True Wolf (Bennett Pack #3)

2. Nessah Marrock

CHAPTER TWO

NESSAH MARROCK

“ D ark roast, black, no sugar.” I smiled and placed the cup on the counter, gently moving it across the sleek wooden surface. Before I could release it to the customer, his large warm hand covered mine.

My eyes rolled up to find Alec smiling back at me. An insanely gorgeous face I should have been intrigued by angled lower. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I snatched my hand away and his eyes narrowed slightly. For the past couple of months, Alec had been trying to engage me. As handsome as the Beta was, I had no interest in entertaining his advances.

My only goal was to blend in. I didn’t want or need the attention that would come from entertaining a ranked member of my new pack. A pack I was incredibly grateful for after having been cast out of mine.

They welcomed me here after my cousin Mina snuck me into the building, giving me shelter for a few weeks, which meant sleeping in empty units she was supposed to be cleaning. Eventually she presented her case to Jo and Laz that I needed a pack and was petitioning to be a part of theirs.

Jo welcomed me with open arms even after Laz was hesitant about me being here. Things had just gone a bit crazy when their brother Xander came home with a rogue wolf Keerah who completely disrupted things. Then Zion took off after Keerah believing she was his mate even after she spent time with his older brother Xander.

Laz thought accepting new pack members wasn’t the greatest idea until things between his brothers settled down after the Keerah thing, but Jo convinced him not to take his issues with Keerah’s disruption out on me.

I was grateful but also felt terrible knowing I could have prevented some of the disruption by being honest about some of the details surrounding Zion. I could have prevented him from chasing a phantom mate but doing so meant accepting my destiny, which I wasn’t prepared to do. I didn’t want a mate, definitely not one of the Bennett Alphas.

“You’re off at six, right?”

I offered a smile and glanced past him, choosing not to respond. He knew my schedule better than I did which was flattering but also a bit unnerving. Alec wanted my time and I wanted to fade into the background. “Next.”

I hoped he would catch a hint and was grateful when the next customer in line stepped around his large frame.

“Welcome to Bean Bazaar, how can I make your morning better?”

The young woman smiled brightly before rattling off her order. “Caramel macchiato, almond milk, whipped cream, extra shot of espresso.”

“Sure, is that all?”

“Umm…” She pulled her lip between her teeth and glanced at the display glass to the right and pointed. “I’ll also take a cream cheese danish.”

“Got it. That will be…”

“On me…” Alec extended a twenty to the young girl who glanced up and smiled.

“You’re paying?”

“I am, but only if you do me a favor.”

She smiled seductively and I rolled my eyes at how easily she fell under his spell. Truthfully it would be hard not to. The man was gorgeous. He also had the dominant air about him and of course his rank made him that much more attractive. Alec was the next best thing to one of the Bennett Alphas and still very much appealing in his own right.

“I’ll do whatever you want,” she purred. The female wolf was young. Too young for him, barely even legal, but more than willing to do exactly what she said—anything for him.

“I’ll buy your coffee if you convince Nessah to have lunch with me one day soon.”

The young wolf’s expression dropped in a matter of seconds. Her eyes left him and darted over to me as a slight pout tugged at her lips. The disappointment only lingered for a brief moment before she shrugged and turned to me.

“Let him take you to lunch.”

“No.”

“Why not? Look at him.”

Alec’s unfairly handsome face sported a cocky grin. “Yeah, look at me.”

Men and their determined ego.

He was sexy, well suited for any woman who wanted a protective mate who would no doubt make her feel loved, safe, and cherished but I belonged to someone else.

Someone I couldn’t have…

I snatched the twenty from his hand and almost laughed because he assumed he was getting what he wanted. However…

I shoved the twenty into the tip jar, removed cash from my pocket, and keyed the amount to cover the order. After clearing the change, I placed what was left from my own twenty back into my pocket. Through the entire exchange I kept a heated glare on Alec. He flashed a charming smile, tipped his disposable cup in my direction, and stepped away from the counter.

“Well, that was a very weird exchange.”

“That was me making things unmistakably clear that I’m not interested.”

“Why not? He’s sexy.”

“He is but I’m still not interested.” I turned to prepare her order, placing the danish in the microwave for fifteen seconds while I assembled her drink to her specifications. Once I was done, I slid them both across the counter.

“Have a great day.”

