Wolf's Essence Chapter 4 - Luke

Today started out like any other. I did my morning ritual, consisting of my jog around the lake and along my usual trail, returning home just as the coffee finished brewing, and taking a full mug with me to my bathroom where I showered and got dressed for the day. Dressing in a black and red plaid flannel shirt, leaving the top two buttons undone, as they usually made me feel as though I were being choked. I did a quick stretch to make sure it wouldn't rip and no buttons popped, once satisfied I rolled up my sleeves to the middle of my forearm before pulling on my jeans. I couldn't help but notice that they felt a little snug around my crotch, ass, and thighs. Thankfully the jeans were made to stretch, but I was going to have to buy a new pair to fit my muscular form.

Once dressed, I pulled on my tan boots and trotted down to the kitchen to fill my travel mug. Walking to my truck my mind wandered to the day I had visited with Nana Uni, the feeling that something was coming had receded for the most part, but it was still there nonetheless. I thought about what she had said to me as I hauled myself into the driver's seat. I had to follow my instincts and keep an open mind and heart, but open to what? Also, apparently by doing this it would save the town? Again, from what?

Once at work, I did a quick inventory check, making sure that we had enough lumber for the week's quota. Upon seeing that we had nearly half of the required stock, I was able to wait until about mid day before I grabbed Jeff and we drove to the lumber mill on the opposite side of town. I gave a shout of greetings to Jeremy Blake, the owner of Blake's Lumber Mill. He was a built middle aged man, standing three inches shy of my 6 foot 5 inch frame, though his arms easily rivaled my own. Knowing what we were  obviously there for he led us to a pile of fresh cut lumber. He called a few of his employees over to help us load several planks and logs into the bed of my truck. I paid the man his usual fee before driving away.

On our way back to the shop Jeff thumped my arm, “Hey, what do you say we make a pit stop at the gas station for some snacks and a drink? I'm starving.” He gave his rotund middle a pat.

“We just ate at the diner two hours ago, how are you hungry?” I said with a chuckle as I pulled onto 5th Avenue and headed for the gas station.

“I'm just hungry,” he said with a shrug. “Besides, you're one to talk. Ya look like ya've gained at least twenty pounds in the last several weeks.”

“Which is entirely your fault! You're always dragging me out to eat every couple hours. Don't you think you should cut back a bit?”

“Come on, yer killin’ me smalls!” He exclaimed, jabbing me in the side as he quoted his favorite movie. “I know ya join me every time because ya enjoy eating too. And besides, this weight will just melt away if I shift more often. But I don't because ya know Serena hates my shedding problem.”

We both shared a laugh as I pulled into the gas station, taking this opportunity to fill up my tank while Jeff went inside to satisfy his cravings. While I waited my senses perked up as I caught the scent of some sort of salt water. No. Coral? With a hint of smoked wood. I turned to follow the amazing smell, but came face to face with Jeff holding a piece of smoked jerky in his mouth while he unraveled a piece of sea salted caramel. I laughed at the sight of the large bag of chips, beef jerky, the opened bag of caramels, and sunflower seeds in a plastic shopping bag hanging on his arm, with a large two liter bottle of diet coke tucked under the same arm.

“What,” he asked as he popped a caramel piece into his mouth. I just shook my head as I finished filling my gas tank and got back into the truck. Once he was back in the truck I pulled out of the parking lot.

“Hey, what's this? It almost fell out of the truck as I got in.” I looked over to see Jeff was holding a white mail package in front of my face.

I gave a loud groan, showing my irritation, having forgotten to send the package to my sister in California for my eight year old niece's birthday.

“Fuck, that was suppose to go out last week. We need to make another stop, the post office.”

Heading north, I made a left turn at the end of the street, followed by a second sharp left onto 4th Avenue. I found myself driving a bit faster than I should on a 30 mile an hour road, frustrated that I had forgotten something so important to me as my niece's 9th birthday being a week from today. Pulling up to the curb I grabbed the package out of Jeff's hands and practically leapt from my truck. The post office door chimed as I entered. The main lobby was always open for anyone to pick up their packages from their post box. However, I swore to myself as I noticed the office itself was closed as it was past 6 pm and it closes at 5 o'clock sharp. As much as I hated doing it, I had to resort to dropping the package into the outgoing mail slot, which was for items that would be shipped the following day, and in turn would cause the package to likely be late on its arrival.

