The next morning, the bakery was buzzing with the familiar scent of cinnamon and sugar. Eli moved through the small space with practiced ease-------his golden hair tousled, apron dusted with flour, and a soft smile on his face as he kneaded dough.
But even as he worked, his mind wandered.
That man. The strange. Caleb.
The way their hands had brushed in the dark. The way his deep, warm voice had curled in Eli chest, low and steady.
Eli shook his head, trying to focus. He barely knew the guy.
Just a stranger he ran into the woods. Right?
The bell over the door chimed, pulling him from his thoughts.
He looked up------- And nearly dropped the tray of pastries in his hands. There, standing in the soft morning light, was Caleb.
He was wearing a simple black hoodie, the sleeves pushed up to his forearms, and dark jeans that fit way too well. His hair was still a little messy, falling into his eyes in a way that made Eli throat go dry.
''Morning,'' Caleb said, his voice smooth, almost too casual. Like they hadn't just bumped into each other in the woods the night before.
Eli blinked ''Oh....Hi.''
Caleb gaze lingered on him, warm and unreadable, and Eli felt flustered, like he was suddenly too aware of his own hands, the flour smudged across his check, the way his heart was thumping.
''Can I get something for you?'' Eli asked, voice higher than usual.
Caleb lips curved into a slow, easy smile----like he knew something Eli didn't. ''I'll take the usual.''
Eli blinked.
''The .......usual?''
Caleb titled his head, a playful glint in his eyes. ''I guess this place is going to be my regular spot now.''
Something about the way he said it made Eli cheeks burn.
He nodded quickly, turning to grab a fresh cinnamon roll from the display------his best seller, the one he always saved for the regulars. As he handed it over, their fingers brushed again----just for a second, but long enough to make Eli breath catch.
''Thanks, Eli,'' Caleb said, his voice soft and low, and for a second, Eli felt the words narrow, like it was just the two of them in the warm, quiet bakery. But before he could say anything, Caleb was gone-------walking out the door, the bell jingling softly in his wake.
Eli stood there for a moment, heart racing, the cinnamon roll still warm Caleb fingers had touched it.
And as the day went on, customers came and went, the usual rhythm of life filling the bakery....... But Eli mind kept drifting back to the handsome stranger with the warm smile and the eyes that seemed to see through him.
What Eli didn't know-----------
Couldn't know--------- Was that Caleb watched him too. Every time Eli turned to the counter, Caleb gaze followed him, soft and hungry and possessive in a way Eli couldn't see.
Caleb wasn't just a customer.
He was a wolf.
An Alpha.
And his heart had already claimed Eli as his.