3. Tobias

CHAPTER THREE

TOBIAS

I fumbled with the helmet strap for a few seconds, my mind still reeling from the whirlwind of emotions that had swept through me tonight.

First, Draven seemed ready to leave, and then the next moment, he decided to stay the night?

It was all so confusing. I couldn't help but wonder if I was the reason he changed his mind.

Ridiculous, I knew, but a small part of me dared to hope.

"Here, let me," Draven's voice broke through my thoughts, and I watched as he took the helmet from my hands.

With practiced ease, he undid the strap, placed the helmet on my head, and tugged the strap tighter.

His closeness sent a shiver down my spine, and I couldn't resist giving him a subtle sniff, trying to make sense of his scent.

The faint smell of alcohol lingered on him, but underneath that was something unexpected—a mix of mountain pine and the scent of freshly ironed clothes.

It was an intriguing combination, one that stirred my curiosity.

"Are you sniffing me?" Draven's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Um, yeah, you got me there," I admitted sheepishly, unable to meet his gaze.

"It's just, I've never met an alligator shifter before. Or is it crocodile?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Draven's reaction caught me off guard. His brows furrowed, and for a moment, he seemed almost insulted by my question.

Then he quickly recovered and gave me a toothy grin.

"I suppose you'd just have to stick around long enough to find out," Draven said, his tone teasing.

He then proceeded to give me instructions on how to properly sit on a motorcycle.

Moments later, my feet were off the ground, and I had wrapped my arms around his solid waist, trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

"Scared?" Draven asked, his voice soft with concern.

I shook my head, then admitted, "This is my first time riding a motorcycle."

Draven didn't laugh or make a joke out of my confession.

Instead, he reassured me, "Don't worry. I'm a careful driver. And I burn off alcohol faster than most shifters.”

His words eased some of my nerves. Draven revved the engine and we sped off into the night.

I found myself holding on tight, trusting Draven to keep us safe.

At first, I was terrified, my grip on Draven's waist tight as we zoomed down the road.

I kept my eyes fixed on the square of his back, unable to focus on anything else. But true to his word, Draven didn't speed up or show off.

Instead, he maintained a steady pace, navigating the twists and turns of the road with precision.

Gradually, I found myself relaxing, the initial fear giving way to a sense of exhilaration.

I loosened my hold on Draven, allowing myself to lean into the ride. As we cruised along, I couldn't help but marvel at the sights around us.

The town where I had grown up my entire life looked different from this vantage point, almost alien.

Perhaps it was the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins, or maybe it was simply the presence of Draven beside me, but everything seemed to take on a new perspective as we sped by.

"Where to next?" Draven asked.

I hesitated for a moment, savoring the thrill of the ride and wanting to prolong this moment just a little longer.

"Take a left here," I said, purposely giving him the wrong directions.

Well, to be fair, I wouldn't call it wrong, but I simply wanted us to take a more scenic route to the Moonlight Inn.

Soon enough, we arrived at our destination. I dismounted from Draven's motorcycle, my feet touching the solid ground once more.

With a small smile, I handed him back his helmet, but part of me was still reluctant to part with him.

An idea struck me, and I blurted it out before I could second-guess myself.

"I should go with you inside. I know the proprietress, Mrs. Harris. Maybe I could convince her to give you a discount," I said lamely, hoping he wouldn't see through my thinly veiled excuse to spend more time with him.

"Sure, why not?" Draven said, unstrapping his pack from his bike and shouldering it.

He followed me inside the inn, and I silently hoped Mrs. Harris was around because I didn't want to embarrass myself. Thankfully, she was.

"Hey, Mrs. Harris, how are you doing? It's Tobias Anderson, Jackson's kid? My friend here is new in town, and I know it's late, but is it possible to give him a discount?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Her eyes grew a little misty. "Jackson's kid, yes. I could see so much of him in you, Tobias. Your brother, well, not so much. How is Tom, by the way?" She asked.

"He's uh, still getting back on his feet. About that discount..." I ventured, aware of Draven's looming presence behind me.

Surprisingly, his aura seemed more subdued, or perhaps he made an effort to tone it down.

"Of course, I'd be happy to give your friend a discount," she said, beaming at me, then at Draven.

Her smile didn't falter, but then again, her vision wasn't so great these days.

After Draven filled in the necessary paperwork, she handed him a key to his room.

"Jackson... that's your dad's name?" Draven asked as we entered the elevator.

His question caught me off guard, and for a moment, I wondered if he was just making polite conversation or if he was genuinely interested in getting to know me better.

Was I reading too much into this?

"Yeah, that's right," I replied, feeling a twinge of nervousness creeping in.

I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being too persistent, but Draven hadn't asked me to leave yet, so I forced myself to relax.

"My dad used to take Tom—my older brother—and me here for weekend staycations when I was a kid," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady.

"He sounds like a great dad," Draven offered, his tone sincere.

"Yeah, he was," I concurred, a hint of sadness creeping into my voice. "After our alpha dad left us, he single-handedly raised Tom and me."

"Was?" Draven prompted, his voice gentle.

