Two Rejects

Chapter 14 - Old Town

My body instantly turns to a flower store that has a few plants and flowers lined up outside. I glance at a few house plants as I speak, "Do you often interact with your pack?"

"All the time. Other than education, we like to promote community." He says from just behind me. I turn to face him and see he's staring at me intently. Head to the side, looking like a total snack.

Yum...

Just as I'm about to ask him something, I hear someone call out my name. I turn to see Eli and his mate with a large group of friends. "Well, if it isn't the girl who broke our beer chugging record," Eli boasts. It looks like he's about to give me a hug until he notices Matthew standing next to me. He bows his head, smile unwavering, "Alpha."

Matthew has a thin lined smile, something that looks almost regal more so than nice. "Hello Eli."

Eli turns his attention back to me, "I don't know how much you remember from last night, but you're one to watch for."

His mate joins him, giving me a beautiful smile. "You were incredible, dear. How you managed to accomplish that much beer in such a short time is beyond me."

Eli faces Matthew, "You should have seen her, Alpha. She beat Sage's record. This one was just chugging my beer like it was water. No gag reflex or anything."

I practically die in that instant. My face turning scarlet red, my hand reaching up to cover my eyes while I try to imagine the world swallowing me whole. I can feel Matthew staring at me, and when I finally take a peek, he looks both amused and salacious. It only adds to my flushed face.

He's so turned on, my wolf drools. Let's jump him.

"I'll make sure to stop by next week," Matthew says his eyes never leaving me. "I'll have to see if I can beat the new record-holder."

We say our goodbyes to Eli and his mate, but as we walk by his group of friends, my memories start flooding and I quickly recognize several of them. They nod at the Alpha in respect, followed by tapping me on the shoulder or shouting my name in encouragement, "Nice going Mia!"

"That was embarrassing," I mumble under my breath. I hadn't noticed that I had taken a few steps away from Matthew until his hand reached for the small of my back and he gently pulls me to his side.

He lets out a chuckle, "I would say I'm fairly amused. I didn't peg you as a beer chugging champion."

I have no comment, I just feel his hand on my back. It makes it hard to focus on anything else.

Matthew shows me around his pack's Old Grounds. As we walk through, I get a small history lesson about the town. How it was founded by werewolves hundreds of years ago when the Alpha King immigrated here. How he's the Alpha because his bloodline goes back to one of the founders. He tells me about the stores that are currently in town and can even name who they belong to. He'll tell me who has mates and who's still seeking theirs. There are schools in the town for younger families, and of course, the university. So, by the time we're done strolling, we find ourselves at one of the most popular streets, what many have now coined as the Food District.

Alongside the lake, there are several restaurants and bars. Matthew pulls me along to his favorite one. He tells me that I can't tell anyone that it's his favorite or else the other restaurant owners will kill him. It makes me giggle softly, his expression softening into a smile.

Just as we're walking into the restaurant, Matthew walks over to the bar where he begins to converse with the bartender. I look around the restaurant and to no surprise, I encounter some of my students and friends.