Alpha, Not

Chapter 6

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Pete has been coming into the diner every day now for the past two weeks. He always sits at a table by the window, but he never says anything before he leaves. I guess I was wrong about him being interested in me. I still think he's good looking though. Beth keeps saying he's interested in me; she likes to play the matchmaker whenever she can. She keeps dropping hints whenever he comes in; she's so embarrassing! This afternoon, she just started talking right there about how I don't have a boyfriend as she was preparing his meal. I turned as red as a fire truck and just sputtered, unable to say anything. He grinned at me when he paid for the food before heading over to his favorite table by the window.

"Is she always like that?" He asked as he paid for his food. I just nodded and handed him his change. He put it in his pocket without bothering to count it.

Andy and Sheila got a huge laugh about the situation when I told them about it later that day. Sheila is urging me to make the first move, but there's no way I can do that.

Pete

There is something about Avery, the guy who works at the diner down the street that makes it so I can't stop thinking about him. My mind wandering to him when I should be focusing on some task or other here at the office. I keep losing myself in thought and daydreaming about him. Goddess, I hope I'm not heading towards another obsession type situation like I had over Jaxon back at White River. Am I prone to that type of obsession? I have to talk to Elliott about that. If he thinks I have the type of personality to become obsessive, I will have to refrain from going to the diner.

I'd like to ask Avery out on a date, but I think it will be best if I hold off until I have a chance to get to know him casually first. It's hard to focus on my work. Ugh! I just want to go to the diner and see him. Is this an obsession?

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"So, you're concerned that you might be obsessing over this guy, and you don't want another situation like you had before with the mate you rejected." Elliott summarizes. Hearing it put like that makes me flinch internally.

"You want to ask him out and you can't stop thinking about him. Is that right?" He asks."That's about it. Yes." I agree, nodding my head.

"Do you think he might be your second chance mate?" He queries.

After taking a moment to think about the question, I answer, shaking my head. "No, I don't think so. I don't feel any of the pull or any sort of bond like I felt with Jaxon. I just find him attractive."

"So, maybe this is just a normal human attraction you feel then." He responds, looking directly at me. "That's how humans usually feel when they meet someone they find attractive, they think about them and want to get to know them. Unless they have a werewolf as a mate, they don't have mate bonds like we werewolves do, so all they feel is a strong sense of attraction."

"I think it's a good thing you're worried about being too obsessive, Pete. It tells me that you're thinking about your situation in the right way. Frankly, I don't think this is an obsession, but I do think you should be careful, take it slow and not let it get out of hand."

"I would like to suggest that you take some time and get to know Avery on a personal level, casually, before you take the next step. Once you two know each other a little better, then I don't see any harm in you asking him out."

"If you think you're starting to get obsessive, you can always come talk to me and we can talk it through. My door is always open, and I'm glad you came to talk to me about this today."

We continued to talk about the differences between obsession and normal attraction until I felt confident that I wasn't falling back into old habits again. After a while, I thanked him for taking the time to talk to me, shook his hand and went back to the packhouse and the room that I still kept here. I really appreciate everything this pack has done to help me; they could so easily have thrown me to the wolves, metaphorically speaking, and made me a rogue.

---

Over the next several weeks, I continued to have lunch at the diner every afternoon. I made it a point to go a little after the main lunch rush was over so that I had a few minutes each time to spend talking to Avery.

The more I get to know him, the more I find myself drawn to him. There is something about him that is innocent and yet, at the same time experienced. It's so different from anyone I've met before, and I find it alluring. He is a bit shy when he first meets new people, but once he gets to know them, he seems to be comfortable around them and the shyness disappears.

Our conversations haven't been anything long or in depth. Just small talk, like what's new at the diner, or what is going on over at the agency at the moment. I've learned a little bit about him; some of it from the older woman he works with. She seems to like playing the matchmaker for him and it's clear she adores him. She keeps hinting that he's single and doesn't have a "boyfriend". A not-so-subtle way to tell me he's gay. I'm pretty sure she can tell that I am interested in him.

I have plans to ask him out on a date today; it's Friday and I hope he'll be willing to do something with me this weekend. There is a small lake not too far out of town that is popular for recreation. They rent out boats and jet skis; I'm thinking that we could rent a pair of jet skis and have a nice day outside in the sun and then maybe stop and eat afterwards.

A/N: Avery and Pete finally meet for the first time. I changed their first meeting slightly from their meeting in Chains; but not too much. I hope you all like it.Let me know what you think about the story so far.