Eight Wyatt

I'd been sitting at the table fidgeting for almost twenty minutes. I'd been so anxious to leave the office and get away from Tanner's scent that I left almost an hour early. Realizing what I'd done, I drove around town for over a half hour, doing everything I could to waste time. Even then, I still ended up at the restaurant far too early.

"Do you need anything?" the waitress asked for the third time, her demeanor getting less friendly with each stop. "Are your friends still coming?"

I was eating up one of her tables during the lunch rush. So far, all I'd ordered was a single drink, and she worked for tips. I made it a point to remember to tip her very well for allowing me to take up a table big enough for six.

"Yeah. He's on his way," I replied, giving her an apologetic look. "He got… uh… caught in traffic."

She lifted an eyebrow. It was barely April, and the tourist season had yet to begin. There wasn't enough traffic in all of Ludington to hold up anyone for more than two minutes. The town was not that big.

"Right," she replied, giving me her best customer service smile. "Can I get you another drink?"

I glanced down at the neat bourbon I'd ordered before noon and hadn't yet touched.

"Uh… yeah. I think I know what he'll want to drink, so it can be ready when he gets here. How about a Screwdriver?"

"Coming right up," she replied.

I heard her sigh as she walked away, the restaurant buzzing around us. It was full of old people munching away, not a single drop of alcohol in sight. Meanwhile, I was gripping a glass of bourbon in wrinkled clothing with raccoon-like circles under my eyes. I looked like I was about two steps away from rehab at this point.

A moment later, she returned with the drink and sat it down across from me without a word. I watched her go, taking a moment to check her out. She was attractive with long brown hair and tight-fitting yoga pants under her short skirt. I felt the need to test myself as I turned back to my drink. Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine her naked, how she might look with her pretty blue eyes between my legs and her full lips parted.

However, the moment I conjured the image in my mind, it shifted. Her blue eyes were replaced with brown, the long hair shortened and curled, and I didn't see her painted lips, but instead, the rich, full lips of Tanner parting as his tongue flicked across the head of my cock.

"Are you taking a nap?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as a voice spoke right next to me. The bourbon I held in my hands was suddenly thrust all over me, the amber liquid splashing all over my white dress shirt.

"Fuck!" Parker cried, dodging out of the way. "Sorry, dude! I didn't mean to scare you!"

I sat there, bourbon dripping out of my hair and running down my neck. "It's fine," I sighed, shaking myself off. "I wasn't paying attention…"

The waitress came over, a satisfied grin on her face as she handed me a towel. She took the glass and mopped up the bourbon on the table as I apologized to her. With a dismissive wave, she went to the bar and fetched me another. All the while, every old biddy eating lunch stared blatantly in our direction.

Parker took a seat on the other side of the table as my new drink was delivered. We quickly put in our orders and were left to ourselves. The rest of the customers went back to their meals, but I could tell they were listening, just waiting for the next exciting thing I was going to do to make myself look like a fool.

"Sorry," I said for the fifteenth time. "I'm a little jumpy today."

"So I gathered," Parker smirked, eyeing the stains smeared across my shirt. "Something wrong?"

"I… I just didn't sleep well last night," I replied. It wasn't a lie, but it definitely wasn't the whole truth either. "I've had a lot on my mind."

"Is that why you invited me out?"

I nodded. "Yeah… but let's not talk about that just yet. It's not that important." I was still way too freaked out to talk about Tanner. Maybe a couple of drinks would calm me down enough to get started. "What's this pack business you were talking about? Did something happen?" I leaned forward. "You aren't in trouble, are you?"

Parker smiled, waving his hand. "No, no. No trouble at all. It's… Well, it's actually really good news."

"Well? Don't keep me waiting, bro!"

"You remember my cousin, Chance?"

"I think so?" I replied, furrowing my brows. "He's the Alpha of a pack up north, right? Aren't you two like barely related?"

"Yeah, he's a second cousin on my dad's side," Parker said. "His grandpa and mine were brothers, the leaders of the Tellurian Pack up in Marquette." He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. "They had a bit of a falling out. His grandpa took over the pack up there while mine came down here and joined another. That's where I get my Alpha heritage from."

"Okay. So what does your cousin have to do with your pack?"