Once I had dropped the package into the slot, and said a silent prayer to the moon that it would be delivered on time, I went back out to the truck. As I got back in once again I was stunned to find Jeff finishing the two liter diet soda already. He gave his rotund middle a pat before releasing a large belch that rattled within the confined metal vehicle. Noticing my stunned silence he shrugged.

“Don't look at me like that. I was thirsty, and at least it's coming out of the attic, not the basement.” He chuckled.

“I wasn't gonna say anything,” I said as I continued to drive. “But, since you started on the topic, you might want to cut back a bit or you're going to be outgrowing those pants too.”

“That reminds me, can we stop at the market? I need some new jeans.” He laughed as I rolled my eyes.

Turning back into 5th Avenue, I pulled into the small parking lot of the town’s shopping market. I took this opportunity to shop for some new jeans as well, being that most of mine were becoming a bit worn out with holes in the knees and pockets. Okay, honestly they were a bit snug too, but I wasn't gonna let Jeff know that or he'd hold it over my head.

We weren't in the store long, being that we had to get back to the shop. Thankfully it was a nice day out, so I rolled the windows down as we turned back onto Main Street. The smell of sea  coral and smoked cedar wood hit my nose again. It smelt amazing and sent chills of exhilaration  down my body and stirred my cock. Looking over to Jeff and seeing he had finished his jerky and caramels back before we had gone into the market, I turned and looked around to find the source of the scent. Sadly, there was no visible origin, nothing except the strong aromas of natural oils coming from Nana Uni's shop. As much as I didn't want to, I shook the smell away and pulled into the lot of my shop.

Thankfully there wasn't much left to do, other than making sure quota progress was back on track and a bit of paperwork. After another hour I was able to send everyone home for the night. Honestly, I was thankful. I couldn't concentrate much after getting a whiff of that delicious scent. Jeff patted my back as I locked the door and we made our way to our vehicles.

“Are ya okay,” He asked. “Ya’ve seemed a bit distracted since we got back.”

“I'm fine,” I said as I scratched the back of my head. “Just a little stressed.” I lied.

“Well, why don't we go get a beer or something? Serena is at her daughter's tonight visiting with the grandkids. So I've got some free time.”

I somehow always forgot that he was older than me by a few years and was a stepfather with grandkids. He didn't look old enough to be a grandpa and I couldn't help but wonder if I had ever had a kid of my own if I would’ve been a grandpa by now too. I mean sure I was gay, but the thought still crossed my mind. Instead of pondering it further, I smiled and gave him a nod. “Yeah, sure. Let's get a drink. I could definitely use one, or two.”

By the time we arrived at the bar the sun had gone down. Jeff led the way, eager to get a drink after a long day of work, or snacking I should say. As we neared the door I caught the faintest hint of the familiar scent of sea coral and smoked cedar wood again. My pulse quickened with excitement as the smell filled my nose and made me tingle all over. But when Jeff opened the door, the smell and sensations it gave me went from 0 to 100 immediately. The chatter from the bar barely phased me, even with my enhanced hearing, and it was all because the smell had become my sole focus as it wrapped itself around me and drew me in.

I followed Jeff inside and began to sweep my eyes through the building, doing my best to catch every ounce of the scent as I sniffed the air. Many people here I recognized as neighbors, a doctor, an officer, even a lawyer. The smell definitely wasn’t coming from any of them. Most of them were friends, and a few I had met through swift passing. The bar had the same regular dim lighting, the same pool tables that had been here since the place opened 10 years ago. The same yet irritating DJ in his familiar old run down booth playing the same horrible music he played every night for the last year. He definitely wasn’t the source of the smell either. The same old chairs and tables were scattered around, and lining the walls. The same old signs. Everything was the same. Except him.

