by C. R. Jane
“Harold,” I whispered in disgust as I sneaked a glance at the man in question. His wife was furiously whisper yelling at him from behind her menu, and Harold looked like he wanted to disappear.
I groaned again and leaned my head against the wall as I listened to the cook whistle an off-key version of “Baby Got Back.” “You can take the cheese sticks out of my check,” I told her as she continued to laugh.
She wiped her eyes again. “Are you kidding me? That may have been the most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen. I should be the one paying you for the entertainment.”
I stuck my tongue out at her and was about to say something when a bark of disgust from nearby reached my ears.
Licia’s nose scrunched up. “Lord, help us,” she muttered as I turned to look where the sound was coming from.
As a favor to one of his buddies, Marcus had hired his buddy’s sister to replace Eve. The new woman, Beverly…was unique.
“What is this?” she asked in an abnormally deep voice to the confused looking customer at the table she was in front of. Beverly was short and stocky, with saggy boobs that hung to her belly button by the looks of things. I didn’t know what kind of bra she wore, if she wore one, but it wasn’t very effective. She had a little bit of a mullet going on with grey streaked curly hair up front with a sort of long, wavy do happening in the back. I’m not even sure that Miyu could fix whatever Beverly had going on.
Besides her unusual looks, which frankly destroyed any notion I’d ever had that werewolves were all beautiful, Beverly also had an attitude that didn’t quite fit the service industry, or really any industry actually. She was surly as a pit bull, couldn’t smile at customers to save her life, and seemed to have the impression that customers were supposed to pay her an exorbitant tip no matter how her service was.
Licia was about to have a nervous breakdown because of her.
“Um, your tip,” the customer answered, fidgeting nervously in his bench seat and looking around for help.
“You gave me a ten percent tip,” Beverly continued as she held up the receipt in question furiously.
“You didn’t even fill my water—” the man tried to bite back.
“If you think I slopped all over this restaurant to give you your motherfucking dinner for a ten-percent tip, you have another thing coming,” Beverly retorted, her voice rising with each word.
“I’m going to kill Marcus,” Licia moaned before flinching in horror at her choice of words. It was a dangerous time to joke about murdering someone, not when there were real murders taking place. I gave her a weak, reassuring smile before wandering over to Beverly’s table to try and calm her down before she scared off every other customer in the place. I may have wanted to leave here, but that still wasn’t possible without any money. At this point, I wasn’t sure that I was ever going to get my car back at the rate Wilder and Daxon were going.
Beverly’s customer grabbed his wallet out of his pocket and fumbled with some bills with shaking hands.
“M-My mistake,” he stuttered angrily, careful not to look Beverly in the eye, probably for fear that she’d attack. “I meant to give you twenty percent, of course,” he said before hurriedly sliding out of the booth and rushing out of the restaurant.
I heard Licia’s heavy sigh as the front door slammed after him. I doubt we’d be seeing him again.
I threw Beverly a look, but she didn’t see it. She was too busy greedily counting her money. For a second, I wondered if maybe I should try her tactics for a while, she certainly got tips. It would take a while for the customers to run out…right?
“Beverly, in the back,” snapped Licia. Beverly squared her shoulders as if readying to march into war and headed back towards the stock room, where Licia had begun to walk towards.
I shook my head, half amused, half annoyed, and started wrapping silverware while I waited for those cheese sticks to come out. Our cheese sticks were really good. Hopefully, the wife would be too busy enjoying them to come after me when I returned to her table. Even so, maybe I should take her knife away…just to be safe.
The bell attached to the front door rang, and I automatically called out a welcome to the newcomer before even looking to see who had come in. I was faintly aware of the person settling in at the bar while I finished wrapping the last of the tray of silverware I’d been working on.
When I could feel someone’s gaze drilling into me, I finally looked up to see who had walked in.
My silverware crashed to the ground when I saw who it was.
