Wild Wolves

Chapter 1

Aubrey

My body was trembling, and I couldn't catch my breath, terrified I'd destroy everything. I stood in front of my mom's diner for the first time since she had passed away three months before. My first instinct was to sell the place, but the guilt I felt over getting rid of the place my mom loved so much was too much for me. The thought of running the place was daunting. My mom always made everything seem effortless, but I was quickly learning how hard it was to do all the things she did.

A red sun hovered over the horizon outside the windows of the diner. The Closed sign still hung on the front door. To the left of the door, as if in mourning with me, my mom's plants were wilting and drooping. I started making a mental list of everything that needed to be fixed and it was getting long.

I looked around at the diner my mom loved so much and felt disheartened by how it looked. Not only that, but I saw scratches and tears on the red vinyl seats of the four booths and eight stools. The paint on the trim along the walls and the counter was chipping away. The black and red linoleum had gotten ripped and worn over the years. My mom’s old jukebox loomed in the corner against the wall, still broken after three years.

The heaviness in my heart continued to grow, but I had to keep pushing through it. My mom always told me not to get stuck being sad because I would get nothing done. She would rather I got mad. At least then I would fight. She said I was so stubborn she knew I wouldn't stop until I'd finished what I started, just to prove anyone who doubted me wrong.

Everything around me seemed so different from before. Without my mom there, it seemed foreign to me. The place I had spent half of my life in had become almost unrecognizable to me. Logan must have been feeling the same way because he walked straight to my mother's office.

Almost instantly, the sound of the classic rock music from my mom’s favorite radio station echoed through the empty dining room. I closed my eyes to stop the tears that had already filled my eyes. Blinking them away, I attempted to focus on what needed to be done.

You don't have to do this, Logan said sympathetically as he hugged me. You don't have to open today. I don't want you to do anything that is going to make this harder on you. People will understand.

Hiding at home will not help, either. At least this gives me something to focus on. I replied, wiping away the tears.

Okay, but if at any point you tell me you're done, we are closing up and leaving. I don't care if I have to escort every customer out of the door myself.

When I unlocked the door, a small crowd of people was waiting to get in. In their eyes, I saw sadness and pity as they walked past me into the diner. I forced a smile, using all the strength I had not to fall apart. The two servers took orders while I finished wiping down the counter and refilling everything.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't see that the new server was about to drop the tray in her hands. Dishes landed on the ground. It was followed by the crash of the tray as it hit the ground, spilling its content as it fell. I snapped out of my daze and hurried to help clean the mess in front of the counter.

The new server, Ellen, was the sixteen-year-old daughter of one of my mom's friends and looked like she was about to cry. Her ivory face was turning red from embarrassment. She scrambled to pick up the dishes with her shaky hands.

It's ok, Ellen. Just take a deep breath. Go get some air or splash water on your face. You just need to calm down, I said, helping her up from the floor.

She nodded, tears falling down her face. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to it yet.

Don't worry about it. I've done the same thing a thousand times and should have been used to it ages ago. Just take a break for a few minutes. You'll be fine.

I got all the dishes back on the tray and set them on the counter. The other server, Gloria, who had worked at the diner since it opened, cleaned up the food from the floor. Quickly, she had it clean and went back to work, waving me away when I attempted to thank her. She smiled at me before I walked away, finally allowing me to see something familiar.

There was another loud crash in the kitchen and I froze for a second, dreading what might have been the cause. Before I started slowly walking towards the kitchen, Logan ran out and apologized to everyone.

I'm sorry folks, but we have to close early. We are having a little trouble in the kitchen. Everything should be fixed soon. We hope to see you when we open the doors again, he explained with a nervous smile, ushering people towards the door.

I ran to the kitchen in horror, scared of the damage I was about to see. When I walked through the door, I saw the counter covered in debris from what used to be the ceiling. My heart sank at the sight of the mess that covered the kitchen. My chest felt tight, and my breathing became labored as anxiety swept through.

I felt every emotion I had been attempting to hold in, inching its way to the surface, while I struggled to keep it all in. When Logan came back, we cleaned up the mess as all the things that went wrong went through my head. My shoulders fell forward, and I hung my head, covering my face with my hands. I felt so ashamed like I had disappointed my mom.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get away from that place. Grabbing the bags of trash, I headed outside to the dumpster.

