CHAPTER 14

Pip and Krey walked together down the street, close enough to touch, quiet enough to seem like strangers. Krey was pleased they had talked a little and gotten to know a bit more about one another. Their encounters were awkward, and neither of them had much to say. Still, meeting up was progress, especially for Krey.

Thinking of Pip was enough to calm his anxious thoughts. Seeing Pip was enough to help him forget about the stresses of his Alpha life.

Meeting Pip had its dangers. Krey would have suffered more if his mate was a wolf from another pack. At least Pip was close and in their town.

"Pippor Monty, why do you never answer your phone?" a woman asked, blocking their path.

Pip and Krey stopped in front of a woman in her mid-forties. She wore a long floral dress and a long grey coat. She had wavy brown hair like Pip, though Pips was short and hers was beyond her shoulders. She carried lots of shopping bags.

"Hi Joa-"

"Pip, I've just been to the café. I've asked them to give you an extra shift tonight because your uncle and I need a bit of extra money at the end of the month. You start in ten minutes." She smiled at Pip, then up at Krey and crossed the road towards the house.

Krey looked down to Pip in time to catch his resentment. "That's your aunt?" Pip nodded, and his lips curled away from a smile. Krey looked back to Pip's aunt rushing down the street. He narrowed his eyes. "Ill walk you to the café then."

Pip's smile didn't return as they changed direction, away from the woods.

A small building soon came into view with a pastel blue sign saying, 'Crescent café'. The interior was pastel blue too, with booths all around the outside and tables and chairs crowding the middle. The walls were exposed brickwork, covered in large frames with black and white pictures.

The boys looked around. Only two people sat in the café.

"Pippor," Debra said with a sad smile from over the counter. Her eyes lingered on Krey for a long few seconds. "Your aunt found you then?"

"Yes." Pip matched her sad smile.

Krey couldn't stand it. "I'll stay," he said, glancing around, feeling out of place, already sensing Debra's judgement. "I'll get a drink." He sat in one of the booths, knowing he should have gone home too, but the human wasn't happy. Krey couldn't leave him like that.

"I'll be back i-in a moment." Pip hurried through the café and out of sight.

The two older men sitting at the counter turned to stare at him. Krey glared, and they looked away. He picked up a menu and stared at the choices. He was hungry, but he was also a werewolf which meant that Krey was rarely not hungry.

He only had a five-pound note on him and decided just a coffee was best.

Krey looked around the café once more. Debra's interested gaze didn't shy away. This time last week, Krey would have laughed in the face of anyone who said he'd be following his mate all over Crescent Town. Things could change quickly, too quickly. In this case, the change wasn't necessarily a bad one.

Krey felt different around Pip. The weight on his shoulders wasn't as heavy.

Pip returned wearing a white t-shirt with a pastel blue 'Crescent Café' printed on the front and 'STAFF' printed on the back. He wore a pastel blue apron around his waist. The blue matched his eyes.

Krey's gaze shot down to the menu. Why does he have to be so damn cute?

"Have you decided on a drink?" Pip asked, pursing his lips.

"Black coffee, no sugar."

Pip wrote it on his small notepad. His curious expression was returning.

Krey watched him go behind the counter, and the woman hurried over to him. Krey, being part wolf, had excellent hearing.

"Who's your friend?" the woman whispered.

Pip glanced back to Krey. Their eyes met, and he blushed. "Um... a study friend."

"So- more than a friend? Like a friend with benefits?"

"Debra!"

Krey looked away to hide his smirk. He rested elbows on the table and linked fingers to hide his mouth behind them.

"Oh, you're serious? He's just a friend?" Debra asked, a little louder over the noise of the coffee machine. Only Krey could hear them.

"Yes. I only really met him yesterday."

Debra hummed a light tune. "Well, he seems pretty keen on you, huh?"

Krey stared from the corner of his eyes. Pip flushed so severely; his entire face was red.

"Pippor, he practically undressed you with his eyes when you turned away."

Pip dropped the coffee mug, and it smashed all over the tiles. The older men cheered, and Krey turned to the window. The thought of undressing Pip had made him extremely hot. His leg bounced up and down as he started counting the trees to calm himself.

