“You served that old bag,” the man said, jerking a thumb at Dorothy. “So I reckon you need to take care of me too.”
“And me,” the second man slurred, grinning at me.
I was tense and shaking, but I tried to look as calm as possible as I pointed to the sign above the bar that said ‘We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.’ “I’m refusing. Please pay and leave.”
The smiles on their faces vanished, replaced by matching scowls. “Listen here, you bitch,” the first man began, his face turning a blotchy red. “You’re messing with the wrong men.” When he got to his feet, I noticed with a chill of fear that he had a telltale bulge at his shoulder that meant a concealed weapon. My mouth went dry.
“Is there a problem here?”
I turned to see Jake, the bar’s owner. He was a mild, quiet man, in his late fifties who favored faded western shirts and old jeans. He had emerged from his office and was looking from me to the men expectantly.
“I told these gentlemen they need to leave,” I said, wanting to call them any number of other words.
“This bitch won’t serve us what we’re owed,” the man shot back, glaring at me.
Jake was quiet, rubbing his chin. “Go take care of the rest of the bar,” he told me. “I’ll serve them.”
Rage filled me at the sight of the man’s triumphant smile, but I bit my tongue and turned away. Jake wasn’t a bad boss, but he liked money and disliked conflict. If I was mad at anyone, it was myself for not being able to handle it alone.
* * *
The rest of the hour passed uneventfully, and luckily at closing time the two men only muttered another slurred “bitch” in my direction before they lurched off into the night. Jake left me to lock up, and Sarah perched at the bar as I went through my evening cleaning routine. I was still moody from my encounter earlier, and it must have shown on my face.
“They were just two old creeps,” she said. “They’re so old their dicks probably don’t work anymore, so they have to be jerks instead. Don’t let them get to you.”
I knew she was trying to cheer me up, but I still couldn’t shake the fact that something was off. “I should have done more,” I said, shaking my head.
“Don’t think like that, Allie. Who knows what they would have done? You did the smart thing letting Jake handle it.”
I smiled at her, grateful that she always had my back. “You’re sweet. How was the party?”
As she went on about how boring all the guys she had met were, I finished the cleanup and we went out onto the sidewalk. But no sooner had I set the alarm and locked the door behind us than I felt a prickle on the back of my neck. My instincts were warning me that someone was watching me.
Someone close.
3
Beau
Seeing Allie all grown up caught me like a sucker-punch.
I’d always had a little thing for her when we were pups. Well, maybe more than a little. But how could I not? She was feisty and funny and could kick my ass at just about everything from climbing trees to arm wrestling. She’d been such a scrawny little thing, with a smile that lit up her whole face.
But now, seeing her walk down the darkened street, all soft curves and her dark-chocolate curls blowing in the night breeze, well. She was smiling at something her friend said, but it was a different smile than when we were young. Guarded, somehow. Like she was on edge. Well, living in this glass and concrete place with no fresh air and only sad little trees would put anyone on edge. It was time for her to come home. Even if only for a little while.
Jasper hadn’t been able to figure out where Allie was living, so he told us we would follow her back to her home when she came out of the bar, then approach her when the time was right.
“Won’t that creep her out?” I had asked.
“She won’t notice us. You know humans. They don’t notice anything unless you shove it in front of their face,” he’d said, with a little sneer like I was stupid for asking. “Besides, you’re the only one she would really recognize, so we’ll keep you behind us.”
I respected Jasper, but sometimes I didn’t really like him. I knew he had a lot on his shoulders, being First Guardian, but his people skills could use some work.
Mal, on the other hand, had too many “people skills.” Or rather, skills with the ladies. I bristled a little bit at the way he was looking at Allie, although I couldn’t blame him too much since I was having some of the same thoughts. She had definitely grown up, and grown up beautifully. You’d have to be made of stone to not notice.