I stopped in my tracks as I noticed the most beautiful, most handsome, most dashing young man I had ever laid my eyes on. He sat at the far side of the bar leaning against the counter. His light brown hair was cut to a low fade, the top being no longer than two inches, and styled with the front up. He had slender facial features, a strong upper body as if he were a regular swimmer. He wore a royal blue T-shirt with sleeves that nearly hugged and practically kissed his biceps almost as much as I wanted to. Sadly his lower half was hidden behind the bar and I couldn’t make out any more details. But I did notice his eyes locking onto mine and my heart began to sing. At that moment I felt a stirring in my chest from my wolf as it paced and its voice rumbled in the back of my mind. “Mate. Mine.”

I didn’t even notice Jeff was talking to me until he shook my arm. “Hey, Luke. Are ya okay? You're in one of yer glazed stares again. I asked if you wanted to get a booth or table.”

“Oh, uh… Either is fine,” I answered. “Hey, um, I'll be right back.” I patted Jeff's shoulder as I walked past him and headed toward the young man, feeling as though I had no self control.

If Jeff said anything else it was lost in the chatter from the room, because at this moment nothing else mattered to me. All I wanted was to speak to this gorgeous boy and get his name. I wanted to touch him, rub on him, throw him in my truck and take him home. But I had to control myself, and that involved getting to know him first. I did my best to push my wolf back down, but this time it put up a fight I had never known before. It wanted out, it wanted him. But this was my body, I was in charge.

The boy and I never broke eye contact as I approached, and within seconds I was standing next to him at the bar, leaning my hip against the little curve of the bar, my full attention on him. I couldn't help but smile as I extended my hand. “I haven't seen you around here before. I'm Luke, Luke Mitchell.”

He smiled as he took my hand, still not breaking eye contact. The moment our hands touched my entire arm began to tingle with a sensation that was familiar to me but different. It was as if I could feel energy flowing down my arm and into his hand, much like I had felt with Nani Uni, only it wasn't painful. It was glorious. The energy flowed from my wolf in my chest, to my shoulder, through my bicep, around my elbow, through my forearm to my hand and into his. But it was more than an electrical feeling, it was more a feeling of ecstasy that started at my chest and arm and rapidly spread through the rest of my body. Even my balls tingled. It felt amazing, and I knew that if I could I would've held on forever just to feel more.

“I'm white- uh, I mean Wheo- ugh, Theo White. I'm Theo White.” He let go of my hand as he closed his eyes and sighed with frustration. “Well, that went well. Good job Theo, way to start a conversation.”

I almost expressed my own frustration, but it was due to the separation of our hands. Instead, I gave a deep chuckle as I leaned against the counter a bit more, now resting most of my weight against its sturdy structure. As much as I wanted his touch again, seeing him grow red in the face made my heart feel for him. Even his embarrassment was cute. It was the most adorable thing I had ever seen, and I couldn't help but grow more interested. “It's nice to meet you, Theo White. What brings you to town?”

He opened his eyes once again, allowing me to catch their beautiful emerald color glinting in the yellow lights filling the room. Seeing his eyes made my heart skip, and the scent coming off him was driving me wild, it was all I could do to not lunge forward and begin kissing him. The fragrance filled every ounce of my body as I inhaled deeply, taking in as much as I possibly could, wanting so badly to bathe in it as long as possible.

“I'm here on family vacation,” he said with a tilt of his head and a flick of his brow, his face still a bit red.

“Oh, really,” I rested my elbow on the bar, growing intrigued. “There are thousands of places you could've gone, and your family decided to come to a town of nine hundred people, in the middle of Idaho? Why pick here?”

He gave a little chuckle of his own. By the goddess, he was adorable. His baritone voice washed over me as he continued. “Well, it's kind of a long story. Shortest explanation, we used to live here many years ago. We moved away when I was very young. Shortly after, I was in an accident that caused some memory loss. So, I told my parents I wanted to come visit for vacation to see where I was born.”

“Wow, well I guess I should say, welcome home.” I used a hand to gesture around the bar. We both shared a chuckle this time. “So, how long are you in town?”

“Until the end of summer. We're staying in my childhood home, the cabin on the west side of the lake. Do you know it?”

