The Alpha's Bondage

Coffee Watch

♚Archer♚

“You are early,” Seraphina said with a knowing smile. Her heels clicked across the cracked marble, and it was quite annoying.

“Where is she?” I asked. Seraphina rolled her eyes and led me out onto the street, where the air smelled like wet stone from the rain. I didn’t say a word as she led me down the street. She stopped in front of what appeared to be some sort of coffee shop. The smell of burnt coffee made my stomach turn.

“Harley Hunter. The one behind the counter,” she said, and I looked inside through the window. A young woman stood behind the counter in a plain light blue apron with a pen tucked into her hair. I watched in silence for a moment while she helped a few customers. It struck me how beautiful she was. No, not just beautiful. Stunning. “She works her on two different shifts. Morning and afternoon,”

“I take it she lives around here?” I asked. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

“She has a small apartment in a rundown building four blocks away. She walks to and from work. She doesn’t own a car,” I watched as Harley helped a woman who had a small child. The kid held out a toy, and Harley laughed. My chest tightened, and the hunger rushed to the surface.

“Take her and feed,” Ragnar murmured, and I felt the words move under my skin like a second pulse. “Do not pretend you came for coffee!” I ignored him.

“Does she live alone?” I asked Seraphina.

“Yes,”

“Perfect,” I murmured as I finally tore my gaze away.

“No pack. No friends. No real social life,” Seraphine added, and I nodded. Seraphine liked to target the outcasts and rogues. It suited me just fine. She did her part of the job, and that was more than enough.

“Give me her file,” I said. Seraphine handed over the file she had been hanging on to. I scanned the information and sighed softly. I shut the file and slipped it under my arm as I glanced back at Harley.

“Do it now,” Ragnar pushed, and he sounded almost amused. “You always wait until the ache turns you mean. Stop pretending the waiting is noble,”

“Thank you, you can expect payment soon,” I said to Seraphine dismissively. Her job was done. Now it was my turn.

“Are you going to take her today?” Seraphine asked, and I turned to her. I didn’t say a word as I stared at her. She knew better than that. “Right. Sorry,” and then she hurriedly left. I turned back to the window.

“You want her,” Ragnar said, and he did not try to mask the smile in the words. “You want her like the first breath after water,”

“I want the ache to shut up,” I said softly. I made a decision then and entered the little store. The smell was even more overpowering, but it didn’t matter. I fell into place at the back of the small queue.

“I’m here!” a flustered woman said from the other side of the counter. I frowned as I watched Harley sigh in relief before she disappeared into the back. I groaned in annoyance. Clearly, this other woman had come to relieve Harley. I hesitated, but then I decided to get a cup of coffee anyway. I planned to watch Harley when she returned, and I couldn’t exactly do that without ordering something. The woman worked quickly, and soon enough, I was next. I ordered a coffee and paid. The woman chatted about the weather, but I ignored her. A moment later, I took a seat at the back of the café. Twenty minutes later, Harley returned. I watched as she helped customers, cleaned the counter, and set and reset the coffee machine. She moved with a grace that fired more than just the hunger inside of me. I watched and waited.

“Ok, that’s me,” Harley said to the other woman. She took off her apron and disappeared into the back. I got up and left the café. I crossed the street and kept to the shadows. I saw her leave, and I carefully followed her home. I had all of her information in the file, so I read through it again. I wasn’t in any hurry despite the hunger. I had to wait until nightfall anyway. I decided to head back to the pack and deal with Harley later. Of course, Ragnar wasn’t impressed, but I ignored his incessant complaining.

“Where were you?” Marcus, my Beta, questioned when I walked into the office. I rolled my eyes as I threw myself onto the two-seater couch.

“I went out,”

“No, I know that,” he replied. “I wish you would tell me,”

“I already told you, Marcus. Some secrets are left secret,” I said as I relaxed against the softness of the couch. It was one of my favorite spots. Marcus stood up and glared at me. He wasn’t really angry, he was just curious about what I was hiding. I would never tell him.

“I am your Beta and your best friend,” he pointed out.

“Yes, which is why I am asking you to stop pushing me on this,” I said. I wish I could tell him. It would be nice to talk to someone about my problems. But it wasn’t something easy to explain. I had a hunger that was insatiable. And that hunger led me down a dark path. A path that I didn’t want him to know about. Marcus sighed loudly, and I chuckled. “You don’t need to know every detail of my life,”

“No, I don’t, but…I hate this secret of yours,”

“You don’t even know what it is…so how could you possibly hate it?”

“Because it’s a secret!” he exclaimed, and I laughed as I got to my feet.

“Never mind it, Marcus…now, let’s talk pack business,” I said as I changed my tone of voice. Marcus immediately focused on the task at hand. While he was my best friend, he was still my Beta, and he had responsibilities. I did too, but I also had a secret life. One that I knew would be frowned upon.

♚♚