It was Sterling, one of Alistair’s enforcers. My hands were shaking as I crouched to the ground and tried to pick up the silverware. I could feel other people’s eyes on me as I fumbled around, clattering the forks and knives together as I tried to give myself time to think.
How had he found me? There was no way this could be a fluke, right? No way that Sterling had just been in the neighborhood and somehow found his way here?
Fuck, fuck, fuck. What was I going to do?
“Order up,” the cook called. I wiped my sweaty palms on my apron and stood up, trying to keep my face blank and not convey the panic I was feeling. Out of all of Alistair’s enforcers, Sterling had been the one who thrived off panic. He loved anytime he had the opportunity to lord over those weaker than him. He had a special fondness for using his authority on girls in the pack. I’d heard their screams sometimes from the backrooms in the house that Alistair used for “pack business.”
I barely suppressed a shiver as I walked over to grab the steaming plate of cheese sticks along with the ranch dressing we served with it. I studiously ignored Sterling as I passed him to get to the table. I set the food down, barely registering the murderous glare from the woman. She was the least of my problems at the moment.
I looked around the room, seeing if there was anyone else that needed something that I could use as a distraction, but everyone looked fine.
Still, I grabbed a water pitcher and began topping off already full drinks as I tried to stretch when I would meet my ending.
I wished that Licia and Beverly would come back, but really…what could they do? Even Beverly, as fierce as she was, wouldn’t stand a chance against a pack enforcer like Sterling.
I took a deep breath and just decided to get it over with. I knew Alistair was going to come after me. Not only was I his fated mate, rejected or not, but I’d freaking cut out the guy’s eyeball and drugged him and all of his men.
I’d just hoped that he wouldn’t succeed with his search. As I walked behind the bar to face Sterling, it was like I could almost hear a death knell playing in the background, telling me with every step how utterly and completely fucked I was.
And not in the good way I’d been after Wilder had left my room the other night.
“What can I get for you?” I asked Sterling, still working hard to keep my face blank, like I didn’t recognize him, even as my tone dripped with disdain.
Something twitched in Sterling’s cheek at my insolence. For as long as he’d known me, I’d been practically mute. “Yes, sir. No, sir… Please don’t, sir.” Those had basically been the only words I’d said to him.
Sterling stared at me with a little smirk on his face as I catalogued his features. He was good-looking, like all of Alistair’s men had been. He was dressed in a preppy collared shirt with the collar popped, a visual representation of the douchiness of this man. Evidently, he still hadn’t been told by anyone that popped collars weren’t in. Pity.
Sterling’s hair was perfectly cut with what I was sure were fake highlights streaked through his hair. I thought he even got his eyebrows waxed, because they’d always looked a little bit too perfectly shaped to be real.
The thing about Sterling though, he may have looked like a preppy boy who’d run away at the first sign of trouble, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He had a cruel streak a million miles wide. I’d seen him personally in the fight nights that Alistair held to fix pack grievances, knocking the utter shit
out of men twice the size of him.
I’d been afraid of him since I’d met him, but right now? Right now, I couldn’t summon up any fear. All I felt was hate. This town might have had a lot of problems. It may not have been the most welcoming place at the moment either. But at least it had felt a little bit like mine for a moment.
And now here Sterling was, leaking Alistair into the air around me so I wouldn’t be able to envision this place without envisioning him here too.
Why did everything have to suck so bad?
I squeezed my fists together in frustration and gasped when I felt something cut into my skin. I’d evidently grabbed a knife without even looking.
“It’s good to see you too, Rune,” Sterling purred, and I winced at hearing my name come from his lips. “We’ve all been so worried about you since the little incident.”
Incident. Is that what they were calling it?
A little snort sneaked past my lips, but my heart panged as I thought of Alistair.
Surprisingly though, thinking of him didn’t quite hurt as bad as it used to.
I leaned in close, dropping all pretenses. “I’m not going back with you,” I swore to him, and I hoped he could see the resolve in my eyes. I hoped he could see how much I would kick and scream and make it as difficult as humanly possible for him to get me from this place.