My eyes widened with surprise. “Know it? I live directly across from it. My house is the one with the big porch in the back, with the dark brown roof.”

He squinted his eyes at me, as if trying to see if I was lying or not. “Seriously? You live there? Wow, small world."

“It’s a small town,” I shrugged.

His laugh was adorable, hardy and yet light. “Yeah, that's true. You know, I meant to go over earlier and introduce myself. But I got distracted. I guess now is as good a time as any. Hello, neighbor. We’re staying across the lake, we're here for the summer. I'm Theo White, and it's very nice to meet you, Luke… again.” He extended his hand and I took it once more, giving it another gentle shake as the feeling of ecstacy raced through me once again.

“The pleasure is all mine, Theo.” I smiled as I ran my gaze over his face, doing my best to memorize his features. “Now, what do you say I buy you a drink and you can tell me a little more about your-"

“S'cuse me,” the brat DJ said as he pushed himself between us, thrusting our hands apart, causing me to lose grip on the amazing sensation that was making my heart race. The DJ waved the bartender down. “Oy, Frank! A shot of vodka and a white Russian for my friend here!” He said as he patted Theo on the shoulder. His voice was so plummy that it almost made me wince.

“Uh, nothing for you, kid.” Frank answered while mixing a drink. “You're on the clock. But I'll make one for your friend.”

My wolf stirred at the little prick's disrespectful behavior to both his job and seeing that we were obviously having a conversation and thinking he’d just butt on in. I wanted to grab him and throw him aside, I desperately wanted to teach him some manners, as he clearly had none. But this kid was human. Being a werewolf I could seriously hurt him if I lost control. But I could smell the overwhelming stench of alcohol on his breath and instantly knew that he wasn’t thinking clearly. Otherwise he most definitely wouldn't have shown us, especially an alpha, the amount of disrespect he just did. I had also known the kid for years, and he of course knew me as well, but that clearly wasn’t stopping his drunk self. I was about to reach out when Theo spoke first.

“Ah, it's okay, Frank! I'm fine.” He said with a shake of his head before turning to the DJ. “Hi, what's your name?”

“Julian,” the Dj said as he turned his back to me, allowing me to catch his cocky smile in the mirror behind the bar on the wall.

“Hi, Julian,” Theo continued, giving an obvious fake smile. “Thanks for the gesture, but let me give you a little bit of advice for the next time you try something like this. Ask their name first and ask if you can buy them a drink instead of just getting them one. Because if you haven't talked to them then you don't know if they are allergic to something going into the drink. For instance, I'm lactose intolerant, one sip of anything with lactose and I’m just like- BLEG!- projectile vomit, everywhere!” He did the motion of throwing up to emphasize. “Another thing; make sure they look like they aren't enjoying themselves before you cut in, potentially interrupting a great conversation between two people like a big asshole who only wants to get laid so he can satisfy his dick, and put another notch under his belt. Also, make sure you’re sober when you do all this. Okay? Now, if you'll kindly fuck off and go back to doing a wonderful job at playing music no one likes. I have someone I’d actually like to talk to. And I’m sure Frank over there would hate to hear about you drinking on the job.”

“Wow, you're a rude one.” Julian said before he used his thumb to gesture over his shoulder at me. “What do you want to talk to the old man for anyway? He's a bit old for you ain’t he? You can do so much better. A guy like you would have much more fun with a guy like me.”

Theo gave a chuckle and a shake of his head.

“Yeah, he's older than me. But hey, I'll let you in on a little secret.” He used his own thumb to gesture toward himself. “This guy is a daddy chaser, and is far more interested in the “old man” than he'll ever be in a narcissistic prick like you. Because big daddy over there is much more charming and knows how to start a conversion.”

I couldn't help but fill with pride as I heard his words. Sure, we had just met, but if I thought I liked him before, I definitely liked him even more now. He was standing up not just for himself but also for me, a guy he had met only moments ago. If I didn't know any better, I'd have said he had the potential to become a wonderful alpha himself, that is if he were a wolf. There was also another topic that had caught my attention. I wasn’t that old, but apparently I had become “Daddy" material at some point in the last few years, and honestly, I kind of liked how it sounded. I couldn't hide the smile beaming on my face from Theo's words, and was even more thrilled when Theo stood, grabbed my hand, and began leading the way to the front door.

