Liam keeps looking at him.
Not the stare down, just the long glances before he looks straight ahead, only to repeat it.
"Something on my face?"
Liam sighs. " Nothing."
Liam is the rendition of the blue boy. With lost eyes, always in his head as if he is getting pulled somewhere else, and is unwilling to get back to the present moment.
He hasn't talked about the real reason why he left home this time, and Travis doesn't ask either. He already knows his father is a piece of work.
His phone starts ringing, and he sees that it's his grandmother on the screen on the dashboard.
"Yeah."
"How noble of you to answer me with a simple yeah."
"Hello, Grams, what can I do for you?"
If she hears his sarcastic tone, she doesn't mention it.
"I wanted to remind you about your appointment tomorrow."
"I have appointments tomorrow, but none that involve you."
"You are having lunch with the son of one of my old associates."
"I am not having lunch with anyone tomorrow."
"Stop being hard, Travis, this is for your own good."
"It's for your own good, too, that you stop matching me up with all these people, Grandma. I am not interested."
"You will find this one to your liking. A wonderful boy, from a very good family, an omega, with a pure bloodline, strong too. Well-mannered, wealthy, classy, and has been trained to serve his alpha well, since he was young."
"he sounds good. Maybe Liam needs a good stay-at-home omega to breed him pups. He should go meet him."
Liam shoots Travis a startled look before looking at the screen with wide eyes if the woman on the other line can see them.
"Should I remind you what you have to do to maintain your position as the head alpha? Don't you want to finally have full control?"
"I already have it, it's just that I haven't made it official, and no omega is going to help with that."
"This omega will. His father is a shareholder in one of our companies, and he is a good person. Consider it."
"You know, Grandma, doing business with people because they are good people isn't wise."
"It's settled, Travis. Miss it, and you will force me to do what I don't want to do. Let t not get there."
The call ends.
"already snitching on me?"
"Your father knows where you run off to already."
"Oh fuck off."
Travis takes his phone and dials a number as he pulls on the bakery's front door.
"I am so sorry, alpha, she threatened my family and me. She said things-"
"I know Zacari, my grandmother can be menacing when she wants to. I am calling to ask about the meeting tomorrow. Is it done?
"Yes, sir. All the notable elders and royal court members have been notified and confirmed their attendance."
"Good. Make sure that none of my siblings or even my grandmother hears about this. I would hate for them to crash the meeting."
"I will ensure that more security is deployed and everyone is informed."
"Did you inform the other one?"
"Yes, sir, your father's presence is also confirmed for tomorrow."
"Okay. I will be back in the office later today."
"Okay, sir."
"What are you up to, Travis?" Liam asks as soon as the call ends.
"Finally taking full control of what's already mine," Travis smirks as he gets out of the car. "Wait here, I won't be long."
He walks to the door, only to stop I his tracks when he senses something.
A scent. A scent he has not smelt in such a long time, but it's very faint.
Every year, on the anniversary, he has gone through all kinds of mania. Sometimes it's faces that look like his dead mate. Other times, his mate visits him, and sometimes he can touch him. Sometimes he can smell him, too.
This must be it.
Shaking his head, Travis steps into the bakery, his senses getting assaulted by the pastries and all the customers and staff inside the space. But it's not enough not mask that haunting scent.
Jasmine.
Travis looks around until it falls on a slender figure that's going through his bag, before looking at the girl serving him.
He can't see the other's face, but that's not the important thing. Instead, he treasures the lack of face because when they turn around, it will all be shattered anyway.
The boy presses his face close to the glass, looking through all the baked goods and pointing to every single one, and then laughs before giving his card to the girl on the counter.
It all feels like a bad dream to Travis.
First the scent, then the laugh.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
He looks at the man who is smiling at him, friendly, waiting for him to order.
"a bit of everything."
"Okay, it will be ready in five minutes!"
Travis doesn't register what the server says after, looking back at the boy who is now taking his bag, and the card before turning around.
It all happens in slow motion.
He is standing there, eyes pinned on the boy who laughs like his mate, smells faintly of him too, waiting for him to turn around, until he does.
Everything stills as Travis finally looks at his face, able to see most of it even though his head is bowed, trying to get the card back in his little purse. He isn't watching where he is going, and Travis doesn't step away either.
The boy crashes into him, causing his card and purse to fall on the floor.
The boy gasps when he crashes into his chest, Travis' hand resting on his back to still him, and those eyes … those round, wide eyes look up at him in shock.
Time stands still.
Long lashes, red full lips part in shock, warm body but tense, heartbeat racing …. Breathing ….
His alpha suddenly yanked awake from a very long depressive sleep.
"Oh …I'm- I am so sorry, I wasn't looking where I .. was going," the boy stammers, blinking fast, still looking at Travis.
Everything in him is tense, trained on the boy, the world fading and shrinking to only him.
It all shatters when something that sounds like glass falls and breaks, jolting Travis out of the depths of those doe eyes.
Then steps back, hand falling away from the boy's back and putting distance between them.
"I …" the boy continues to stammer, still looking at Travis with that confused expression.
Travis slowly picks up the card and the purse, handing them to him wordlessly
"Th-thank you," the boy swallows hard, cheeks and neck flushed.
"Babe?"
His wolf suddenly growls, Travis barely able to control the sound from coming out.
Everything is disorienting and crashing down rapidly. He is losing control. Fast.
Someone calls from the door, and Travis peels his eyes away from the boy to look at the source.
An alpha is standing there with his brows furrowed in displeasure as he looks at the boy to then glares at Travis. He is pumping the air in aggressive pheromones, eyes hardening when they fall on how close they are standing.
Travis alpha thrashes, getting aggressive even though the fogginess is still there. He tries to hold it back.
The alpha starts towards them, stopping only a foot away. "You good?" he asks, and the boy nods reverently, throat bobbing up and down before looking at Travis.
Travis doesn't say a word, watches transfixed in place as the boy gives him a small forced smile and then hastily walks to the alpha waiting for him. The alpha doesn't waste time, pulling him by his waist protectively as they walk out.
Everything in him feels violent. Sees violence and in crimson too. His wolf is out.
"Sir? Here is your order. That will be …"
Day … mate ...