It had taken everything in me to escape the first time.
And I knew I’d never get a chance to do it again if Alistair got his clutches on me once again.
Sterling looked a bit shocked at my words, which I didn’t blame him for. I scarcely recognized myself nowadays. In a way, I’d been reborn when I’d escaped from Alistair. I wasn’t saying that I liked who I was becoming, but at least it was different from the weak creature I’d been before.
I pointed the knife towards Sterling, trying to hide it from the sight of the customers… I was kind of proud of myself that I was only shaking a little bit.
“You need to leave right now,” I told him, trying to put as much bravado as I could.
He threw his head back and laughed. “You know this whole time, we pitied Alistair for having you as a mate…thought he’d done the right thing casting you aside, even though it had to have hurt him like hell. A little mouse like you…with the next Alpha? It was insulting, Rune,” he said silkily, leaning closer toward me. “But after what you did to get away and what I’m seeing right now, I’m beginning to think he messed up.”
This time, I couldn’t hold back the shiver that scuttled down my skin at the unbridled lust in his eyes as he watched me speculatively. I didn’t even know what to say.
He blinked a few times and shook his head, and when he looked at me again, the lust was gone. “Unfortunately for you, Rune. I don’t think the bossman’s really happy with you. Ya know? That was a pretty naughty thing you did. You’re going to be begging for his forgiveness for a long, long time.”
He purposely slowed down his words so that he was emphasizing just how long I’d be begging.
Licia rounded the corner just then, followed by a surly looking Beverly. I wiped my sweaty palms again and hurried from behind the bar and away from Sterling. Licia frowned at Sterling and threw me a questioning look, but I avoided her gaze. I knew that Sterling wouldn’t mind one bit slaughtering every person in here in order to get what he wanted.
I have to get away. I have to get away, I chanted, on the edge of a panic attack.
Once around the bar, I stared around blankly, not sure what to do. Just then, the cook yelled out that another order was up. Before Licia or Beverly could grab it, I tossed the food on a tray and walked out to the table area, only belatedly realizing that I had no idea which table the food was for.
Sterling swiveled his chair around to look at me, and I swear I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. So much for all the bravado I’d been pretending to have. I hadn’t changed at all. I was still a little mouse.
Just then, the bell rang, and I swear I almost burst into tears because Daxon had just walked in. I tossed the food onto a nearby table, not even bothering to check if it was their food, and then practically flung myself at a surprised Daxon.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked softly, the sweet tone reminding me of how he’d been before I found out the town was filled with wolves. I just squeezed him tighter, unable to speak for a moment.
When had he started to feel like that? Like he was my safe place? He certainly hadn’t done anything to deserve that title. But yet here I was, in his arms, so freaking happy he was here.
Just then, Sterling walked by, headed towards the front door. He held my gaze the entire time he crossed the room, that same cruel smirk draped across his lips. “I’ll be seeing you, Rune,” he said in a voice laden with promises.
Daxon froze against me when he heard Sterling’s statement. He set me down carefully before turning around and skewering Sterling with a terrifying stare. Sterling, for his part, kept up his cocky face, his smile only dimming a bit. He held Daxon’s gaze for a long minute until he finally was forced to submit and look away. This obviously pissed him off because he stormed out of the restaurant, the door slamming behind him. We were really lucky it hadn’t broken yet.
It didn’t matter that Sterling was leaving now. I knew he’d be back.
Daxon watched Sterling walk away until he was out of sight. I jumped when he suddenly turned around and grabbed my arm. “We need to talk,” he announced sternly as he began to drag me towards the back room. Licia gave me a nervous stare as I passed by, and Beverly smacked her fist against her hand like she was asking if I wanted her to beat Daxon up. That would certainly be interesting to see her try.
I squeaked when he pulled me forward once again, and I found myself in the stock room. Was he even allowed to be back here?