"Well, I reached out to him last fall to ask for help getting the Ombra Pack set up. And he said yes. Not only that, but he said once we were officially filed with all the surrounding packs, he would come down and sign an alliance with me." Parker's smile grew wide. "The Ombra Pack will have a new ally pack by the end of the week! That means we've got wolves backing us up in case anyone decides to stir up trouble!"

"Wow… that's like really fucking great news," I said with an equally large smile.

"We'll be the first official mixed pack in the state! And endorsed by one of the oldest in the state as well. The Tellurian Pack is a big deal, even down here. It's crazy how much respect that guy commands. I really had no idea."

"That's really incredible, Parker," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Getting that kind of support with a human mate is amazing. I know the pack here made it a point not to bother you to begin with because your parents fucked up so bad, but they won't have a choice now. Not unless they want a war." I gave him a mischievous smirk. "So? What's it like being the big bad Alpha in town?"

Parker scoffed. "An Alpha for a pack of two isn't much of an Alpha," he laughed. "Besides, I don't really care about that stuff. I'm just happy Aiden and I will have protection." His face grew suddenly serious. "I'm not worried about me. I can fight if I need to. But Aiden, well.. he's…"

"Only human?"

"Yeah…"

"You know Oliver and I have your back, too, right? We'd never let anything happen to him."

"I know, I know," he nodded. "You guys are the best. Nothing against you, but this alliance just carries a lot more weight behind it."

"Fair point."

Parker took a deep breath and leaned forward once again. "So. What's going on with you?"

My heart leaped up in my chest immediately, my ears filling with its sound. Now that it finally came down to it, I wasn't sure I could tell him what was going on. I certainly didn't want to tell him I was attracted to a guy. Parker would never judge, but I didn't know if I could physically speak the words out loud. Something about that just made it too real. Instead, I decided to be as cryptic as possible.

"I… Well, it's kind of stupid, honestly…"

"I'm sure it's not," he replied.

"I just feel kind of dumb."

"I won't laugh at you, Wyatt." His gaze caught mine. "I promise. I'm here for whatever you need. You can tell me anything."

"I guess…" I began. "I wanted to ask… well… what does it feel like to find… your mate?"

It took far too long to get those words to leave my lips. After they did, I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion come over me. Parker, on the other hand, lifted a single eyebrow in my direction.

"Did you meet someone?"

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head. "I feel… something. I just don't know what it is."

"Well," he said with a sigh. "I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but if this person was your mate, you'd know instantly. The moment you touched them."

"How?"

"I don't know how to explain it. It's… like a shock followed by a sudden realization. The first time Aiden and I physically touched, I knew. It was like someone whispered the word into my head." He shrugged. "I'm not sure if everyone has that same experience, but even if I hadn't heard the word, I think I would have known. I couldn't stop myself when I was around him. My body reacted in all sorts of ways, and his scent drove me nearly insane." He paused for a moment, glancing up at the ceiling to think. "It was like everything in the world suddenly clicked into place, and I knew he was the one for me. The one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Even if it went against the rules of the pack, I knew I couldn't turn away from him. I tried to convince myself otherwise, but really, I was powerless against his pull."

"And… uh… did he feel the same?"

Parker laughed. "I'm almost certain he kind of hated me, to begin with. Humans feel the connection, just not in the same way we do. It's less intense. But he admits that he couldn't stop thinking about me no matter how he felt."

Tanner might be thinking about me even though he was mad. I didn't know why, but just the thought of it made my chest swell with hope.

"Does that sound like what you felt?"

I shook my head, putting on my best lying face. "I don't think so," I replied. "Probably not."

"Bummer," Parker sighed. "But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy their company anyway. You've still got plenty of time to find the right girl."

The right girl… sure. I had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. I glanced up at Parker, his warm smile beaming back at me. He was my best friend in the whole world, and I couldn't help feeling an intense urge to be honest with him. I knew he'd help me through this process and tell me everything was going to be okay. I wanted his support, but I didn't know if I could speak the words aloud.

But that didn't mean I wasn't going to try.

I worked my jaw, finally opening my mouth to speak. However, the moment I did, our waitress stepped up to the table with our plates.

"Oh good," Parker smiled. "I'm starving."

I chuckled lifelessly. "Yeah…. Me too…"