17. Chapter 17

"Why are all these people in line at the coffee shop?" I wondered in a hushed tone to my mate, scanning the crowded space. "Do they not have coffee machines or a way to build a fire at their own homes?"

I glanced around, not enjoying the proximity of so many people—some of them shifters—to my pregnant mate. The idea of standing in line waiting for someone to prepare food for me was such a foreign concept. Why not make it at home, the way you are guaranteed to like it, instead of having a stranger attempt their best for large sums of money. And in this case to drink it in a paper cup? Thanks, but no thanks.

Two of the customers definitely hailed from Steelwick. They had been tailing us all day as we moved from place to place. Their presence gave me some comfort. The rest of the people came from places unknown. They were the ones who made me nervous.

Walker squeezed my hand. "This is not quite the same as coffee you can make at home. There are special syrups and recipes, and just extra cool things. It tastes delicious, trust me."

I didn't quite understand it, but I supposed if it was anything like the other things Walker had me try today, I would probably enjoy it—or at least enjoy his reaction to it. I wouldn't say any of the items would be a worth a trip into the human world, but they would be worth recreating, and that was something.

This morning, we had enjoyed a bagel that was supposed to be all encompassing, but really it just had a lot of herbs and flavors on it. Hardly what I would call "everything." It was good, though, and I already wanted to find a way to replicate the recipe at home. I suspected it wouldn't be too hard since I could create the same heat levels as their ovens.

The whole day had been about being out and away from our forest. We had stopped at several different stores, trying to make it obvious that we were in public, hoping that his old Alpha would see him. A week prior his case had been marked as "cold" or some such thing.

My mate loved stores and shopping and even he was over it. Maybe if we weren't here trying to catch a bad guy it would be different, but I suspected it had more to do with being used to our home in seclusion than anything else.

I kept an eye on everyone around us the entire time. I did not wish to let anyone get close to my mate, not even a salesperson. It would help if I had a scent of the man we were looking for. I had no clue what he might smell like, except that he was a wolf. I had a picture, but all these people looked the same to me.

Within twenty minutes of standing at the coffee shop, Walker pushed a large cup into my hands. The sickly-sweet smell of sugar and syrupy sweetness filled my nostrils. I wasn't sure I wanted to taste it, but if it was something my mate thought I might enjoy, then I supposed I would try it. At the very least it would help me recreate it for him later.

I waited until we were outside before taking a sip. I didn't look to see if the Steelwick guards were following us, they would be. But I caught sight of Terran across the street. My brother had been trailing us all day as well. My mate was the most protected omega in history—or at least as far as I knew. Still, I didn't feel it was enough.

We had several Steelwick guards, plus Terran prepared to apprehend the alpha when we found him. It should be easy once he showed his face. In theory, anyway. I might not have been of this world, but I knew enough of its history to know that what should be and what transpired were seldom the same.

Walker and I made our way toward the lot where we had parked the car. The coffee shop had been our last stop, our last attempt at drawing out his former Alpha. My mate called it "saving the best for last," but from the small sip I'd had, I had to disagree with him on that.

We carried a few bags with our purchases from the day. We didn't get much, but I had to admit, I saw the appeal of shopping. There were many items I could forge with my hands, but adorable onesies were not among them.

"We can try again next weekend," Walker suggested.

I hated the idea of having to do this over and over again. Each time were tried, by nature, we'd be less attentive. It was how beings worked. And less attentive meant more danger to my mate. I wanted this over and done with.

"Maybe," I replied. The more I thought about it, the less I was okay with it. I tried not to be what my mate referred to as an alphahole. Really I did. But on this I might need to be. I didn't like the idea of doing this a second time.

It had been enjoyable to see my mate shop, but not with this kind of stress and pressure on it. Next time I wanted it to be the two of us simply out and about, not for the well-being of shifter kind.

I'd never been outside the forest, and I would have liked to have my first time be more enjoyable, rather than stressful. Walker said this was more memorable, and true, I was not likely to forget it. If only it were the type of memory I wanted.

"How are you feeling, mate?"

"Just fine," he said. Now that the morning sickness had passed, he was looking better than ever. He was glowing with his pregnancy.

When we got back to the car, I opened the door for him, and he got inside. He took the bags from my hand and tossed them over his shoulder and into the back seat.

Driving a car had been a new experience for me, but I found that it wasn't too difficult. Walker had mentioned that I had a lead foot. I didn't know what that meant. I didn't hit anything, and I followed all the signs. But neither of those had to do with feet.

As I walked around the front of the car, my phone rang. I stopped to answer it, assuming that it was Steelwick. I never regretted having a piece of technology on my person like I did that stupid phone.

The ring was the only reason I was caught so off guard when a large creature launched in my direction and knocked me to the ground. The wolf's jaws closed over my shoulder, and I cried out in pain. I didn't need to guess who it was. I knew instantly, and he needed to die.

This wolf was an alpha. He was bigger than Walker, but he scented enough like him that I could assume they came from the same pack, telling me instantly that this was the asshole who threatened my mate.

He would not walk away from this fight. I wasn't sure he planned to. Exposing yourself in a bunch of humans was a death sentence, especially in this violent of a way. He wasn't going to play by any sort of rules. He was out for death and blood, and I was going to give it to him, only in my version it would be his own.

I wanted to shift and stomp on him, give him the pain and torment he deserved, but I couldn't. Doing so would put Walker at risk, as well as my entire family. I had to do this in my broken human form.

Rolling over I attempted to get on top of him. That only resulted in him biting me again.

"You're hot!" Walker yelled to me.

At first I thought he was complimenting me in the strange way humans did. But then it clicked, the pain making my brain not quite as quick to catch up as normal.

I called forth my heat. If this wolf was going to attack me, I was going to take him to task. It wasn't easy. My natural form was more in tune with my connection to the sun, and the pain was making focus difficult.

Crying out in pain, hoping it would distract the alpha, I felt the heat beginning to flow, and as it did, the wolf's bite lessoning just enough that I could pull myself from his clutches. That didn't stop me from keeping contact with him. He needed to die. That was all there was to it. Anything less would have him attacking me again, and the next time he might win, my injuries already great.

Hotter and hotter, the heat flowing from me got until I reached well past the heat I used for the kiln. He yelped one final time, his body going limp, and then the smell of flesh cooking filled the air briefly before he burst into flames, and I fell back.

A human screamed something about the wolf getting flared. At least we wouldn't need to come up with a story.

My mind was slipping, my body giving up. I didn't care. My mate and child were safe. That was all that mattered.