The Alpha and The Baker

by Roxie Ray

His joy was infectious. He reminded me of something Roald Dahl had said about lovely people on the inside having it shine through their exterior. I’d just met the guy, but he was definitely shinin’.

That was the funny thing about life. As children, we had so little actual power over our lives and what happened in them, needing to rely on adults for most legal, financial, and medical matters, and yet we often felt so unstoppable. As an adult, I was in charge of my own destiny, and I felt like I spent more time worrying about making the wrong choice than actually making any real choices.

Compatible female is mate. Strong. Kind. Good with pups. Excellent, go mate.

“Man, this smells so good,” Felicia said as we sat down, doing that little wiggle some women did when they were enthusiastic about what they’re going to eat. I loved that it was a little trait that spanned species, from shifters, to humans, to dogs, to guinea pigs. There seemed to be some sort of inherent, primordial wiring that said happy plus food equaled wiggles.

I liked people of all shapes and sizes. Skinny, coked-out line cooks, big muscle mommies, curvy women, art twinks, and Viking types with dad bods, but jacked guys had never really been my thing.

The fairies specifically hired shifters to reveal themselves to people seen as delusional for plausible deniability. They’ve been doing it pretty much since the printing press.”