Page 9 of Alphas Never Hide (Willow Lake Supernaturals #5)

Chapter Nine

RYLEY

After reading the message from Van , Hayden was as ornery as a wolf whose nose had been stung by a bee. I hopped into the bathroom to clean up before he did, because I knew the moment he was ready, he’d leave me behind if I wasn’t ready at that exact moment, too.

I was still wearing the clothes and shoes I’d borrowed from Hayden last night. I wouldn’t normally sleep fully dressed nor would I wear those same clothes the next day, but needs must. And speaking of needs, I also needed to check everything in my cloud, make sure my bank account was still secure, and find time to buy more clothes. None of that would be difficult. I just needed a computer.

Unfortunately , I doubted Hayden would stop long enough for me to sign in, let alone poke around and make sure everything was okay.

Although , wouldn’t it be cool if when we found that asshole wolf, we found my stuff, too? It was wishful thinking, I know. But it could be in the bunker. I should have looked when I made my escape. That had been short-sighted of me.

Ha ! Right ! Like I would have wasted time wandering around down there. That would have just been begging to be caught again.

When we were in Hayden’s truck, waiting for the electric gate to open so we could drive out of the secure parking lot, I chanced a glance in his direction. He looked a lot better than he had last night. His scar from my kick was almost gone, thank Magic . It was strange how long it’d taken. Was he ill? A spasm ran through my chest at the thought of him being sick. Despite having slept snuggled against him last night, I didn’t know him, but my instincts told me the world would be worse off without him in it.

“ What ?” he asked gruffly, without looking at me.

“ Can we stop for coffee? It can be to-go.”

Hayden’s mouth flattened in a line, but he didn’t say no. When the gate was open wide enough for the truck to get through, he didn’t waste time getting us out of there. I glanced over at the front of his shop, and I could see the Open sign lit up and the lights on inside.

“ Do you have to work today?”

“ Buddy can take care of things.”

I frowned. Who was Buddy ? His partner? I folded my arms over my chest as another weird ache shot through it. What was up with that? Maybe I was the one who was sick. Because what would it matter if Buddy was Hayden’s partner, business or otherwise? I wasn’t interested in having a relationship with Hayden , and nothing had happened between us. Except he shouldn’t sleep in a bed with someone if he was involved with someone else.

Thankfully , nothing had happened between us. And nothing would, because I wasn’t staying here long enough to get involved with him or anyone else. Sure , I’d thought about having a fling with him last night, but that was then. In the light of day, I knew better.

There were too many supes in this town for my comfort. It didn’t matter that the ones I’d met so far seemed nice. I’d been around enough supes in my time to know better than to blindly trust them. As a hybrid faun, I didn’t belong anywhere close to real supes. My herd had taught me that lesson well.

Hayden whipped the truck into an angled parking spot in front of a place called the Flying Rowan Café . He pointed at the place. “ Coffee .”

He was not a man of many words today.

I sighed. Why didn’t this place have a drive-through lane? Hayden made no move to get out with me. So , it looked like this was where he planned to ditch me.

“ Do you want anything?” I asked, as if I was unaware of his plan. I pushed the truck door open, then I paused. “ Wait . I don’t have any cash or cards.”

I almost laughed as he grunted and yanked his keys from his ignition. He got out and slammed the door shut. Hayden marched to the door without saying a word. His body language, on the other hand, wasn’t shy about letting the world know he was annoyed. Maybe some coffee would do him good, too. Put a little pep in his step. A jump in his rump. Some drive in his stride. Some gas in his ass.

What was I even saying right now? My brain was obviously dying from coffee withdrawal, because no one wanted gas in their ass, or a jump in their rump either, come to think of it. But it was excusable, right? It’d been ages since my last coffee, because Robbie and his asshole buddies hadn’t come around with a coffee cart. They’d been terrible hosts.

“ Alrighty then,” I muttered. I hopped out and followed him into the diner.

Inside the exterior doors was a small entrance area with pictures of sunsets on the walls. Each featured a twisted rowan tree that appeared to have sprouted from pure rock. Considering the place was called the Flying Rowan , it made sense.

The diner itself was quirky. To the left was a dining area, with tables of different sizes in the middle and booths around the perimeter. The rowan theme continued here. A massive photo covered most of one wall. A sizeable bonsai version of the tree sat in one corner. It needed a trim; the branches and leaves were reaching out as if eager to poke someone’s eyes out.

To the right was a counter where people clutching travel mugs queued for their morning fix of caffeine. I sensed at least half of them were supes. I didn’t have the strongest senses in my human form, but the magic swirling around this place was almost a physical presence.

I fought the urge to turn around and run back to the truck. Too many supes in one place never boded well for me. But the decadent aroma of freshly brewed coffee kept me where I was. Damn it. My need for coffee was going to get me killed. I followed Hayden as closely as I could without tripping over his feet or bumping into his back, praying he’d shield me when, inevitably, someone decided the hybrid was an easy target.

