Chapter Eleven Liam

I couldn't stop staring at Cory the entire time we were working in the kitchen that morning. Just being near him made it impossible to think of anything else. That cherry scent of his seemed to work through the room, suppressing everything else. Or maybe it was just because I was so sensitive to it. Every time I caught a whiff of him, all I wanted to do was run across the room, sweep him up in my arms, and kiss him until everything was all better again.

But things weren't going to be that easy. I could see that now. Even after giving him an entire week to cool off, he was still pissed at me. Even just saying hello to him I could feel the anger coming off him in waves, the heat so scorching it threatened to burn me.

My gesture of the cinnamon bun was ignored for the first hour. But eventually, after Cory had worked his way through nearly forty pounds of vegetables, he finally picked it up and began to eat. Of course, the moment he saw me smile at that, he glared with more venom than I ever thought possible. After that I pretty much kept to myself and tried to keep my head down.

Cory was one of the first people out of the kitchen that morning. Not only had he gone through all the work Sam had set out for him, but he finished up for two other people as well. Eating the last bite of his roll, he dropped the plate in the sink on the way out. He only took a second to shoot me another glare before he left, stomping up the back stairs up to his room.

I, on the other hand, hadn't gotten nearly enough work done. But now that he was gone, maybe I could finally start to focus. No sooner had I turned back to the rolls I was prepping than I felt a presence over my left shoulder.

"Do you two know each other?"

I jumped in surprise. It was just Sam, but he'd snuck up behind me without me noticing. Then again, someone could drive a car through the hotel and I probably wouldn't notice. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts.

"Uh…" I wasn't sure what to say. If I told him the truth, he'd ask questions. But if I lied to him, I'd feel guilty. The decision was easy to make. "No. I don't know him."

"But you want to, don't you?"

I glanced at Sam, lifting an eyebrow.

"I couldn't help but notice the way you've been staring at him all morning," he chuckled. "I'm pretty sure anyone with eyes noticed."

"S-Sorry," I muttered, going back to making dough balls for the rolls. "I wasn't doing it on purpose."

"It's okay if you think he's cute," Sam said. "Cory is a cute guy. That's just fact."

There was a tinge of jealousy in my belly. "Is it?"

"Yeah. And he's a nice guy." Sam gave me a nudge. "And he plays for your team."

My heart rate quickened. "I don't know what you're trying to insinuate–"

"Oh, don't worry," Sam laughed, patting me on the shoulder. "There's lots of rogues that come to this town who are gay. That's how they ended up here in the first place."

I tried to form some sort of reply to throw him off, but I couldn't think of anything fast enough. My heart was beating so fast, and anxiety gripped my chest. I'd even stopped working on the rolls.

"Hey. It's okay," Sam said, pulling me to the side. "Really. Nobody here is going to judge you for that. Least of all me. You aren't in any danger here."

"B-But… if anyone finds out…"

"Liam," he said firmly, gripping my shoulders. "Listen to me. This is Shifter Grove. Not your old pack. Nobody here is going to hurt you for being yourself. Not when a gay wolf is running the hotel they all live in."

My eyes widened. "You… You're…"

He nodded. "That's right. Card-carrying gay."

"I didn't know…"

"That's fine," he smiled. "It's not like I have it tattooed on my forehead. Although you'd think the man-bun and my well-kept appearance would give it away. Not to mention every book I read is gay smut."

"You read that at the front desk?"

"What else am I gonna do all day long?"

I had no answer for him.

"Anyway, the point is, you have nothing to worry about here. I understand it might be hard for you to get comfortable with that idea. I don't expect you'll be marching in a pride parade by the end of the week, but I want you to understand that this is a safe place. You can be whoever you want to be here. Although, if I were you, I'd just be myself. That's always the easiest to deal with."

"That's… good to know," I finally replied, letting out a great sigh. "I… I've been hiding it for a long time."

"I figured as much." He leaned close. "But just between us, you are dead obvious. Especially when Cory is in the room. You like him, don't you?"

"I… I do." I wasn't sure why I chose that moment to start telling the truth. Maybe he caught me off guard or maybe I just wanted someone to know. Besides, it wasn't like Cory was gonna give me the time of day, anyway. "He's very handsome."

"He's a good guy," Sam nodded. "Always smells a bit like pepperoni, but I don't think that's a bad thing."

"I think he smells like cherries."

Sam lifted an eyebrow in my direction but made no comment. "Well, if you want me to put in a good word for you, I can."

"I don't know if that's a good idea–"

"You're probably right," Sam sighed. "I have a bit of a reputation around here."

"Reputation?"

"For meddling in people's love lives. It's kind of a hobby if I'm being honest."

"Oh."

"If I were to put in a good word for you, Cory might suspect something and get resistant. I'm usually pretty successful, but people are getting wise to my tricks now." There was a sudden sharp intake of breath. "Wait! I've got an idea!"

"You don't have to–"

"No, no! I've got it all figured out!" There was a huge smile on his face. "Instead of me trying to ask a lot of questions and get you two together, maybe I'll just tell you where he likes to hang out! Then you can run into him by accident and strike up a conversation!"

I opened my mouth to deny him. But then I stopped.

Staying away from Cory so far had been purposeful. I wanted to give him space. But with every day that went by, I felt the need to explain myself deepen in my chest. The injustice of his accusations had been eating away at me all week. I understood he was upset. Hell, I was upset about the entire situation back home and the fact that we had to run away to save ourselves. But I couldn't stand the thought of him sitting up in his room every night thinking I was the one that had hurt him. I hadn't done anything of the sort, and I needed him to know that.

But finding him by accident was nearly impossible. I knew nothing about Shifter Grove, where anything was, or where Cory liked to hang out. The only thing I was fairly certain of so far was that he worked at a shop somewhere that had pizza. I could smell that on him well enough. But that really didn't narrow down my options.

Sam, on the other hand, knew everything about Shifter Grove and everyone in it. If he could give me some tips on where to find Cory when he wasn't in the hotel, maybe I could stage a chance meeting. I wouldn't force him to talk to me but maybe if he saw me enough times, he'd give me the five minutes I so desperately needed from him to set this entire thing straight.

It felt a little underhanded if I was being honest. But as far as I was concerned, I had no other choice. This was my only way to get near my mate and I wasn't going to waste it.

"I'll take you up on that offer," I said with a nod. "Then I can shoot my shot with him."

"You're really okay with it?" Sam laughed. "Most people turn me down when I come up with plans."

"Like you said, this plan is perfect. He'll never suspect your involvement."

"I'll help you on one condition," Sam replied, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"What's that?"

"Tell me how you got that scar."

I weighed my options for a moment. However, it was pretty obvious that Cory was worth more than the story of my scar. I didn't want Sam to know all the details, or that Cory was the catalyst for my receiving it. Maybe he'd settle for a simple explanation without all the specifics.

"My father did it to me," I replied. "He was the Alpha of our pack."

Sam's face scrunched into a look of disgust. "What? Why? How could he do such a thing?!"

I looked him dead in the eye, my gaze unwavering.

"He did it after he caught me, the heir to the pack, in bed with another man," I said. "I had shifted and was trying to get away from him. I thought he was going to kill me. That's why my one eye will always be gold. It'll never shift back."

Sam's face fell and his eyes flicked back and forth over my scar.

"And that's all I want to say about it."

He let out a long sigh, but finally nodded. "I'm sorry I asked."

"It's fine," I replied, pushing away his pity. "It's worth knowing about Cory."

A small grin pulled at his lips. "Already a romantic. I like that." He nodded, pulling me away from the rolls and out of the kitchen. "I'll tell you what I know."