Jasper signaled, and we slipped out of the alley we’d been waiting in, falling in step behind the two women. We were probably a good twenty feet away, and there were still some other humans out stumbling around, so we weren’t too conspicuous. Maybe Jasper had been right.
I caught a whiff of her scent on the night air, and it made my heart skip a beat. She’d always smelled of summer to me: a heady sweetness, like a ripe peach, mixed with something faintly floral. It was as intoxicating now as it used to be back then, and I had to force myself to take a deep breath. Down, boy.
The two women were deep in conversation as they walked, and although Allie was laughing at something her friend said I noticed a slight tension in her shoulders. That wariness again. Could she have noticed us? But no, her friend was relaxed, no scent of fear in the air. Maybe I was mistaken.
They rounded the corner up ahead and disappeared from view. Jasper gestured for us to speed up so we wouldn’t lose sight of them. Part of me wondered if it wouldn’t be better to call out to her now. After all, she would recognize me. Wouldn’t she?
But before I could suggest it, Jasper broke into a jog and rounded the corner of the building. And then all hell broke loose.
Allie had been waiting around the corner. She was standing there, scowling, and I realized too late that she had indeed noticed we were following her. I caught a glimpse of a little silvery can in her hand just before she squeezed the top.
She had good aim: the stream of liquid shot out and hit Jasper square in the eyes. He snarled in pain and shock and bent double to claw at his face. Pepper spray! My eyes stung even from being close, and Mal started to hack and cough. I had a split second to realize she had turned toward me with a grim look on her face and lifted the can to spray again. “Wait, wait! Allie, it’s me!”
Her eyes narrowed, then went wide in recognition. “Beau?” I nodded, feeling a surge of gratitude that she remembered me. She looked wildly from me to Mal and Jasper. “Who… what is this?” she demanded. “What are you doing here?”
“We came to meet you,” I said, realizing how stupid it sounded.
Jasper got to his feet, his eyes red as a demon’s. Being werewolves, pepper spray didn’t affect us as bad as it would a human, but it was clear he wasn’t feeling great. “We need to speak with you,” he growled. “Pack business.”
Allie’s friend was staring at us like she was frozen. Allie turned to her. “It’s ok, Sarah. These men are… they’re friends. From before.”
Mal glanced over his shoulder. Sirens were beginning to wail in the distance. “Not to ruin a happy reunion, ladies,” he drawled, “But I think we should get indoors.”
“Our apartment isn’t far,” said the human female, her voice shaky. “We can go there.”
Allie gave us all a long searching look, then nodded briskly. “Come on.”
4
Allie
I stood at my kitchen counter watching a shirtless werewolf repeatedly dunk his face into a bowl of milk.
Sarah had looked it up online and apparently, the dairy helped neutralize the pepper spray. But I had to bite back a laugh as he raised his head to look at me and the milk dripped off his nose. He did not look amused, not in the slightest. That didn’t surprise me. Jasper never did have a sense of humor.
I vaguely remembered Jasper from the old days. His father had been the Pack Guardian when I was young, the one in charge of the warriors, and was gro
oming his son to follow in his footsteps. Guess he had taken over. With his dark hair and striking golden eyes, he was unquestionably handsome, but I always thought he was a snob, even when we were kids. So a small, secret part of me was enjoying his discomfort.
The other wolf, Mal, was also watching Jasper, and he wasn’t even trying to hide his grin of amusement. He wasn’t familiar to me at all, so I guessed he had joined the Pack after I left. He had striking shoulder-length copper hair worn in a low ponytail, and he was the kind of handsome that made you think he was someone: a movie star, maybe, or an athlete. As if he felt my gaze, he glanced over at me, a wicked gleam in his pale blue eyes. I quickly looked away.
And having Beau in my kitchen was the strangest of all. Beau, one of the only people in my whole life who had made me think that I could belong. Where the others ignored me or were cold to me, he would go out of his way to invite me to do stuff. We used to play together as pups and even as teenagers we would hang out. I had always regretted that I had never had the chance to say goodbye. He still had a slight curl in his pale blonde hair, and the same boyish smile I remembered, despite the body that showed me he was definitely a man now.