When the people in the line saw Hayden , several ducked their heads and whispered, “ Alpha .” Each of the people who called him alpha waved to the space in front of them, offering their place in line to him. Hayden barely acknowledged them with a nod as he stomped to the back of the line. I followed. When Hayden pushed me in front of him, just like those other people had tried to do with him, a new energy filled the room. Everyone’s attention was on us.

I edged back, closer to Hayden . I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I stood close enough to him, I’d be safe. He didn’t move away, thank Magic .

Suddenly , people were pulling their phones from wherever they’d stashed them—their pockets, their purses, their backpacks, and even their bras. And , just so you know, I hadn’t needed to see a busty woman reach into her shirt and grope her boob until she finally pulled out a sweat-covered phone. Because eww…

I shuddered.

Suddenly , it was like we were celebrities being hunted down by paparazzi. Phones angled toward us. Flashes went off. Most of the people didn’t even try to be sneaky as they snapped pictures of us.

This was not what I’d expected.

“ Uh , Hayden ?” I asked. “ What’s happening?”

“ Ignore them,” he muttered with a scowl.

Yeah . I didn’t see how anyone could do that. I didn’t want to give the rabid photographers a reason to turn on me, so I pushed down my apprehension. If I pretended everything was okay, I could trick them into believing it was true. At least until I had my coffee in my hand, and we could leave.

The vibe wasn’t antagonistic, though. Nope . It was something else entirely. All these random people were happy to see Hayden with someone. If I showed them I was happy to be with him too, maybe that’d keep me in their good books.

I tilted my head at a jaunty angle and smiled. Everyone smiled back and encouraged me. Huh . Not the reaction I expected. I was tempted to test the waters by making a duck face. That’s what celebrities always did, right? But I couldn’t decide if I should keep facing the cameras or twist to look up at Hayden . If I did it right, made it look all lovey, they’d really lose their shit, including Hayden . The guy needed to loosen up. And would it hurt him to smile for the pictures? Just a little? I didn’t want anyone to think I’d dragged him here under duress.

Hmm … Had I ever seen him smile? Sure , we hadn’t met under the best circumstances, but I was certain I’d smiled since meeting him. And just like that, I had a new goal in life. I wanted to be responsible for Hayden smiling.

“ Oh , for fuck’s sake,” Hayden muttered before I could make my duck face. Then , speaking louder, he said, “ This is Ryley . He’s new to town.”

“ He’s wearing your shirt,” someone from the front of the line said.

“ He smells like you,” someone else said.

“ Is this a date? Or the morning after?” That person winked.

A large man in the middle of the line frowned. Something about him screamed supernatural in a familiar way. My grandfather was buddies with a minotaur and this guy reminded me of him. Pops and his friend often got together to drink ouzo and reminisce about the old times. And by old times, I meant really old, like ancient. I was pretty sure my grandfather was already old when Homer walked the earth.

“ Leave them alone,” the minotaur barked out. The large man pointed at the two young cat shifters at the front of the line. “ And Eli and Theo , pay attention. It’s your turn. Get up to the counter or get out of the way.”

“ Oh , come on, Levi . You know Mama will want to know what’s going on,” one of them grumbled, but they still shuffled forward and placed their orders.

Hayden dipped his head in thanks to the large man after everyone spun to face the counter again.

When we climbed into the truck a few minutes later, I was drooling. The extra-large coffee with vanilla and hazelnut syrups and rich cream smelled amazing. The paper bag with my vegetarian breakfast burrito already had a greasy film seeping through from the melted cheese, and the icing on my cinnamon bun, which had its own little box, was so thick the box couldn’t close. I didn’t know what to devour first.

Hayden didn’t have that problem. He’d finished his meat lover’s breakfast bagel in the few steps it’d taken us to walk from the restaurant to the truck. That couldn’t be good for his digestion. Then again, I doubted his plain, dark roast coffee—straight up, without any cream or flavoring, that coincidentally also smelled like misery—was good for his stomach either. Someone needed to invent a coffee syrup flavor called “raw meat” for predatory shifters everywhere. But now that I thought about it, there might be a bacon flavor, which could work in a pinch. I doubted Hayden was the only supe with a predatory alter ego in their shifted form, so maybe I’d suggest that to the barista when I was in there next.

If I ever went back, because I was leaving. Soon .

“ Do you need anything else?” Hayden asked. I’d like to pretend he was being sweet, wanting to make sure I had everything I needed, but there was way too much attitude for that to be true.

“ Nope ,” I said around a mouthful of my burrito. Holy Magic , was it good. The gooey, warm cheese was melted perfectly. I’d been too long without halfway decent food. The wolves kept me fed, but their idea of a meal had been mashed potatoes from a box. Weeks of exactly the same thing. If I never saw another mashed potato again, I’d be happy.

