Shifter's Strength (Wolf Pack Special Ops Elite Book 3), page 4
I realized my mistake after they finished the first drink and started downing shots, the alcohol clearly lowering their inhibitions. Naively, I believed Trey had come to apologize. Turns out, he had come to act like a bigger fool than he had the previous night.
“You’re so cute,” Trey leered at me. “What’s your name again? Jenny?”
I gritted my teeth and snapped up a dishrag from the counter.
“Jane,” I hissed for the third time.
“Right!” Trey cackled. “You sure are cute. Isn’t she cute, Dan?”
“Uh huh,” Dan agreed, dropping onto his elbows to look at me. “You have a boyfriend?”
I bristled.
“That’s none of your business,” I shot back, turning away from them. I heard them laugh rudely.
“Don’t tell me a sexy thing like you is single!” Trey yelled out. “How can that be?”
The sarcasm in his voice grated on my nerves, and I steeled myself from yelling at him. Andrea reappeared at the bar and cast me a nervous look.
“Are they being obnoxious?” She asked, setting her tray onto the counter. “Do you need me to call someone to get them out of here?”
“They’re fine,” I replied shortly. “What do you need?”
Andrea gave me the orders for her table, and I moved to fix them, my gaze resting on the lone wolf at the back.
I knew him, if only by face. I’d seen him with Mason and the other guys from the base, but I couldn’t remember his name if I’d known it at all. I didn’t bother trying to remember it. His eyes on me were beginning to make me feel uncomfortable.
That’s all I need. Another wolf pain in my ass, I thought grimly. I suddenly wondered why he wasn’t with Mason and the others. Hadn’t Holly said that they were all off on some mission?
“Ohhhhh Janey!” Trey called out in a singsong tone. “We need another round over here.”
I ignored him and finished collecting Andrea’s drinks.
“Come on, honey,” Trey jeered. “Can’t you keep up?”
I glowered at him.
“I can run circles around you, in case you’ve forgotten,” I snarled, my patience expiring entirely. “And if you don’t like the service here, I suggest you go somewhere else.”
Trey and Dan whooped, glancing at one another.
“That’s not very nice, is it?” Trey jeered. “Can I speak to your manager?”
“You can kiss my ass,” I shot back, slapping my open palms on the countertop. The sound ricocheted through the bar, attracting the attention of everyone in earshot. Before I realized what was happening, Mason’s friend appeared, his shoulders squared.
“Is there a problem here?” He demanded. I looked at him dubiously, as Trey and Dan again exchanged a look. Through my peripheral vision, I caught their uncertain expressions. This shifter was taller and more muscular than both of them, but I could sense that they were thinking about fighting him. I whiplashed my neck around and glared at them.
“If you so much as think of throwing another punch in my bar, I will see you arrested tonight.”
Trey gaped at me, but Dan seemed to sense the sincerity in my words. He slipped off his stool and pulled on his friend’s bicep, but Trey snarled at me. For a terrifying second, I thought he might shift right there at the bar and attack me, but to my relief, Dan yanked at him harder.
“COME ON!” Dan snapped, not taking no for an answer. It took me a minute to realize that he was genuinely afraid of the newcomer and not of me. That infuriated me, and I watched as the pair made their way toward the door.
“Don’t come back!” I yelled out after them, but they didn’t turn to show they had heard me in any way. I turned then to the wolf.
“What’s your name?” I demanded, irritation still rushing through my veins.
“Trevor. Washington. I’m a friend of Mason’s.”
“Yeah, I remember,” I snapped. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Trevor blinked and looked at me.
“Here?” He asked in confusion. I snorted.
“Right here.” I pointed at where he stood. “As in, why did you feel the need to get up from your table and make your presence known to me and everyone else?”
He balked slightly.
“I thought they were giving you a hard time,” he explained, looking slightly perplexed by my tone.
“And what if they were?” I insisted, folding my arms over my chest. “What the hell does that have to do with you?”
His face paled slightly, and he frowned.
“I was just trying to help,” he insisted. “You don’t have to be so rude about it.”
“Did I ask for your help?” I pressed. “Did I look at you with a desperate look on my face? Did I whimper out like some poor damsel in distress?”
His confusion turned to defensiveness.
“No…” he replied slowly. “But your body language indicated that you weren’t feeling very comfortable.”
“Oh. Are you a psychologist? Some expert in human behavior?” I didn’t let him respond. “I don’t see how you could be when you’re what you are.”
Shock shone on his face, and his jaw twitched.
“And what am I?” He growled. I snorted.
“You know what you are,” I retorted. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”
I spun around to storm back into the kitchen, even though I had nothing there waiting for me, but I could feel Trevor’s eyes boring into me as I moved.
That was a bit of an overreaction, don’t you think, Jane?
The voice of reason chided me, but I silenced it, knowing that the damage was already done. Trevor had been trying to come to my defence, and even though I genuinely didn’t need his assistance, I shouldn’t have been such a bitch to him. Too many years of bartending had kept me on the offensive, and I wasn’t sure that was ever really going to change.
