Page 4 of Stealthy as a Wolf

I peered through the corner of the window and saw the man had taken a seat in the far corner booth, away from the rest of the patrons. Two tables rose to their feet almost simultaneously and hurriedly paid their bills, never taking their eyes off the man as they beat a hasty retreat.

Everyone else in the room became subdued, never looking up from their meals for more than a few seconds as they shoveled forkfuls of food in their mouths until they resembled chipmunks squirreling away their winter harvest.

The man ignored the avid audience and carefully surveyed the menu. He was an older man, gray lightly peppering the black hair at his temples, though his trimmed beard was an equal combination of white and black. A gorgeous set of dimples flashed, and my stomach fluttered, my breath catching from just looking at his stunning blue eyes. He had a strong face, a broad forehead, and slightly hawkish brows, and I hated that I noticed he was so damn attractive.

I wanted to look away, but my body refused to respond. That was when I noticed something troubling. The signs were subtle, but there was something wrong with him.

His hair was a little too long and unkempt.

His clothing was a bit loose and threadbare.

An air of loneliness clung to him.

An alpha would never allow himself to be seen as anything less than strong and perfect.

My fingers twitched with the need to ease the pain that seemed to bow his shoulders. I inhaled involuntarily, and the scent of pine needles and rum slid through my senses like a shot of whiskey.

I was so absorbed in gawking at him that I didn’t hear anyone approach until the swinging door to the kitchen was flung open and smacked me in the ass. I stumbled forward to catch my balance, biting my bottom lip to stifle my startled yelp.

“Sohhrrr—heey.” Carrie cringed, and I wasn’t sure if it was because she made that bleating sound or because she was unnerved at finding herself facing my wolf. Something about that man made my beast rise under my skin, begging to be let out.

I swore my stupid wolf actuallywantedthe alpha to notice us.

Carrie tipped her head to the side, unconsciously offering her throat.

The girl was a prey animal, a lamb that couldn’t even hurt a fly.

She folded her hands in her apron and nibbled on her bottom lip so hard that I was worried it would bleed…which would be the worst thing to do around any predator so close to the full moon. While we didn’t eat prey shifters, it was hard to resist the urge to dominate a weaker animal.

“Carrie.” It was a reprimand, and the girl instantly let go of her abused lip.

“Sorry.” She released a heavy breath, then squared her shoulders and lifted her head. “Can you please take table five? He’s an alpha, and I’m just not ready. Not yet.”

My heart sank as I looked down into her big, brown eyes. “Carrie—”

“Pleeeease?” She lifted her hands, threading her fingers together like a prayer, her eyes almost liquid with fear.

Most of the staff and customers consisted of prey animals. I’d worked at the diner for nearly six months as a cook, but lately, I’d been coaching the waitresses, teaching them how to behave around me without freaking out. They were doing great, only a few setbacks now and then when I startled them, but they still nearly pissed themselves when other alphas came to eat.

I would normally take the alpha tables for them, but my stomach swooped at the thought of getting near that man. I just wasn’t brave enough to face an alpha wolf.

Wolves meant trouble, and I couldn’t afford that right now.

As much as I wanted to help Carrie, my courage failed. I tried to convince myself that it was self-preservation, but in truth, I couldn’t take the risk of drawing his attention, not when my wolf found the man so fascinating.

Six months in the same town was the longest stretch I’d ever spent in one place over the past five years, and I’d obviously stayed too long. I’d become complacent. The man’s presence was like a slap in the face, a reminder that it was time for me to quit. When I got back to my apartment, I needed to dig out my atlas, randomly flip through the pages, and pick out my next town.

Before I could answer, Carrie’s stomach gurgled. Then a fart squeezed out of the poor girl, loud and long, stretching out in the silence for nearly a full minute, sounding very much like a dying animal.

Because yeah, Carrie farted when she got nervous.

A pretty blush filled her cheeks, the poor girl clearly mortified. She blinked repeatedly as she struggled to maintain eye contact, and my shoulders slumped. Since I was leaving, the least I could do was take care of this one last customer.

“Fine.”

I barely finished speaking before Carrie squealed. No doubt she would have hugged me if I weren’t a wolf. Instead, she practically chucked her pen and pad at my head and bustled out the kitchen door before I could change my mind. “Thank you! I’ll make sure the rest of the customers get served.”

I caught the items instinctively, my knuckles turning white as I gripped them in my fists. My wolf shot images of me lifting my head and strutting out in front of the new wolf, wanting to prove that we were strong and proud.

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