Page 14 of How I Met My Mate

He nods gravely, “Correct. The only constants are that it always happens at the coffee shop, and the three people that we’ve narrowed it down to were working there when it happened.”

My jaw tightens as I pull up in front of the coffee shop and I try to shove thoughts of Alexis deep down where they won’t distract me. Her sharp blue eyes, that mischievous little smile, the way she tilts her head when she’s thinking…every memory claws at me, pulling me away from the task at hand. Not now. Not when there’s a potential disaster waiting at Has-Beans.

There are about twenty pack members milling around outside the coffee shop, including Darius Frost, Alpha-asshole of the Frostbane pack, and Kieran Holt, the Alpha of the Shadowpine pack. They’re shouting at each other, with loud angry gestures. Kieran’s cousin and pack Sentinel, Bram, is watching them, arms folded, glare intense. His ears have gone pointy and his claws have curved out.

The A-frame sidewalk sign outside of the coffee shop vibrates violently in warning. Kieran is a mage with telekinesis.

Then Kieran and Darius spot me and their attention snaps over to me.

“Damn it, Cole,” Kieran barks at me. “That was my aunt who just shifted. Why the fuck didn’t you shut down the coffee shop after the first time?”

“Yeah, why the fuck didn’t you?” Darius’ upper lip curls in a sneer.

My fangs itch in my gums, and my fur burns under my skin as my wolf howls for release. I struggle to keep on top of my emotions. If my brother were here, he’d already have gone wolf.

“The first time, we didn’t know the coffee shop was the cause.” I bite out the words, eyes blazing, as Dax stands next to me, a low growl rumbling in his throat. “And after the second time, my brother and I made the decision to leave it open because we desperately need to know who’s behind this. And why. This affects the safety and future of all shifters.”

“And this is the fourth time, so what the hell?” Darius snarls.

“I’m about to go in and interview the people who were present each time this happened. I will inform you as soon as I know anything.” One of the servers, Robert Hayes, is actually a Frostbane pack member, and the other, Milo Thorne, is a member of the Shadowpine pack. It’s going to be awkward if it turns out to be either one of them.

“We’re going with you.” Darius’ eyes blaze with challenge.

My claws shoot from my fingertips. “We own the coffee shop, so no, you’re not.”

“Hey!” a man yells from the crowd. “This is not the time for a fight.”

“I say when it’s time for a fight.” Darius’ fangs shoot from his gums. Fucking asshole. He always thinks it’s time to fight.

Before it can erupt into a full-on pack battle, my phone gives me a chirping alarm which my mother has set as ‘urgent’.

I grab my phone and answer it. “She’s on the way! I tried to distract her, but she said she wanted to go grab a cup of coffee in town and she just ran out the door,” my mother groans.

“Thanks for the warning,” I sigh.

“Enough!” I yell at the crowd. “The human reporter is on the way, and if we act up in front of her, the Human-Shifter Relations Council will come down on us like a ton of bricks.”

“I heard the human reporter is your fated mate! Can’t you control her?” One of the Shadowpine shifters yells from the crowd.

“Have you met a woman before?” I shoot back at him, which earns me some laughs. “No, I can’t control her! I am handling this, okay? Disperse!” Damned gossipy shifters.

I turn and stalk into the coffee shop as the shifters scatter, muttering among themselves.

The two servers and the chef, Quentin Weaver, are all sitting at a table waiting for us. At the counter, there are cups and silverware scattered everywhere. All of the customers are gone. Giselle, another server, is sitting on one of the spinning chairs at the counter, looking exasperated. She wasn’t there for two of the incidents, so she’s not on my main suspect list.

“Can I clean up yet?” she calls out to me.

I shake my head at her. “Not yet.”

I sit down across from them. “So what in the actual fuck, guys?”

They all shake their heads, looking bewildered. I can hear the thunder of their heartbeats. They’re all stressed. Robert is avoiding my gaze. Is that because of guilt, or just general stress because of what just happened?

Alexis’ car pulls up in front of the coffee shop, and I stifle a groan.

“Talk fast,” I snap at the three of them.

“I have not done anything to the food or drink here to cause this to happen,” Quentin says firmly, meeting my gaze. “I would not ever. Why would I do something like that? What would I have to gain?” Before I can ask any more questions, the door flings open and Alexis strides in.