The day started all wrong.
First, as Felix pushed the blanket off, he instantly shuddered at the overwhelming cold. Without a thought, he covered himself again, curling into a ball.
He had set the boiler to start heating up in the morning, but it seemed the pressure had dropped again. So, it wouldn't turn on.
"You could at least make yourself useful and turn the heating on, since you're so bent on staying here," he muttered to the fox. "Rent free."
But the fox only blinked, and buried his head under the blanket, in the warmth.
Of course it did. Felix could only sigh, as he scrambled himself off the bed. He took the blanket with him, wrapping it around his shoulders, and earning himself an angry yelp from the fox. He promptly ignored it though.
So what if the fox was angry? It had no right to be. If there was someone who could complain, that person was Felix, okay?
Scuffling to the back of the house, where the boiler was, Felix scratched his neck. It was weirdly itchy on one side. Was he bitten by a mosquito or something? But it was winter, and so cold outside… So maybe bed bugs? He should buy some pesticide or something then…
He was also feeling a bit sluggish… Was it because of the pregnancy? Or was he coming down with a cold?
Either way, not the best morning.
And it was about to get worse, when, as he glanced at the clock, he realized he was running late! He must have slept through his alarms. He was supposed to leave the house twenty minutes ago!
He grabbed a simple snack from the fridge, quickly threw his clothes on, and rushed out. He didn't even remember to put the fox out of the door… Well, not like it would make any difference anyway.
It was almost the start of his shift when he burst through the door - the front door, as for the back entrance, he'd have to take a longer walk around, and there simply wasn't enough time for that. He rushed toward the counter…
And then he felt it. And his steps faltered.
'Oh no. Oh Goddess, no.'
His heart almost stopped.
But the scent…
He threw a furtive glance, and almost plopped down onto the floor with relief.
A man dressed in a fancy suit who sat by the window was a wolf and an Alpha, but most certainly not Jared, or anyone from the Moonhill Pack. Not even from any of their neighboring pack, friendly or hostile.
Then, the man lifted his head, and his piercing black eyes met Felix's.
Just for a fraction of a second though, because as soon as they did, Felix recovered from his shock and booked it, hiding behind the 'staff only' door leading to all of the back areas. Once he was out of sight, he leaned against the door, taking deep breaths to calm down.
He didn't know the man. Felix was sure he didn't. Why did he look so familiar though…?
Until he saw Eden, coming out of the kitchen with a tray.
"Hey! You're late!" Eden came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with food, and interrupted Felix's thoughts.
Ah, right. He was late for work.
"I'm so sorry, I overslept! I'll get changed now!"
"Sure, sure. Don't worry, Boss is not here now, so you're all good!" Eden smiled at him reassuringly, then pushed the door open and walked out to the dining area.
Felix quickly took of his jacket, put on the apron and joined the chef in the kitchen. While his new boss and what he'd think about his tardiness was far from his biggest concern at the moment, he still wanted to keep the job. He could most definitely use some extra cash!
As he went on about his tasks, the man from earlier almost got pushed out of his head. Almost. It wasn't possible to completely erase those dark eyes, with their mesmerizing purple hue, from his mind…
Especially since half an hour later, Eden stopped by the kitchen again.
"Hey, a question. You didn't get into any trouble with the Bloodmoon Pack, did you?" he asked Felix in a hushed whisper.
"…The Bloodmoon Pack?"
"Yeah. That guy out there asked about you. You know who he is, don't you?" Eden glanced at Felix, and upon seeing his expression, which clearly stated that Felix had no idea, he added, "That's Kade Blackstone. From the Bloodmoon Pack. You know, their future leader!"
Ah. So that's why he looked familiar! While Felix didn't know Kade - they had met only once before, if he remembered correctly, when they were kids, and they had never even talked - the man resembled his father quite a lot. And while Felix couldn't exactly say he knew Einar Blackstone, the current leader of the Bloodmoon Pack, he at least was familiar with who he was.
Well, how could he not, when the Bloodmoon Pack was considered one of the strongest packs out there?!
Still, Felix had never gotten into any conflict with them, and it was hardly likely that Kade would come to the Silverfall for him. He had certainly better things to do than look for a lost Omega from another pack!
"Ahem," Felix cleared his throat, glancing at Eden who was still around, clearly waiting for an answer. "I'm not involved with them in any way. He just saw me running in here a moment ago… That's all."
"Is that so?" Eden arched his brow. "Then perhaps you caught his eye? Lucky you!"
…Lucky?
Yeah, right!
Although Felix knew next to nothing about Kade as a person, one thing he knew for sure: the man spelled trouble! If Felix allowed him close, then he could say bye bye to the peaceful life he had only started building for himself!
So, a few hours later, when his shift was over, he didn't leave through the front. He didn't even leave through the back - while the back exit was more concealed, all you had to do was to walk around a bit, and you would be able to easily find it. Instead, Felix went to the restrooms…
There, he climbed onto the windowsill, and opened the tiny window at the top. He sniffed the air, and once he confirmed that the coast was clear, he pulled himself up, and slipped through it. It was narrow, but luckily, Felix was slender enough to squeeze through it.
He jumped down, landing softly on the uneven stone pavement overgrown with grass. Just in case, he started walking in the opposite direction from his house - he was planning to take a roundabout road, for safety, because no amount of caution was excessive in his current circumstances…
However, he only managed to walk twenty steps at most, before something - or someone - fell off the roof. Or, well, jumped rather.
And in a blink of an eye, Felix ended up pressed against the wall.
"Trying to run away from your mate?" Kade smiled, flashing his white teeth in a wide grin.
…Sigh.