The Alpha King's Human Mate by HC Dolores

Chapter 38

“Your first love is your first love. It cannot be analyzed, explained, or forgotten.”

Aisling Bea

My mom had been right about the little cafe in town ~ it was cute and cozy. They also just had good coffee, much better

than the black sludge that Steve was drinking in his thermos every morning.

After I’d gone with her that first night, I started going there on my own. Sometimes I’d take a book to read, and other

times I would just people-watch with steaming hot coffee in my hand. \°)

Yorba Linda was definitely a small town, there was no denying that. Besides a grocery store, a movie theater, a library, and

the little cafe, there were just houses here. (*

But it was also peaceful and the people were nice but not intrusive. I was used to living in a small town — if you could

call the Blacktooth Pack a town ~ but the pack had never felt peaceful.

Everyone had heightened emotions, mates were all over each other, and people thought they were entitled to know

every aspect of your life. It probably had to do with their “mind link,” but as a human, it wasn’t great. Yorba Linda

might’ve been small, but nobody bothered you. People

went about their business and didn’t inquire about yours. It was nice. )

After ten days in the little town, I found myself spending another afternoon in the coffee shop. This time, I was equipped

with some mystery novel I’d pulled off mom’s bookshelf. Her collection was sparse, so I would need to make a run to the

local library soon.

I walked up to the coffee shop counter to place my order. The shop was a little busy, and I watched the barista ~ a

college-aged girl with dyed purple hair whose nametag read Amber ~ multitask like a pro.

Geez, she really moves fast. (: She slid someone’s mocha down the counter and then turned to me. Despite how quickly

she seemed to be working, there wasn’t a hair out

of place. She didn’t seem to be breaking a sweat. (=

“What can I get you?” she asked with a bright smile, and I saw her eyes

widen when she looked at me. “Woah,” she muttered under her breath. )

My cheeks instantly flushed. Why is she staring at me like that? “What?” I couldn’t help but ask. She was still staring. “Do

I have still

I swiped my

I wasn’t trying to stare. It’s just…you reminded me

you were

redhead with freckles? We kind

you got it. Sorry. I didn’t mean to

Americano with cream.”

procuring my drink, I settled into one of the armchairs by the window to

nearly fifty pages in when a voice broke through the silence.

high alert. I took a sharp inhale

“Aiden?”

definitely looked older than the last time I’d seen him two years ago.

he was less scrawny

no mistaking the same blue eyes and fluffy blonde

and interrogated me

all I could do was stare at him with wide eyes. Of all the people who

where had he come from? What was he doing in a tiny

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Yorba Linda?

to see you,” Aiden said with a bright smile and he plopped down on

it was you when I walked in.

even bluer than I remembered them to be and I

or how big Steve’s jacket must’ve looked

know when I look like I just rolled out

him, “You’re not seeing things…but what are you

for a second. “In this coffee shop or

I said, “Not that I’m not happy to see you. I guess I just really wasn’t expecting you.” “I

grinned, “Last I remember, you were

I’ve been going to the local college a town

coffee ~ nothing beats the pour-over

I remembered about him, his parents frequently moved for his dad’s job.

we were kids, relocated to Oregon when we started dating, and now it seemed like he

back in California. ‘)

in time for me to run into

his own drink, “How’d you end up in Yorba Linda? Last

strict about your whereabouts.”

a while,” I said, “We’re catching up.” It wasn’t technically a lie, I was

“Shoot…I’ve got

you again? It’s been two years – I’m sure you and I have a lot of catching up

do too.” \”)

he asking me

Aiden was cute, we had a brief history together, and he

and Steve – that I knew in the area, Could

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dive into

me – some sort of gut