Bite the Big Heartache: Werewolf Shifter Romance (A Monstrana Paranormal Romance Book 2)

by Lacy Andersen

  “Listen, I don’t want to talk about this.” She tucked a piece of hair angrily behind her ear. “We made an agreement that we weren’t going to let our history get in the way and I have a job to do. Let’s just focus on that.”

  He blinked in surprise and then stepped back into the shadows. She could hear him breathing heavily, but his voice was as calm and steady as it had been two minutes ago. “You’re right. This is just a business transaction. Let’s focus on that.”

  “Very good.” Her hands shook as she flipped through the pages of her notebook. “I think we should start with...”

  A cheer went through the party-goers. Stasia looked up to see them rushing the edge of the quarry, articles of clothing flying behind them. She watched with concern as the first few flung themselves off the cliff, into the waters below.

  “What’s going on? Is that even safe?”

  Billy stepped once more into the light and stared at the cliff jumpers. His jaw was set in a determined expression. “It’s the plunge. Everyone has to do it. It’s tradition.”

  She shook her head. “No, no, no. I don’t think so.”

  “Come on, Princess.” His lips twisted into a wry grin and he glanced at her. “I thought you weren’t scared of rough and wild.”

  For a moment, she thought about waving him off. Refusing the dare. But Stasia had never been one to turn down a challenge. Without breaking eye contact, she stripped off her sweater and shirt, dropping them into a pile on the ground. All that remained was a tank top and her skirt. The corner of Billy’s mouth lifted in a disbelieving grin and his gaze traveled the length of her body, before returning to her face.

  “Lead the way,” she said with a smirk.

  They sprinted toward the cliff. Billy was clearly the faster one, but losing his shirt and shoes took extra time. They ended up jumping at the same time, flailing in the empty, warm air for a few exhilarating moments, before splashing into the icy cold quarry below. Stasia broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. Billy appeared next to her in a shower of water droplets.

  “Not such a princess after all, huh?” She floated in the water, her arms outstretched on either side.

  Half his mouth twitched in a smile. “You’ll always be a royal, your highness. But maybe not such a tame one after all.”

  She gasped and splashed him. Laughing at her, he turned and began swimming for the shore. She couldn’t help but watch him until he disappeared in the darkness, a twinge of confusion nudging against her conscience.

  Billy had mentioned something about a letter, but she had no clue what he’d been talking about. Their summer had ended in a terrible fight. Her in tears and him storming angrily out of his own backyard. She didn’t want to relive that moment, so she wasn’t going to ask for clarification. What she needed was to finish this interview and get out of this town.

  Before history decided to repeat itself.

  Chapter Nine

  Stasia plopped down on the motel bed and groaned in frustration. She’d just returned from a morning question and answer session with Billy before he headed to his garage. Working with that man was anything but easy. He’d tolerated her presence, even answered some more of her prep questions for the interview, but that was just about as far as it went. They’d hardly made eye contact. It was as if last night’s party had driven another wedge between them.

  She was just about to jump into the motel’s tiny shower when her phone rang. Looking down at the bright screen, she let loose another groan. Mr. Treckle’s name caused a mini wave of terror to roll down her back. Despite her misgivings, she answered it and pressed the speaker to her ear.

  “Miss Pavlosky, I’ve just read your most recent notes.” His low grumble of a voice sounded even more annoyed than usual. “And I’m pulling you off the story.”

  Her heart jumped in her chest and she shot up from the side of the bed. “Wait, what? No, sir, you can’t. I’m not done.”

  “As far as I can tell, you are done.” He snorted. “You call this a story? My gran-troll could’ve done a better job and she’s been dead and buried three hundred years. There’s no drama. No tension. I’m bored.”

  She paced the room, her eyes wide with panic. Billy had been slowly opening up to her, filling her in on the details of the hunter’s attacks. She thought the story was a good one. The kind that would get her off the ground floor of the broadcasting company and into the higher ranks. But if Mr. Treckle took her off the case, she would be back to square one.

