by Lola Glass
Arla sighed.
It had been three weeks since Roman killed the Georgia Alpha, and he’d come to my door eight times while I’d been home and sent me a barrage of texts. I had yet to find out what he was coming around for, but I assumed it had something to do with his desire to mate with me.
As if I could ever mate with someone who thought the pack was more important than me.
“Alright, we’ll send two guys and two girls.”
“It’s a night shift, so I don’t see how anyone from another pack could possibly try to grab me. One guy and one girl should be fine.” I countered.
“Go live your life. I’ll deal with it.” She swept her hand toward the door.
“Thanks.” I turned on my heels and stalked out of the room.
With the Alpha my declared enemy, human interaction had become my only solace. Hopefully Bodhi would be working the bar with me; he was my favorite human and humans had started outranking werewolves as far as I was concerned.
Jamie and London met me at the elevator after I changed and grabbed my shoes. Kyler and Oliver were outside, in the SUV we’d take to the nightclub.
The girls and I chatted about surface-level things on the way there—the weather was nice, and we all agreed that wearing our hair down was more comfortable than up because of the headaches we got from hair-ties. Small-talk wasn’t something I appreciated but it wasn’t horrible with the girls.
The first half of my shift went quickly. It was busy, just the way I liked it. Around midnight, Lilac walked in with three other she-wolves at her side. The way her eyes flashed to me the moment she walked in gave away the reason she was there.
“Trouble incoming.” London muttered, tossing back the shot of tequila she’d asked for half an hour ago but hadn’t touched.
“Maybe she wants to talk.” Jamie suggested. She was sipping her second sidecar, her eyes brighter and happier than normal.
“And maybe she wants to slit Henley’s throat.” London accepted the second shot I handed her.
“She wouldn’t be the first, nor will she be the last.” I crossed the bar to disperse a set of drinks I’d just made and got caught up filling orders for a bit. When I went back to the girls, they were watching Lilac grind on some human guy. She was going hot and heavy, and though I hadn’t been pouring her drinks I knew she was deep in the glasses.
I stepped back to the girls, finding them mid-conversation.
“She drinks to hide from her problems.” London slammed down a third shot. She looked a bit more relaxed, but nowhere near as buzzed as either of the other werewolf chicks we knew.
“No, she drinks because it makes her feel lighter.” Jamie smiled. It did the same for her, clearly.
“Well, I drink to hide from my problems.” London held her hand out for two more shots.
“That, we have in common.” I said as I handed her the shots.
“Oh no.” Jamie groaned. London and I spun to see what she was panicking about and noticed an angry Alpha striding toward Lilac. She giggled when she saw him, stumbling against Roman’s chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. Surging forward, she pressed her lips to his.
I turned away to grab someone a drink, my stomach clenched like it was a fist, and Roman was carrying her out of the nightclub over his shoulder when I glanced backward. His eyes met mine, alight with his wolf.
Fury and pain warred within me. Clearly, turning him down was the right move on my part. That didn’t make it hurt any less.
“How many times is she going to throw herself at him?” Jamie leaned her back up against the bar for support.
“As many times as it takes, apparently.” London glowered after the two of them.
I left the girls to their drinks, halfheartedly making my rounds to refill glasses and take new orders.
“Aww crap.” I hear London mutter as I walked past her. “What’s Kyler doing here? He never bartends.”
“He owns this place.” Jamie reminded her.
My boss strolled behind the bar, shooting me a grin when I stepped past him.
“Has anyone ever told you that you look dangerous when you curl your hair?” Kyler asked.
“Surprisingly, no.” I glanced over my shoulder at the man, who was rolling the sleeves of his black button-down up to his elbows. He’d already tied an apron around his waist and tucked a towel in his back pocket. “They should, though.”
“I hear you turned down the Alpha.” Kyler grabbed a cup and poured himself two fingers of bourbon, tossing it back in one fell swoop. “You’ve got balls.”
“Boobs, actually.”
“Which look great in that shirt, by the way.” He walked with me to my side of the bar.
“I know.”
Kyler laughed.
We filled orders together. He wasn’t like some owners who had no idea how to work behind the bar. He knew a bunch of complicated drinks that hadn’t made our menu, an impressive feat for a guy who couldn’t have ever worked nights before meeting me.
“How long did you bartend?” I asked him, when there was a break in customers.
“Through most of college. My pops didn’t grow up with money, so even though I did he made sure I knew how to work. I come here and work a shift every now and then when I start to miss him or people call in sick. What about you?”
“I’ve never done anything else. Mom owned the only bar in the town I grew up in, and I was her little assistant. When Alphas started fighting over me, they pitied me enough to send me to their packs’ bars so I’d at least have something a little familiar.”
“Bet you know all the best secret drink mixes.” Kyler grinned. I flashed him a mischievous smile.
“I can tell a person’s favorite drink after just one conversation with them, too.”
He laughed.
“Alright, read me.” He held out his hands and gestured to his chest.
I looked him up and down. A customer waved us over.