After one last dunk, Jasper set the bowl aside. Sarah quickly handed him a towel, her face turning pink as she glanced down at his bare chest. Yes, he was definitely a warrior, with the perfectly sculpted muscles that silently boasted of raw power. Not that the other two men were small. No doubt about it, they were all Alphas.
But why were they in my kitchen?
As if he’d heard my question, Beau glanced over at Jasper, then turned to me. “Allie, we need your help.”
“Me? Why?”
“The old queen has died. There was a Choosing. And you were the one chosen,” Jasper said, fixing me with a wary stare.
Edie had died? Well, I couldn’t say I was sorry to hear it. She had always been one of the most vocal about my “tainted half-breed blood.” But what did he mean? “Chosen?” I echoed. “I don’t understand.”
“None of us do, really,” Mal drawled. “But your grandma did the ritual and there was no mistaking it, yer highness. The Goddess chose you as our new Queen.” He smirked as if the very idea was ridiculous.
Jasper threw him a warning look, and Mal chuckled softly and looked away.
Queen? Me? “There’s no way… I mean… I’m not even…” I didn’t know how to tell them just how wrong they were. “It can’t be right. It has to be someone else.”
Beau shook his head. “It’s true. The ritual is never wrong. And it has to be you.”
My mind raced. Had Gram rigged the ritual somehow as a strange way to get me to come home? But no, I knew she would never do that. She was Pack Priestess first and foremost and valued her responsibilities to the Pack over everything, including her own life.
But that meant it was true, and that didn’t make any sense.
“I can’t rule,” I finally managed.
“We thought as much,” Mal said.
I tried not to be hurt by his quick agreement, but he was right. I was a half-breed, an outsider. I hadn’t lived in Silver Grove for years. I had no business strolling back home and taking any kind of power. Everyone would despise me, even more than they already did. “So that’s that, right?” I glanced between the men. “Have another ritual. I’m not interested in being Queen.”
“That’s the problem,” Beau said. “We need you to come back with us. If the chosen Queen won’t rule, she must give up her power formally. There’s another ceremony, and the bond is broken. Otherwise, the new ritual won’t work.”
Go back to Silver Grove? Just when life was starting to feel somewhat normal? Just when I had my own apartment and an actual friend? I glanced at Sarah, who I’d forgotten about in the shock of all this, and my heart sank when I saw the expression on her face.
She’d heard every word, and even if they didn’t all make sense she knew enough now to know I’d been lying all this time. She met my gaze, but she didn’t speak.
“Can you all give us a minute?” I addressed Jasper, since he seemed to be the leader of the three. He frowned slightly, but Beau got up and nudged his shoulder.
“Of course. Can we wait in the next room?”
I nodded, not looking at them as they trooped into the hall and shut the door.
* * *
“Sarah,” I said softly, but she held up a hand to stop me.
“Allie, what are you?” she asked. “And tell me the truth.”
I couldn’t meet her eyes anymore. “Werewolf,” I said. “Just half, though.” I braced myself for her reaction. Even though the existence of werewolves, shifters, vampires, and other magical beings was well known in this day and age, there was still a lot of prejudice in human cities against non-human creatures. Especially against werewolves: the stereotype being that we were all vicious, bloodthirsty beasts who would kill at the drop of a hat.
I’d never heard Sarah speak badly of any non-humans in the city before, but that didn’t mean she approved. Not to mention the fact that I’d lied to her face all this time. I couldn’t bear to look up and see the loss of the only friend that I had, so I stared down at the faded rug, waiting for her to speak.
I jumped at a touch on my shoulder and was startled to realize it was her pulling me into a hug. “Oh Allie, you thought you had to hide it from me?” she murmured.
