Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
He didn’t want to draw attention to her, but with their five-hour search rendering nothing but a bunch of mixed scents, he, Alpha, Draco, and Gunnar headed into the Poison Bar.
It was after nine, and already there was a hum of activity. Men and women dancing. The energy and heat already building. A full moon wasn’t too far away, but if they didn’t think it was safe, none of them were going to get the chance to hunt, to bask in the moon.
There were only a few rare circumstances that they locked the town down. This was one of those times.
Gripping the back of his neck, he looked around the bar, trying to detect anyone who might look a little suspicious. Val always risked having different kinds of shifters within the bar. This was Poison Wolves territory, but there was a small border, the tiniest amount.
Alpha had wanted Val to knock the place down and rebuild closer to the main town, but the stubborn bastard had refused. He’d told Alpha that if his bar was closer to town, there would be a shit ton of complaints because of the noise.
The bar stayed where it was, especially when most of the town folk had agreed they didn’t want it too close to home. The pack was spoiled. There was no other word for it.
During his travels with the pack, Wolfe had encountered some pretty rough shit. Packs that were fierce, deadly, completely terrifying, and their rules would make their pack mortified.
Where virgin females were given to the alpha, and he used them until he got bored and passed them down to a lesser male of his choosing. Sacrifices as well.
Wolfe looked toward Amelia.
He’d met the virgin-taking alpha, and he hadn’t liked him. Neither had Alpha. It was one of the many reasons they didn’t trade with them.
Staring toward the main bar, he spotted Amelia instantly.
Her hair was pulled back into a clip, and she wore an oversized shirt. She had her back to them, but as she turned around, he saw she wore a tank top underneath. The overshirt was open at the neck by several buttons to her cleavage, and her sleeves were rolled up to her elbow.
She looked exhausted.
The moment she caught sight of him, she didn’t offer him a smile. He got nothing.
Wolfe should have accepted that.
Penetrating her, growling at her, and then leaving her apartment wasn’t exactly the good first impression he’d hoped to give.
Alpha stepped forward, and the pack moved out of his way.
Wolfe didn’t look away from Amelia.
With Alpha focused on her, Wolfe got the sense that the pack was happy about this. He found it so fucking annoying that they wanted her gone. She wasn’t a bad member of the pack, not at all.
Sure, she changed things for the better, and after what she told him about the deer, he could see why she wanted it changed.
Wolfe had never been the kind of man to play with his food. Even when he was a wolf, he didn’t toy with animals.
“Amelia,” Alpha said.
“Alpha.” She bowed her head, showing him respect and submission.
“What’s this about?” Val asked, coming to Amelia’s side.
“I need to talk to her, now,” Alpha said.
She glanced toward him and then nodded. “O-okay.”
“No, I want to know what this is about,” Val said.
Wolfe turned his gaze toward the bar owner. Val had gotten protective of the woman. When he first approached Val, asking the guy to give her a job, he’d been hesitant. Owning a bar required customers to want to visit the bar.
“No one’s going to want to come to my bar with the social leper working for me.”
“They’ll want their booze and partying more than they want Amelia gone,” Wolfe said.
That had been his argument, and it looked like he was right. Not that he expected to be wrong. The wolves loved a reason to party. To let loose. All of them did.
“It’s fine, Val,” Amelia said.
“I’m coming with you.”
Amelia placed her hand on Val’s chest, and something inside Wolfe nearly snapped.
He clenched his jaw and his hands, and it took every single ounce of willpower to stand there and watch.
“It’s fine. Honestly. I know what it’s about, and you’re needed at the bar. Trust me, the pack will be upset if we kick them out.”
Val glared at Alpha, who frankly had stopped sending out the evils.
Amelia moved from behind the counter and stepped in front of Alpha.
“Take them out back,” Val said.
She nodded and then led the way out back, taking them past the storage room, Val’s office, and then there was a large metal door. She typed in a code that he didn’t see and swung the door open.
He watched as she wedged the door open outside, and then stepped out, turning to face them when they were in the clear.