Semua Bab Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure •: Bab 41 - Bab 50

The morning began crisp and clear, but warmed quickly. Thursdays had always been his favorite days to come to the art park, ever since he was a kid with his grandmother. He kept up with the same ritual of starting the day with an ice cream cone and throwing a few pennies into the fountain for a wish.He perused a few of the artists’ tents, admiring the ease with which they applied their talents. There were jewelry makers, carvers, leather workers, painters, and sketchers. It was a bohemian lover's Utopia. He didn't care for the art, himself, but he did enjoy the spirit of community and life they brought to the fountain square.He nodded at the ones that recognized him with a friendly smile, then took a moment at the edge of the square under a white flowering dogwood while he finished his cone.That’s when he saw her. Her long dark hair was in a loose braid, slung over her left shoulder. Her steps seemed cautious, as if this coming here alone wasn’t something she was used to. At first,

They deftly wove their way through the throng of people. Samantha expected it to be more difficult than it was. While the people around her didn’t magically part to let them pass, it was like they shifted just enough, just in time not to touch her as she walked. Of course, considering spatial awareness, he guessed his larger presence behind her naturally made people shift, which may have been the cause.The little bistro she let them to was set in the corner of a building, next to a small alleyway. Outside on the sidewalk were four metal tables with chairs around them, filled with people. She walked inside with the man still right behind her. A glance showed her a table for two right under the front window. She aimed for that, and took her sunglasses off on the way there, then pulled her chair out slightly and sat down.She looked up at him with a pleased smile on her face, happy they didn’t have to wait or go somewhere else. He smiled back as he sat as well, but she saw a strain in hi

The two sitting at the table went through standard introductions. Names. Superficial information. Daniel told her he was here indefinitely for business.Then, the conversation turned to the guy in the park, specifically, why Daniel intervened. She looked like someone who could use a little help. He didn’t want to scare her, but he did want her to take the level of threat the guy posed seriously. The man had already passed by the bistro once while she was hiding behind her menu. Daniel pretended not to notice. Daniel explained that the man seemed to have a calculated interest in her because she was alone and hesitant, and that with the show of confidence and eating lunch with him, the guy would back off before too long. Daniel saw the man had moved to the other side of the street for another pass, then doubled back again and was lingering in front of the shop.“Do you think he followed us anyway?” She wondered. “You said he might.”Should he let her know? He didn’t want to alarm her,

“I came to warn her. Julie.”The man licked his lips nervously as his eyes shifted left and right, focusing beyond Daniel. Daniel didn't let himself be distracted.“Warn her about what?” Daniel demanded.“I came to warn her about you! That you’re dangerous! A werewolf!” The shifter said in a whispered shout, looking both ways up and down the alley, either looking for help or a witness, or even possibly an escape. Maybe all three.“What makes you think she would even give you the time of day, after your little stunt at the park?" Daniel questioned him hostilely. "She’s human. She wouldn’t believe you if you even if you did get her to stop and listen to you. Besides, I’m not near the danger to her that you are.”The shifter gave that odd, barking laugh again. “You’re a danger to everyone around you, Alpha. Just by being what you are. A stain on the world. A curse. Unnatural.” He tried to spit in Daniel’s face, but Daniel dodged it and pressed heavily into him again. But it didn’t stop th

Daniel let the events of the morning wash over him and let the stress and sweat disappear down the drain just like his shampoo and soap.Instead, he focused on his incredible luck at running into her today. Samantha. He had a name to the face. It made her more real, more concrete. Instead of being plagued by visions of an ethereal beauty with haunted eyes, he now had memories of her voice, emotions, mannerisms, and the feel of her hand in his.He waited for her inconspicuously. Since they’d come from the park, he didn’t know where she’d left her car. When she left the lawyer’s, he didn’t see the confident square of her shoulders indicating someone was taking back the power to reclaim their life. He saw worry and hesitant insecurity.Which caused him to worry.So he found himself following her to her car for the second time.I don’t mind, his wolf spoke up. I could get used to this.Trailing after her? Daniel scoffed. He felt the mental shrug. Things like societal norms were trivial and