The morning that followed was beautiful. The sun seemed to shine even brighter than the previous day, not that Tatiana ever was scared about it, but something about that morning made her want to live in her bubble a little longer.
She had spent the whole night thinking about Xander, trying to remember every single detail about him. What he liked and what he did not. She had always been obsessed with him, so it wouldn't really be that hard remembering the little things about him.
Maybe he had changed, but there was only so much that could have changed about him. If anything, his scent had remained the same. That was very rare for anyone anyways.
Today, she was hoping to see him anywhere, along the highway, in the schools, and maybe even in the market. Sure it was absurd for an alpha wolf to be caught doing his own grocery shopping when he had other things to attend to but at this point, Tatiana’s thoughts were scattered all over. She couldn’t care less where she could bump into him as long as she did.
Returning from her morning run, Tatiana grabbed a towel to wipe down her sweat before making her way to the kitchen. Her feet padded against the floor as she reached for the coffee machine on the countertop. She badly needed coffee in her system, a habit of hers ever since she relocated to Wolf Street.
A fresh cup of coffee meant it was a different day to search, after all.
Unfortunately, despite the beautiful weather and peaceful jog, the coffee machine she had at home was out to get her. It refused to work and no matter how much she tried, nothing came out.
Exasperated, she soon gave up on the notion of making her own morning coffee. She headed straight for the usual coffee shop she frequented shortly after she took a quick shower.
The second she stepped in, Tatiana was overwhelmed by the aromatic scent of freshly-ground coffee beans.
“Good morning, Tatiana! The usual?” the guy at the coffee shop asked as she nodded at him. She was a regular here, so it wasn't that hard to remember her order.
As she waited, the sight of her shoes brought a frown to Tatiana’s face. She scowled at the unraveled laces, flicking her foot a little just to watch the laces fly up before limply settling.
Huffing, Tatiana bent down to tie her shoelaces. They were annoying and could easily be her ticket to the ground. It was too early for a mess, and she needed to look pretty for him. Maybe he would show up here too, that was a lot of hope for one morning, and the day hadn't even started yet.
“Morning, Colton. Thanks,” a voice said as Tatiana got up.
She felt her hair stand when she realized who it was that stood behind her.
“Sir, that’s her order. I’ll make you another in just a bit.”
“She can wait. I don’t have the time. Thanks, buddy,” the voice trailed off.
Tatiana turned back and looked at Xander, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. For a second, the perfect image of him in her heart shattered.
What happened to courtesy, patience, and waiting in the damn line?
“I believe he told you it’s my order. If you wanted it so much, you could at least be nice about it,” Tatiana said grimly as she tried forcing a smile. She wasn't a morning person, yet she had been waking up to run.
Of all the things he would have considered, she chose to go for the stupid morning run in the hope that she would see him. But now that she actually bumped into him here, she was considering her choices.
Her brain was throwing flares at Xander while her heart wanted them close. How was she supposed to deal with him now? He had been insanely rude despite knowing who she was — werewolves had a keen sense of smell and there was no way he hadn’t recognized her — but would she try anything with the man whose blue eyes made him look like he was insanely royal?
How was that even logical?
The woman was still fighting her heart and she hadn't realized that he was walking away already. Didn't he know how to be thankful? Every second that passed was another second that made Tatiana’s anger tick.
Maybe Zhuri was right. Maybe Tatiana indeed was more in love with the idea of Xander than the actual man that stood before her.
She hadn’t had her morning coffee yet. It was too early for this.
“Xander!” she greeted with fake joviality. “I didn’t think we would—”
“I’m in a hurry, Miss...Tatiana, but nice seeing you around. You can tell Colton to give you another cup; I’ll pay him later,” Xander said as he went into a vehicle that was waiting for him, cutting her off mid-sentence.
Elijah was in the driver’s seat, and Tatiana had never wanted to strangle that beta wolf so bad as she did today. Who the hell did he think he was anyway?
Disappointed, she went back for her coffee and sandwich, which Colton had already prepared for her.
There was no point in causing a fuss over the incident just now, but why did it hurt so bad? Why had he intentionally ignored her? Was the pull of the mate bond that weak and fleeting?
Or was it something else. Could his beta have already told him about her true identity?
She still wished to be part of his life in whatever way, and if being annoying at the coffee table got him talking about her, then damn right, she would be the most annoying person ever. It was just a matter of time, but that was something Tatiana couldn't afford anymore.
Zhuri had told her to be patient last night, and she was starting to doubt whether she could be patient with Xander. What was the hurry anyway, but then again, why would he pretend? She was willing to risk her life for him just last night, and now he acted as though he didn't even know her!
Tatiana didn't want to stress much about it today. She still had better things to do than worry about a man who acted hot one minute and cold the otherShe was hurting, but she still had her dignity.
Living for so many centuries had taught her many things about the different beings that roamed the world. There was one thing that had always stuck out to her about werewolves— the pull of the mate bond was something that couldn’t be ignored for long. Hence, it was only a matter of time before Xander would seek her out again.
With that knowledge in mind, Tatiana whisked her coffee off the countertop, paid for it, and left the cafe swiftly. However, just as she stepped out, she caught a whiff of a familiar scent.
What was it with her and weird smells?
Still, her curiosity got the better of her. She had to check out the familiar scent that was calling out to her.
As she walked towards the dark alley, she tried to make herself snap out of it, but the urge to see what it was, the desire to find out what was happening and why she felt the need to get there overpowered her.
She wasn't a scaredy-cat, but that didn't mean she could simply walk into trouble whenever she felt like it.
There in the dark alley stood someone she had hoped never to see. It was someone she hated with all her being, someone she would have killed herself if she had the power.
“Long time no see, love,” he greeted.
Alistair Petrov.