“Who was that guy?” Daxon growled and my eyes widened at how furious he looked. Or maybe furious wasn’t the right word. Daxon was…jealous?
“A nightmare from my past,” I told him with a shaky sigh. “He’s one of my ex’s enforcers. Evidently, my ex has been looking for me.” I hugged my arms around myself to try and ward off the sudden chill. “And he’s finally found me.”
“Is this the ex you told me you were running from?” he asked, a strange intensity settling over his skin. It was like I could see it happening. As we stood there and talked, Daxon was becoming someone else. Someone darker…more out of control.
His comment reminded me of the date we’d had. That seemed like a million years ago right now. It was hard to believe that had ever happened. Especially with the version of Daxon standing in front of me now.
I nodded, trying to get ahold of myself before I burst into tears. It was hard to control though. The fear was hot and thick in my stomach.
He suddenly pulled me into his arms. “Fuck. You’re fucking terrified, sweetheart. Your whole body’s shaking,” he said as he wrapped himself around me.
I soaked in the warmth and the dark intensity shrouding him. It felt comforting, protective. I probably should have been frightened at how many masks Daxon seemed to wear. I didn’t think that I’d actually met the real him yet. But somehow, I wasn’t worried. Something inside of me told me that Daxon was dangerous to everyone else but me.
“I’m going to take care of this,” he whispered in my ear, and I nodded against his chest as I remained buried against him. It was nice to trust… Even if the trust felt a little blind.
I’d trusted once before though, trusted that my fated mate would only have the best interests in mind for my heart. And I’d been destroyed.
It was hard to make the leap again, maybe stupid too, since Daxon was still a stranger, but the truth was…I was exhausted. I had to trust him to help me because I didn’t have any other options. And as much as I wanted to run, I knew I wouldn’t get far.
Please don’t betray me, my soul whispered to him.
And although I was probably imagining it, I swore his soul whispered back, never.
Daxon
The hardest thing about being a psychopath is that you had to be so fucking on all the time. Someday, I just wanted to shed my skin, metaphorically of course, and show the world who I really was. Of course that would mean losing out on all the fun I had tricking everyone around me. Only Wilder seemed to have a suspicion that the face I showed the world wasn’t who I really was. He’d always been a smart bastard.
I had cravings. Cravings that sometimes felt overwhelming. The best I could do was hold them off until I found an opportune time, one that wouldn’t have me featured on the ten o’clock news. My craving right now though…was to show Rune the real me. To peel off the golden boy smile and see what she thought of the monster underneath. The monster who craved blood, who rejoiced in the beauty of watching a cut on the skin, the one who loved the sound of pain.
Rune was shy, timid…broken. But something inside of me just told me she had a darker edge. One that wouldn’t mind what my darkness would give her.
The ability to not worry.
Because there weren’t monsters out there scarier than me. If she ever agreed to be mine, she’d never have to be afraid of the dark again.
Maybe she’d even join me there.
She’d seemed calmer after I left. I could feel the fragile trust she was giving me. And I wasn’t going to let her down. It just so happened that me helping her out went well with one of my favorite past times. It was always perfect when things worked out like that.
A few old biddies walked by, and I gave them my best smile. They immediately started to titter and blush. They were the easiest to prey on. Most of the pack and townspeople in general were like that. They saw what they wanted to see. It was only the ones closest to me in power, my betas…and Wilder, an alpha like me, who got the sensation that something was a little off. I could see it in my betas’ gazes sometimes. They would study me, thinking that I didn’t notice, even though I fucking noticed everything. I could smell the fear on them in those moments, wondering when I would turn my attention their way. Of course, I’d never confided in any of them what I really liked to do for fun, but I’m sure the thought sometimes crossed their minds…wondering who I really was. They never pressed any deeper than that though. As a wolf, it was engrained in you to submit to your Alpha. And I may have been a psychopath, but I’d never betrayed that blind devotion. Maybe that was the only decent thing about me.