Lunch was blissful, if I ignored the death glares I got from every breathing thing with a libido.

It wasn’t like I blamed them. Neo was attractive as hell, even if it was a different kind of beauty than he held on four legs. He had the same beautiful auburn hair, highlighting crystal clear pale skin as it scattered across his forehead and curled ever so slightly at the back of his neck. His eyes were still pale, but in his human form they were sky blue rather than unearthly white. Topped off with a melting, charming smile and his unmatchable self-confidence, he was a complete knock-out.

I would have hated him if I didn’t love him so much.

Lucky for Neo, I was used to it. The giggling girls fawning over him while he gave me aggrieved looks and tried to shoo them away, the few brave boys who got shut down so fast thanks to pack law that it almost made me feel bad. They were a constant, and had been since Neo hit puberty; it was then that he grew out of his awkward phase, and into his rights as a child of the stars. He attracted people like moths to flame. I supposed I was lucky that I was his only true friend, but sometimes it filled me with a guilt I thought would drown me.

It made me a little grateful when lunch ended, and Neo went off to his next class. A year younger than me, he still had a full schedule as a sophomore. I was a workaholic, testing out of several classes, and I was taking my last few credits. It meant my afternoon was free. I headed toward my Beetle with a relieved sigh, and nearly ran into the poor car when my phone vibrated.

It was jarring, because nobody ever wanted to reach me. I dug the sleek silver thing out of my bag to peer at the unfamiliar number which was bold across my screen. A frown pulled at my mouth while I slipped my finger across the screen in the pattern to unlock it, and my fear and paranoia died when I saw the message which had been sent to me.

I hadn’t thought the student Jay was sending to me for tutoring would text me that quickly. Nor that he would be one of the few human beings who spelled out words rather than using annoying shorthand which drove me up a wall as Neo did. I couldn’t help smiling as I read the polite text.

My Beetle was parked right next to Neo’s god awful monster of a car, an apparently extremely rare foreign model of a convertible, so I leaned against the beast while I texted the new student back. I’d barely sent the text telling him to simply call me before my phone was singing out a song sung by Jay’s husband.

“Well, somebody’s eager.” My voice was warm when I answered the phone, and anybody who’d known me for more than a day would have been shocked by it. I was very good at acting cold and distant so I could pretend the pack’s abuse didn’t hurt me; that didn’t mean I was uninterested in making friends, and a transfer student was a clean slate.

A nervous laugh came over the line, and I was immediately in love with the richly deep voice. “Sorry if I seemed rude. I’m just anxious to catch up to where the class is at. Being smart can only get a boy so far.”

“I can understand that.” My smile had only grown while talking to him, and I settled more comfortably against Neo’s car. “Don’t worry, you weren’t rude. You have impeccable manners. Spelled out the words in your text and everything.”

“How could I not? The heathens these days, using letters and numbers because they’re too lazy to spell properly,” the boy scoffed, and I snorted a laugh. “Hell, that was cute. I think I’m going to enjoy spending time with you, even if it’s just for class.”

I held the phone away from my face for a moment, giving it the slightly suspicious stare the student would have received if we were face to face. It took me a moment to brave speaking again. “Yeah… sure. Whatever you say,” I mumbled the words, and my awkward uncertainty must have come through loud and clear, because he sounded apologetic when he spoke again.

“Kind of ruined the already budding friendship, didn’t I? I have a big mouth- I’ll try to keep it shut. My bad.”

“It’s okay. Really, it’s not your fault.” I couldn’t resist trying to reassure him, because he couldn’t have known. Homosexuality was accepted by most humans in modern society; it was just werewolves who were still backwards as fuck and unable to accept those fruitless unions. Flirting was probably perfectly acceptable to him. And to be honest, it could be for me- they needed Neo, but I was a male omega, and they didn’t need those genes mixed in with the pool.

I was sure they’d be much happier if I found myself a man and never had children.

“Um, I’m sorry, was I speaking too quickly?”

I started at the sudden louder tone of the student’s voice, guilt washing through me because I hadn’t been paying attention at all. “N-no, sorry! I got a little distracted.”

“Did I catch you at a bad time? I can-”

“It’s okay!” I interrupted him as my guilt sharpened. “Really, it’s on me. Do me a favor and recap me on what I missed- I promise I’ll pay attention this time.”

There was a moment of silence which nearly gave me a heart attack, because I didn’t want to make Jay mad by fucking up. The laughter which followed was a stunning relief; it also had me letting out a soft, stunned breath because damn did that sound good. Sex for the ears, and I could only imagine how much better it would be in person. “I was just asking if it would be possible to meet up today. I didn’t know what your schedule looks like. Jay said you’re younger than me, so I assumed I’ll have to wait, but I was hopeful.”

“Oh, I’m free for the rest of the day.”

“Really? Don’t ditch classes just for me, I’d feel flattered.”

I laughed at him, shaking my head though he couldn’t say it. “You wish you were that lucky. I graduate this year, I’m only taking a few credits.”

“Ooh, you really are a genius. Jay wasn’t lying.”

Warmth swelled in my chest in response to his words. My pack may have hated me, but there were people who thought I was worth something. “I suppose you could say that. So I’m all yours until dinner. Where did you want to meet?”

“There’s this little coffee shop at the edge of town, I’ve heard it’s really great.”

“Oh, you mean Luna’s?”

“How’d you know?”

“I love that place.” My voice was warm when I answered. I went to Luna’s often, because it was just over the edge of pack territory; my pack couldn’t hurt me without risking the intervention of the human police if they were outside pack lines. Because of that, Luna’s was a safe place for me. One of very, very few when I wasn’t directly by Neo’s side.

