Chapter 14 - Piper Harper and Alpha Bradley Novel

“I’m sorry Brandon, they just wouldn’t understand or be able to handle it.”

He just nodded “Mum, why don’t we live with other wolves? Or do we all live alone on our own?”

Piper sighed “No, they don’t live alone, most wolves live in what is called a pack. I chose to live away, for my own reasons. It’s…better for Harper and I this way, to live on our own. Hard to explain, but I will when you’re older, when your an adult.” she told him.

“So…you’ll not go back to wherever you were. Or came from?” he asked softly, seemed very curious.

“No…” Piper shook her head, as pain touched her. They could never go back, to painful “I guess though, one day you could go there, when you’re an adult. Though…I don’t know if you’d be accepted.”

Watched him just shrug “Then is you and me, mum. Always.” he hugged her “Lets get dinner. I’m starving hungry.”

Piper hugged him back, “Me too.” she said “Lets order lots of food.” she was glad that he seemed to understand, even without all the information, perhaps it was simply because it was the life they lived and so he was used to it, liked his life, his friends, didn’t want that to change.

Bradley POV

Bradley was standing inside Piper Harper’s store ‘Goddess Gowns.’ He wondered if she’d named the store after their moon goddess, or if it was one of the human world things, where women were promoting themselves and being encouraged to believe they were goddess’s themselves and should be treated as such.

He knew the human world could be very cruel and savage just like the wolfen world could. Although once Mated off she-wolve’s were generally treated as precious by their Mates, not often did one suffer abuse after Marking and Mating, it did happen occasionally, but nowhere as often as in the human world.

Unlike in the human world, where men would beat their wives, abuse and demoralise them, killing them even, cheat profusely, the wolfen world was much nicer to their females. Bradley was curious about the stores name, but mostly he was curious about why she was out here alone and with her scent masked.

He stood staring at Izzy who was wearing a tag that read Assistant Manager. She was about 5 foot 7, had blonde shoulder-length hair, that had been straitened and was tucked back behind one ear. Her lips were set in a thin line as her dark brown eyes glared right at him. She had already told him on the phone that Piper Harper was not there. And now had told him to his face that same statement.

She appeared more than annoyed by his presence in the store. The moment he had stepped inside the store and her eyes had fallen on him, she had frowned right at him, her smile and friendly demeanour had disappeared in an instant. There were two other women currently working in the store as well and both of them had smiled right at him.

There were four different bridal parties in the store right this minute as well, with brides trying on dresses, he’d pulled her away from her actual job and this Izzy was showing him just how unhappy she was with him about it.

Though he had gotten smiles from the other employees and most of the blushing brides and their family and friends with them, they were all human and his good looks drew their undivided attention. He however, was not interested in any of them. No human girl had ever drawn his attention.

There was nothing in this store that interested him, well, nothing but finding Piper Harper, that was, who for all intensive purposes passed herself off as a human instead of a she-wolf. A lone she-wolf out here in the middle of the human world at that.

They could not find a pack affiliation to her company anywhere, and all werewolves did have one. It was the wolfen law. That all pack companies, or businesses in the human world, no matter how big or how small, were registered. So he was curious about that as well. Usually there was a tiny wolfen pack crest on the company logo that indicated a wolfen store.

But not this store, not on the website either. And none of the staff wore a pack pin, from what he recalled yesterday neither had Piper Harper, which was very odd; a pack pin was usually required. He was curious about that as well.

Bradley knew she was a wolf, had gotten that from the low growl she had emitted yesterday, aimed right at him, though that to now confused him, completely, why they had growled at him. He’d been angry and irritated but had not actually posed a physical threat to them. There was no call for it at all.

Yes he’d come in hot headed and ticked off, spoiling for a fight, though only a verbal one, not an actual physical fight, and had been taken aback by her reaction to him, completely surprised by the white wolf eyes that had suddenly peered back at him, though he had not initially realised they were wolfs eyes, not until that growl had come from her, then he’d known what she was.

If she had not growled right at him, he’d likely still not know what she was at all.

If, as Hadley said, she’d responded to him like a Mate and the more and more he thought about it, he had to agree with his little sister, she had. Though why her wolf would growl at him and Benson if they were her Mate, they did not understand that at all.

Found a hand in his face and fingers were being snapped right at him, he’d allowed his thoughts to wander too far for too long it seemed. “Hey, like I said, Piper isn’t here. You’re interrupting business.” Izzy’s words were clipped and she sounded very annoyed with him, that he’d not believed her the first time, or that he’d zoned out on her. He wasn’t entirely sure.

“Where is she? If not here?” he commented, trying to keep all irritation out of his voice.

“Gone away for the long weekend. And just for your information,” she stated a little on the sarcastic side, “she won’t be working from this store for several weeks.” stood staring at him pointedly, as if she had finished with him, that she would not be telling him anything else, almost as if to say get out.

Bradley stared right back at her. She did not intimidate him, no human ever could. He could well imagine that expression and her demeanour would scare off quite a few human’s but not him. Asked about making an appointment to see her when she got back, instead of leaving.

To which Izzy declined him right away. This made him frown. The woman didn’t even check a diary or on the computer for Piper’s schedule, to see when she would be available next.

“I’ll wait, find a time in her schedule.” he offered, though he could feel his patience starting to wear thin at this woman’s attitude.

Watched as she pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest, she said nothing for a full minute before telling him “I can’t do that. Piper is solidly booked for the next 6 months and is not currently taking on new clients at this time.”

“Right.” he’d stated, he did not believe her at all. It was pretty clear that Piper Harper was avoiding him, and had instructed her Assistant Manager to block him and his attempts to see her. He did not like it.

If she was as Hadley said, his Mate. She was now actively avoiding him, turned his eyes to the woman’s office up in the loft space, and then her studio. Both the doors were closed and the lights were out. But that didn’t actually mean she wasn’t up there and he was obviously not going to smell her, if she was still masking her scent, seemed to always be doing that.

“She’s not up there.” Izzy’s tone was cold and rude now.

“I’d like to see for myself.” Bradley turned his eyes on the woman. He was not going to take no for an answer. She seemed to get the message.

“Fine, go and check for yourself.” she shrugged and waved a hand towards the stairs.

<< Previous Chapter

Next Chapter >>