Chapter Eleven Vincent

I t had been three days since I'd texted River.

The ball was in his court and I would not be the one to beg for him to come back. However, that didn't stop me from waking up every single morning so fucking hard that it hurt. I still hadn't washed my sheets because I couldn't bring myself to get rid of his scent. Not only that, but it was sort of nice to bury my face in the pillows that smelled like him while I fingered myself to completion in the morning. And that's exactly what I'd done before I hopped in the shower and got ready to enjoy my day off.

Of course, I'd hoped River would text me so I could spend the entire day with his cock in my ass. But since he was too uninterested to message me back, I figured I might as well go enjoy the day on my own. At the very least, I planned on getting good coffee, good food, and spending some time doomscrolling through social media until I felt bad about myself. Which honestly, probably wouldn't take long.

After a quick shower, I threw on a comfy hoodie despite it being over eighty degree outside, and headed for the coffee shop. Andy had been bugging me every single day for an update on things. Of course, he was thrilled to hear that I'd gotten laid. In fact, he seemed more excited about it than I did at times. But he was eager to see what would happen next. Considering River hadn't messaged me in three days, I figured it was safe to say that ship had sailed.

And, if I was being honest, that sort of hurt my feelings. I knew I couldn't get involved with River. He'd been explicit about that. But that didn't stop me from wishing and hoping. Brains were silly things and no matter how much logic I tried to force through my hippocampus, it still liked to conjure up images of what our future could look like if I were living in some Hallmark Channel fairy tale.

But real life didn't end in grand gestures and happy endings. If it did, I wouldn't be in Shifter Grove. No, my parents would have found a way to love me instead of kicking me out of the house at fourteen if this were some sort of movie. Instead I got to figure out how to live on the street and friend hop until I was old enough to make my own decisions legally. And now I was being rejected by the best cock I'd ever ridden.

Grand fucking life, right?

By the time I pulled up to the cafe, I was good and grumpy. Thankfully Andy saw my face the moment I walked in and didn't bother making fun of me. He just told me to go find a seat. I complied, picking a spot near one of the windows as far away from all the other customers as I could. From there it was easy to watch the people in town go about their lives, completely oblivious to how desperately irritated and depressed I was.

I was only there for a minute or two before Andy slid a tray onto the table and took a seat across from me. The tray was laden with sweets, coffee, and even a couple of breakfast sandwiches.

"Mind if I join you for brunch?" he asked, taking a sandwich from the tray.

"Can't be brunch," I said. "There's no booze."

From out of his apron pocket, Andy produced two single shot bottles of Kahlua. He cracked them open and poured one into each of our coffees, giving them a quick stir.

"There you go," he smiled. "Brunch."

"That'll work." I grabbed the coffee, taking a quick sip. The alcohol burned ever so slightly in the back of my throat, but it was nice and sweet, regardless. "Not bad."

"You can never go wrong with Kahlua and coffee." He took a bite of his sandwich. "So, you look extra depressed this morning. What's up?"

He always went right for the jugular. "My brain is being stupid."

"Is that different than normal?"

I burned him a dirty look. "About that guy ."

"Was the dick really that good?" He leaned across the table, keeping his voice low. "Because like… if he's done with you… can I get in on that?"

A low growl rose up in my throat before I knew what was happening.

"Alright, alright," he laughed, putting his hands up in defeat. "It was just a joke."

"Sorry… I don't know what's wrong with me." I shook my head and went back to staring out the window. "He's got me all sorts of mixed up."

"So the dick really was that good, huh?"

"There's something about him… something I just can't shake. I know I can't like him, but there's… I don't know… something there."

"Is this something enough something to get him to stay? Does he feel it too?"

"I don't know…" I glanced down at my food that seemed suddenly unappetizing. "I don't think anything would get him to stay."

"Well, Vincent, you're not just anything ."

I sighed, looking up at Andy. "That's nice of you to say… but I don't need pitiful words this morning."

"So you want me to be realistic then?"

I flinched slightly. "Only if you're nice about it."

"Forget about him," Andy replied nonchalantly, taking another bite of his sandwich. "It sounds like he's already too high maintenance for you, so drop his ass. It was never going to turn into anything, anyway. Instead of sitting here and torturing yourself, find some other dick to ride for a while."

"I know all the wolves in this town, Andy," I huffed. "None of them want me."

"Who said you have to fuck a wolf?"

I stared at him for a long moment.

"There are plenty of humans in this town. At least one of them is bound to like you."

"But… I can't go with a human… that's…"

"Wrong?"

I shrugged. "It feels like it is."

"That's because you're still living in the past. Old pack laws don't matter here. You can do whatever the hell you want."