“Hey, wait a sec.” Julian hollered as he put a hand on my shoulder. “You're just jealous that I-"

I whipped around so fast that I even surprised myself. A deep growl emanated from my chest as I looked the cocky little bastard in the eyes. To make things even more intimidating I gave him a flash of my true eyes, the eyes of an alpha in his own territory. “As the young man said. Fuck…off.”

That woke him up from his drunken haze. Julian's eyes grew so wide that for a second I thought they would fall out of his head. I could instantly tell that he realized his mistake. He stumbled as he attempted to maneuver around my large stature and the table behind him before running back to his booth, shaking of course. I gave him a smirk as I let my eyes return to their normal golden amber before turning back to Theo.

“Give me a moment, I need to have a quick word with Frank about his employee.” I swiftly leaned over the counter and gave the word to the barkeep about Julian already drunk on the job. He gave a nod of appreciation and headed for the sound booth as I turned and followed Theo outside.

Once through the door he pulled me to the parking lot before he let go of my hand and leaned his back against the brick wall. He gave an exaggerated groan of annoyance, putting his hands on top of his head and locking his fingers. He then gave me a look, showing his understandable frustration. “Sorry, I kind of blew up back there. I used to have a boyfriend like that.”

I shrugged. “Don't be sorry. I one hundred percent understand your anger. Besides, that kid is an ignorant asshole. I was about to blow up at him too, but you beat me to it. Not to mention, your way was much nicer than what I would've said and done.” He smiled with amusement as he looked down and shuffled his feet. The air grew silent for several moments before I spoke again. “So, Daddy, huh?”

“Huh?” He gave me a questioning look before his eyes widened in realization and he gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Oh, heh, um yeah. Sorry I said that too.” I watched him rub the back of his head with one hand as he looked down at his feet again. I couldn't stop myself from stepping closer and putting a gentle hand on his arm and he lifted his gaze to mine.

“Again, you have no reason to be sorry. I actually kind of liked it. I hadn't realized I had reached Daddy status during these last few years. It must be all the gray.” I brushed a hand through my inch long beard before pausing long enough to give him a playful smirk. “Does the Daddy Chaser want to touch it?”

He guffawed. “Wow, I bet you were dying to ask that one, huh?”

I snorted, “Yeah, I was. But you didn't answer me. Does the Chaser want to touch Daddy's beard?” I stuck out my chin a bit, inviting him to run his fingers through my facial hair.

He hesitated for a second before reaching out and gently running his fingers through my beard. I groaned with satisfaction, and was unable to stop my wolf from giving a deep groan of pleasure as Theo began lightly scratching his fingers through my beard. By the goddess his touch was amazing. But I let him continue for a few more moments before I looked down at him with a chuckle as he lowered his hand.

His face was beaming as he tucked his hands behind his back against the wall. I took a step back and leaned against the front of my truck, thankful that I was able to park so close. As I stood there I watched him with interest while my wolf continued to pace within me as it murmured, “Mate. Mate. Mate.” Thank the goddess I wasn’t exhausted at this moment, I worried what my wolf might have done while Theo just stood there smiling at me. I couldn't help but wonder how he'd feel if he knew what I was. Was it possible? Could he possibly be the one I had been waiting for, the one Nana Uni had subtly mentioned? After hearing his last name I instantly knew exactly who he was, and by his touch I now knew what he was. Our family had vowed to destroy anyone from that family line who had the same capabilities. We didn’t want to risk another slaughter, not again. Not like all those years ago. So many had been lost to the abomination that had betrayed us all.

But, with how my wolf had reacted to him, how it still reacted to him. Could it be? Was he the one I had been waiting for all my life? The one I had vowed to wait for? Was it possible that this young man was perhaps the one I was meant to be with? I didn’t need to keep questioning it, I already knew the answer. I had caught his scent, which could only mean one thing. This young man in front of me was my Fated Mate. But, would he accept that? I mean we'd only just met. How do you tell someone that you're meant to be with them for the rest of your life? Of course, that's saying he knew anything about werewolves and Fated Mates. Did he? Perhaps I’d find out in due time.

