Sugar Coated

2

Delaney Linwood

The back hallway veered off to the right, wide enough to fit a staircase against the lefthand wall. I always passed by the stairs whenever I came for the jukebox. I also passed by a few other rooms: one bathroom, one storage room, and one room I always just assumed was an office. The door always closed and the frosted glass of the window darkened.

The dark wood flooring creaked under my steps as I walked through the pack's space, traveling toward where the hallway emptied into an open room in the back. The quietest space they had for me to work where I wouldn't be disturbed by parlor shop patrons.

The floorboards whined one too many times in the quiet hallway. I froze.

It was late, later than all the other times I'd been called to play mechanic over the parlor's music player. Why it was they didn't just opt for an entirely new jukebox I had no idea, but it gave me easy business.

And apparently the opportunity to eavesdrop. The hair on my arms prickled, goosebumps ran amuck up my arms and under my sleeves as I took a tentative step forward. I could only just make out muted whispering behind the door with the frosted glass.

You should walk away. Go back out into the ice cream shop where Andres is cleaning tables or keep walking back to the jukebox. Do anything at all Delaney, anything at all other than standing here like a pervert.

Maybe it was that whine I'd heard, or maybe it was the thickened scent that seeped beneath the threshold of the door, a heady mixture of that bitter-sweet chocolate and the brightened tang of citrus, thick enough to stick to my tongue.

The glass was still dark. I couldn't see anything behind it at all, but the murmuring whispers were louder the closer I sidled to the door, those and the sharp sound of some piece of heavy furniture sliding against the floor.

I only caught snippets of words punctuated by desperate breaths and whimpers.

"Do you want it?" There was dark and teasing laughter in the voice, a thick and syrupy scent leeched from the room behind the door.

"Yes, alpha," the words caught on a moan as items clattered to the floor, "--always do." Those words were rushed out.

My hand flew to my mouth. Whatever sound it caught, it was something naughty. My throat was dry and I drew in panting breaths in time with the lovers in the office.

"Take it, then." Words just shy of a bark. Twin voices groaned. "That's right. Good little omega, you like my knot don't you? Naughty little thing staying in your nest and keeping our cocks hard all day with your teasing."

Emil cried out, not quite words but I could imagine I got the gist of it. I could pick out the tones of his voice easily from the laughter I'd always heard whenever he was in the shop. Even if this sound was one I'd never heard before.

I'd nearly given myself a fever just standing here dropping on eaves like Samwise Gamgee and my panties were about ready to slide right off. Pinned down and knotted by an alpha? I'd have whined and cried too, even as a beta.

The handle on the door to the ice cream parlor snicked behind me.

That has to be Andres...about to catch me balls-deep into my first foray into unintended voyeurism and with his pack no less.

I spun and ran the last stretch into the back room, pivoting --hopefully-- fast enough to slip around the archway where he couldn't see that I'd been lingering much less why I had been.

Steps. One, Two, Three, Four. He'd made it halfway down the hall to where I'd only just been standing in half the steps it had taken me to get there. Long legs.