Not to mention that the coffee there was amazing.

“Well, that makes things easier. What do you say we meet there in about an hour? You can ask for me at the front counter and they’ll point you to whatever table I hole up at.”

“Sounds good. Just one thing. How am I supposed to ask for you? I don’t know your name, or what you look like.”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I was sure Jay would have told you!” He sounded flustered, and it was a little cute even though I hadn’t meant to embarrass him. “God, I don’t know your name either. I’m so sorry. I’m Viktor Barret. It will be a pleasure to meet you.”

I tried to hold it in, but I ended up laughing, shaking my head at the phone. “I’m sure. I’m Tsuki Takagi, for the record. And please stop being so polite, you’re going to kill me. I can guarantee I’ll be at Luna’s first, I have nothing better to do- so you look for me, okay?”

Viktor hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh which was tinged with relief. “Sounds good, Tsuki. I’ll see you there.” His words were followed by the click of the line going dead.

I stood there for a moment, staring down at my phone with a smile on my face. It was hard for me to like people; part of it was the hatred the pack spread, but I also stayed away from people out of fear that they would hurt me. Viktor didn’t sound like the kind of guy who would do that- even if it was irrational to decide that based on a conversation over the phone. Maybe I’d been lucky for the first time in my life, and had found somebody other than Neo who I could call a friend.

Those thoughts mulled around in my head as I pushed off Neo’s car to get on my way. My Beetle coughed into action, and I set her on the highway to get to Luna’s. It was a long drive even from the college, nearly half an hour. I filled the silence by blasting music from my CD player, listening to the velvet tones of Calum Whelan’s voice melding with those of his partner. I loved both of them, and sang under my breath as the familiar songs played.

The parking lot in front of Luna’s was unusually full, and it took three circles to find a spot for my little car, squeezed in between two idiots who didn’t know how to park. I was muttering about it as I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and locked my car.

My irritation drained away when I walked inside. The familiar smell of coffee wafted through the little coffee shop, without the nasty burnt edge common to most chain cafes. There was a soft buzz of chatter from the people gathered at different tables, ruled over by the quiet strains of rock music which drifted from the speakers; Luna’s wasn’t really a classical music and pink drinks kind of coffee shop, thank god.

I skirted around the full tables, getting a fews polite nods and waves from regulars who recognized me. It warmed my heart to have people not reject me on sight, which was part of why I went to Luna’s so often. The cute boy who often worked the counter might have been another reason- but I’d never admit that, and give my pack another reason to hate me. Though it didn’t stop me from smiling at him, taking in his soft brown hair and ebony eyes with an inner thrill of pleasure.

“Afternoon, Tsuki. What can I get for you today?” the barista asked, flashing a charming smile at me.

Something which had tightened in my chest while I was at school eased, allowing me to speak without the notes of fear and tension in my voice. “I think the iced mocha suits the heat wave.”

“Right?” He sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. “This fucking weather, man. If it doesn’t pick a temperature, I’m going to hunt down Mother Nature and give her a piece of my mind. Extra chocolate like usual?”

I laughed at the way he easily changed topics, slipping from an annoyed rant into the polite, cheerful question easily. “Yes, please. Thanks, Rickon. Looks like my usual table is open; I have a friend coming, if you want to send him my way when he asks for me.”

The barista looked surprised, and I gave him a wry smile which had his face flushing. I didn’t blame him for being shocked that I had a friend; that didn’t stop the sting. “Y-yeah, no problem. I’ll bring your drink over, too. Your refills are on the house until you leave.”

My irritation eased, and my smile was gentler; he knew he’d hurt me, and was trying to fix it. “Thanks,” I repeated, before I headed for my table in the corner. It was at the far side of the cafe, set apart from the rest of the tables a bit and right next to one of the windows. I spread my books out across the table, but my gaze centered on the forest outside at the border of the parking lot.

The wolf inside me stirred half-heartedly, which didn’t surprise me. What did was when it went on high alert. It had me stiffening in my chair, flicking my gaze around the coffee shop to find the source of my animal soul’s unease. It didn’t take long to find him. A tall, sinfully attractive brunette was ordering coffee at the counter, leaning against it and talking to Rickon with a flirtatious smile which seemed to be flustering the barista. My breath caught in my throat, because I recognized that aura, the confident pose and easy charm.

My wolf was upset because there was an unfamiliar alpha in the shop. A testing sniff at the air caught onto his scent, and it wasn’t one I recognized; he didn’t belong to my pack, nor any of the other packs in the area which we dealt with constantly. He was a complete stranger- which was next to impossible when it came to wolves.

He leaned forward to speak privately with Rickon, and I stiffened when the barista’s face paled slightly. His mouth opened and closed several times. And then he gestured in my direction, which just about froze me. The alpha he was speaking to turned to follow the gesture; it took a moment, but his gaze settled on me.

My fight or flight instincts kicked in, and I was almost vibrating in my seat as I watched the alpha make his way over to me. He stopped only when he stood against the edge of my table. Flashing me his charming smile, and the rich voice which spilled from his lips was both familiar and oh so much better in person. “So you’re Tsuki Takagi, hm? Viktor Barret. It truly is a pleasure to be taught by a cute guy like you.” He stuck his hand out, charm still fully in place, and I nearly died.

Jay couldn’t have known, but he’d set me up with a foreign alpha- and there was a good chance I wouldn’t survive the experience.