“So, where are you from, and what do you do for a living?” I asked, feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket, but I  ignored it.

“We’re from Maine, in a little town called Madison. It's not far from the beach. As for work, I'm a fireman.”

That explains his scent, I thought to myself.

When it comes to werewolves and relationships, it can be weird or romantic, depending on how you were to look at it. There are several types of were-creatures in the world. Werebears, werejaguars, and more. But we all follow the same basic supernatural law when it comes to relationships. We can date people just like a normal person, even fall in love. But the gods of fate can be finicky about that. When a were-creature is born, or created through a bite and not already mated, their life becomes tied to another. This person we become tied to is referred to as our Fated Mate. This person is the one person in the entire world that we are meant to fall in love with, meant to spend our lives with, and gives us strength upon completing the Claiming. Were-creatures can go their entire lives without meeting their Fated Mate. But the moment we catch the Scent, we know. The Scent is a smell that drives us crazy, sexually. This scent is only noticed by the were-creature to whom this person is meant to be with. It’s a little hard to explain aside from that. The mate’s scent is also unique to the were-creature, usually having something to do with their life or personality, oftentimes both. At least, that’s what we’re all told anyway. There are so many factors that no one knows the true cause of the noted scent. All that matters is that the moment you catch a whiff you know that it is meant to be. However, you could be in a happy marriage, then suddenly catch the scent of your Fated Mate and it changes your life forever, you become obsessed over your Fated Mate, oftentimes causing you to leave your marriage. Though there have been situations where the werewolf, their Fated Mate, and marriage partner work things out together. As for the Claiming, this is when a Fated Mate and were-creature fully accept each other and accept their lives together forever. During intercourse, the were-creature will bite their mate. This will cause the magic of the were-virus to change their mate into a were-creature as well, marking them as claimed, and in turn sharing their strength with one another. Basically a form of marriage between two supernatural creatures.

“Interesting line of work. It's pretty dangerous.” I said as I folded my arms. This young man was piquing my interest more and more with every passing moment.

He shrugged. “Sure, it's dangerous, but someone has to help those in need. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to help people, and now I do. I've had some close calls, but everyone got out alive. Some moments I thought I was a goner, but I was lucky and the flames ended up going out, I don't even know how.”

“Sounds like a guardian angel was looking after you.” Or something else happened, perhaps. I shrugged the thought away and came up with a small cheesy idea. “Say, Theo, would you-"

“There ya are!” Jeff exclaimed as he rounded the corner. “I've been looking everywhere for ya! Come on, I ordered us a couple beers and some wings. Ya better-uh, oh, sorry. I interrupted.”

“Nah, you're fine,” Theo stated. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. “I should get going anyway. It's getting kind of late and I've got kind of a walk ahead of me.”

My heart sank at the idea of him leaving my sight. I wanted to look at him all night, hear his voice, and see his smile. Feel his touch. But I knew he'd have to leave at some point, it was inevitable. I also needed to get back in and join Jeff for the drinks I promised him. I kicked myself as I realized how rude I had been to my best friend. I left him in the bar, alone, to listen to a shitty DJ, alone. No one should have to listen to that music alone, if at all. Though, hopefully the music would be changing soon.

“I'll see you around, Luke.” Theo said with a wave. I gave him a nod and hesitant wave of my own as I watched him walk away and down the street. By the goddess he had a wonderful ass. It was round and filled his jeans just right.

“Ya okay,” Jeff asked as he stood next to me, watching me watch Theo. “Ya didn't hesitate rushing out the bar with him, and now you're staring pretty hard. What is it?”

“This is going to sound cheesy, especially coming from me. But I caught his scent. I'm pretty sure he-” I was cut short as Jeff's hand slammed against the back of my head. “OW! What the hell?”

“Why are ya just standing here?” He gave me a look as if to say I didn't have a brain, before pointing after Theo who was already halfway down the road. “Go after him, ya idiot! If you caught his scent then ya need to pursue it.”