Still, I felt slightly guilty and when I regained my composure, I headed back out to the bar. A quick survey of the barroom provided no sign of Trevor.
“Hey,” I called out to Andrea. “Where did that wolf go that was sitting at the back?”
The server shrugged.
“He headed out after you gave him a verbal lashing,” she replied coyly. I flushed, realizing that half the bar must have heard me.
It’s fine. Good riddance. That will teach him to interfere with things that have nothing to do with him, I thought.
Yet as I got back to work, I couldn’t get Trevor’s handsome face out of my mind. I wondered why I had never noticed just how good looking he was before. I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that he had tried to come and save me. I rolled my eyes so hard, that I was shocked they didn’t fall out of my head.
Yeah. That’s what I need. A big, strong, strapping man to protect me from my dainty, Southern self.
But I couldn’t deny that the place seemed emptier now that Trevor was gone, and I wished I hadn’t been so rude to him.
As usual, my car was back in the shop. I spent more money on repairs for that beat up Chevy than a new one would probably cost, but I had an attachment to old Bernadette, and truthfully, I couldn’t really afford a new one. It was easier to scrounge up a few hundred bucks for a water pump or an axel than it was a few thousand bucks for a reliable vehicle. It was expensive to be poor sometimes.
Thankfully, my house was only ten blocks away from the Raven, but that didn’t do much to alleviate my heightened sense of alertness. I was not a fool. I knew bad things happened to pretty girls at that time of night, regardless of how safe the area might be.
But I wasn’t any pretty girl. I was Jane Strickland. I was almost thirty years old, and I had been around the pool more than most.
Maybe that was what made me so nervous.
I shoved aside my misgivings, and with my shoulders squared confidently, I speed walked toward my house, keys firmly between my fingers, lest any fool tried to cross paths with me.
I sensed him before I saw him. I wanted to freeze, the feel of two glowing eyes piercing into my soul chilling me to the bone. Every instinct in me told me to keep moving, and I did—until my gaze fell on the animal in front of me.
It was coppery brown, with a wet snout and loud snarl. There was something familiar about those driving emerald irises, but I was in no position to ponder it. Its bared fangs instantly put me on guard, and I had surprised it as much as it had me. There was nothing for me to do but react.
“GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!” I screamed at the wolf before he could move. “GET LOST!”
Surprise seemed to take over its features as I moved forward with force. It had not been expecting such a reaction from me.
“You heard me! Scram! Get!”
I waved my hands and began hooting at it to scare it away. I wasn’t sure if I had alarmed it, but the noises made it uncertain. This was the first time in my life that I’d ever chanced upon a shifter in the middle of the night, and my response was based on pure terror.
Without thinking, I reached onto the ground and found a stone which I whipped forward. The animal made a startled noise and finally backed up to let me pass as though it understood that was all I was trying to do. I fixed my eyes on its green orbs, blood rushing ruthlessly through my body until I felt like I was going to faint. I forced myself not to show weakness. Logically, I knew that the shifters didn’t just attack for no good reason, but then again, neither did people. For all I knew, this beast was as off centered as a serial killer. And gauging by the way it was simply staring at me, I couldn’t help but feel concerned.
Just go away! Why are you staring at me like that?!
“Off you go!” I continued, keeping my head high, even though my heart was racing madly. I could barely breathe as I rushed forward, careful not to let it sense my fear. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it watching me. However, it made no motion forward, so that gave me the edge of confidence I needed. I hurried around the street and abruptly took a right, even though I was going the wrong way. I just wanted to be out of its line of sight before it could change its mind and come after me.
It wasn’t until I was a block from my house that I finally stopped and looked behind me, but there was no sign of the auburn wolf. I fell forward to splay my palms over my knees, a short gasp escaping my lips in fear.
One of these days, I was going to get myself killed.
Chapter Six
Trevor
Dumbfounded, I watched Jane rush away, the sting of the stone still ringing in my face. I didn’t know what part of the encounter had startled me the most.
Does she know it’s me, or is she just terrified of all shifters?
For hours I had been prowling the streets of Savannah in my beastly form, not wanting to go home yet. What was supposed to have been a relaxing evening out had become a cause of more stress for me, and I wasn’t quite sure how to alleviate it now that it had gone so far.
Jane’s rudeness had only made me spiral deeper into a depression, and the idea of returning to my unit to wallow in self-pity had not been appealing. Yet with my team gone and the hour being late, I knew I had few choices. I reasoned that I hadn’t been on a run since the mission and that maybe would do me some good. It had not been my intention to wander the avenues all night.
I hadn’t even realized how much time had passed before making my way back to the Raven, where I’d left my car. The moon had risen fully overhead and began to sink again, telling me that it was much later than I had expected. My mind had been strictly on getting in my Jeep and heading home. The last person I’d expected to see was Jane walking alone. Truth be told, she startled me as much as I startled her. I had intended to shift right then and there, to disarm her and show her that I meant her no harm. But I was almost glad I hadn’t. Her reaction had told me everything I needed to know.
She really does not like shifters.
