by JC Holly
Wolf, he corrected himself. Definitely a wolf. The beast must have been three feet tall, split evenly between leg and body. Its fur was a luxurious brown with highlights of gray and white. Conor couldn’t tear his gaze from its bright steel-blue eyes. The animal seemed to look straight through him.
The wolf spotted Tommy before Conor, despite him cowering behind Conor’s legs, and let out another growl, its lips pulling back into a grinning snarl. It moved a step forward, and Tommy tried to move back, but got tangled in his leash, nearly pulling Conor on top of him.
“Tommy. Stop it.” He struggled to regain his footing and turned back to the wolf, cursing himself silently for letting it out of his sight in the first place. “Hey, you, too.”
The wolf stopped and cocked its head. For a moment, Conor could have sworn it almost smiled at him, before recommencing the stomach-turning growl.
If this thing goes for Tommy, he won’t stand a chance. He tried not to think about what would happen after that. With a prayer to whoever happened to be listening in, he took a step forward and fixed the wolf’s steel gaze.
“Shoo.” This time he was certain the wolf smiled. “You heard. Get lost.”
He made a shooing gesture with his hand, and the wolf snarled again, before taking another step forward. Oh geez. Tommy yanked at the leash again, forcing Conor to drop his gaze and untangle the nylon cord.
“Not the best time, Tommy,” he muttered.
Another growl sounded, and Conor looked up again, but it wasn’t coming from the wolf this time. With confident steps, Tommy stepped out from behind Conor, giving every inch the impression of a rabid killing machine.
The wolf almost looked surprised, its head cocking to one side, its ears turning to better hear the noise Tommy was emitting. It didn’t back down, though. That said, it didn’t approach, either. It seemed truly baffled by the soft dog’s behaviour.
Tommy advanced another step, every muscle on his body corded, ready for fight. Conor could hardly believe he was the same dog who’d been cuddling with him only minutes before. He stopped inches from the wolf. The two animals stared at each other for what seemed the longest time, before finally the wolf rocked back on its front paws and down onto its haunches, almost as if bowing to Tommy. As Conor watched, stupified, the wolf stood and walked back around the corner, stopping only once to fix his gaze on Conor’s. The smile returned, too, and then it was gone, along with the wolf.
The moment it disappeared, Tommy was back to his usual self. He stopped by the lamppost to top up its scent, then turned back to Conor and chuffed lightly. Conor laughed and bent to kiss the dog on the head.
“My protector, aren’t ya?”
Chapter Three
Ethan loped along the street, his wolf mind whirring. If the members of the pack had seen him bowing to a domestic dog, he’d not hear the end of it for a moon’s cycle. Not to mention the effect it could have on his standing as alpha.
Still, the dog’s owner...When Ethan had made eye contact, it started off a heap of emotions he shouldn’t have been feeling in that form. Attraction and lust being the biggest two, as well as a fascination with a man that wasn’t immediately terrified. It had thrown him off his game, and his wolf’s instincts had kicked in to preserve his safety. By the time he’d shaken himself from his confusion, he was in the middle of a game of dominance.
The pup was lucky I was alone. He rounded another corner and bounded across the deserted road and into a small stretch of trees just off the main parkland. And it serves me right for not sticking to the tree line.
He paused just long enough to take a breath through his nose. The dull night came alive with information passed from his sense of smell, and he quickly located his bag, as well as two squirrels and a jogger. He avoided all three and ducked his head inside a bush, reappearing with a small backpack in his teeth.
Avani always advocated leaving the clothes at home, in case they were stolen or lost, but she lived closer to the woods. Ethan was no fan of risking being spotted, either as a wolf heading up the stairs to his flat, or as a naked human.
With a deep breath, he willed himself to change back into his human form. Pain flared across every molecule of his body as the magical forces that powered the transformation realigned bone, sinew, and flesh. The whole ordeal took no longer than ten seconds, but left Ethan breathing heavily on his hands and knees. Even after all the decades he’d been a shifter, the pain remained. It was much lessened, compared to the first few years, but it would never go entirely.