“But, what if he doesn't know about. . you know, the supernatural. I can't just tell him “oh, by the way, I'm a werewolf and you're my fated mate. Now be mine forever.” How do you tell someone that they're your mate, especially after just meeting them?”

He slapped my head a second time, this time a little more forceful. “Does it really matter? Ya can tell him later. Just go after him!” He turned me around and pushed me toward my truck. “I'll be waiting here with yer beer and wings, now hurry!”

I didn't hesitate further. I hopped into my car, backed out, and nearly floored the pedal as I sped out of the parking lot. Theo was just rounding the corner when I pulled up and hopped out.  I jogged around to him and opened the passenger door. I gave him an embarrassed smile. “I’d love to give you a ride home. If you’ll let me.”

Theo gave a snort and a shake of his head. “You are just too good to be true.” He said with a smile. He looked at the open door of my truck for a moment, as if pondering something, then hopped up into the truck. I closed the door with a smile of my own. And you're too adorable, I thought to myself as I ran back to the driver's side and continued to drive.

It wasn't a long drive, but it definitely wouldn't have been fun to walk, especially in the dark. I found it extremely difficult not to look at Theo, being that his amazing scent was filling the cab, and he was within touching distance. I so wanted to reach over and take his hand, but I restrained myself. I did, however, keep catching him out of the corner of my eye glancing at me. I wanted to look into his eyes, but knew it was best not to while driving. I knew that if I did, I wouldn't want to turn back to the road.

I eventually pulled onto the road that led to my house. But, instead of taking a right and crossing the small bridge, I took a left and followed the bumpy winding path toward the other cabin.

“You already know where to go?” He gave me a questioning look, almost nervous.

“Of course. I've lived here all my life, and I jog the lake most mornings. I know this area like the back of my hand. Oh hey, that's new.” I lifted my left hand closer to my face and gave it a fake examination before glancing over at him with a smirk. His eyes were wide, but relaxed once he realized I was joking.

Rounding the bend and emerging from the trees, I saw his cabin in the middle of its circular clearing. Fully understanding the magic placed around the property by the previous owners, preventing anyone from entering the clearing if they intended any harm on anyone within, I wasn't worried as I pulled into the yard. Feeling the slight resistance pressing on me, as if passing through a wall of Jell-O. Though I passed with ease.

Theo gave a slight shiver as we passed through. He looked over at me with a questioning look. "Did you feel that tingling as we left the treeline? I felt it earlier today and have no clue what it is."

A tingle? Was he meaning the ward around the property? Although it answered my question about him knowing about magic. If he didn't know what the feeling was, then he had obviously never come across a magical ward before, which can only be placed by a certain type of Sorcerer. I knew what it was of course, being the alpha of the werewolf pack that was pledged to protect the town and its inhabitants, which included a couple hundred sorcerers. But that left me with another question. Was he a mortal human, or a supernatural creature like myself but just hadn't been exposed to a sorcerer's magic before?

I pulled up behind the car that was already in the driveway, assuming it belonged to his parents. Shifting my truck to park, I gave Theo a smile as he reached for the door handle. He returned the smile with his own as he opened his door.

“Thanks for the ride, it was very sweet of you.” He slid out of the vehicle and looked back at me. “I hope to see you around.” With that he closed the door and my heart sank as I watched him begin walking toward the porch, his lingering scent driving me crazy. I didn't want him to go, but I understood that I couldn't be around him all the time, especially when he was only visiting for the summer. Still, it didn't make my heart ache any less. Besides, the town population consisted of barely over 900 people. There was no doubt we'd run into each other again at some point, even though every moment away from him would be agony.

I shifted the truck into gear and was about to drive off, but paused as I remembered Nana Uni's words “trust your instincts”. I growled to myself as I put the truck back into park, threw open my door and jumped out. “Theo, wait!”

He paused with his foot on the top step of the porch and turned back. I trotted over and saw the anticipation on his face. I don't know why but the words got stuck in my throat. He had been so easy to talk to, and in this moment my words were lost. I cleared my throat before I tried to speak again. “Uh, would you, um, like to go to dinner? With me, that is. Tomorrow night? Think of it as a Welcome Home dinner.”

