Sassy Ever After: You Bet Your Sass

by Melanie James

  “I actually have an errand I have to finish up this morning. Are you going to be here for a while? If so, I’ll come back as soon as I’m done.”

  “That’s fine. I’m just getting my day started.”

  “Be back in a bit, chica.” Chloe jogged to her car, where Lars was waiting as she had instructed. “What the actual fuck happened last night? Wait—don’t answer yet. Wait until we get around the block. I don’t want Sofia to know I’m aiding the enemy.” Chloe glanced down at the giant wolf, who had somehow managed to wedge himself in between the dashboard and front seat of the car.

  As they rounded the bend, Lars shifted to human form. “Fuck, that was uncomfortable.”

  “Well, no shit, Sherlock. Did you really expect a ton of legroom in a Honda Civic?”

  “Not really, but I didn’t expect it to be that tiny.”

  “It’s perfect for normal-sized peeps. It’s only a problem for giant alpha males.” Chloe pulled into the local diner, and put the car in park.

  “Thanks for not saying anything to Sofia about me spending the night on her porch. After that drunk bastard showed up I couldn’t bring myself to leave her alone and go back to the hotel.” Lars held the door open for Chloe, and she sighed.

  “And to top it off you’re a true gentleman. Why can’t I seem to find a mate like you?”

  “I’m sure you will one day.”

  Lars led the way to a secluded booth. Chloe wondered where she should start, and how much info she should share with Lars. She barely knew the man, but had no doubts that he had Sofia’s best interests in mind. Her wolf had been blessed with the ability to read people very easily, a gift that had come in handy time and time again.

  “Care to tell me exactly how you ended up sleeping on the porch?” Chloe asked as she looked over the menu.

  “Umm…”

  Chloe looked up to see a blush wash over his face. “Save the sexy details, I’ll get those from Sofia later.”

  “Awesome.”

  Chloe didn’t miss the sarcasm that laced his voice.

  “After the mating ceremony, she just kind of froze up. She told me she needed time, that she had never planned on having a mate, and asked me to leave. After that I headed back to my hotel. When I couldn’t get her out of my mind, I went for a run and wound up outside of her house. The next thing I knew some guy pulled up, stumbled out of his car, and started pounding on her door. She slammed the door in his face, and he started screaming about how he loved her and how sorry he was.”

  “That motherfucker. I hope you put the fear of God into him.” Chloe looked pointedly at Lars.

  “Yep. Then I called the police and reported a drunk driver.”

  “Good boy. Go on.”

  “After that I decided to stay and stand guard for the night. At some point I must’ve fallen asleep, and that’s when you found me.”

  “Are you ready to order?”

  “Can you give us a couple of minutes?” Chloe smiled at the perky waitress.

  “No problem.” The waitress walked toward another table.

  Lars flipped open the menu. “Last night you told me Sofia’s been through a lot. What did you mean by that?”

  “Well, the drunk asshole who showed up last night is Sam, her ex-boyfriend. She walked in and found him fucking some bimbo.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “Earlier in the evening. She came home from work, and there he was. Needless to say, yesterday was not a good day for Sofia. Well, before you came along it wasn’t.”

  “Holy shit! You mean all that happened in the span of twenty-four hours?”

  “Yep. Now you know why she was so reluctant about getting involved with you. Not only had she just found out that her boyfriend of two years had been cheating on her, he also did a number on her head.”

  “What you mean? How did he do a number on her head?”

  Chloe took a deep breath, contemplating what she wanted to say. Just then the waitress showed up to take their order.

  “What can I get for y’all?”

  Lars motioned for Chloe to go first, and she gladly took the lead. “I’ll have the hearty omelet with a side of bacon, and an order of pancakes.”

  The waitress looked to Lars for his order. “And what about you, sweetie?”

  “I’ll have the same, but also add a side of sausage to mine. And can I have hot sauce for my omelet?”

  “No problem. What can I get you guys to drink?”

  Lars was the first to answer. “Coffee and orange juice, please.”

  As the waitress walked away with their order, Lars motioned for Chloe to continue.

  “Anyway, Sam is a complete and utter asshole. I can’t even begin to tell you the number of occasions where I had to restrain my wolf from ripping his balls off. He treated her like shit, constantly telling her she was too fat or she wasn’t good enough to be seen in public with.”

  “I had a bad feeling about him when he showed up at her door. Maybe I should’ve let my wolf deal with him. Why did Sofia put up his bullshit for so long?”

  “I don’t know. I tried to warn her away, but eventually gave up because I didn’t want to lose her friendship. So did Alexa and Gabby. We all did. But there’s something you need to know about Sofia.”

  “What’s that?”

  “She’s only ever dated humans. Never shifters.”

  “Why? That doesn’t make any sense. She’s a full shifter herself.”

  Chloe shrugged. She honestly had no idea why her friend only dated humans. “I’ve asked her several times and she’s always given me the same answer: that shifters are too violent for her to deal with. Personally, I think it’s just an excuse. There’s more going on when it comes to the real reason, but I’ve never been able to get it out of her.”

  The waitress finally brought their food, along with the check. To Chloe’s surprise, Lars quickly grabbed the black folder and stuffed a bunch of ones inside to cover the bill.