  “The story isn’t boring,” she said in a rush, her hands gesturing wildly. “We’ve got a handsome hero, a dying werewolf pack, hunters, an ambush, a fight for their lives. There’s even death!”

  She clasped a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, praying Mr. Treckle hadn’t heard that last part. It was the one topic she’d been avoiding with Billy. Every time she broached the subject, he’d shut her out. She hadn’t been able to get a word out of him about his fiancée or her death. Not a single clue.

  “Death, you say?” Mr. Treckle hummed into the phone. “Now, that’s more like it. I need more information on this update. Send it to me today.”

  Stasia’s mouth had suddenly gone dry. “Today?”

  “Today, or you’re off the story and I’m sending someone else.” He grunted and the line went dead.

  She stared at her phone for an entire minute before falling backwards on the lumpy mattress. The wheels in her head were spinning a million miles per second, wondering how she would deliver on such a task. There was no way she was giving up this story to anyone else. It was her story. No one else would do it justice. She just had to figure out how to get to the root of the drama.

  Looking at the time, she popped back off the bed and rushed out the door. There was one person who might be persuaded to fill her in on the missing information. And if she got the truth behind the heartache, maybe she would finally understand why Billy was so tight-lipped. And just maybe, she could wring his side of the story out of him.

  The future of her career was counting on it.

  ❖

  “My friend, Princess Stasia, everyone!” Ashley waved at Stasia from behind the counter at the town diner. She had a black apron tied around her waist and was smacking on a piece of bright pink bubblegum.

  “Hey Ash.” Stasia returned the wave and smiled nervously at the other patrons in the diner who had all turned to stare at her. She slid onto a stool next to the bar and tapped her fingernails on the counter. “When you’ve got a few minutes, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

  Ashley’s lips curled into a thoroughly pleased smile. She untied her apron strings and tossed it on the coffee maker. “I’m taking my break now, Johnny.”

  A man with bushy eyebrows and a backwards baseball cap appeared through the window to the kitchen. “You just took your break, Finley. And who’s going to watch the front?”

  “You’ll figure it out.” She waved him off and led Stasia to a booth in the corner covered with bright red cracked vinyl. Sliding onto the bench seat, she smoothed a few tiny wisps of hair on her head and beamed. “I can’t believe Princess Stasia wants to ask me some questions. Does this mean I get to be on TV?”

  Stasia hesitated and calmly folded her hands. “I’m not sure. We certainly won’t rule that out.”

  “Awesome-sauce.” She bounced in her seat. “So, what do you want to know?”

  As Stasia studied her old friend, misgivings began to pop up in her head. If she went down this road, Billy might never forgive her. Using his sister to drag up a traumatic moment in his life was probably a bit dirty. But, she’d been left with no other choice. And besides, he had agreed to do the story. He couldn’t expect her to do anything less than her job.

  “I need everything you know about Billy’s fiancée’s death,” Stasia said in a low voice, glancing around her. No one sat within hearing distance, but for some reason, she felt compelled to whisper. “I can’t do the story without knowing exactly what happened. Can you fi
ll me in?”

  Ashley’s eyes went wide and she popped a bubble with her gum. “I’m guessing Billy won’t spill.”

  “Right.” Stasia leaned back. “My boss is threatening to take me off the story and send someone else to cover it.”

  “But no one could replace you.” Ashley’s face fell. She grasped the table and began to breathe heavily. “And if you leave again, I’m not sure you’ll ever come back. I almost lost hope last time. You’re one of my best friends.”

  “Ashley...”

  “I know I’m not the easiest person to be around. I can be a little eccentric.” She dabbed at her eyes.

  Stasia had to resist a smile. Eccentric was putting it mildly. Ashley was a full speed ahead, don’t look back, dive head first into anything kind of kid. The other kids weren’t as brave as her. They also didn’t enjoy life to the fullest like she did.

