No Substitutions [Welcome To Wolf's Peak] (manxman)

Chapter One - New Beginnings, Unhappy Endings

A/N: This chapter coincides with chapter 21 of Cry Wolf, Cry. Watch out for the change in point of view.

There are probably a few writing/spelling mistakes because a) I was half asleep while writing this chapter and b) a couple of the keys on my laptop have been sticky since I bought it and the letters may not always appear when the key is pushed. It's very annoying! 

Casper's POV

I'd been in the town of Wolf's Peak for almost six months now. I'd petitioned the old Alpha for a place in his pack and he'd allowed me to join. I was still skittish at pack gatherings though, afraid that someone would see or scent me and recognize me for who I used to be. I didn't want anyone to tell him where I was so I tried to stay on the outskirts of the gatherings. 

I'd been lucky enough to get a loan from the Alpha to start my own business in town. I was the proud owner of Hot Buns Bakery. I also lived over the shop which saved me both time and money. I had to get up early every morning to start baking breads, buns, cakes, doughnuts, tarts and other goodies. My hours didn't really allow me to have a social life even if I was ready to have one, which I wasn't.

My loan agreement had switched to the new Alpha, Bram, after his father stepped down from his role. I'd only ever seen him from a distance at pack gatherings and through the large glass front of my store as he passed by. He seemed to be nice though from what little I'd seen and he'd been good enough to send me an email informing me of the change in the loan agreement. He hadn't wanted any change in the amount I owed which was a relief since I could barely cover the amount I was currently paying back monthly.

I looked around the street outside not seeing anyone who looked like they were about to enter the bakery any time soon so I went through to the kitchen and started decorating a few cakes that I'd left to settle. I was just placing strawberries on the final cake when I heard the bell above the front door tinkle to announce a customer. I set the pastry bag full of cream on the stand on the counter and washed my hands thoroughly before drying them and grabbing a fresh box of food preparation gloves to bring out to the store front with me.

I stopped in my tracks before I stepped through the entrance. I could see the new Alpha perusing the items in the display case but he wasn't who had me freezing on the spot it was the man with him. He was gorgeous and large, though not as large as the Alpha, and he smelled divine. I had smelled some delicious things in my life given my career but he was something else entirely. 

"Don't look at me to help you choose. He's your mate and with his hormones running rampant he's already snapping at me for no reason." 

From the snippet of information I gathered from the good smelling shifter's words Bram was here looking for something for his pregnant mate. Possibly something he was craving. Bram was mated to Jason the second son in a set of twins born to the old Beta. Jason wasn't a small man by any means and he was even slightly larger than the Alpha himself but they both seemed to make a relationship work despite their clashing dominant personalities. I never would have imagined either of them pregnant but it had happened, Jason was now carrying the heir to the Alpha title.

Realizing that I was standing there in the shadow of the doorway like a stalker I stepped in behind the counter and pasted a smile on my face"Have you decided yet?" 

Bram looked up at me with a perplexed look that had me fighting back a genuine grin. Then the smells of everything I'd baked that day drifted away as I was met with the full impact of the other shifter's scent. I shifted my gaze to him and understanding hit me like a wrecking ball to the gut. This man was my mate. I'd longed to meet him when I was younger but that seemed like a lifetime ago. Before I met Maurice and made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I wasn't ready for a mate not mentally or emotionally though I would love to be able to press myself close against him and have his arms come around me, to let the worries slip away while I soaked up his strength and love. Wasn't that what mates did for one another?