Chapter 2: Fate at First Sight
The smell of old and new books alike, the jingle of the bell above the door, and the warm atmosphere. It was these little things that someone like Lance Robbins enjoyed the most, and he was especially interested in the books lined up on the walls and shelves around him. At just twenty-nine years old with long brown hair usually tied back in a bun and blue-grey eyes, he always knew that he wasn’t exactly skilled in avoiding attention.
Even now, wandering the bookstore and letting his hand brush over each book, Lance could feel other customers eyes on him. He didn’t waste any time in picking a few books that caught his eye, good for light reading when he’s home, and perhaps he could suggest them to a certain bookworm.
Lance knew all too well that he wanted to keep looking for more books, but he had to stop himself before he went overboard. Not today. Stepping into line with the handful of books, his eyes locked on the employee behind the desk. Sleek black hair fell over the stranger’s face, silver eyes jumping between the customer and the register.
Lance felt how his breath hitched the moment silver eyes locked on him. He had some experience with the dating scene, but there was something about this stranger that left Lance mesmerized. He couldn’t remember feeling this way with his past relationships.
Even more interesting to Lance was the stranger’s mechanical movements. Silver eyes darted between the customer in front of him and looking towards Lance. A hint of confusion in those silver eyes mimicking Lance’s own confusion. It was obvious to Lance that the employee had no interest in any of the customers, much less his own job. It made him wonder why everything about the employee seemed so fake.
“Find everything you’re looking for?” It wasn’t long before Lance found himself standing in front of Scott, handing over the books and watching Scott read over the titles. Lance felt trapped under Scott’s gaze whenever the man looked his way, floundering to find his voice. For the life of him, Lance couldn’t remember feeling like this when he’d met his previous partners. It took all of his strength not to show how flustered he was to Scott, despite the warmth in those silver eyes.
Where Scott seemed to fake niceties with the other customers, Lance could tell that he was genuinely interested in him. It took Lance a minute to remember that he’d been asked a question and he could feel his face heat up in embarrassment followed by a nod of his head.
“I haven’t checked this store out before, it’s kind of out of my way. A friend suggested I come here though, said that the best books I can find are here.” Lance responded with a sheepish smile and a nervous chuckle. That’s all Lance could think to say, and he found himself wondering if Scott was aware of his sudden awkwardness. ‘Stop staring!’ He scolded himself as he forced his eyes off the man.
He found himself hyper-aware of every little movement in front of Scott; the way he shifted in place and the twitch of his fingers, each breath he took, and the way his eyes were drawn back to Scott despite his attempts to keep himself from making the man uncomfortable.
“It’s uh, a great place to shop I guess. I’m not big on books myself but there’s a decent paycheck and good hours. My little brother likes to shop here though. Says there’s a lot of books that, uh, catch his eye.” Scott responded after a moment, he found it difficult to get his eyes off Lance and he hated it. Scott met his fair share of humans, all the same with that lustful look in their eyes or the seductive smiles they flashed him but it never did anything for him. They were humans, dangerous creatures, and Scott was a wolf shifter. Why even entertain the idea of a so-called relationship with any of them? And yet somehow this human felt different to Scott. Good thing he wasn’t an idiot.
He’d smelt the ginger and pine wood from Lance as soon as he spotted him and it took most of Scott’s strength to pretend that everything was okay. Scan the books, ring up Lance, and send him on his way. The chances of Scott running into Lance again are slim, or at least he can hope. There’s no doubt in Scott’s mind that Lance is his mate, and knowing that Lance was human meant even more trouble for Scott.
“Perhaps I’ll come back again and see what else catches my eye,” Lance responded with a small smile of his own and both men were aware of the growing tension. Lance found himself wondering for a split second if Scott was getting annoyed with him, while Scott found his irritation growing at the prospect of his mate being a human.
“Maybe.” Was all Scott had said despite the urge to prolong Lance’s departure, best to chalk that up to the sudden mate pull. Scott wasn’t used to a human catching his attention, not like this that’s for sure. He despised the idea of his mate being a human, he would have been much happier had it been another wolf-shifter like him. That would have made things so much easier. ‘A human, it just had to be a human! Humans destroyed my home, killed my family, and hunted my pack. And now I’m supposed to accept this one as my mate?’ Scott thought.
He wondered how strong the mate pull was for a human like Lance, but that wasn’t his problem. Scott wasn’t even sure if he wanted Lance as his mate, even now he had to remind himself that humans were more dangerous than any other wolf-shifter.