  Ashley released a heavy sigh and gazed pointedly at Stasia. “As a kid, I didn’t have many friends. But you never made me feel like a freak. You were always so nice, even when I snuck along on yours and Billy’s adventures. And when I found out you were a princess, I could’ve exploded with pride. My friend, the werewolf princess. But then you never came back...”

  Guilt shot through Stasia’s chest, making her want to cry. When her parents had dragged her out of Molodoy years ago, she’d had no intention of ever coming back. The end of her relationship with Billy had been too painful. She hadn’t realized at the time that she’d be hurting anyone else. People like Ashley, who hadn’t done a thing wrong. She was such a poor excuse for a friend.

  “No one is going to replace me.” She reached across the table and covered Ashley’s hand in hers. “And I will come back, even if it’s just to see you. We’ll always be friends.”

  Ashley looked at her through teary eyes. “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  Grabbing a napkin from the dispenser on the table, Ashley dabbed at the corners of her eyes, smearing her thick black eyeliner. She smiled and took a deep breath. “Look at me, getting all mushy and wet. Billy hates it when I cry. I swear, that boy would promise me the world just to get me to stop blubbering.”

  Stasia smiled softly. Say what she wanted about Billy, he’d always been a great older brother to his sister. Even as kids, he would let her tag around wherever they went. It seemed that some things never changed.

  “You wanted to know about Esther?” Ashley continued.

  Stasia pulled out her notebook and pencil. “Was that her name?”

  She nodded. “Esther Okpik. Her father was the last alpha of the Sitka pack. He died and there was no one to fill his shoes. My dad arranged for Esther and Billy to marry and carry on the Sitka pack’s legacy.”

  Stasia leaned back against the seat as if she’d just been shot. Shock crossed her face. “You’re telling me this was an arranged marriage?”

  “Yep.” Ashley chewed on her thumbnail. “It was the only way to guarantee the bloodline continued. Billy had a fit the first time he heard about the plan, but I guess it grew on him.”

  Never had she taken Billy Finley as a man who would agree to an arranged marriage. Even as his sister spilled his story, Stasia still couldn’t comprehend it. To enter into a permanent arrangement with a woman he had never met was crazy. She couldn’t believe he would even consider it, let alone follow through.

  “Did you ever meet her?” Stasia couldn’t help herself. Her curiosity was too strong.

  “Never, but I saw a picture of a dark-haired woman in Billy’s wallet once. I think it was her. She had nothing on you.”

  Stasia closed her eyes and fought against the strange feelings tumbling around in her brain. She wasn’t sure why the information about Billy’s arranged marriage had made her feel suddenly giddy and lightheaded at the same time. If anything, she should feel sorry for Billy that he felt he had to take on such a burden. What kind of man made a sacrifice of that level? A man who wasn’t afraid to put others above himself. A man who would lay down his life for a stranger.

  “What happened to her?” she asked, opening her eyes. This was the part of the story she needed. The morbid cherry on top of her whole assignment. “How did she die?”

  “Billy only told me once.” Ashley examined the ragged nail bed she’d just been chewing and shrugged. “I guess that when the hunters came, Billy fought back. He managed to take out most of their guys on wolf power alone, but they took Esther hostage. Threatened to kill her if he took one more step. He called their bluff and she paid the price. They were supposed to be married the next week. He couldn’t take the guilt, disbanded the pack and found them all new homes. Came back to Molodoy and has been a loner ever since. Even refused to come back to the Fang pack.”

  Stasia stared at the end of her pencil, her lips pulled down into a frown. She couldn’t write those notes down. It would be like spitting on Esther’s very grave. No one deserved to die that way.

  The door to the diner swung open behind them. When Stasia glanced over her shoulder at the new customer, she jumped to her feet and stuffed her notepad back in her pocket.

  “Billy!” She swallowed nervously and smiled at him.

  “Stasia?” His gaze bounced between her and his sister. Dark grease stains covered his arms up to his elbows. A layer of sweat lined his dirt-speckled forehead. Despite the mess, he still looked great. “Just who I was hoping to bump into.”

