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“Agreed. As far as breakfast food goes, my expertise is mostly in pancakes. Maya went through a phase where she made pancakes every day. It felt like it was a year, but it was probably only a few weeks. But I’ve got the recipe memorized still and we make it together every so often.”

“She made them when she was young?” Connor sat on the entryway bench while I tied up my boots. He had slip-ons that he put on easily enough, meanwhile I was still stuck on wearing boots like I had when I worked. Old habits die hard.

“Yes, but she tended to forget about them, and so she would leave the skillet on, and if no one was there to watch it, we’d end up with charred pieces of pancake, and the burnt smell took forever to clear.”

Connor laughed. “I bet those are great memories for her.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t remember the burning part.” I grabbed the keys off the hook. I’m not even sure why I had one of those, considering I only had one set of keys. The again, maybe soon I’d add an extra set there?

“Does she still like to cook?”

I shrugged one shoulder. “Not sure. I know she doesn’t get a chance with her travel schedule.”

The two of us made our way to the car. We didn’t mention that at some point Connor would have to go home for the day, or what our plans were beyond breakfast. In this moment, we were in our own little bubble and any and all outside problems didn’t matter.

Being able to ignore my problems was quite impressive since they were wolf related and I was purposely going to hang out with the pack. And my mate. Who was also the center of my problem.

I should have broached the subject last night, but the evening had gotten away from me. Then things had been too perfect for me to want to ruin it with a serious talk.

Telling Connor he was my mate and if he accepted my claim then he too could be a wolf, but if he didn’t, then I might be stuck as a wolf wasn’t exactly great pillow talk.

The parking lot was full when we arrived. I couldn’t believe how many people were packed into the small diner. Yet when we walked in, many of them turned our way. It only took me a moment to see why, most everyone in the diner was part of the pack. Those that weren’t probably knew about werewolves for some reason or another. Mason assured me they kept a record of who knew and why. We tried to keep ourselves hidden, but things happened. Within moments, a table was opened for us.

“Connor, Jack, great to see you,” Madison, another pack member, said, shaking her head. “We were hoping you would be here today!” She snapped her fingers, and a teenager at the booth next to us stood up. “Amanda, did you meet Connor and Jack at the gathering the other day?”

The teen shook her head. “No, I was with my friends.” She held out a hand, and when I shook her hand, she bared her neck slightly. “Nice to meet you, Alpha.”

Madison beamed like something important just happened, though I wasn’t sure what.

“And this is Connor,” Madison said. She wrapped him in a tight hug. His widened eyes told me it took him by surprise, yet he returned the hug easily enough. “I’m so happy you are here. I didn’t get a chance to meet you at the gathering the other day. You are just as handsome as everyone said.”

Connor laughed and held on to her hand as she let go of the hug. “Thank you. Are you the same Madison that made that delicious blueberry cobbler?”

Her eyes lit up. “I am! Did you get a piece?”

“I did, and even if this guy,” he jerked his thumb at me, “kicks me to the curb, I’ll be coming back for more of that. It was to die for.”

Madison slapped at his arm playfully. “I’ll make sure to bake up a batch and get it over to Jack. The two of you can share.”

Another younger person came to the table, and Madison stepped back. “Jack, Connor, this is Benjamin. He’ll be taking care of you today. And if he isn’t around, feel free to let Amanda know if you need anything. She’s not working today, but she doesn’t mind helping out. Though she is supposed to be studying for a math exam, so maybe let her be.”

“Thanks, Madison. I can’t wait. Everything smells delicious,” Connor said, ever the charmer.

Now that we were settled, it seemed that everyone else had gone back to their own conversations. Though I had a feeling that we would be interrupted by more than one person during our meal.

I found that I didn’t mind at all. If Connor managed to charm everyone the way he did Madison, we would be just fine.

Chapter 18

Connor

It was odd to be home alone, where it was quiet. I’d begun to get used to all the boisterous activity that seemed to follow whenever I was near Jack. Whether it was being interrupted by Maya, attending the pack gathering, or simply being at the diner where there were lots of people. Pack members approached and greeted us regularly, even if it was just to say hi. Many of them sought out advice from Jack about various things—the state of the roof on their house or new car purchase. The kind of stuff you’d ask a wise, trusted friend. Which I supposed made sense. Jack did have the air about him.

It made me appreciate the time that we had when it was just the two of us. I loved seeing him interact with his new pack, but I also loved the quiet time we had together on our date.

Except now I was at my home and it was just me, by myself, alone.

Normal, societal expectations dictated that I put some space between Jack and me. Things were moving quickly, even if we hadn’t voiced our feelings out loud. The thoughts that ran through my head were much too soon for the relationship at hand. I wanted to move in with him. I wanted to be near him all the time. I wanted to state my promises to him that all of my tomorrows would be his. Our future was entwined and we would never be apart. I wanted his mark on my neck, even though that was not something I even thought was a thing. It felt right, and that was all I cared about.