“You too.” She collected her coffee and danish before heading to the door, barely keeping her balance when my cousin Mina rushed through the door like a tornado hellbent on destroying everything in her path.

“We have a problem.”

The panic in her voice had my pulse thumping instantly. Mina was my only true family. Well, the only true family that still claimed me as such. When my parents learned about my issue , they led the charge to exile me from my pack. They should have loved and protected me, stood by their eldest daughter, but instead, they chose to prove their loyalty to the pack. Denying me was a ploy to lessen their embarrassment from producing a child who’d disappointed them.

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s coming home.”

“Who?”

“You know who, Nessah.”

Zion.

“Shit. I can’t be here. I have to…”

“You have to what? Leave? Not happening. There is nowhere else. You’ll be alone out there and I’ll be alone here. Neither is okay. We need each other.”

My heart crushed from the pleading in her tone and desperation in her eyes.

“You won’t be alone. You have an entire committee of wolves who have embraced you.”

“They’ve embraced you too, cousin.” Her hands gripped my arms and slowly moved down until my hands were clutched in hers. “You’re one of us now.”

“Until they realize that I’ve betrayed them.” I tugged my hands but she gripped them tighter.

“You didn’t betray them.”

“I did. I allowed their Alpha to chase a woman that wasn’t his. One he believed to be his fated mate when I knew the truth. He’s out there alone. He could have been hurt, he could have died, and I could have prevented his absence.”

Her eyes expressed guilt. “He’s not hurt, nor did he die, so all is well. They also don’t have to know the truth.”

“If I don’t leave, they will know the truth. The minute he’s around me, he will know. I slept in a bed for one hour and that was enough for him to scent me days later. If we’re in the same room, he’s going to know and they’ll hate me. He will hate me.”

She believed the same. I saw the realization in her eyes so I exhaled the disappointment of knowing what had to be done. “I have to leave, Mina.”

When she straightened her spine and rolled her shoulders back, I already sensed what she was thinking.

Then we’ll go together.

“No. I’m one person. This pack is your family now.”

“You’re my family,” she argued.

I opened my mouth to debate the point but she cut me off. “Either you stay or we both leave. That’s the only option, Nessah. You can’t change my mind. You won’t change my mind. What’s it going to be?”

I exhaled a slow breath, gently shaking my head. “I can’t stay. They will turn against me, if not because I let him leave without speaking up then because I’ll have to reject him. The rejection will kill him and they will hate me for hurting their brother, their beloved Alpha.”

“You don’t have to reject him. You could…”

“I can’t and you know why. I’m leaving.”

“Then so am I.”

I nodded, knowing I wouldn’t be able to change her mind. My heart felt full that she was choosing me when my own parents had not. “Thank you,” I said lowly.

“You don’t have to thank me, cousin. We’re family, true family.”

“How did you find out he was coming home?”

“I was with Jo when Laz came to tell her. There was something about him finding Keerah and how she rejected him.”

I frowned. “But if I’m his fated mate, she can’t reject him. That doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t know all the details but Laz never believed she was Zion’s fate. He told Jo Zion also doubted she was his mate but is trying to make sense of why he felt so strongly that she was.”

“They’re going to find out I was the one in that room, in that bed, and he was attracted to me. Oh God, we have to leave. They’re going to hate me, Mina.”

“And me. I’ve kept this from them too. Relax. We’ll be gone before he gets here.”

“And you won’t have a pack. You just found them. You’re happy here.”

“I can be happy anywhere. We’ll be fine. Come straight home. I’ll start packing while you’re finishing up here.”

I shook my head. “I should go now.”

“No, he won’t be here until this evening. Jo said they were expecting him for dinner. She’s planning something big for his return. You need to stay, finish your shift. If you run now, it will seem odd. They’ll want to know what’s up. Maybe even search for us to find out why you left. We need a head start. Finish your shift. When you’re done, we’ll leave.”

My eyes darted to the door.

“It’s only a few hours, Nessah.”

“Okay.”

She nodded. “I wish you would consider staying. They’re not terrible people. You could explain things, give them a chance to…”

“No, I can’t.”

“Then the decision is made. We’ll leave.” She hugged me. I hugged her back, then she left. I looked around the coffeeshop and my heart sank. For the past three months, this had been home. I felt the universe had finally righted the wrongs in my world but I supposed happily ever after didn’t exist for people like me.