He quickly pulled on his clothes and ran through a number of stretches, before heading back toward his apartment.
The night was cool, and the wind was high, but it didn’t bother him. After shifting from the heightened senses of a wolf back to a human’s, it seemed as if everything was wrapped in cotton wool. Sounds were muted, sights were dimmed, and his sense of smell was almost nonexistent. Shifters called it “The Lull,” and it lasted long enough to be a hindrance. Tonight, though, it simply meant Ethan could get home before realising just how cold it actually was.
The wind had died somewhat by the time he mounted the fire escape bolted to the back of his apartment building. He climbed slowly, careful of rousing the other occupants, as he listened to the night. His senses were beginning to sharpen, or at least return to normal, and he paused halfway up the cold metal ladder as a distant howl reached his ears.
He wasn’t as adept at recognising the calls with his furless ears, but this one was distinct in its length. Craig. He always went for longer than was necessary. Always trying to prove himself better than others. As if lung capacity was vaunted in wolf packs. Ethan snorted softly and continued his climb.
The thought that Craig could have been in the area during Ethan’s showdown with the dog and its cute owner gave him a moment’s worry. Craig may not be in charge, but a few others in the pack had his ear, and he could make trouble if he was so inclined. No, I would have smelt him from half a mile away.
The latch on the window popped open on the second attempt, and Ethan climbed through into his bedroom, a flashing red number “1” on his answering phone giving the only light. That was more than enough on a clear night like tonight, though. Anyway, turning a light on might wake him up, and that was counter to what his body wanted at that moment.
“Hey, boss,” Avani’s recorded voice said. “Minor crisis with the kid. Nothing world altering, but I won’t be able to open the club tomorrow morning.”
Ethan restrained a sigh and padded into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Even without hunting, he always ended up with bad breath after a night spent shifted.
“I’m gonna assume you sighed like the overdramatic ass you are,” the message continued. “I’ll make it up to you. I got Craig to cover, but he won’t be in for the first hour, as he had a ‘prior engagement’.”
“Probably a haircut,” Ethan mumbled with a mouthful of mint foam. “Ass.”
“Anyway, if you’re gone by the time I get in, I’ll see you at the pack meeting after hours.”
The pack meeting. Almost forgot. They always had one after a full moon. Almost everyone had shifted recently, so tempers were kept in check. It was also a good time to check that everyone was still getting along, since the majority of fights happened on or around the full moon.
Avani said she’d be there, which helped put Ethan’s mind at ease. Not that he needed support, particularly. He was in charge, and what he said was taken as gospel. Ever since taking her on in the role of his second, though, he didn’t feel right not having her there. It didn’t hurt that she had as little respect for Craig as he did, either.
Ethan went to bed with a smirk.
The morning light woke him before the alarm did, and he managed to switch the infernal piece of plastic off before its first beep. He let out a long yawn as he sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for his eyes to focus.
“Six hours is not enough sleep for a decent human being.” He stood and stretched. “Or ex-human be
ing.”
A quick shower turned into a too-long shower, and it was already pushing seven by the time Ethan had pulled on a pair of jeans and towelled his hair dry. It was times like these he wished he didn’t run an early-opening bar. Maybe I should turn it into a night club. Call it “Fangs” or something.
The bar made enough during the day to justify keeping it open, though, so once again he filed the idea at the back of his head.
* * * *
Craig was waiting in the car park, and Ethan tried very hard not to run him down. He managed the Herculean task and slewed the truck into a spot close to the back door. Craig sauntered over as Ethan flipped off the engine and climbed out.
“Still driving that thing, then?”
“What’s wrong with it?” Ethan closed the door of his pickup with a little too much vigour. “Cheap to insure, plenty of room in the back—”
“—Smells like something died in it,” Craig added with a smirk.
