Emily’s POV
The remarkable little café my parents owned was small but cozy. Their amount of activity impressed me.
The wolves were lining up outside patiently for their morning coffee.
There were only eight tables in the café, and most of them were already occupied by regular customers.
Luke had already reserved a table, so we were fortunate to get one.
My parents were excited when they saw us arrive, and my mother took charge of serving us.
My eyes swept across the café’s light gray walls. On them hang large printed photos of the pack and wolves.
My family and I were positioned in the center of the wall.
“Is it this busy every day?” I muttered to myself, amazed.
Wolves were coming and going, all smiling after they had a chat with my parents.
Luke turned the page of the newspaper he was holding and said, “This is a slow day.”
I was interested to know why he was acting a little differently this morning.
“Have you chosen what to order?” My mother asked, approaching with a pen and notebook in her hands.
I nodded and picked up the menu.
“I like a caramel laté with cream, please,” I said.
“Anything to eat?” She then asked.
“Go ahead,” Luke said. “It’s on the Alpha Alex tab.”
“It’s on the house,” my mother told Luke. “I can’t have my only pup pay for a meal.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said, feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “But if you want me to stay, I would like to pay for my meal like anyone else around here.”
“But we insist,” my father said, coming closer.
“Give that bit of joy to your parents,” Willow huffed. “It’s the least you can do.”
Arguing with any of them was pointless. I simply did not want my parents to think I was taking advantage of them.
Deflated, I sighed and nodded.
“So?” My father chirped, boiling over with excitement. “What will it be? Pancakes? Waffles? Omelet? Chocolate croissant?”
I giggled, watching my father throw breakfast ideas at me. This was how he used to behave when I was still a pup.
I became depressed all of a sudden. Every morning before school, my father used to prepare breakfast for me. He felt passionately that breakfast was the most significant meal of the day.
“I will have the pancakes,” I declared, observing the sparkle in my father’s eyes.
“Great choice, kiddo!” With those words, he vanished into the kitchen.
After taking the remaining food order, my mother gave me a wink and departed from our table.
“Any reason why you look so worked up?” I asked Luke when my parents were out of sight.
Luke closed the newspaper and set it down on the table. I suspected that he wasn’t reading it, but just browsing to try and avoid me.
“I am not,” he said, deliberately ignoring my gaze.
“If I didn’t know you any better, Beta,” I said, and a teasing smile followed on my lips. I was about to call Luke out. “I would say that you were openly trying to ignore the subject and that you were lying to me.”
“I am not,” he mumbles under his breath.
“You sure are!” I bit back. “And I think it would be better to tell me than keep it all bubbled up inside.”
Luke dropped his shoulder and peeked from under his eyelashes.
His golden-colored eyes carried deep, unwanted emotions.
“I might not be able to read your emotions like you do,” I said. “But I can see that something is eating you alive.”
“Axel!” Luke spat, catching me off guard.
“Axel?” I asked. “Is he the person who upsets you like this?”
Why did the name sound so familiar?
“Yes,” Luke answered, folding his arms around his chest and lying back in the chair. “He is back.”
“So?” I remarked, a little perplexed. “What did he do to make you feel upset?”
Luke was hesitant to tell me.
“Come one, Luke? Tell me right now,” I uttered. I want an excuse to go pick a fight with him and give this Axel asshole a kick in the butt.
Luke gave a smile and shook his head at that.
“Very well,” he said, pulling himself upright in the chair. “Axel is Alpha Alex’s cousin.”
That caught me by surprise, and I shifted my head to the side.
“Alex’s cousin?” I asked, startled. I can’t recall that Alex had a cousin. “He upset you? What did he say?”
Luke fell silent as I tried to recall anything about this Axel that Luke was talking about, but I could not identify him.
“Axel is here to claim the Alpha position,” Luke said.
“Why?” I asked. “The pack has an Alpha.”
“That is true, but the council gave Alpha Alex a five-year extension to find his mate,” Luke retorted.
“And his time is up.” I completed Luke’s thoughts.
Luke nodded.
“So?” I squinted as I asked. What will happen to Alex and you if he seizes control?
I made my own assumptions because Luke was unable to look at me. Axel must have already decided what he would do with them.
“Here you go.” My mother’s voice rang in my ears. She held a tray in her hands with our drinks on it.
“Wow,” I said. “That smells and looks delicious!”
My mother grinned more widely.
She put my laté down in front of me, patted my arm, and said, “I made sure yours had a little extra cream,” in a whisper.
I laughed at how excited she was. She appeared so content and at ease.
After giving Luke his coffee, she moved from our table to attend to her other patrons.
I sipped the laté, and the sugary drink rolled across my tongue.
“No wonder everyone is here for coffee.” I laughed astonishedly. “This drink is really tasty!”
“Your parents will be happy hearing that,” Luke mused.
My eyes snapped to the door when the front doorbell rang.
I raised my hand, thinking it was Alex who had entered, but I felt embarrassed when I saw it was not.
The man at the door appeared to be an exact replica of Alex. He shared the same body build and facial features, with his jet-black hair neatly combed back.
The only things that set him apart from Alex were his icy, light blue eyes and his slight stature, about 6’6″.
Luke looked back at the door upon seeing my shocked expression.
“F*ck,” I muttered under my breath.
“What?” Luke asked, knitting his eyebrows together.
“Is that?” I asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes, Alpha Alex’s cousin, Axel,” Luke hissed with so much hatred.
“Oh, Goddess,” I muttered. “He has Alex’s exact same appearance.”
“Believe me, he is nothing like Alpha Alex,” Luke sneered. “Alpha Alex should not hear you comparing him to Axel.”
“I wouldn’t,” I said, taking a sip of my laté.
I thought it was my mother coming to the table with our food when I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, but I was completely mistaken.
I froze in my seat when Axel’s cold blue eyes pinned mine. My pulse quickened, and I shuddered in my chair. There was something dangerous, unholy, and frigid about him.
“There is something familiar about his eyes,” Willow said, pacing in my mind.
“Eyes….” I muttered to myself. Willow was right; they did look remarkably familiar, but why?
Axel did not try to take his eyes off mine; instead, he held my gaze fixed beneath his. The seconds began to feel like hours.
“Here you go!” With a chirp, my mother broke Axel’s stare and his hold on me.
That was intense, and I sighed, relieved. Luke cast a narrowed gaze at me, but I looked away.
“Thanks, Mom,” I said as she placed the plate of pancakes in front of me. My mouth started to water at the sight of them.
“Eat up,” she chirped. “Your father made them!”
“They look mouthwatering,” I complimented.
“I will definitely tell him.” She said, winking. “He made sure your plate had some freshly picked strawberries and a double scoop of your favorite chocolate.”
“Will you thank him for me?” I felt a pinch in my heart along with the smile.
My dad was able to recall my favorites.
“I certainly will!” My mother said, leaving the table.
I started eating, savoring each and every one of the mouthwatering, fluffy, and soft pancakes.
There was a twisted feeling in the pit of my stomach when the front doorbell rang.
Looking up, I saw Axel at the door, getting ready to go. His eyes seemed angry, though it was impossible to read his expression.
If only I understood the meaning behind his anger…
****