"He passed away two years ago. Lung cancer," I admitted, feeling a pang of sadness at the memory.

I didn't know why I was telling a complete stranger about my dad's passing, but something about Draven made it feel like I had known him my whole life.

"That's brutal. I'm sorry to hear that," Draven said, his words genuine and filled with empathy.

"I was raised by a single parent too. Dad died right after I got my high school diploma," Draven’s voice was tinged with sadness when he said this.

"I'm sorry," I offered, feeling a pang of sympathy.

It was strange how much we had in common, even though we had just met.

Even two years after my own dad's passing, I was still struggling to deal with my grief. I wondered if it was the same for Draven.

"If you don't mind me asking... how did he..." I trailed off, suddenly feeling like I was prying too much into Draven's personal life.

Maybe I should back away now.

"He died of a broken heart," Draven said simply, his voice heavy with emotion.

It took me a moment to realize that we were now standing in front of his room. I hadn't even noticed when we had stepped off the elevator.

Time seemed to pass without me noticing when I was with Draven. Talking to him felt different too.

Usually, I was awkward when it came to casual conversations, but with Draven, I felt strangely comfortable.

It was as if we had known each other for years, not just a few hours. But why was that?

You know the answer to that question, my wolf whispered but I silenced him.

"Let me just drop my pack inside. I spotted a cafe nearby earlier. Up for some coffee so we could continue our conversation?" Draven asked, his words sending a wave of relief through me.

So the attraction wasn't just one-sided. It seemed that Draven was genuinely interested in spending more time with me.

Of course, I knew there was a chance he could lose interest once he got to know me better, but a part of me dared to hope that something might come out of tonight.

After all, I had finally found a guy who was interested in getting to know me—a one-in-a-million chance. But, of course, I was afraid of blowing it.

"Coffee sounds good," I replied, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.

Draven left his bags in the room, and we exited the inn, heading towards the nearby cafe.

The cafe was relatively empty at this time of night. Most locals retired early to bed, leaving us practically alone in the cozy establishment.

After placing our orders, Draven and I settled at a table near the window. Draven took a sip of his latte, and I followed suit.

"You mentioned your dad died of heartbreak. What do you mean by that?" I asked, continuing our conversation from before.

"My omega dad died giving birth to me," Draven replied.

I nodded, a lump forming in my throat at the thought of the immense sacrifice his father had made.

In our world, the loss of a mate had devastating consequences.

Shifters mated for life, and if one died, the other often followed soon after, unable to bear the pain of separation.

"Your dad stayed for you?" I asked.

I silently admired Draven’s dad for having the strength to go on living, despite the loss of his mate.

Draven nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"He knew I'd be lost without his guidance. Not many people know how to raise... my kind right," he admitted.

Draven cleared his throat. "Enough about me. I want to know more about you," he said.

My heart fluttered at his words, feeling a rush of warmth at the thought of sharing myself with him.

Despite my initial reservations, I found myself drawn to the idea of opening up to him.

"Shoot. I'm an open book, but let me give you a warning... My life is spectacularly boring," I confessed.

A nervous laugh escaped my lips as I tried to mask the sudden flutter of excitement in my chest.

Draven let out a low and sexy laugh that didn’t fail to stir my cock.

"I doubt that," Draven replied.

I began to recounting the ordinary details of my life—the quiet days spent at the library, my recent struggles with my brother, and the simple pleasures I found in my daily routines—I couldn't help but notice Draven's genuine interest.

He listened intently, asking questions and offering comments that made me feel as though my life held a significance I had never considered before.

Despite my initial reluctance to share, I found myself opening up to Draven in a way I hadn't with anyone else before.

And as the conversation flowed effortlessly between us, I realized that maybe, just maybe, my life was about to change.

Time flew by quickly. The cafe manager dropped by our table, her polite smile tinged with a hint of apology as she informed us that they would be closing in ten minutes.

I glanced sheepishly at Draven, realizing that we had lost track of time in our conversation.

Draven checked his watch, a look of surprise crossing his features.

"I didn't realize it was this late," he said, his tone filled with genuine regret.

"Do you have work in the morning?" he asked me.

I shrugged, trying to downplay the situation.

"It's fine," I assured him. "I sometimes stay up late, catching up with my TV shows."

We gathered our belongings and made our way out of the cafe, the cool night air washing over us as we stepped onto the sidewalk.

Draven turned to me, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Hey, I can drive you back to your place if you want," he offered, his voice gentle.

I hesitated for a moment, my mind racing with the thought of facing Tom and his date at home.

"Actually," I began slowly, "I don't really want to go home right now. Tom's probably still there with his date."

“Why don't we go back to my room?" Draven asked with a smile.

Draven's suggestion caught me off guard, and I blinked, momentarily stunned by the idea.

His smile was warm and inviting, and I found myself nodding slowly in agreement.

"Yeah, that sounds good," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady despite the sudden rush of excitement and nervousness coursing through me.

Together, we made our way back to the inn. As we reached the door, Draven turned to me, his eyes filled with a mix of anticipation and something deeper.

"Let's see where the night takes us," he said softly, before unlocking the door and ushering me inside.