Not that the revelation was entirely shocking. There were so many humans that had nothing but disdain and disregard for shifters. They found us dangerous or freakish. But knowing that the beautiful bartender thought the same way sent a stab of hurt through me, even though I should have known better.
That should have been the end of it from my end. Jane’s throwing of the stone, the screaming and yelling, the intense fear in her face, but I couldn’t leave the scene alone. Long after she had disappeared, I stared in that direction, pondering what had just happened.
I felt shame that I had scared her so badly, especially when I had tried to help her earlier. She clearly hadn’t recognized me in my wolf body, and I wanted to find her to explain that I wasn’t the enemy and that I hadn’t meant to scare her. If she saw me, she could rest easier knowing that she had never been in any danger. The smart thing to do would have been to get in my Jeep and go back to the base, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that without seeing Jane again—this time in my human form.
Even then, I knew what I was doing was stupid, but given my state of mind, no amount of reason was working to my advantage. I was determined to make an ass of myself at all costs.
It didn’t take me long to find her trail, the scent of her ingrained in me. I was sure that I would smell her long after we had parted, and I wondered if that wasn’t the reason I was so drawn to her. In minutes, I was on her heels, keeping a safe distance in my wolf skin before I saw her climb up the steps of a two-storey house, broken into apartments. It was only then that I morphed back into my human form and bounded forward to call out to her without pausing to consider my actions or how they might affect her.
“Jane!”
She gasped so loudly, it echoed down the otherwise silent street as she whirled around to look at me. Her skin was almost opaque against the night. Recognition flooded her face, but it did little to ease the stress in her expression.
“W-what are you doing here?” She breathed, bright blue eyes widening in fear. Under the light of the moon, her pale skin looked like pearls, glimmering in an almost ethereal way that stole my heart for a moment. I hoped my mind took a snapshot of that image because the next second, her fear became fury.
“Are you following me?” She raged, rushing down the steps to confront me. “Are you a psycho or something?”
The words hurt me, and I paused, shaking my head. That was not the reaction I had wanted or expected.
“No, I…” I stopped to take in her enraged expression. “I came to apologize for scaring you.”
“For scaring…” This time it was she who trailed off, understanding coloring her face.
“You! You’re the shifter that was chasing me!” She cried. I winced and frowned.
“I wasn’t chasing you,” I denied. “I happened to run into you. You are the one who completely overreacted.”
“Right!”
She shook her blonde mane, the rest of her hair falling out of the loose ponytail to spill over her slender shoulders in silken strands. She didn’t seem to notice that her scrunchie fell onto the sidewalk.
“Stay away from me, you beast,” she snapped. “How dare you follow me home?!”
I was humiliated, angry, and most of all, confused by her reaction. It was perplexing to me that someone so beautiful could be so mouthy and rude.
“I am trying to do the right thing,” I muttered defensively, wishing I’d gone straight to my car after all. “I just wanted to say sorry for scaring you.”
“Scaring me?” Jane echoed in disbelief. “You ran off with your tail between your legs! You don’t scare me. I’ve been dealing with men like you my entire life.”
I gaped at her, wondering if that was really how she remembered it and what that meant.
Men like me? Men who are trying to make sure you’re okay, you mean?
I wisely kept my mouth shut. Jane was looking to fight, and I wasn’t going to give her one. Suddenly, I realized it didn’t matter. Maybe Jane wasn’t as pretty as I’d initially thought.
“I don’t know what you were hoping to prove by coming here,” she went on angrily. “But you should go.”
I parted my lips to explain myself again, but I quickly clamped them. Nothing I said was going to disarm her as I’d intended.
“Sorry to have bothered you,” I said stiffly.
“This is not the way to hit on women!” Jane yelled out after me. Indignantly, I spun around.
“Hit on you?” I barked back. “I like my women with far less mouth, thanks.”
I didn’t give her a chance to respond as I fell forward onto all fours and vanished into the night.
My heart was pounding with embarrassment, and I wanted to erase the past fifteen minutes from my life. In my mind’s eye, I had gone straight to my Jeep and was driving through the gates of the compound.
I crunched my fangs together with so much force, I was shocked they didn’t crack by the time I got to the parking lot at the Raven.
To my surprise, there were other vehicles in the lot also, two of which had people in them, but I didn’t pay them any mind. All I wanted to do was put as much space between myself and the night as possible. I shifted back into my human skin, knowing I couldn’t drive home in my animal form, tempting as it was to stay in my primitive body.
“Well, well,” a man’s voice called out. “Look who it is.”
My head turned at the vaguely familiar tone, and I tensed the minute I laid eyes on the pair. I grunted. This night was getting better and better.
“Go home, boys,” I barked. “Haven’t you had your egos crushed enough for one evening?”
The mouthier of the pair, the one I’d heard called “Trey” in the bar, ambled forward from his vehicle.
“I could say the same for you. I thought you would have taken Jane home, the way you came at us, all knight in shining armor.”
My neck stiffened, but I ignored him as I unlocked the car door.
“What? Don’t tell me she brushed you off too,” Trey mocked. Dan appeared behind him, and the men inched toward me. I didn’t want to fight them, but I could see they felt they had something to prove.
