Page 27 of Jared

Jared flushed. “Th-thank you. Ummm, that'd be nice.” Jared looked over at the petite woman standing next to a stainless steel beast of a coffee machine. “A cappuccino, please.”

The woman smiled. “I'll bring the drinks in to you.” She tilted her head and gazed at Steve. “Same as always?”

“You know me well.”

She snorted. “We only see you in here every day that ends in 'y'.”

“That's your fault for being so good.”

I feel like Alice. Only instead of a rabbit, I followed a wolf right through this looking glass.Jared had never felt so far out his depth.

10

The apartment was no longer stuffy, but there was an odd smell.

“What is that?” Desmond wrinkled his nose. Sakura sneered back at him in reply. “Yeah, yeah, I know, time for food. Huh, I thought there was more for you than that. I'll have to go get you some more. I'll stop by the butcher tomorrow after work.”

Sakura replied by trying to entangle his legs as she threaded her way around and through them.

“Look, Miss Thang,” he chided. “If I trip and fall, you won't be getting this any faster.” He opened the plastic container, slipped the contents into a bag that he zipped closed, then placed in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes before decanting the meat into her bowl.

“There, see. And I even warmed it up for you just the way you like it.” Sakura ignored him in favor of sniffing at the meat in her bowl before tearing into a chunk. “Yeah, you're welcome,” he muttered.

He wrinkled his nose again. The scent reminded him of old bologna sandwiches. He shrugged. Maybe they needed to see about shampooing the carpets. He stretched. Carrying the bags of clothes had tired his arms out a bit, especially after all the packing and unpacking.

A shower and then the Xbox before bed.

Steve surprised himself with how closely he was able to pay attention to what the other man was saying about their plans for expansion. He could practically feel his mate's tension. And why does he need to keep nibbling on his lower lip like that? Does he have any idea what he does to me when he does that?

Laurie cleared his throat. “So, as I was saying, the shop next door is looking for a larger space as well, but as they're a book store, they don't have a lot of specialist equipment such as ovens and what not to move like we do. We'd like to take their space if possible.”

“Huh? Oh, yes, sure. I'll have to speak with them and find out if they've located a new space yet and sound them out as to when they'd plan on making their move. Alternatively, we do have a lot of room behind this building and could apply to build an extension maybe.”

Laurie waved a hand. “That would require a complete re-model for us, to move the kitchen to the rear. That would preferably be a last resort.”

Steve frowned. “Yeah, I can see where that would take longer to do. Just don't make any plans to move out or anything until I speak to them, please? I'll try to get a hold of the owners tomorrow.” Steve wracked his brains. Ah... I wonder if the bookstore would be interested in the retail space that's for sale that's a few blocks the other side of our building. Perhaps the pack could invest in it and expand our holdings while keeping known clients happy.

Jared turned to serve the customer who had just approached the register. His face blanched.

“Hi. Fancy running into you here. We've missed you at the club. How about we go grab some lunch?”

Jared's mouth went dry. “Uh, n-no. Sorry, I can't. I'm not off until four and my boyfriend will be here to pick me up.”

“Your boyfriend can't save you now.”

When had the he gotten to the alley behind the store? Jared backed up, meeting the dumpster at his back. He heard laughter.

“He sure can't. He's not here and won't be until four o'clock, right?” The second man who appeared in the alley rubbed his hands in delight.

A third all too familiar voice then, next to his ear. “On your knees, and open your mouth.” A rough hand grabbed his shoulder and shoved him down.

“Please, stop! N-” his voice cut off as he gagged on the thick member being forced past his lips. Tears filled his eyes as he struggled to breathe through his nose, the pain in his jaw made worse by the cruel fingers digging into his chin as it kept his mouth pried open. A deep growling sounded nearby. Abruptly, the offending flesh was pulled away as its owner turned to face the wolf that made its way towards them.

“Nice doggy,” the second man said as he raised a gun. A muzzle flash was followed by a yelp. The wolf fell. “Silver bullets, hey. Didn't think we'd come unprepared, right? Thought you could sneak the fact that he's a wolf past us, boy?”

“That's not friendly” the first man said.

“No. Steve...” Jared collapsed onto his knees, one hand beseeching Steve to get up. The eyes had already begun to dull over and Jared knew he'd lost his chance at true happiness. “You fuckers!”