Tears stung my eyes. “I didn’t want to,” I managed. “I didn’t even want us to be friends, in the beginning. This was just supposed to be a way to get cheaper rent. But dammit, Sarah, you were so nice and so fun and I loved being your friend and then I didn’t want to give that up.”
She held me at arm’s length, and I could see her eyes shining with tears too. “You silly girl. I liked you for who you are, not what you are.”
“What, an introverted bartender with amnesia?”
“Now that you say it out loud, I can’t believe I fell for that bullshit,” Sarah said, but she was laughing even as the tears spilled over. “Oh my god. Amnesia. All this time. I didn’t even think to ask too many questions.”
“A fact that I was eternally grateful for,” I said, voice still shaky. The relief I felt was so strong it was almost physical, like stepping under a waterfall. Washing away all the anxieties and half-truths of the past few years. Letting me start over again.
“The only thing I’m mad about is that you didn’t tell me sooner,” she said, sitting down at the table next to me. “I don’t know any non-humans. Didn’t,” she corrected herself, grinning at me. “Does that mean all those scrumptious men are werewolves too?”
I had to laugh. “Yes. They’re part of my Pack. The one I left to come here.”
“What’s all that stuff about you being a Queen?”
“Our Pack, Silver Grove, was always ruled by two females,” I said. “The Priestess was the spiritual leader and the Queen was in charge of the practical things. My grandma is the Pack’s Priestess currently, and when a Queen passes away she’s the one who gathers up all the women in the pack and leads the ritual to choose the new Queen. And for some reason the magic chose me.” I could feel my face heating up, aware of how silly it all sounded. It had to be some kind of mistake.
Sarah’s mouth had opened into a small “o” of surprise. “But you said you’re not going to do it? Are you crazy?” She pointed to the closed hallway door. “If all the werewolf men look like that I would be out of here so fast I’d light the road on fire.”
I had to laugh at her mischievous grin. “It’s not so simple,” I said. “I’ve been an outcast all my life with them.”
“Why?”
“My mother was a werewolf and my father was a human. She died giving birth to me, and they chased him off when he tried to come get me. I don’t even know his name. I technically belonged to the Pack, but I was never welcomed. By most people, anyway,” I added, thinking of Beau and Ruby. “Gram raised me, and she loved me, but it wasn’t enough. By the time I was eighteen I couldn’t take it anym
ore, so I ran.”
She shook her head like it was all crazy. Which, to someone not used to Pack society, I guess it was. “But if the ritual chose you as Queen, wouldn’t they have to accept you?”
“They didn’t accept me as a child for being half-breed, so they won’t accept me even more after I abandoned the Pack to live with humans. Doing that was a betrayal to everyone. I’m a stranger to them, proof that humans and werewolves don’t mix. They might submit because they had to, but they would always think it was a mistake.”
“That’s bullshit,” Sarah said, slapping her hand on the table. “You’re strong and smart and you want to help people. I think you’d be a badass Queen. Don’t you see? Maybe this is the thing you’ve been waiting for. It’s the chance to really help people like you always wanted!”
I was touched by her support, but I knew deep in my heart that it would never work out. “I’m going to go with them and do the ceremony so they can move on,” I said. “And then I’m going to come back here and get on with my life.”
Sarah nodded, but she looked thoughtful. “Well, promise me one thing. That you’ll think about it, ok?”
“About what? Being Queen?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s not exactly an opportunity that happens every day. Maybe you were chosen for a reason,” she said. “I don’t know anything about magic, but it seems like it would be pretty hard to trick.”
She was right, but I didn’t want to think about what that might mean.
“I’ll miss you, though,” Sarah said, pulling me into another hug. “Call me if you need anything, ok? I’ll come help if I can.”
“If everything goes well I’ll be back soon,” I said. “You won’t even have time to miss me. Besides, I’ll have the boys to keep an eye on me. If nothing else, they’re loyal.”
Princess of Wolves: A Reverse Harem Romance Page 2
