’m sorry, but she has plans. We’ll need to leave now if we’re going to make it on time.”

I looked at him, confused. He gave me a look like I shouldn’t argue. He pulled me away, so I waved to John. Liam grabbed my plate and left it on a table as we walked out. What was getting into him?