Adea
His hand is on my waist as we walk down the hall. Little tingles shoot up my side where his hand rests.
Gabe’s door opens before we get to the elevator. When he steps out, I notice he looks tired, like he hasn’t slept all night.
He walks over to me and gives me one of his big bear hugs. “You okay?”
“Y-” I’m cut off by a low menacing growl. Gabe and I both look behind me to see Ethan glaring at Gabe’s arms around me.
Gabe’s eyes widen in understanding and he lifts his hands in the air. Inhaling, Ethan cracks his neck, before closing his eyes.
“I’ve just found my mate and we have little restraint when it comes to … unmated males touching what is ours.”
Opening his eyes, Ethan presses the button on the elevator. “I understand, Alpha,” Gabe says with a bow.
Ethan gets into the elevator and pulls me in against him. “We’re headed to breakfast, we can catch up later. Okay, Gabe?”
Gabe gives me a nod and flashes his crooked smile. Ethan drops his head low near my neck. His breath makes my insides clench and I wave to Gabe as the door closes.
Ethan’s arm snakes around my waist.
“He’s just a friend,” I mumble and slowly lean back until my back touches muscle. “Gabe has been my good friend… you don’t have to worry about him.”
Ethan doesn’t say anything else. When the elevator dings, his grip on my waist disappears, and before I can complain he grabs my hand.
When we walk into the lobby, we bump into a she-wolf.
“Good morning Alpha,” she says with a quick bow before turning to me with a smile.
“Good morning Adea,” she says as she leans in and gives me a tight hug. I don’t remember meeting her.
“Oh right, we haven’t met yet. My name is Olivia and I’m the Gamma of Desert Moon.” “Good morning Gamma,” I say smiling at her. She’s a few inches taller than me, and she’s wearing a black shirt with a white snake and denim shorts. Her black hair is straightened and falls right above her shoulders and her gray eyes remind me of Mavy.
“I’m sorry about last night but don’t worry he’ll be taken care of,” she says and a hint of anger flashes in her eyes.
I hadn’t even thought of Shane. I need to ask Ethan, “What-”
He pulls me into his side and his closeness has a calmness washing over me.
“That’s the mate bond working,” Korra coos. “Isn’t he perfect?” She purrs.
“We need to ask about Shane, Korra,” I mentally scold her.
“Why? Our Alpha will take care of it,” she says and I can feel her disdain for Shane.
“Where are you guys off to?” Olivia asks while looking between me and Ethan.
“I’m taking her to town for breakfast,” Ethan says with a small smile.
“Going to miss out on Sasha’s cooking today? She’s making chicken and waffles,” Olivia says.
“No, she can have Sasha’s cooking next week. She’ll be staying here from now on and I want to take her to The Sweet Note,” he murmurs.
“Ooh, can I come?” She asks with excitement.
Her eyes widen and she blinks, “Silly me, three’s a crowd,” she says before we can answer.
Ethan chuckles before he leads us outside.
“I’ll see you later, Adea,” she calls after me.
“Bye,” I say and wave back.
“Well that was a little weird,” I mentally tell Korra.
“Hmm.. she smells funny, doesn’t she?” She mumbles deep in thought.
“You’ll have to excuse Olivia, she has a way of knowing things,” Ethan says as we walk up to a white old-fashioned corvette.
“Wow,” I let out a low whistle. She’s flawless and has a beautiful deep red leather interior.
“Thanks, she’s a 1953 corvette,” he says beaming with pride. I watch him walk forward and open the door for me.
My heart warms and I get into the front seat. Comfy and soft, “Thank you,” I tell him as he closes the door.
He runs over to the driver’s side and hops over and into his seat. I smile as he revs the engine and we take off.
It takes about 20 minutes. before we get to town. I can’t believe he’s helped build this small city. It’s bustling and businesses are full of people. Parents are walking with their children and couples are on dates. We pull up to the first free parking spot we see.
“I can’t wait for you to try their waffles,” he says with a small moan. He opens my door for me and I look up at the restaurant as I hop out.
It’s got a little dining area outside, the building is a rustic off-white color, and long green branches are stretching along with the building. The shop has ceiling to floor windows and the door is a cute salmon color with a black quarter note on the front. There’s a cute little sign that reads, ‘The Sweet Note’.
