by Jax Garren
“The old alpha was a sadistic bastard and silenced him.” She waved to Gee. “I’m here to pick up our order.”
Josh pushed his beer away, his stomach rolling with nausea. He’d seen enough horror inflicted by dominants in his lifetime, on himself and others. It broke his heart that no matter where he went, the same thing always happened.
“It would never happen now. The new alpha, Drew, is a thousand times better than his sire. I’m Tasha.” She held out her hand, turning to face him. A vicious scar mottled her cheek and Josh didn’t have to ask who’d injured her.
“Josh Clement. I’m opening the yarn shop down the street.”
“I heard about you. Are you going to offer lessons?”
Josh told Tasha about his plans for the shop and she seemed genuinely interested. While they talked, Josh tried not to dwell on Paul’s silence or Tasha’s scar. Would the Dominants in this pack continue to protect the weaker members or eventually revert to the habits of old? Fear settled over his shoulders. He craved safety and security, but now he wasn’t so sure the Black Hills pack could provide it. Maybe his dreams of family and safety were nothing more than naive fantasies?
“Nice to meet you, Josh. See you around.” She picked up her order and left.
His appetite vanished as soon as his anxiety spiked. Gee was busy at the end of the bar, so Josh left the money for his beer under his glass and left. Head down, not making eye contact with anyone, he hurried down the street to his shop. Pulling down the blind on the glass door, he locked himself in before running to the back, dodging the multitude of boxes sitting around waiting to be unpacked and sorted onto his shelves.
A stairwell at the back led up to the loft apartment over the store. Josh locked the door at the bottom of the stairs and the one at the top. Feeling a small sliver of security, he pulled all the curtains closed so no one from the street could see into his apartment and then hunched down in a corner of the room. Drew promised him that he wouldn’t be hurt here, but seeing both Paul and Tasha unnerved him and the “what ifs” rolled through his mind like fear-inducing thunder.
I wish I’d been born stronger.