Oh, for the love of fuck. Was she really going to ask me about my virginity at a bar?
“I am, as a matter of fact, and maybe we could talk about this another time,” I whispered the last part, causing Sabrina to burst into a fit of laughter.
She wasn’t even two beers in, and she was already losing control. It was going to be a long night.
“Let me get this straight. You’re dating the future alpha, who also just happens to be the hottest man in Texas, and he hasn’t managed to talk you out of your panties yet?” She laughed evenharder. “Can he not… perform?” She puffed out her lower lip in a pout.
“He can perform. Absolutely, he can.” And now I sounded like the lady that doth protest too much. I shook my head. “You have no faith in my self-control, do you?”
“Liza, sweetie, you do realize that the process of him claiming you involves sex, right?”
Sometimes I didn’t know why we were friends because she said the most horrendous things, and she said them when other people could hear. My cheeks burned. “Yes, I’m aware,” I hissed at her in a low, semi-angry whisper.
I didn’t tell Sabrina about Ty’s magic tongue or his ability to make me see stars multiple times. She was already tipsy, and I wasn’t sure how she’d handle that information. She’d probably fall off her barstool.
The night went on as usual and, just as I expected, Sabrina ended up wasted. I, of course, remained sober so I could look after my friend. It helped that my alcohol tolerance as a shifter was pretty high. Poor human. If only she could hold her liquor like she did the attention of random men.
Jack and his friends circled back around to us. He leaned in and tucked a stray hair behind Sabrina’s ear.
My asshole radar went off. Surely this guy could see that Sabrina was drunk.
“Why don’t you ladies come back to my place? We can have some fun.” Jack leered at me and Sabrina, his gaze tracking lasciviously down our bodies. Every hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I didn’t trust this guy, and the more he spoke, the worse it got. “I’ve never been with a shifter before, not to mention two at the same time.”
Gross. I shuddered, my body tensing as my wolf’s hackles rose.
“What’s the matter with you, honey? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Jack’s sour breath invaded my nose.
My wolf snarled at Jack, warning him to stay the fuck back.
Jack chuckled and looked around at his friends. They laughed, too, which only encouraged him.
“You’re such a sweet, fair little thing. If I was your mate, I wouldn’t let you around us bad boys.” He reached for my face, but I leaned away.
I’d never been one to really show aggression, but my wolf was pissed. She growled again to show Jack that I wasn’t fucking around.
Any sober man would’ve backed away, not willing to risk getting caught in the crosshairs of a shifter. Not this asshole, though. He had whiskey judgment going on, which led many a man to act foolish. And here he was—living proof. He stepped closer, ignoring my warning.
“I’ll make you a deal.” Jack smirked. “If you come back to my place, I’ll let your friend go first while you watch. That should get you in the mood to join in, don’t you think?” Obviously, this tool had no idea how women worked. Probably why he was coming off as such an asshole.
I shifted in my seat, trying to ignore the rage building inside me.
He must’ve taken my movement as an open invitation to molest me because within seconds, the fucker reached for my left breast.
That was enough. My wolf roared, and I jumped to my feet.
Jack tried to step back out of my grasp, but he was too slow. Within seconds, I had him face-down against the bar, his arm twisted behind his back. Petite as I was, I was a shifter, which meant I was stronger than most human men. Especially the drunk-off-their-ass variety.
“First of all, you jackass, no woman likes sloppy drunk boys. Second, sloppy drunk boys can’t keep it up long enough to satisfy one woman, definitely not two. And you never had a chance with either of us, so keep your hands to yourself, you piece of shit.”
“You fucking bitch!” Jack howled and tried to twist and writhe out from under my grip.
I leaned down and calmly spoke into Jack’s ear. “If you ever try to touch me without my consent, I will rip your fucking arm off your body and beat you to death with it. Do you understand me?”
Jack whimpered and nodded.
I should’ve let him go, but I didn’t. My whole body burned like fire, just as it had when I was in heat. This time, though, it was something different. It was aggression.
I frowned down at Jack as he stopped struggling. I had never been this out of control before. Sure, I’d been frustrated or mad, but this was a whole other level of anger.
