Chapter 2 - CHAPTER 2: The Stranger in the Bakery

A few days had passed since the encounter, but the memory refused to fade. Eli standing in the bakery. The bell over the bakery door claimed softly, a quiet, familiar sound that Eli had heard a thousand times. But this time, something felt.... different. He glanced up from behind the counter, wiping flour from his hands. and froze. A man stood in the doorway. Tall, dark, and impossibly striking, with black hair that shimmered like silk under the warm bakery lights. His eyes------ Eli couldn't look away from those eyes. They were a shade of glade so deep, so warm, that for moment, Eli forgot to breathe. The man didn't say a word. He just stepped forward, slow and quiet, as if moved through a world softer than the one around him. Eli felt his heart hammer in his chest. ''Hi,'' he managed, voice a little breathless ''Can I.... help you?'' The man's gaze swept over the small cafe------over the trays of cinnamon rolls and the neat row of berry trats in the glass case. His eyes lingered, for just a second too long, on Eli. Then, with a voice low and rough, like gravel smoothed by water, the man spoke. ''Coffee. Black.'' Eli nodded quickly, moving to fill the cup. His hands trembled a little. He told himself it was nothing, just nerves, just the fact that his stranger was absurdly-------unfairly-----good looking. That was all. Definitely. But when he turned back to hand over the coffee, the man's fingers brushed his own. It was the faintest touch. But it was warm -------hot, even -------- and sent a shiver right up Eli's spine. The man's golden eyes met his, calm and steady. Eli swallowed. ''Uh.... Anything else?'' and ten A pause. Then, the man glanced down the case again, and something almost like a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "The trat. The one with the berries.'' Eli blinked. ''oh. Yeah. Sure.'' He quickly packed one into a small box, his cheeks warm. The man handed over the money---------crips bills, his nails clean but strong too sharp------and took the box with a strange care, like it was something precious. ''Thank you,'' Eli said, quieter than usual. The man didn't reply. He just turned and left, the bell chiming softly behind him. It wasn't until Eli looked down that he realized........ there was a faint smudge of dirt on the counter. Like paw print. That night, Eli sat in bed, turning the events over in his mind. He has seen the man's eyes before. He knew it. And the way the man had watched him---------------it wasn't just casual interest. It was......... intent. Sharp and focused, like a predator watching something it couldn't quiet name. Eli exhaled, staring at the ceiling. ''Who are you?'' he whispered into the dark. Out in the forest, under the soft glow of the moon, the wolf lay in the shadows, a half-eaten berry tart resting near his paws. And his golden eyes burned bright.