  “I told you it was on me today,” Chloe said.

  “You can pay next time. Besides, what else am I going to do with all these dollar bills?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sofia stood in the shower letting the hot water pour over her. Every muscle in her body ached, and not in a bad way. She had the sweet soreness of a woman who had been well-loved. And by well-loved she meant well-fucked. And she wasn’t about to complain. None of her previous lovers had ever been so selfless, taking the time to make sure she reached her climax several times.

  She flinched when she ran the soapy loofah over her neck, reminding her that not only had she and Lars done the nasty, but he was also unequivocally and without a doubt her one true mate. For reals. And that scared the ever-living hell out of her. She wasn’t kidding when she’d told Lars she had never planned on having a mate. A husband maybe, but never a mate.

  And now that she shared a mating connection with Lars, she had to be very careful to block her thoughts from him at all times, unless it was something she specifically wanted him to know. Her mind and her thoughts were no longer her own. It was something she’d never wanted and would never have gone looking for. She tried to be mad at herself and her wolf for claiming Lars as their mate, but she couldn’t entirely fault an animal acting on instinct. If only she hadn’t gotten so carried away! If she had taken the time to listen to her wolf, or at least controlled the beast, she wouldn’t be in this position.

  “He’s a strong wolf who will be a good mate.” Her wolf had been quiet throughout the morning, knowing Sofia’s thoughts on the matter.

  “I didn’t say he wasn’t a strong wolf or that he wouldn’t be a good mate. I just didn’t want a mate,” Sofia reminded her wolf.

  “But I do. I’ve waited patiently, while you feared our kind and hooked up with humans who held us in the lowest possible regard. Now that our mate has found us, I’m not letting go. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

  There was no point arguing with her wolf. They couldn’t undo or
take back the mating. It was done. But that didn’t mean Sofia had to be accommodating or even happy about it. She wasn’t about to change her life for a man she barely knew. It wasn’t like he had put a ring on her finger. They weren’t officially married or anything, and that was what mattered to Sofia, even if her wolf disagreed.

  Sofia had all morning to think about her situation, but she still had no idea what the hell she should do. Her mind was a mess, filled with fear and uncertainty. So much had happened in such a short amount of time it made her head spin. She hadn’t had any time to get over, or even react to, what Sam had done. The wound was incredibly fresh.

  They had been together for two long years. Granted, they hadn’t lived together, but he had spent the night at her house frequently and even had his own key. In the beginning of the relationship they’d gone out on dates regularly and just had fun. Sofia wasn’t sure when all that had stopped—it just had. She had questioned Sam on multiple occasions, but he always gave her the runaround.

  It was easier for her to accept his behavior as their new norm than to constantly fight with him. They’d definitely had problems for a while, but she had just overlooked them, not wanting to deal with jumping back into the dating pool.

  Sofia had never been one to hop from relationship to relationship—or from guy to guy, for that matter. When a relationship ended, she normally took her time before she even considered dating someone else. Then came the whirlwind that was Lars.

  A light knock sounded at the front door, and Sofia had never been so happy to be interrupted from our own thoughts. “It’s open.”

  “Hey, it’s just me. I told you I’d be back.” Chloe entered and gave Sofia a hug. “Are you okay? You don’t look very happy for being newly mated.”

  “Ha! Is it that obvious?”

  “Yeah, kind of. So what gives?”

  “Ugh! Where do I start?” Sofia tucked her leg under her butt and sat on one side of the couch, facing her friend.

  “How about at the beginning?”

  “I feel like such a whore,” Sofia admitted.

  Chloe gasped. “Why would you ever say such a thing? You are the least whorish person I know! Trust me, we could wrap you in a black robe and call you a nun compared to some of my other friends.”

  “Yeah, I suppose you’re right, but you of all people know that I don’t guy-jump, or relationship-jump. Who goes out and fucks someone—wait, mates, someone the same day they catch their boyfriend cheating?” Sofia hung her head in shame.

  “Well, apparently you do, but so what? When’s the last time you and Sam had sex anyway?”

  Sofia opened her mouth, then closed it again. “This shouldn’t be a hard question.”

  “Nope. It’s actually a pretty easy question,” Chloe agreed.

  “Then why can’t I remember? I honestly can’t remember the last time we had sex.”

  “Well, when was the last time you kissed him?”

  “Uh… You mean more than a quick peck on the cheek?” Sofia needed to clarify Chloe’s question.

  “Yes. I’m talking about a full-on open-mouthed passionate kiss, with a whole lot of tongue included.”

  Again, Sofia drew a blank. She held up her hands in defeat. “Oh my God. I honestly can’t remember anything more than having dinner or watching a movie with Sam lately.”

  “So, what exactly is it that you’re worried about? Hooking up with Lars hardly makes you a whore. As for the mating thing, you have absolutely no control over when or where you’re going to meet your mate.”

  “Then why do I feel like the worst person on the planet?”

  “I can’t answer that for you. It’s something you need to answer on your own, but finding your mate, your one true mate, is not a bad thing. It should be a joyous occasion. In fact, we should all be out celebrating. The rest of us single bitches are still hoping and praying every day that we somehow stumble across our mate.”