From behind, I heard a motorcycle quickly approaching. I whipped around just in time to see it stop inches away from me, kicking up a cloud of dirt all around me. I waved the dust away from my face, trying not to inhale it as best I could.

What the hell is wrong with you? You almost hit me, I snapped, already too far past the point of giving a shit if I upset someone.

Calm down, Sparky. I wasn't gonna hit you. I know what I'm doing. The man said before dismounting the bike.

Sparky? Are you fucking serious? The last guy who called me that was in high school and... Then my brain finally caught up to reality. Hayden? Is that you?

The one and only, Sparky. Did you miss me? He asked, taking his helmet and glasses off, so I could see his face.

He was still as gorgeous as ever, though I wouldn't admit that to him. He seemed taller than the last time I saw him, and his arms had gotten so big it was hard not to notice. The long black hair he had in high school had gotten even longer, barely passing his shoulder blades. His dark hair and tanned skin made him seem more mysterious, something I could never resist.

What are you doing here, Hayden? Now is not the time for whatever bullshit game you're playing, I replied, trying to ignore how my heart was racing just being near him again.

The memory of the first time I watched him change from a man to a wolf sprung in my head as the moonlight hit him, illuminating his entire body. I had never experienced more fear than the night I found out he was a shifter.

You didn't tell her? Hayden asked, looking back at Logan, who had just opened the back door of the diner.

I intended to tell her before you showed up in the morning. What the hell are you doing here now? Logan responded, not moving from the door.

It doesn't matter why I'm here. You said you'd talk to her.

Well, you could have talked to her yourself instead of calling me and asking me to do it.

Somebody better talk to me now! I demanded, growing angrier by the second.

Aubrey. I meant to tell you earlier, but Hayden is going to fix the roof. He said he and Dante could fix it. We just have to buy the materials, Logan said sheepishly as he walked out of the diner.

No, I snapped, then headed back inside to get my purse.

Aubrey, it's the cheapest and easiest way to fix it, Logan pleaded, following behind me into the office.

Are you crazy, Logan? Do you remember when they left town?

Yeah. I know Hayden hurt you, but it happened years ago.

I'm not talking about me. Dante almost killed some man in a bar fight. Do you remember that? Do you remember why he was fighting to begin with? He's in trouble. He's always been in trouble.

As I walked past him, I grabbed my purse and didn't say a word. I went back outside and went straight to my car, avoiding any contact with Hayden as well. I spent the drive to my house yelling out everything I wish I had said to them and fighting back the tears that had been building up all day long.

Will you please listen to me, Aubrey? He asked through the door.

The wave of emotions that flooded through me made it impossible for me to think rationally. The pain I thought I had put behind me quickly resurfaced, adding to the mounting devastation over the loss of my mother. Tears streamed down my face as I stood with my back pressed up against the door, knowing the man who had tossed me aside like I meant nothing to him stood on the other side.

Aubrey? He said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

What? I asked, opening the door to see him standing in front of me, looking guilty and unsure of himself for once.

Can I come in? Please, I won't stay long. I promise.

I stepped back, so he could enter my house, the scent of his cologne invading my senses as he passed. He followed me to the couch, where we sat down. In silence, I sat waiting for him to speak, trying to maintain the little control I still had over my emotions. The look of sadness and guilt on his face pulled at my heart, making it difficult to hold on to the anger that had been keeping me strong.

I'm sorry about just unexpectedly showing up tonight. I'm sorry about many things. Your mom was always good to me and Dante. She gave us work when no one else would. Even after Dante started getting into trouble, she still attempted to help us. She was a wonderful woman and if there is any way that we could help with her diner...your diner, we would love to, his voice was shaky as he spoke, a vast contrast to his usual confident demeanor.

Hayden, this diner means a lot to me. You expect me to trust the two of you with it after knowing everything that I know?

I expect nothing, Aubrey. We just wanted to help and to pay our respect to someone who didn't look at us the way most people did.

Listening to him talk about what my mother meant to him was more than I could take, and he was right. My mother would have been the first to say yes. Everything that I had been pushing down all day came rushing to the surface, forcing me to break down in front of the last person I wanted to witness it.

He moved closer to me on the couch and put his arms around me. My instinct to push him away was overtaken by my need for comfort and I held on to him while I cried.