As soon as I was in the truck’s cab, we were off again.

I expected Hayden to make for the outskirts of town, but he didn’t. He turned a corner, then another, before he swung left into an angled parking stall in front of the police station. You wouldn’t be able to do shit like that in the city. Crossing opposing traffic to park, even if there weren’t any cars coming at us, wasn’t really the done thing. Especially not in front of the place where police officers hung out.

I leaned forward and tucked a chunk of my sandwich in my mouth as I looked at the building. “ What are we doing here? ”

“ You are making a statement about what happened to you.”

“ Hmm … And what about you?”

“ That doesn’t matter. Van needs your statement.”

“ Is Van even here now? Didn’t his message say he was going to sleep?”

“ So , talk to Dillon instead.”

“ Wasn’t he out with Van all night too?”

“ Ryley , get out of the truck.”

I leaned back in my seat and took a sip of my sweet and milky elixir of life. “ Nah . I’m good. Maybe later.”

Hayden ground his teeth together. “ Ryley …”

“ We both know you’re going out to hunt for that wolf. I’m not letting you go alone.”

“ I’m going to the garage.”

Did he think I’d buy that lie? He could wear a neon sign over his head that said, “ I’m lying,” and be less obvious. Although his inability to lie was kind of sweet; it suggested he didn’t do it much.

“ Yeah . Of course you are,” I said.

“ Are you getting out?”

“ Not yet. I need to finish my breakfast first. You know, since it’s the most important meal of the day. You said you needed to go to work, so don’t worry about me. I’ll figure it out.” I looked up and down the road for landmarks. “ The garage is over there, right?”

“ Right .” Hayden’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. He threw the truck into gear again and sped toward his garage. When he parked up, I made no move to get out. Hayden , on the other hand, tried to salvage his lie. “ Well , I’ll let you do your thing. I’ll be inside if you need me. ”

“ No worries.” I waved him off.

He slowly climbed out of the truck and walked to the door. He looked over his shoulder at me, and I waved at him. You know, with how often the guy walked away from me, it was like he was trying to make sure I noticed his ass. And I had. It was a nice ass. I bet he did lots of squats to get a nice plump butt like that. Oh , the things I could do to it… I sighed as I watched him cross the sidewalk and open the door, because none of that was going to happen.

As soon as he was out of sight, I hopped out of the truck, which wasn’t an easy task while balancing my hot coffee and my breakfast. I set everything in the back of the truck before climbing over the tailgate. I stretched out across the bed of the truck and wished I’d thought to grab a blanket to make it a little more comfortable.

Fauns had a reputation for not taking their responsibilities seriously, but I wasn’t like most fauns. And I’d made a promise to the doctor to watch over the stubborn assed wolf. So that’s what I was going to do.

It had nothing to do with the bizarre feeling I got when I was around Hayden . How could a stranger make someone feel warm and safe? I didn’t know. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I stuck close to him, nothing would happen to me, even in a town filled with supes. Nope . My decision to sneak into the bed of his truck had nothing to do with that at all.

A few minutes later, I heard the door to the garage open as I swallowed the last of my vegetarian sandwich. I stayed very still as footsteps neared the truck. Hayden muttered, “ Thank fuck.”

He climbed into the truck, then we were off again .

I needed to plan better if I was going to do this again. Drinking hot coffee while unable to sit up and being jostled around at the same time was awkward as hell. I should have picked up something with a straw.

And the dust. Ugh . Nope . I couldn’t eat my cinnamon bun with all the dirt flying around. When was the last time Hayden washed this thing?

I frowned. He was such an ass, making me do this. I knew he hadn’t told me to, and I knew he didn’t know I was doing it, but this was all his fault.

I’d just finished the last of my coffee when he guided the truck to the side of the road. I sat up and pulled back the lid on my cinnamon bun. It would have been better if it was warmer, or if I could have taken my time, but it still tasted pretty good as I stuffed it in my face.

“ No way. Seriously ?” Hayden’s window must have been open because I could hear him.

I turned around and, sure enough, there he was, twisted in his seat and staring at me. I grinned around a big bite and wiggled my fingers at him.

“ What are you doing here?” A golden color flashed through his pale blue irises. That had to be his wolf pushing forward.

I held up my forefinger, in the universal sign of “give me a minute.” I licked the last of the cream cheese icing from my fingers. Eating cinnamon buns was a messy business, but I refused to waste any of the yummy goodness. He watched me for a moment, before he cleared his throat and faced forward again, like he couldn’t stand watching my tongue lap at my fingers.

“ Parker put napkins in the bag,” Hayden muttered .

“ Sure , sure,” I said. I turned my hand this way and that to make sure I got everything before I dug in the bag and pulled out a crumpled paper napkin. I wiped my hands and mouth quickly. “ All done.”

Hayden grunted, then he climbed out of the truck and slammed the door. Was he always this grumpy? Or was it something he saved for me?