The Beta

VIII

*Rian*

This danged anima, I thought. I must have been drawn to the store, because Faye was here. If I had known I was going to run into her, I would've dressed a little nicer and put some cologne on.

    "Thea sent me on a hunt, too," I told Faye, showing her my own list. Hers looked much longer than mine. "I'm not very good at this shopping thing. If you help me check everything off my list, I'll help you."

    She eyebrows rose. "Sure. Could be fun?"

    We got right down to business. Faye was one of those straightforward women, I could tell. Not that I had ever been gifted with the ladies, but flirting wouldn't work with her. She was too shy. I liked that, because I sucked at flirting. I sucked at being human period.

    Evidently, Faye went shopping for her mother often. She knew these aisles scarily well. I noticed most of the staff recognized her, too. A forced smile crossed her face every time she saw someone she knew. Within fifteen minutes, my entire list and most of hers had been marked off.

    "Thanks for helping me," I told her. "Clearly, I'm clueless."

    She chuckled. "It's okay."

    I studied her carefully. The way we interacted made me feel more human than I ever had. Probably because she didn't know what I was. If she did, she would look at me differently. The way Thea did. Sighing, I swallowed heavily. I didn't know if I could handle her looking at me like that. Why couldn't my anima be a fellow wolf like most everyone else? It would have made things so much simpler.

    "Are you alright?" Faye asked.

    "Oh." I pasted a smile on my face. "Yep. Just peachy."

    "I space out, too. My friends hate it."

    "So does Thea," I admitted. "Now, what else is on that list of yours?"

    She rattled off a few more items, mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. I pretended like I knew what those foods were. We never ate anything sophisticated back in Oregon. Then again, we stayed in our wolf form most days, so human food didn't matter. We just hunted.

    "You've never seen bay leaves?" Faye was asking. "How is that even possible? It adds flavor to soups and stews."

    "Anything that has leaf in it is something I make a point to avoid."

    Laughing, she threw the pack in her cart. "Maybe my mom and I can have you and Thea over for dinner sometime? My mom is a terrific cook. She'll teach you how to love even leaves."

    "That'd be nice, really."

    "I'll talk to my mom about it." She headed towards the checkout lines and I followed.

    The longer we stood in line, the more restless I grew. I wasn't typically a patient person. Most wolves weren't.

    "So why did Thea send you to shop for her, if you don't mind me asking?" Faye looked up at me through those abyssal hazel eyes.

    "We made a deal that I would buy her groceries as long as I stay at her house."

    Curiosity sparkled in her eyes, yet she didn't voice it. I helped her unload her groceries onto the conveyor belt. Would it be inappropriate if I offered to buy her groceries? It would probably embarrass Faye. Then again, I'd do anything to see her blush again. She was somehow cuter than usual when her cheeks reddened.

    When the cashier announced the total, almost three digits worth of food, I handed over a few bills. Faye's mouth popped open.

    "Rian, you can't!" she objected. "My mom will kill us both!"

    I grinned at her, pleased about the blush I had induced. "I would love to meet your mother."

    Her teeth chewed on her bottom lip. "Why are you so nice?"

    "Because I can be." Resisting the urge to wrap my arm around her was increasingly difficult. Faye was innocent and the gesture would freak her out.

    "Well, don't complain when she comes banging on your door to repay you."

    "I'll invite her in for coffee."

    Though she scowled, it was playful.

    After I paid for Thea's groceries, Faye and I headed out to the parking lot. I followed Faye to her vehicle, even though I'd parked four lanes down. She smiled shyly when she noticed.

    "You're too helpful," she complained.

    "I don't think I've ever heard that before." I smirked.

    All of the bagged groceries were stowed in her trunk. She reached up onto her tiptoes to close the trunk door and her shirt slipped up. A sliver of pale flesh showed. My heart jumped into my throat all over again, like when we first met. Faye quickly tugged her shirt down, blushing again.

    "Here," I told her. "Let me get it."

    I closed the trunk and scratched my head, afraid to meet her gaze. Play it cool, play it cool, I chanted to myself.

    "Um, thanks for helping me," she said. "And for buying everything."

    "My pleasure." My gaze slowly lifted to hers. "Maybe we should do this again sometime."

    "Go shopping together?"

    A single chuckle escaped me. "Ah, no. I mean, we can shop, but I just meant hang out."

    She laughed nervously. "I think that'd be fun. And don't worry...I won't make you go shopping with me."

    "I appreciate that," I admitted. "Shopping isn't my gig, in case you didn't notice."

    "It's not really mine either."

    My left eyebrow arched doubtfully.

    "I'm totally serious!" she insisted, cracking another laugh.

    "We shall see about that, Faye Derby."

    Her arms crossed her chest. "We shall."

    "Bye."

    "Bye, Rian. See you around."

    "See you." I watched her climb into the driver seat before I walked away.