“What are you doing here this early, anyway? Thought you had something planned.”
A headache was making itself known just behind Ethan’s eyes, and as it gained a foothold, his patience ebbed away.
“They left a message overnight and cancelled. Since I was up early, though, I thought I’d come in and catch up with the inventory before opening.” The younger man shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’m like that after a good run out the night before. Leaves me energetic.”
Ethan nodded as he stepped past him on the way to the door. He knew the feeling well enough. It was best after a good long hunt, ideally with a kill at the end. He hadn’t had one of those in a while.
“Smelt you around town last night.”
Ethan paused by the door and turned back. “Oh?”
Craig nodded. “Yup. Didn’t see you, but caught your scent on the corner of Oak Street. You stop there for a bit?”
“Why do you ask that?” Ethan turned back to the door and unlocked it.
“No reason. Just smelt like you’d been in the same spot a while. Stronger, you know?”
Of course I know. I’ve been a wolf longer than you’ve been alive. “Yeah.” He stepped into the dark hall and made his way to the alarm panel to switch it off. “Thought I’d picked up a scent myself. Stuck around for a minute to see if I could tell where it went and how long ago. It’s good practise.”
“Oh, right. Cool.”
Craig closed the back door behind them, momentarily plunging the hall into darkness before he flipped on the strip lights. They came on with a flicker and hum, bathing the area in sickly yellow light. Ethan turned back to the man.
Leaner and slimmer than Ethan, Craig looked every inch the university sporty type. Didn’t hurt that he was also about the right age. Twenty-five, six foot, blond, and good-looking. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was a complete asshole, he’d be Ethan’s type. As it was, though, he could barely stand being in the same room as him.
“Something the matter, boss?”
Ethan shook his head and headed into the main bar.
It wasn’t entirely Craig’s fault. Granted, he was arrogant, conniving, and pretentious, but he tended to keep most of it reined in around company. It was only when he was relaxed or riled up that he became an ass. No, part of it was down to Ethan himself. He was well aware that both his aggressive and dismissive attitudes only served to rile Craig, which in turn brought out his less-than-desirable traits. But I’m the damn Alpha. I’m supposed to be full of myself.
Ethan smirked as he flipped on the lights, illuminating the bar of his pride and joy.
The Wolfpack, while a most unoriginal name, given its owner, had served as Ethan’s sole source of income ever since he had bought it over a decade ago. Back then the town was considered “up-and-coming,” and he willingly sank his life savings into converting the old call centre. It had taken everything he had, but by the second year, he was pulling enough profit to pay himself a nice wage. It helped that he had a willing staff before he ever walked through the door, too. They all got a good wage, though, and he was flexible with hours, so none of the pack complained.
Not that they were required to work there. Out of a dozen pack members, only half worked at the bar, and two were part time. Avani ran the place, for the most part, leaving Ethan all the free time he wanted.
Ethan checked his watch, then strolled to the first table and began flipping the chairs and placing them back down on the floor. Craig was already there, and the other staff member hadn’t called to say they would be late, so Ethan didn’t have to worry about waiting around after opening time. As soon as he was done, he was out the door.
“I’ll do that, boss.”
“It’s fine.” Ethan didn’t look back. He flipped the last chair, then moved to the next table. “I like doing it.”
“Fair enough.” It sounded like Craig was by the cash register. “You want to check the receipts from last night?”
“No need. I trust Avani.”
“You can never be too careful, though. I mean, she is a single mother. Raising a kid is expensive. Wouldn’t be too difficult to skim a little here and there.”
Ethan turned and fixed Craig with a stare. “I said I trust Avani.”
“I know, boss. I heard.” The man shrugged. “I just—”
“Do you have a problem with her?”
“No. No problem.” He turned and headed to the storeroom. “I’ll go check the inventory.”
