Feral (Werewolf boyxboy)

Chapter 2

ECKO

Even though my hands were covered by the sleeves of my olive green sweater, the sides of the teacup still burned hot against my palms as I blew steam from the rim. A delicious mixture of chamomile and mint teased my nostrils as I did so, and a shiver of delight eased its way down my spine as little twirling spirals of steam ascended into the air, dissolving into the balmy breeze.

This tea shop was hands down my favorite of all time. Their product was always fresh, their tea leaves were locally sourced, and their decor resembled a celestial greenhouse, what with its walls full of climbing wisteria vines, fairy lights, and diverse, blooming flora forming a tapestry of life across the vaulted ceiling. And, as if to make things even better, the shop's tables were graced by wide, airy window panes that pulled back just enough to let the outside world in. The windows were framed only by creamy, billowing curtains that whispered calm into every corner of the serene oasis of an establishment.

Well, that is, it would be a lot more of an oasis if it weren't for my Dad, who was currently on a mission to bankrupt himself as he shoved a handful of dollar bills into the tip jar, all the while praising the teenage barista to heaven and back.

And what was all the fuss about? Oh, just his precious triple-sweetened coffee, stuff he proudly called "Jaxon Cahill's Elixir of Life" – a drink guaranteed to rot your teeth faster than you could say "bad idea."

Seriously, you could practically hear Dad's tooth enamel begging for mercy every time he sipped the nightmarish concoction.

But fortunately, my pint-sized Dad's exuberance was short-lived thanks to the intervention of my Alpha father. With all of the learned grace of a lion tamer, he gently placed a hand on my Dad's lower back, expertly maneuvering his husband towards the table where I sat – keeping the poor barista safe from the likelihood of an impending invitation to be adopted into our family.

Oh, the poor teenage worker. He didn't even know how close he'd been to a lifetime of madness with our terrifyingly eccentric family.

"Hey, let go of me you damn constipated cactus! I still had five more dollars to give them!" My Dad protested when Papa effectively managed to wrestle him back to the table and nestled his smaller body down into his lap. Papa, of course, was firmly unfazed by his husband's antics as he thrashed about. I giggled at his antics, hiding my smile behind my teacup.

"Dad, we can't afford to let you empty the Pack's bank accounts every time a barista makes your tooth-rot elixir recipe." I mused, a few more blowing cooling ripples across the top of my teacup before taking a tentative sip.

Dad was definitely in full-blown pout mode, but he attempted to cover it up with a huff and a sassy roll of his eyes, obviously not agreeing with my financially conscious statement. "Listen here. We all know that there's only a tiny handful of people on this God/dess-forsaken rock who can make my Elixir of Life with such precision and finesse!" He defended before taking an audacious gulp of said drink, only to moan aloud when the liquid sugar finally hit his taste buds. "Like, fuck, man. I swear, this shit might even taste better than your Papa's–"

"Jaxon." My Papa swiftly interjected before Dad could finish his thought – a thought that I knew well enough would definitely have veered directly into inappropriate territory if it wasn't intercepted quickly enough. Papa's giant hands tightened around Dad's waist then, a silent warning in his grasp.

"Whoops, you're right." Dad blinked, turning to face me with an expression that immediately melted into one that oozed love from that wonderfully unhinged yet unconditionally caring heart of his. "Today is all about making you shine, my little star!" His gleaming emerald eyes shone with excitement, mirroring the shimmer of the ever-present ring on his finger as he finally shimmied his way out of Papa's grasp and into a seat of his own.