“You mean you don't want me to consider it a date with a handsome man? Um, I guess we could have dinner.” He said this with a shrug, showing his sarcastic disappointment.

“Okay, then let me rephrase it,” I said as I climbed the few steps between us until we stood eye to eye. Being as I was over 6 foot tall and stood on the step below his, I still had to look down at him but only just. I held his gaze with mine as I spoke. “Theo, would you do me the honor of joining me for a dinner date tomorrow evening?”

He smiled and gave a slight chuckle. “I'd love to, Luke. You were so formal, how could I refuse that?” His smile widened as he stared into my eyes. I found myself stepping closer to him, or at least as close as I could before my toes bumped against the top step. I began to lean down, I could feel and smell his arousal as he leaned into me. My body erupted with the familiar pleasurable sensation at his touch, just like back in the bar. It was as if something deep within me had awakened and yearned for him, a part of me that I never knew existed wanted to become a part of him. I felt it as it spread through every cell in my body and extended itself to him, reached for him, longed to be his. Our lips were inches apart. I could feel his soft breath on my lips.

There was a loud hiss as water began to shower us. We pulled away and shielded our faces. Within seconds we were soaked from head to toe. We searched for the culprit, only to find that the hedge of bushes that grew along the outside of the porch had several sprinklers which had turned on. We both laughed as we stood there in the torrent of water.

“Don’t want to be walking home in the rain,” Theo said softly to himself as he held out his hand to catch some water, my werewolf senses catching every word. “The old lady was right, sort of.”

“What old lady is that,” I questioned as I pushed us up onto the top of the porch and out of the water.

“Just some old lady in town.” He ran his hands down his face to wipe away the cool liquid. “She said it was gonna rain, but I didn't believe her. She was sort of right.”

“Ah, you're talking about Nana Uni. She's definitely a strange one,” I confirmed as I swung my arms, slinging water onto the porch. I found it humorous that I had thought about her moments ago and yet she had somehow made her way into Theo's life as well. “She's been known to tell people things that end up happening. I like to believe that she can see the future, although her supposed visions don't always turn out the way we expect.”

“Well, she's definitely piqued my interest,” he chuckled. He turned and kicked off his shoes then pushed them to the door, before turning back to me. “Do you have your phone? I could give you my number.”

I searched my pockets, fearful that I had left it in my pocket, which was soaked with water. I was both saddened and relieved when I realized I didn't have it on me. “Nope, not on me, thank heavens. It would've been a goner with the water.”

"He snorted. “Well, I can always meet you here, if you'd like.”

“How about I pick you up? I can get your number tomorrow at dinner as well. How's seven o'clock sound?”

“Sounds like a plan. I'll be ready.” He made his way to the door and looked back at me. “Now, you better get back to your friend. But you might want to dry off first.”

“Good plan, I have a towel in my truck.” I gave him another smile, his beautiful eyes shined in the light from truck headlights. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“I hope so,” he said as he opened the door, grabbed his wet shoes and rushed inside. He turned and gave me one last smile before closing the door. “I'll see you tomorrow, Daddy.”

My heart did a flip hearing him call me “Daddy”. I didn't understand why it made me feel so good hearing him say that. But I turned and made my way back through the sprinklers to my truck with a new found bound in my step. I drove back to the bar. I paused just long enough outside the building to give myself a good full body shake, shedding as much water as I could. I did have a towel, but being part wolf it was just easier to shake off the cool liquid rather than search for the towel stuffed somewhere under a seat.

I walked back into the bar with the biggest smile on my face and sat down next to Jeff, who looked to be on his 4th beer and 3rd tray of wings. He looked at me expectantly as he spoke. “So, how'd it go with the kid?”

I couldn’t control my excitement. “It went really well. As a matter of fact, Daddy has a date tomorrow night.”

“Oh, “Daddy” is it?” He chuckled.

“Shut up,” I scowled, but my smile sprung back to life. “I kind of like it.”