Page 4 of Obsessed Wolf Daddy

As the crowds start to fade with people rushing to take their seats, Tanya and I rush to clear the mess and secure the stall before heading over to the ground, too. The games are already underway, and we just managed to snag some of the last seats left vacant for the stall holders by the edge of the field.

I always loved watching the pack games as a pup, but they stopped for a few years when Diego's son caused a war between the neighboring packs. If Diego hadn't been able to forgive Mateo's pack for their part in his son's death and find a way back to peace, they'd never have restarted.

I watch Zack lead his team to victory on the field, stealing a glance at Tanya, who looks like she might burst with pride and happiness. Mid-celebration, Zack heads our way, jumping the barrier and stopping in front of Tanya. I realize what he's about to do before anyone else because he's been incessantly talking to me about it for the last couple of days, wanting it to be perfect. He drops to one knee and proposes.

The crowd around us goes wild as she accepts, and he spins her around. I hug each of them in turn, my cheeks almosthurting from the beaming smile that's taken over my face. I have to shoo Tanya away as she attempts to return to the stall with me for the afternoon shift. "You can't work on the stall when you just got engaged. Go enjoy the fair with Zack," I tell her.

"I can't leave you in the stall alone, Saf," she points out, and I think for a moment.

Spotting my friend approaching through the crowd, I beckon her over. "Emily will help, won't you?"

Emily rolls her eyes, but after congratulating Tanya and Zack, she reluctantly agrees, and we start walking back to the stall. Em is chatting away about how romantic Zack's proposal was, but I start to get a funny feeling, like someone is watching me. I turn and scan the crowd, my shifter senses on high alert. It's not necessarily a threatening feeling, just unsettling.

As we approach the stall, I catch a glimpse of Cole out of the corner of my eye. He's standing toward the edge of the crowd, his gaze locked on me. My heart races at the sight of him, and I can feel my wolf stirring. I can't help but wonder if he's the source of my unease.

"Hey, you alright?" Emily asks, noticing that I haven't been listening to a word she's said.

I shake my head, trying to shake off the strange feeling. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling a bit...off."

Emily smiles sympathetically, adding, "You just need some sugar to perk you up. Are we allowed to eat the stock?"

I laugh. "You're allowed two cakes as payment. And my thanks, of course."

"Payment in cake will have to do, seeing as it's for charity.” She starts looking in the tins to pick her favorites.

I try to refocus on the stall, but my mind keeps drifting back to Cole. I can't get his intense gaze out of my head, and I can feel my body responding to him in a thrilling and terrifying way.I remind myself of the pictures Tanya found. There's no way he'd be interested in some small-town nobody like me.

Despite the busy afternoon, I continue to feel off balance. It's as if my wolf is constantly aware of someone's presence. Several times, I see Cole strolling among the crowd with his family. I hear his name mentioned too occasionally, and I get it. He's a big deal around here. A billionaire coming home and launching a tech start-up doesn't happen every day.

"Damn, he is hot," Em mutters. I spin around to see what she's looking at, but no one is there.

“Who?” I laugh.

“That new guy, the billionaire,” she says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "He was just over there. I'm not into older men, you know, but I'd make an exception."

I laugh, trying to sound casual. "I'm sure your boyfriend would be thrilled to hear that."

Em shrugs. "You know I like Michael, but I think even he'd admit he's not a trillionaire with a lodge in Aspen." My mouth drops open at her words, and she smirks. "Just kidding. He is hot, though."

Scanning the crowd again, I finally spot him. Annie is now holding a massive balloon that looks like it could lift her right off the ground, and Cole is smiling at her before she runs off with her aunt. Watching him with his daughter really shouldn't make me want him more. Is that just weird? Just as I'm contemplating that, he suddenly looks around, locking eyes with me.

The strength of his gaze nearly knocks me sideways, stealing my breath. I'm unable to look away as my heart pounds. Flustered, I try to pull myself back to reality. I can't just be imagining this, surely. Does he feel it, too?

His expression suddenly changes, and the smile disappears. He shifts his gaze away quickly with an almostimperceptible shake of his head, turning and walking off without looking back.

I watch him go until he and Annie have disappeared into the crowd before finally allowing myself to take a deep breath and release it slowly. What was that? I've never felt anything like that before, and for a second, I thought Cole had been just as affected by our connection as me.

My heart sinks at the realization that he could have been just looking at me out of politeness or maybe even pity. I probably looked ridiculous, standing there with my mouth hanging open, staring at him like an idiot! It doesn't change the fact that being near Cole has sent my emotions into overdrive, and now all I want is more of whatever this feeling is.

Chapter 3 - Cole

"Don't tell me you were actually here at 5 am," Jonah, my COO, says, walking straight into my office with a cup of coffee in each hand.

"Who told you that?" I ask, not even looking up. I've told Jonah a thousand times that I hate people barging into my office but to no avail. He'd be gone if he wasn't so good at his job. Luckily for him, he's the best. Good enough that I practically forced him to relocate here from California temporarily. It's a move I'm not sure he's totally on board with, so I'll let this intrusion slide. For now.

Jonah chuckles, placing a coffee in front of me. "Your very sexy receptionist who saw your log-in time."

I take a long sip of my coffee and nod in thanks before finally looking up at him. "Do not have sex with my receptionist. Finding good staff has been a challenge, Jonah."

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