“I’ll take them. Make my favorite drink, Wonder Woman.” Kyler winked and left me to make his drink. It was a no-brainer, really. I mixed it and handed it over when he came strolling back.
Kyler sipped it to determine the taste first, as I’d expected he would. Some people, like London, would gulp an entire drink down as fast as possible. I was like that. Others preferred to really taste their drinks.
“I think this is the best sex on a beach I’ve ever had.” His lips twisted upward.
“I aim to please.” I bowed.
He laughed again and I ducked away to serve another customer. I’d noticed Jamie and London watching our interactions and could practically feel them judging me for flirting with the owner, but I liked Kyler. He was chill. And I’d been straight with Roman when I turned him down; it wasn’t like I was cheating on him.
“So what’s your favorite drink?” He asked the next time I was close.
“Vodka straight from the bottle.”
“You’re hardcore.”
“Must be the boobs.” I kept a straight face and he laughed.
“Must be.”
My shift went quickly with Kyler there for amusement. In another life, I could’ve seen myself falling for him. He’d be a fun mate. Unfortunately, in this life I’d already met Roman.
When I got home after my shift, I jumped in the shower to rinse off the sweat-and-booze smell I always felt like I left work with. I heard a knock at my front door and ignored it. They knocked again, and again.
It was clear they weren’t giving up so I groaned, shutting off the heavenly water-flow and stepping out to wrap a towel around me.
Who the hell knocked on a person’s door at 5 AM?
Whoever it was, they could deal with me answering the door in a towel if they were going to be that obnoxious.
I tugged the door open and bit back another groan.
“This is how you answer your door in the middle of the night?” Roman quirked an eyebrow and glanced both ways down the hall. “Expecting male company?”
“Yup. Your guards probably have him detained though since we both know not a single unmated dude can get on this entire floor right now.” I didn’t move to open the door any wider.
“Hopefully they rough him up a bit.” Roman’s lips tilted upward. “Can we talk?”
“No.” I tried to shut the door and Roman caught it with his hand.
He pulled his other hand out of his pocket and held up a candy bar.
Mmm. Twix sounded so good.
I stared at it long and hard before scrubbing my hand over my eyes.
“Fine.” I snagged it out of his hand and let go of the door.
Roman shut it behind us, following me into my bedroom as I made my way toward the closet to get dressed. He’d sprawled out on my bed when I came back out, his baseball cap on the bed while his head was propped up on my pillow.
“Make yourself at home.” I drawled, patting my hair dry with a towel. Brushing it out after a shower was one of my least favorite things on the planet, but if I didn’t I’d spend twenty minutes detangling when it was wet it’d look like a tornado in the morning.
Disappearing into the bathroom again, I hung my towel and grabbed my brush off the counter.
“About earlier,” Roman watched me start on the ends of my hair, brushing slowly.
Curse my sensitive scalp.
“I wanted to make sure you know that there’s nothing between me and Lilac.”
“Sure. Because everyone kisses their drunk friends and then carries them out like they’re honey-mooners.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s fine, Roman. We’re not together. You date who you want, I date who I want.”
“That’s the thing,” Roman’s eyes tracked my every movement. I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered by his predatory stare or alert because of it. “I don’t want to date other people, and I sure as hell don’t want you dating other people.”
“What part of ‘we’re not together’ do you not understand?”
“All of it.”
I dropped my brush to the bedspread and leaned toward Roman. He leaned toward me too, speaking the moment I opened my mouth to do the same.
“Your wolf side wants me. Let me give your human side a reason to do the same.” He picked the hairbrush up off the bedspread. “You hate brushing your hair wet. I’ll do it for you, you enjoy your candy bar.”
I scowled.
“I don’t hate it.”
Lie.
“You were making frustrated faces with your nose.” He tapped the side of his nose. “It was cute. Come here.”
“Seriously, Roman. Get out of my apartment.” I paused. “And don’t call me cute.”
“Let me brush your hair and I will.” He waved the brush at me. I huffed.
“This is ridiculous.”
But, like the sucker I was, I sat down on the edge of the bed and he scooted over to join me. His legs draped on either side of my hips, closing me in a comfortable cocoon as his fingers and the brush began slowly and gently brushing through my hair.
The slight tugging and gentle pressure of his fingers relaxed my body as they stroked my hair, slipping beneath it to my neck for brief moments. The baser parts of me were turning to freaking mush, but I refused to let go of my anger.
“I went to the nightclub to see you since you won’t answer your damn door or phone. Lilac saw me first. She kissed me out of nowhere and when I told her to piss off, she said she was going to sleep with the human she was dancing with. She’s Arla’s friend, so I had an obligation to get her out of there.”
He explained quickly and quietly as he brushed my hair with soft fingers. It felt so good I thought I’d fall asleep.
“I saw your eyes shift; you responded to her.” I said, through a sleep-heavy voice.
“My eyes didn’t shift until I noticed you watching me.”
“Sure. Whatever. You didn’t owe me an explanation, and this doesn’t change anything.” I started to get up but was stopped by a large hand on my nonexistent abs.
