His Mafia Prince

(WESLEY)

Maybe I should try and date. Should I flirt with Justin when I see him again? Just the thought alone feels wrong. I feel like I belong to Jericho and dating other alphas will be cheating. How is that? It makes no sense. We only slept together one time and he didn’t claim me. Why is he this burned in my soul?

I force myself to clean with the tissues from the bed stand. I pull the cover over my head and my eyes drift shut. My chest aches so painfully that it feels hard to breathe. I have to do something to get myself out of this misery. I can’t keep living like this. If I go on like this, I will waste away on my watch.

I’m so emotionally and physically drained by the time I fall asleep. My dreams are chaotic, filled with Papa, Danny and Jericho. When I wake up, it is daylight. I sit up and a wave of nausea rolls through me. I get up with a panicked grunt and sprint to the bathroom. I fall to the tiled floor on my knees and puke into the toilet. My stomach feels empty. So, after the initial release of bile, all I can do is hold onto the toilet bowl and heave like a horse for what feels like an hour.

By the time my stomach settles, my whole face is covered with sweat. I slide down onto the cold tile floor, feeling dizzy. I think I have a bug. Maybe that’s the reason that I feel tired all the time. I lie on the floor for a stretch of minutes then finally get up to brush my teeth. I stare at the gaunt reflection of me in the mirror. I have circles under my eyes and eyebags. I look thinner. I’ve visibly lost weight. So then, why do my pants feel tighter around my waist?

I head into the bedroom. For a moment, I consider calling in sick, but I sit there with the phone in my hand. I begin to feel better after a few minutes. It is preferable that I don’t call in sick. I need all the money I can get, and I won’t get paid for the days I don’t show up. I don’t make as much money waiting tables as I did when I was a manny. Now, I have even rent to worry about, things that I didn’t have to worry about before. I exhale shakily and decide to go to work after all.

Once I get to Magenta, I feel a little better. I’m actually glad that I came in. My shift isn’t as tiring and for once, I have more nice customers than the rude ones. When I still have one hour to the end of my shift, Justin walks in. He gives me a wry smile when he notices me and I head up to him.

"Hi," I greet cheerfully. "Aren’t you earlier than usual?"

His cheeks flush. "Yeah. I...I got off work early today. So, I thought maybe I’d come inside and eat dinner here tonight."

"That sounds great." I say and grab a menu from the register area. "Follow me." I lead him to one of the smaller booths in a quieter area of the café.

He slides into the seal, looking awkward. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"