Ethan let the matter drop and finished off the chairs. The guy was lying, of course. Craig had been very unhappy to hear of Avani’s position in the pack, despite seeing her fight firsthand. From what Ethan had heard from others afterward, Craig considered her too young and headstrong to be in such a role, and should have been placed as a lower-level enforcer instead.
It was bullshit, of course. Craig was pissed off because he hadn’t been promoted to second.
As if I’d have that sitting on my right side at every meeting. Ethan snarled, despite himself.
He jumped as someone banged on the front door to the bar.
“We’re closed,” he called, before heading to the bar to check the levels.
“Open the door!”
He spared the door a glance, then turned back to checking the whisky bottles. “Some people just can’t wait,” he muttered.
The banging continued, and instead of stopping like Ethan assumed it would, it became louder and more insistent. With a sigh, he cracked his neck, put on his sternest expression, and made his way to the triple-locked front doors. The banging stopped as he worked the first deadbolt loose.
“We don’t open for another thirty minutes,” he said as he pulled the door open far enough to look out.
That saved him a broken nose, and the rapidly approaching baseball bat got lodged in the gap of the door.
Ethan stepped back in surprise as three men, two large and one small, stepped into the bar. The small one with the bat looked familiar. As Ethan moved into a more defensive posture, he realised where he’d seen him before. It was the guy from the previous night - the one who Ethan had punched after the guy had swung at him.
He was slightly more intimidating now. Or, rather, his bat and his friends, were. They looked like they’d seen more than their share of brawls in the past, and some recently if the scabbed knuckles were anything to go by.
“Not so tough now, are you?” the short one asked, his bat thrust out point first. “Me and my friends are going to teach you a lesson.”
Ethan took in a steady breath and sized up the three men. Even with the bat, the little one was no hassle, and the other two would likely go down in the first minute, too. The problem was that these things didn’t just go away. If he beat them down, what was to stop them coming back that night with more friends? Or a can of gas and a match?
Despite his urges, Ethan changed to a more relaxed posture and turned to the two larger men.
“You friends of his, then?”
One nodded. “Yeah. We are.”
&n
bsp; “Must be good friends, if you’re willing to go to jail for him.”
The bat wielder laughed. “Where are the witnesses?”
Ethan ignored him. “He tell you what happened here last night?”
“Yeah,” the other man said. “He came in for a drink and you socked him in the stomach and threw him into the car park.”
“That’s what happened, is it?”
The man nodded. “Yup.”
“Unprovoked attack.”
“Yup.”
Ethan crossed his arms, intentionally flexing his biceps as he did. “I look like the type of guy who needs to beat up little shits to feel good about myself?”
The man paused. “Not particularly. Takes all sorts, though, don’t it?”
“True.” Ethan smiled. “Did he tell you that he was loaded at the time?”
“Shut up, man,” the bat wielder said, waving his bat around. “Shut your mouth.”
“That’ll be a no, then.” Ethan pointedly paid the bat no attention. “I suppose he didn’t mention that he was shouting and swearing at my staff, either.”
The two larger men exchanged a look.
“Or that, in actual fact, he took the first shot?”
One of the men sighed and shook his head. “Again, Terry?”
The small man, Terry, was red-faced, now. “That’s not how it went down!”
“No?” The larger man swore. “I knew I smelt booze on you last night.”
Ethan dropped his arms to his sides. “Look, guys, I know you were just helping a friend out. Nothing personal.”
The second man nodded, then put a hand on Terry’s shoulder. “We’re leaving.”
Terry’s eyes went wide. “What? You said you’d help me! You fuckin’ chicken or something?” The hand on his shoulder clenched and Terry started to buckle. “Okay, okay! Jesus! I’m coming.”
Ethan watched the men leave with a smirk, then closed and relocked the door, just in case Terry had a change of heart. Still smirking, Ethan turned to find Craig stood by a nearby table, his arms folded and a frown on his lips.