“I don’t want her. Never have, never will. If I see another guy kiss you, there’s a good chance I’ll rip his head off.”
Great, now I felt guilty for flirting with Kyler all night.
Should I tell him? Maybe if he knew, he wouldn’t go trying to kill anyone when he found out.
“Your enforcers might mention that Kyler showed up after you left with and bartended with me. We flirted a bit, but nothing happened.”
Roman’s hands stilled in my hair and I mentally cursed myself for choosing honesty. Lying made life so much easier.
“Kyler flirted with you?” his voice took on a gravelly tone.
“He’s cool. And we’re not together.”
Roman’s fingers tightened in my hair, tugging a little before he forced them apart and set the brush on the bed.
“I need to go.” He said.
Something told me Kyler was about to get punched in the face.
Or worse.
Roman moved through the apartment and I hurried after him. “I spent the whole night comparing him to you.” I blurted the words before I had time to consider what admitting them out loud would mean. “You’re taller and stronger. Your voice is sexier. You don’t laugh as much as him, but when you do laugh, it lights up your whole face. You’re rough around the edges, but I’ve never wanted perfection.”
Roman watched me intently for a long few seconds. My heart pounded. Why had I gone and exposed my stupid-ass feelings to him? He was still the douchebag who chose his pack over me.
“My voice is sexier?” His tone was amused again and his shoulders relaxed.
“Shut up.” I walked back into my room, flipping him off over my shoulder. “And show yourself out.”
His low chuckle followed me all the way to my bed.
TWELVE
The next day, I spent my afternoon in the indoor forest. After a shower to clean off the dirt, I met my entourage in the lobby. Jamie and London waited with their mates, Oliver and Gunner.
We all chatted on the way to the nightclub, but I noticed the stiffness between London and Gunner. She pointedly ignored him, and he stared at her in frustration. Jamie and Oliver didn’t seem to be fighting, but they didn’t seem to be any closer than usual either.
When we got there, the girls followed me up to their usual stools at the edge of the room, where they could see everything and stay out of the way. The guys took a booth further away, Oliver pulling out his laptop while Gunner played a game on his phone.
My shift started, and London was already drinking whiskey like it was water.
“Might want to take it easy.” I warned her half an hour in.
She snorted, definitely drunk already.
“I haven’t been able to take it easy since I made the biggest mistake of my life at seventeen years old.” She glared at her mate, who glared back. He stood up and crossed the room to lean over the bar two feet from his woman.
“Can I get a bottle of rum?” he asked.
“A whole bottle?” I lifted an eyebrow.
Did he realize how much that would cost in a high-class place like this one?
“What are you, a pirate?” London snapped.
Gunner gritted his teeth,
“Yes, a bottle.”
I ducked behind the counter and grabbed a half-empty one that would still cost him a small fortune, handing it over. Gunner dropped a black credit card and stalked back to his booth.
London tossed back another few fingers of whiskey and slipped off her stool, headed out to the crowd of dancers.
“I didn’t know she liked to dance.” I commented.
“She doesn’t.” Jamie grimaced. “This isn’t good. They’re not people who resolve conflicts quietly in their own space. If they both get drunk here, things could get ugly fast.”
I looked over at Gunner, who was watching his mate dance with fire in his eyes as he chugged rum.
Not good.
“London’s uncle raised her and he didn’t tell her anything about mat
ing. She and Gunner were in love when they mated, but she had no idea sleeping together meant they’d never be with anyone else.” Jamie explained quickly.
Yikes. No wonder they were practically enemies.
“He knew it was forever and she didn’t.”
Jamie nodded and looked over at Gunner like she was assessing him. I noticed Oliver’s wary look as he glanced between the fighting couple; he was thinking the same thing his mate was.
Hours slipped by and when last-call approached, both Gunner and London were completely plastered. The nightclub was in the process of closing when some random drunk guy put his hands on London’s hips while she swayed to the music. The careful peace we’d established went to hell.
Gunner surged to his feet, his face twisted in a snarl as he crossed the floor.
Jamie flew after him, Oliver close behind them both. If either of the enforcers lost control and shifted in public, all of werewolf kind could be in deep shit.
Gunner didn’t waste time. He shoved the guy away from London and swung his fist right into the dude’s eye. I couldn’t hear the crack over the pounding music as knuckle met flesh, but the guy’s scream hit my ears. Gunner knocked him to the ground and swung his fist into his face twice, and then three more times.
London screamed as loud as the guy had, shoving her mate off the random dude and raining swear words upon him. There were only a few people left in the club, and luckily enough the bouncers had already gone home.
The three remaining humans ran for the exit while Jamie dropped to her knees the check the dude’s pulse. London and Gunner were screaming at each other now. I shut off the music before hurrying to the other werewolves.
“He’s not breathing.” Jamie’s hands overlapped. “Starting CPR. Call an ambulance.” She commanded her mate.
“I’ll deal with the scorned lovers.” I said quickly, turning to face the arguing couple.
Arguing was much too mild a term for the fight they were having.