All Krey could smell was Pip. He still felt Pip's hand on his, lingering from when they shook hands. All Krey wanted was Pip's attention and affection.

Krey would have to make a move on the human at some point. Not coming across as needy or pushy was impossible for a werewolf. Krey had to slow down. He wanted Pip to like him for him, not because of the bond.

Pip returned with some coffee, struggling now to Look Krey in the eyes. Did Debra's words affect him? Krey wondered if Pip even fancied him. Did he like other men?

Francis said Pip was scared of him and Krey agreed. He spoke sharply. He hardly looked approachable with his permanent frown and werewolf aura that made humans uncomfortable. Still, Pip arrived with a smile

Krey noted that Pip wasn't the judging type. If someone was nice to him, he was kind to them.

"Sit," Krey said, accidentally using his bold alpha voice.

Pip looked at the seat opposite him, then to Debra who watched but pretended she didn't. She winked at Pip and made herself busy with cleaning glasses.

Pip looked back to the seat, then to Krey.

He slowly sat down.

They stared at each other as Pip's blue eyes gleamed.

"How long have you worked here?" Krey asked.

Talking to Pip was getting easier.

"Two years." Pip twisted his pen around his fingers.

"I-It's my first and only job."

"Like it?"

"N-not particularly."

A group of people who looked about Pip's age entered the café, ringing the bell at the top of the door. They were loud and laughing with each other.

Pip stood immediately but shrank next to the table as the group passed.

Krey recognized the humans. He glared coldly. Under the table, his hands turned to fists.

"Sorry," Pip mumbled. He rushed to the counter, grabbed more menus and hurried to the table at the back, now full of his bullies.

"Little Pippor," one guy said with a grin too big for his face. "You never did tell us how you got out of the institute."

Pip shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "D-Do you know what you want t-to order?"

Krey watched his mate stand in front of a group of people who looked at him like he was made of sloppy mud. There were consequences for Krey's anger. He wanted to beat every single person up who made Pip uncomfortable, but that might get Pip fired.

Calm yourself, he thought. Just stare them out. If they start it, you're not entirely to blame.

Pip took their orders and was out of sight for a while. Krey continued to glare across the café, slowly sipping his coffee. He felt his phone vibrating a few times in his pocket. He didn't have to look to know his mother bombarded his phone.

Krey focused on Pip's scent. Even above the smell of pie and chips, Pip's sweet fragrance was the only smell for Krey. He used that to keep him calm as some of the humans across the café tried to stare him out too. They lost and still laughed about it with their friends.

Krey wasn't laughing. He barely even blinked.

He would have stared for longer, but the doors to the kitchen opened, and Pip walked out with a large tray of drinks. Krey's eyes just had to see him.

Apparently, the same applied for Pip.

As the human walked through the café, he turned his head to look at Krey. They were several metres apart, but Krey felt his presence as though Pip was right in front of him. When they locked eyes, Krey felt the bond tugging on his bones. It was slowly but surely getting stronger. He would have to spend most of his days with Pip to build a relationship before having to tell him about being mates.

Krey hoped Pip would feel the love enough not to be too overwhelmed with the bond.

Pip smiled at him from across the café. Krey was so captivated by his blue eyes and dimples that the corners of his lips twitched.

Krey very nearly showed a hint of a smile, until Pip didn't look where he was going and caught his foot on one of the chairs around the busy table. The tray in his good hand wobbled, and the drinks fell onto the guy who liked to do all the talking.

The guy bounced from his seat. Lemonade soaked his t-shirt and trousers. Glasses smashed on the floor. The empty café silenced, and Pip covered his mouth with a hand.

"Oh god," Krey heard Pip whisper. "M-Mark, I'm so- so sorry!"

The guy Pip called Mark snapped his head in his direction, steam practically pouring from his ears. He marched to Pip before Krey could even stand and shoved Pip hard enough for him to fall back against another table and topple over it and into the chairs.

The moment Mark's hands had touched Pip's chest, the werewolf was on his feet. Krey's anger took over and he tore through the café, flinging tables and chairs out of his way.

He aimed for Mark, lifting his fist.

Before his knuckled made contact with Marks's face, Krey saw his reflection in Mark's glasses. Krey's eyes were glowing red, blood red.

Krey didn't care.