Chapter 9

Aldryn

Waking up with Eli in my arms was new, different. I loved it. It was not at all like what it had been when we were kids sleeping in the same bed at age twelve. Now, Eli in my arms was all man, all omega, and he smelled delicious. So delicious. I could hardly keep my hands off of him.

My favorite mornings were when I woke up before my alarm on a cool summer morning and my window was open. I could breathe in the fresh morning air. Those were the best mornings. This one far surpassed that.

The only thing that would make this better was if I did not have a full bladder.

Even though this was Eli, and I shouldn't be taking those sorts of liberties with him, it felt right to be entwined in his arms like we were. My chest pressed against his back, my leg thrown over his. I had him wrapped in my embrace.

Which meant extracting myself from this bed was going to be a challenge.

I moved a fraction of an inch, hoping to get out from around him. That was all it took for his eyes to fly open. When he bolted upright with a wild look of surprise on his face, I said, "Hey, it's just me."

He looked around the room frantically. "Oh goodness. We should get going, right? You're probably anxious to get started on this journey." He stood up, but the bedspread pooled around his hips, and he nearly fell out of the bed.

I caught him, letting out a chuckle. "Hey, this doesn't have to be awkward," I said. I'd hoped to put him at ease. I didn't wish to sweep it under the rug and forget about it, but if talking and acknowledging what happened between us made him uncomfortable, we didn't have to discuss it.

"Right. Right. Of course. Not awkward at all. How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Just fine. You want to get ready first?"

"Yes, that'd be great."

If Eli needed space and time to process, I would give him that, even if my bladder was screaming at me to go use the bathroom. I didn't know what direction we were headed on this journey or in life, but I knew with him by my side, there wasn't much to worry about. Him by myself in a more intimate sense, like what we had done last night, made sense. It was like a puzzle piece locking into place.

While he was showering, I got my things packed, and some of his as well so that when I was done showering, we could hit the road. Both of our stomachs rumbled loudly.

The two of us were too used to Mom's cooking in the morning. "Maybe we should find a diner," I said.

"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea."

I left the room key in the slot outside the motel office and then stuffed our bags in the back of the car. The town we had stopped in for the night was not unlike the town with the strawberry festival. It was small, quaint.

We pulled into what looked to be a family-owned restaurant of some sort. Based on the scent inside, it was run by shifters. I sat down at one of the open booths, and Eli sat across from me. Our waiter brought over a carafe of coffee.

"Good morning." He smiled at us. The blue of his eyes sparkled, and he had dimples on his cheeks. He reminded me of a character in a television show that Eli liked. "You all aren't from around here, huh? Will you be staying long?"

"We're just passing through," I replied.

"Well, we're lucky to have you. Thanks for visiting. What can I get you?" The waiter's gaze lingered on Eli and not me. I flared my nostrils, taking in the scent of him.

A bear shifter, definitely an alpha. And way too interested in the omega sitting across from me. That was bold of him, considering I was an alpha and Eli was obviously with me.

"Coffee, please, and I'll take one of the big breakfasts," Eli said.

"I'll take the same and a side of waffles," I said.

"Sure thing. You want waffles too, cutie? I can put strawberries and whipped cream on there?" The waiter was not addressing me, instead his full focus was on Eli. The comment made Eli blush.

I was about to tell the guy that Eli wasn't much of a waffle guy, but then Eli spoke instead.

"You know, that sounds kind of nice. I'll take a side of waffles too, please."

"Sure thing. You need anything else, you just let me know, alright? I'll take real good care of you." Once again, the waiter's eyes remained fixed on Eli. He winked at him. He fucking winked. While I was sitting right here.

The waiter was a shifter, he had to smell me on Eli.

Once he was away, I rolled my eyes.

"What?" Eli said, genuine confusion marring his features.

"He's flirting," I whisper-shouted. Not that it did any good. There were a few different shifters around here, it wasn't as if they couldn't hear me.

"With who?" Eli looked around the diner as if there was something to see. As if he was oblivious to what was happening right in front of him.

"With you."

Eli scoffed. "He's working. He's being polite to his customers. He's just looking to get a good tip."

"That was flirting."

Eli shook his head and let out a wry laugh. "Please, I've never been flirted with before in my life. I think I would know if it was happening."

"What do you mean you've never been flirted with before?" How was that possible? Eli was adorable.

He shrugged. "No one flirts with me."

"That couldn't possibly be true." Then again, Eli didn't go many places. We worked, we hung out together, we went home. There wasn't a whole lot of excitement to our lives. And wasn't that just sort of pathetic? "Well, he is flirting with you, and I don't like it."

Eli's nose wrinkled. "Why?"

"I just... it's… he's working."

"Yeah, he's trying to get a big tip." Eli brushed it off as if it was no big deal. Meanwhile, it was tearing up my insides. Eli should be worshipped and admired, anyone with eyes could see that he was amazing. But he was mine.

I opened my mouth to argue, but the waiter came back. He set a fresh cup of coffee in front of Eli and then one in front of me. "You need anything in that coffee, sweetheart? Cream? Sugar?" His attention once again solely on Eli. It was as if I wasn't there.

Eli shook his head. "No."

"Too sweet for that kind of thing, I'll bet." The waiter winked at him, and Eli's cheeks flushed even darker.

"I'll take some cream," I said. I gripped the handle of the coffee cup so hard I was sure it was going to snap off.

"Sure thing." The guy reached into the pocket of his apron and dropped a few creamers on the table.

"Thanks," I said wryly.

"You let me know if you need anything else."

"All right. Thank you," Eli said.

I shot Eli a glare. My dragon was threatening to come out, now more than ever. What was Eli to me? My best friend.

Mate, my dragon rumbled.

I would know if Eli was my mate. He would have said something long before now. His wolf would have known, wouldn't he?

Why the sudden possessiveness from me? Was it because we were so far from home?

"I'm ready to get out of this town," I said.

"I kind of like it," Eli said, not taking his eyes off the waiter.