Lance on the other hand was still struggling with the sudden rush of feelings he was experiencing toward Scott. He couldn’t remember a time when someone had caught his attention this quickly, and part of him was almost too afraid to try and understand it. These sudden emotions left him at a loss for words, he floundered in Scott’s presence and both men knew it. It embarrassed Lance and he wished he could ground himself back to reality without the feel of Scott’s eyes on him.
Lance wasn’t even sure if Scott was feeling the same way, could he even begin to try and form a friendship with someone like Scott? He found himself lingering for a moment, aware of Scott’s eyes on him, before grabbing the bag and giving the man a slight nod before heading for the door.
Scott could only hope that he wouldn’t run into Lance again, even if there was that primal part of him that wanted to make him stay. Scott’s eyes raked over Lance’s back, brown hair tied back in a messy bun and he could almost feel the nervousness that was radiating from the human. Scott had to stifle his own chuckles, wondering if his mere presence was enough to unnerve the human
“Who’d have thought my mate would be a human?” Scott thought aloud once he was alone, groan passing his lips before pushing himself out of his seat. He had to remind himself that he was at work, and even if there weren’t any customers then he should make himself busy. It would be all too easy for him to just dissolve into his phone and kill time that way, but Scott wasn’t the kind of wolf shifter to just slack off at work either. Better to keep himself busy with work than think about Lance.
He still had a few hours of work, Adan was either at work or with the pack, and Theo should be with him or at home. Part of Scott worried for Theo, leaving him alone like this, but he also knew that he had to work hard to take care of both of them.
“Scott, right?” He’d been busy organizing the shelves again when he heard the voice behind him. He recognized that voice, not like it was difficult. The smell of perfume was far too strong for his nose and he had to stop himself from gagging and recoiling once he turned to face her. ‘Pretty for a human I suppose. But desperate. I have dignity.’ He thought and he had to force himself to swallow the smirk that tugged at his lips.
She was one of the regular customers, though he wasn’t sure if she was a regular for the books or just because of him. Then again, it wasn’t like he cared either way and it’s not like he memorized names or faces. Nonetheless, Scott recognized that smile on her face and the way she held herself. She was trying too hard just to get his attention, and he wondered if this was something she did with every human male she ran into.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Scott responded with a raised brow, stifling his irritated sigh as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He was only half-listening as she asked for help, finding a book that Scott knew he’d have to order for her. Like most of his customers, she was predictable in the books that she was looking for. Romance books, anything to sate that thirst in her life that she could never do on her own.
Every now and then, in instances like these, she might try to prolong the conversation by asking for his opinion. Scott knew that she didn’t really care. She wasn’t a book type. Scott hated moments like these ones, moments where he could practically smell the thirst coming from humans like her and having to swallow his growing anger at every little touch.
“I hate humans with every fiber of my being.” Scott snarled once he’d managed to usher the woman out, after reminding her over and over again that he had a job to do and that he couldn’t entertain her. Scott never liked dealing with humans like her, he felt like he could still feel her eyes on him. Humans like her were all the same and he’d rather not dwell on how often she might think of him, much less any other activities she’s into that he’d enter her mind for. A disgusting thought.
His eyes read over the phone number she jotted down once, twice, then a third time before tearing apart the slip of paper and tossing the scraps into the trash. He could feel his nails sharpening as he stared back at the door as if he were waiting for another customer to waltz through the door and practically throw themselves at him. “What is this? Third time? Fourth? Fifth? How many times do I have to put up with this?” He complained through clenched teeth.
“It’s bad enough that I have to entertain thirsty humans with no dignity, but now a human mate. How humiliating.” His words came out in a growl as his nails drew marks into the wood of the desk.
Why should he accept a human as his mate? Perhaps it’d be better if Scott just reject him and hope for the best? Or Scott could always quit this job and look elsewhere, just to make sure he doesn’t run into his mate again. Better for him to avoid the human, for now anyway, since chances of finding another mate after rejecting this one are extremely slim.
“Maybe it’s better if I keep my distance until I decide to reject him.” Scott thought as he dropped his head into his hands. He knew what rejecting his mate would do, not only to himself but also to Lance. Scott didn’t like the idea of rejecting his mate, but that also meant accepting a human. Humans are the reason Scott lost his family. He can’t forget that.