He was right of course. But up until that moment, I didn't realize I'd been carrying that around with me. Every man I'd ever met that didn't smell of wolf got pushed away without a second thought. It suddenly occurred to me that there might have been several years worth of missed connections because I didn't know I was doing it.

"You're right," I said at last. "I guess… I didn't know I was still holding onto that."

"Well, let that shit go because there's more than one guy I've seen staring at you when you come in to get coffee. I'm sure you can snag one pretty easily. And , it doesn't have to be forever. You're allowed to just get laid until you find someone that seems right."

What Andy didn't know was that River felt right to me. But there was no point in saying it or getting my hopes up. Andy would call me a moron for yearning because it was extremely clear that River would stay for no one.

"So who are you going to hop on first?" Andy asked, a bit more excited that I really felt comfortable with. "I can start scoping some dudes out for you if you like."

"Don't you have your own love life to worry about?"

"Eh… I'm not really interested in that sort of thing."

"Andy… I'm a wolf. I can smell how horny you are all the damn time. Don't lie to me."

"I thought we were talking about your problems?"

"No, you are talking about my problems and I want a change of pace. So lets focus on you now."

"You know what," Andy smiled, clicking his tongue. "I think I have some baking I need to do in the back."

"Of course you do," I replied sarcastically. "Amazing how that happens, isn't it?"

Andy just smiled, gathering up his half eaten brunch on his tray. He left mine behind thankfully so I could finish in peace.

"Just think about what I said okay?" he added. "I don't like seeing you looking so torn up about a guy that doesn't give a shit about you. He's not worth it."

I nodded. "Thanks. Now go away."

"See ya later, Vince."

Andy took himself through the kitchen doors into the bakery, leaving me to finish my meal in solitude, which I was grateful for. He had good intentions, but I couldn't give him the resolution he wanted that second. It was going to take time for me to get over River and probably more time to get used to the idea of messing around with a human. Both had their unique complications and I wasn't exactly the quickest at working through those things. I'd get there eventually and when I did, maybe I'd do something about it.

But for now… I just wanted some peace.

Still lost in my thoughts, I absentmindedly ate and sipped my coffee. When both were gone, I figured it was time to stop taking up space in Andy's cafe. The lunch crowd was starting to file in anyway, and it was getting a bit louder than I cared for. Gathering up my plates, I took them up to the counter and slipped them in the bussing tub off to the side.

However, I wasn't paying attention when I turned around and ran face-first into one of the customers. Both of us crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs and every head in the cafe was turned in our direction.

"Ouch…" I mumbled, rubbing my knee that I'd smacked on the hard tile floor.

"Are you okay?"

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up into the face of the man I'd collided with. He had quaffed short blond hair, warm brown eyes, and a well-kept beard that framed his face perfectly. My eyes scanned down him quickly and back up to his handsome visage. If I were asked to envision a Nordic god in human form, he was what I'd see.

"I… uh… yeah… yeah, I'm good." Christ, I could barely talk. He was smiling at me.

"Sorry about that," he said, getting to his feet easily. He reached a hand down to help me up.

I took it, feeling the ease of his strength as he pulled me to my feet. "It was my fault," I replied at last, finally finding my words. "I wasn't paying attention."

"I kinda stepped right in your way. It was my fault."

"It's okay. Really."

We stared at one another for a long moment. I'd never seen him before, but he smelled human, so I could've just ignored him up until now.

"I've seen you here a few times," he said, breaking the silence. "Do you… live in town?"

"Yeah," I nodded nervously. "I run the pizza shop."

"No way! That's awesome!" He seemed very excited about that. "I order from there all the time! You make those delicious pizzas?"

"Some of them. I have a delivery guy."

"Cory, right?"

"Yes?"

"He and I are good friends. We go kayaking together." He bit his lower lip, glancing up at me. "He… didn't mention how cute you were."

I lifted an eyebrow, completely surprised by his sudden compliment. I didn't feel a warm tingle or a sudden rush of adrenaline like I did with River, but it was still nice to hear. However, the moment River entered my mind, I did feel a rush of irritation. I recalled what Andy had told me and I made a split second decision right then and there. If River wasn't going to text me back or take advantage of me, then I could at least have some fun with this handsome stranger.

"Give me your phone," I said, although it sounded a bit more like a command. The man handed it over without question. I flipped open his contacts and began to type. "My name is Vince," I said, handing it back to him and letting our fingers linger against one another for a couple of heartbeats. "Text me sometime."

I didn't wait for him to respond. Instead, I just gave him a wink and headed out of the cafe.

River could go fuck himself.