Please, let us help you. If you don't want me around anymore, I promise I will leave, he whispered into my ear.

I nodded in agreement, unable to speak, and felt my body relax as he stroked my hair. His arms brought a feeling of safety that I had been searching for since I lost my mother. The danger that came along with letting down my guard around him was the last thing on my mind as I sat in silence once again.

Chapter 2

Hayden

The sight of Aubrey outside the diner remained in my head, lingering the way thoughts of her usually did. She had changed in the three years I had been away. Her skinny body had filled out, leaving her with voluptuous curves that were hard to miss. She wasn't as shy and passive as she used to be. It pissed me off how hard getting her out of my head became once she was in there.

I had thought about her body a million times. I had been so close to having every part of her, but I gave it up. Having her once would not have been enough. I’d have needed more of her, and she would never have allowed me to have more of her, unless it was only going to be her and no one else. That was something I hadn’t been ready for.

All my life, I was told that I would find my mate, the person I would be with forever. I never thought that I would find that person when I was eighteen years old, or that she would be a human. When Dante first told me he thought she was the one that my destiny had chosen for me to be with, I almost laughed in his face. How was I supposed to end up with someone like Aubrey, so innocent and sweet? Even with my doubts, I could never get her out of my head, and I tried every way I could think of.

Are we going or what? Dante, my older brother, asked, standing at the door of my room.

I was just waiting for you, I replied, feeling my bulging cock underneath my zipper.

I quickly got up from my bed and walked past him out of my room, hoping that he hadn't noticed.

If you need a few minutes alone, I can wait, he said with a chuckle as I hurried to my bike.

The smell of paint grew stronger the closer we got to the door of the diner. The rock music playing covered up the sound of us entering. I walked to the office, expecting to find Aubrey there, but found it empty. I walked back out to tell Dante that she wasn't in there. He was standing in the kitchen, staring into the dining room. I followed his gaze and saw her standing in the dining room. In a tight blue tank top and short blue jean shorts, she stood there painting. Her long brown hair was in a braid down to her waist, resting just above her perfect ass. I couldn’t help but stare as she swayed back and forth, moving her hips to the music that was playing.

You wanna stop drooling for a second and help me unload the shit from the truck? Dante asked, snapping me back into reality.

I'm not drooling, I just wanted to see what she was painting, I responded, turning around to face him.

Dude, it's Aubrey. She's painting the stars and galaxy bullshit she always paints, he said, as we walked out to the truck,

I stopped and looked at him, surprised by how confident he had said that. In all the time I had spent with Aubrey, she spent half of it drawing or painting. There is no way I would have been able to say what she had been drawing. Was it possible that Dante paid more attention to Aubrey than I did? I got the feeling that there was something that Dante wasn’t telling me about Aubrey, but I let it go rather than be accused of being jealous. It wasn’t jealousy that I was feeling. It was something else. I just couldn't put it into words and I wasn't about to try.

I didn't know that's what she was drawing. How did you know?

I asked her a long time ago. She said she's fascinated with the universe. That's all she ever draws.

He walked past me, letting me know the conversation had ended. The sudden burst of anger that zipped through me caught me off guard. Suddenly, the thought of Dante being closer to her than I was sparked something in me like I needed to prove my relationship with her was stronger. I kept my mouth shut and my thoughts to myself as we unloaded the truck.

You're right. She has changed in the past three years. I bet you feel a little stupid for ditching her now, don't you? He said with his ‘I told you so,’ grin.

No, as a matter of fact, I don't. I did the best thing for both of us. I could never be the man she wanted me to be. There was no point in pretending that I could. It saved us both the pain and frustration.

Whatever you say, man.

What is that supposed to mean?

It means that you like the girl. It was obvious then, and it's obvious now. I never understood why you decided that finding your mate was such a horrible thing. Most of us look forward to that.

Well, I'm sorry. I don't. Besides, she's human. How is she supposed to adapt to being around a bunch of shifters? She can't protect herself, which means I'd have to spend all my time keeping her safe. It would be too dangerous for her to be left alone for any period of time.

She grew up around a bunch of shifters. She just didn't know it then. How is it any different? All the same people who were friends with her then are friends with her now. Is the problem that you would need to protect her too much of a hassle or is it that you are afraid that you wouldn't be able to protect her?

Both, honestly.