  “You were?” She willed herself to breathe.

  It was as if Ashley’s story had just peeled back a layer of Billy’s personality she hadn’t allowed herself to see before now. Maybe he wasn’t the same kid who’d turned her in for the reward money. Maybe he’d grown into a strong, moral man who would sacrifice himself for strangers.

  “Yeah, got any opinions on the color of leather for the interior of the Chevelle? I’m thinking charcoal black.” He grinned and her heart skipped a beat. “Maybe even with a white leather stripe? What do you think?”

  “I think you’re amazing.” She gasped and then bit the inside of her cheek, hard. “I mean, I think that’s amazing. Go with it. You always know best.”

  “Really?” He took a step closer and tilted his head to look down at her. There was a teasing glint in his eyes. “Can I get that in writing?”

  “Sure.” A shiver went through her. The combined scent of car grease, sweat, and the faintest cologne was making her weak in the knees. “Whatever you want.” She pushed past him toward the door and paused before exiting. “We start filming tomorrow. Don’t forget.”

  And with that, she was out the door and on the streets of Molodoy, willing her heartbeat to return to normal.

  Chapter Ten

  Billy stood in line at the Molodoy Auto shop and resisted tapping his foot impatiently on the floor. He just needed a part for the Chevelle. A quick trip and then onto business. He hadn’t expected to see the Wilson brothers in the engine oil row, scratching their heads over a pint of Amsoil. So far, he’d avoided their notice. But if the pimpled high school kid at the checkout counter didn’t move any faster, his luck was going to run out.

  His nerves had been on high alert all day, anyway. This afternoon, he was meeting Stasia at her motel and they were going to film his interview. He should’ve been relieved that the end was near, but part of him dreaded the wrap-up. Once Stasia got her interview she would be gone. Gone from Molodoy and gone from his life. He should be thrilled. After all, that’s what he wanted.

  Wasn’t it?

  Despite their history, Stasia Pavlosky still had a way of worming herself back into his very soul. He’d been rejected by her in a way that would make any werewolf want to go jump off a cliff, but his heart wouldn’t listen to reason. Watching her at the party and then at the diner with his sister had only strengthened those feelings. He’d wanted so desperately to reach out and run his thumb along the cupid’s bow of her mouth, to feel her soft skin pressed against his palm, and claim her pouting mouth with his own.

  It was all very frustrating. Not even a
hard day’s work spent in the garage could erase her from his thoughts. He’d never met anyone more infuriating or more unforgettable. Too bad she’d never feel the same about him. She’d made that very clear over a decade ago.

  A strong hand on his shoulder made him tense and turn, his body readying for a fight. A man in his early sixties with salt and pepper hair, a strong athletic build, and a square jaw pulled back from him.

  “Easy, son. Just wanted to say a friendly hello.”

  Billy rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, Shep. I guess I’m just a little tense these days.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  Shep Smithson gave him a sympathetic nod. He was the leader of the Fang pack, the alpha and ultimate authority around Molodoy. No one crossed the alpha. Billy’s father had served faithfully under him for almost his entire life. He was a fair and strong leader.

  “Listen, Billy.” Shep patted him again on the shoulder, his brow wrinkling. “I know you had a hard time in Alaska and I’ve been keeping my distance to give you time to heal. But I think it’s time you found your pack again. Just know, there’s always room for you in the Fangs. I could use a man like you on my team.”

  Billy nodded gratefully, but had no intention of accepting. He’d done the pack thing. All he wanted was to live out the rest of his days in peace. He wasn’t fit to lead anyone, let alone a pack of werewolves. His time in Alaska had proven that. And Esther had lost her life because of his poor leadership.

  “Thanks, Shep. I’ll give it some thought.”

  Anything to get the old man off his back.

  “You do that, son.” Shep smiled sadly. “We miss your folks. They were good people.”

  “Thanks for thinking of them. We miss them, too.”