Chapter Twelve
Elias
I rose with the sun, despite our late night.
Not that I’d slept much. I woke to every sound, despite the fact that the previous scare had turned out to be nothing.
Anathea was genuinely in danger, her previous pack wanting her back as if she had zero say in the matter.
We had spoken among ourselves about what that text meant and needing to do some research into the pack to figure out what they might be going to try.
Omegas did not have the rights of others in our culture, so if they showed up and picked up their contractually agreed-to “property,” nobody would really care.
Certainly nobody would take action. The problem was, we could not protect her from a distance.
And we had not even gone on a date with her yet. None of us.
As I searched the refrigerator and the cupboards for items to make her breakfast, I decided that someone was going to have to take the first step toward dating her.
Anathea did not have a lot of options in her kitchen, and what she did was clearly from the dollar store.
Off brands, faded packaging, not what we would ever want our mate to eat.
I did find a box of pancake mix whose expiration date was only a week before and a jar of strawberry jam that looked pretty fresh.
I’d always loved crepes, and although I didn’t have the ingredients I wanted, I managed to get a stack of thin hotcakes spread with jam that looked and smelled delicious.
“What did you do?” Anathea came into the kitchen, barefoot and yawning. “You sent out?”
“No, I made it. I’m not a chef, but I do like to mess around in the kitchen. And I made coffee.”
“You’re a saint. I need caffeine after being up in the middle of the night like that.”
“Then sit right down at the counter and I’ll wait on you.”
“You don’t have to do that. I already put you out, making you stay over. I hate to admit how safe it made me feel.”
“Then I did my job.”
Despite her argument, she settled on a stool with one leg tucked under her.
Anathea still wore the long T-shirt she’d slept in, the one she’d had on when we showed up, and her hair had a rumpled appearance that lent a true intimacy to the moment.
I filled mugs with coffee and set them to the counter along with the pint of creamer I’d found in the refrigerator.
It was already sweetened, and I hadn’t found any sugar, so that was it.
But along with the pancakes, I thought it made a fairly complete breakfast, and to judge by the omega’s humming happiness while devouring a stack of the cakes she liked it. She even added more jam, and I made a mental note that our omega had a sweet tooth. I wanted to know everything about her.
Refilling our mugs, I sat down again. “Do you have to go to work today?”
“No.” She picked up her coffee. “I have the whole day off. Why?”
“Would you like to spend it with me?” I held my breath, waiting for her response. “It’s my day off as well.”
“Sure. That sounds nice.” She took a deep drink of coffee then hopped off the stool. “I’ll go shower and get dressed.”
I called Jayden, who brought clean clothes and my toothbrush and shower bag. I met him at the door. “Thanks. I did put on a fresh shirt before we came over, but I don’t want to go on the first date with our female in something I slept in.”
His jaw dropped. “You asked her on a date? And she said yes? That’s amazing.”
“To be honest, I just suggested spending the day together. And she did say yes.”
“Close enough. Represent us well!”
“I’ll do my best.”
As soon as Anathea disappeared into her bedroom, wrapped in a voluminous bathrobe that somehow managed to be sexy, I also showered and dressed then joined her in the living room. “Ready?”
She smiled. “I am. What are we doing? I hope this is all right?” She wore jeans and a fitted tee with a lightweight hoodie.
“Absolutely. I thought we’d take a little hike and then go out to lunch?” I had considered suggesting a shift, but it felt so intimate with our omega, I’d hesitated.
“Yes! I don’t spend nearly enough time in nature, and I really love it.”
“Before we go, I noticed you don’t have a bandage on. You’ve shifted?”
“I did. My wolf told me it was time.”
“Perfect. Do you mind if I take a look at your hand?”
She held it out, and I cupped it in mine. “Looks great, right?”
Tracing the soft skin of her palm, I found no signs she’d ever been hurt. “Excellent.” Reluctantly I let go, hoping more opportunities would present for holding her hands in a non-medical way. “All right, then. Let’s go.”
We took her car because I’d arrived with the other guys in Carter’s truck.
And while I was tempted to offer to drive, I resisted.
We drove outside of town to a natural area, bought bottled water at the visitor center, and strolled the trails.
It wasn’t the kind of place we’d shift, at least not in the summertime when lots of others were out there, but on two legs?
We were just an ordinary pair exploring the native plantings and enjoying the birds and butterflies and small wildlife.
Talking about small things like our work and the weather.
It was heaven.
We agreed on the diner for our lunch, a really good choice after our invigorating walk.
Cheeseburgers, their huckleberry shakes, and a plate of onion rings “for the table,” at the suggestion of the very friendly and attentive server.
It seemed every time I looked up, she was there asking if we needed anything else.