When we get inside there’s a cute backsplash that resembles grass. There’s a neon sign that says ‘Do what makes you happy. It’s a quaint little shop with white booths on the left side and an open kitchen separated by a long counter.
The waitress behind the counter greets us, “Good morning! Have a seat anywhere you like Alpha.” Korra mentally growls and I have to bite my lip to stop my own growl. He grabs us a booth in the back corner.
When we sit Ethan smiles at me. “My favorite thing to eat here is the Love Note. It’s a thick and sweet waffle that’s covered in fresh strawberries, blueberries, a drizzle of Nutella, and whipped cream. They don’t have syrup here they have their own special sauce. I don’t know how to explain it other than to say it’s pure bliss.”
I can’t help but laugh. It’s the most I’ve heard him talk and it’s about a waffle. “I’ll take your word for it. I’d like to try that.”
“Kelsey, we’ll take two of my usual.” He says calling over to the waitress.
“Would you guys like anything to drink?” She asks us.
“Just water for me,” I say with a smile.
“I’ll have a glass of orange juice, please. Thanks.” He tells her.
“I can’t wait to try it,” I say when my stomach lets out a loud growl.
“Nice,” Korra laughs.
I grab my stomach and blush while Ethan laughs. “What do you think of Desert Moon?” He asks while leaning in.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach as his gray eyes stare at me with curiosity. “It’s got a small-town feel to it. I haven’t had the chance to explore much of it yet but when I drove through with Gabe we were shocked to see that the town was almost as big as a city.”
His smile slips a little, “How long have you known Gabe?”
“I’ve known him ever since I moved into the Half Moon packhouse. So… about 4 years now.”
He’s silent for a few minutes before he takes a deep breath. “I wasn’t sure what to think when he took you to your room last night. But after I cleaned up, I came up to your room and he was sitting in the chair by your bed.”
Shit. I completely forgot Gabe took me to my room last night. Ugh. I’m the worst friend ever. I should have stopped by his room this morning.
“Stop beating yourself up, he was probably sleeping in,” Korra reassures me and I smile at that. We both know how much he loves his sleep.
Kelsey interrupts my thoughts when she puts our plates in front of us. “Enjoy!” She says before heading back to the kitchen.
I look down at my plate, it looks too good to eat. The waffle is huge and the special sauce he was talking about is a thin white color. I cut a piece of the strawberry-covered waffle and take a bite.
I close my eyes and let out a moan as I savor the flavor. It’s sweet and the waffle is thick and soft. The little drizzle of Nutella is like icing on the cake.
“This is amazing,” I say opening my eyes. Ethan is staring at me with lust-filled eyes. My wolf is basically drooling and wagging her tail as we feel Ethan’s gaze drop down to my lips.
“Told you,” He says in a low voice.
I nod as I take another bite. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask me whatever you’d like little one,” he says while he cuts up his waffle.
“Have you been with a lot of women?” He chokes a little before swallowing.
“I won’t lie to you. I’m no saint.”
Korr’as head drops low and she growls as the thought of him in bed with someone else crosses my mind.
“You didn’t think he’d stay pure for us did you?” I ask her.
“I don’t know what I was expecting but I do know that the thought of him with some she-wolf doesn’t sit right with me,” Korra growls.
“Have you had many lovers?” I’m surprised by his question.
“Other than… Shane… there hasn’t been anyone else,” I say in a quiet whisper.
He clenches his jaw and nods his head before he continues eating.
We finish our food and he holds my hand as we walk downtown. He takes me into a few boutiques to pick out some clothes. He picks out a few of them and makes me choose what I want.
If I didn’t he threatened to buy one of everything in the shop. By the time we’re done shopping, we have more bags than we can carry.
“Let’s head back to the packhouse. I think we’ve done well today,” he says with a chuckle. After we’ve loaded the bags into the trunk he walks me to the passenger’s side and opens the door for me.
Before I get in, I look up at him, and leaning onto my toes I reach up and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you for the gifts,” I tell him before getting in.
He smiles before closing the door. When he gets in, he grabs my hand and lifts it to his lips, “The pleasure was mine, Adea.”