  “I know. It’s just that I never wanted a mate. You know that. I would’ve totally done a wedding, though. Complete with the puffiest white dress you could ever imagine, tons of white roses, and the tallest cake ever made.”

  “So you would have a human wedding, but not a shifter mate?”

  Sofia shook her head. “Yeah. Sad right?”

  “Actually, it is. You are a shifter. You always have been. Your wolf needs her mate, and so do you. Why are you so opposed to being with a shifter?”

  Sofia sucked in a deep breath, not wanting to relive the horror of what happened all those years ago, but she knew she had to tell Chloe the truth. If anybody deserved to know what had happened to her, it was Chloe.

  “When I was a teen I was sexually assaulted by my best friend’s brother. From that night on, I swore I’d never be with another shifter. He couldn’t control himself, and he blamed his wolf for attacking me.”

  Tear streaked down her face at the admission. Sofia didn’t know why, but she still felt guilty—almost as if she were the one at fault. She knew it was crazy, but that didn’t make it any less real in her mind.

  “Oh, sweetie, I am so sorry. I had no idea. You have to know what that man did to you was not your fault! He was a piss-poor excuse for a wolf. His wolf would’ve never forced him to do anything as heinous as that. Our wolves are honorable creatures who live and die by a strict set of laws. The human in us often overpowers the animal, and that yields undesirable results. I don’t want to say that there are no bad shifters out there, because there are, but they are few and far between. They’ve often been corrupted by money or power—and, yes, the humans they share a body with. But when a wolf is born into a good pack and a loving family, we are the most loyal creatures around.”

  Chloe handed Sofia a box of tissues. “I always believed it was my fault. I didn’t believe him when he told me it was the animal inside of him.”

  “I promise you it was not your fault or the animal’s. Have you ever told anyone about this?”

  “I told his sister, who was my friend, and his mother, but they didn’t believe me. They blamed me for his behavior.”

  “Of course they did. Because they didn’t want to face the fact that he was a damn monster.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I do have something to tell you.” Chloe wanted to be honest with her best friend. She didn’t ever want Sofia to think there was anything going on between her and Lars, or that she had any interest in him. She loved her friend far too much to keep secrets between them.

  “Go ahead.” Sofia motioned for Chloe to continue.

  “When I got here this morning I found Lars sleeping on your porch in his wolf form.”

  “I knew I heard you talking to someone. I thought I was losing my damn mind.”

  “He wanted—or I guess I should say he planned—to be out of sight by the time you woke up, but at some point he fell asleep and lost track of time.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “That was the errand that I had to run. I don’t want you to get upset, but he and I started to talk last night at the bar while you were in the restroom. He told me that he was your mate. I tried to warn him to take his time with you, but that was as far as the conversation got before you returned.”

  Sofia didn’t look very happy and Chloe didn’t blame her. “So what happened next?”

  “I figured there had to be a reason he was sleeping on your porch instead of beside you in bed. I felt bad for him, so I told him I’d take him for a cup of coffee. We went to the diner and had coffee and breakfast. By then I’d already caught a whiff of your new scent and knew that you guys had completed the mating ceremony.”

  “Let me get this straight… you and my new mate went to breakfast to talk about me. Lovely.”

  Chloe knew she needed to tread with caution. “Well, when you say like that it sounds bad, but I promise it wasn’t. He explained what happened. And before you ask, no, he did not give me any of the details. He just explained that you had f
rozen up right after you realized you guys were mated.”

  “And what did you say?”

  “I told him you just broken up with your boyfriend that night, and of course you’re going to be apprehensive. He asked if that was the drunk guy who’d showed up at your house.”

  “Jesus Christ! He saw that?”

  “Every bit of it. He chased Sam away after scaring the hell out of him.”

  Sofia snorted. “No wonder Sam left so fast. I thought for sure I’d end up having to call the police to drag his drunk ass off my property. He probably shit his pants when Lars confronted him.”

  “According to Lars, he gave Sam the scare of his life. He also called the police and gave them his license plate number, and reported that he was drinking and driving.”

  “Ha! Hopefully he’ll finally learn his lesson. So what else was said?”

  “Honestly, that was about it. We had breakfast, he paid for it, and I dropped him off at his hotel then headed straight over here.”

  “Why is he staying at a hotel?”

  “He said something about just visiting from out of town.”

  “Of course he is.”

  Chloe picked up easily on Sofia’s sarcasm. She knew her friend well enough to know she loved her home and job. Sofia had worked hard to build a life in Blue Creek, one she wasn’t about to just pack up and leave because of a mate.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie. It will work out. One way or another. Have some faith.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‘Have some faith,’ Chloe told her. It was harder than hell for Sofia to have any faith at all, because nothing ever worked out the way she wanted or needed it to. If it weren’t for bad luck Sofia swore she wouldn’t have any damn luck at all, and this whole debacle with her mate proved her point. It was exactly why she wasn’t a betting woman.

  “I guess I can’t shut him out forever, can I?”

  “I’d really rather you didn’t. I like our mate, and given time I know you will too.”