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I stared at the money and then at him because the drink cost less than ten dollars. “I’m allowed tips, but this is too much.”
He shrugged. “I don’t think so. I don’t imagine it’s easy working in this place. You deserve it.” He took another sip. “What’s your name?”
“Ila,” I answered, and his smile widened.
“You don’t sound sure,” he chuckled. “What’s your real name?”
Adronus appeared beside Adrian and pulled out one of the stools. He didn’t face the counter. Instead, he stared at the Dryad, who continued to gulp his drink uncaringly. Taking a breath, I picked up my notepad.
“Thank you for the tip,” I said with a smile and turned to walk away when a root wrapped around my wrist.
It was attached to the Dryad’s middle finger, and he released me when I turned to him. “I’ll take another drink,” he said, and Adronus leaned forward.
“That one’s your last, so take it and go,” he growled, and Adrian bent his head to stare at him.
“Is he your boyfriend, Ila?” Adrian inquired, and the smile still on his lips turned into something sinister.
“He’s not,” I replied while placing another drink on the counter. “He doesn’t own this diner either, so Adronus, I’d appreciate it if you backed off. The last time I checked, I work here, not you, so why are you telling my customer to go?”
Adronus’s blue eyes slid to me, and I held his stare. They could bully me all they wanted outside of this diner, but in here, this was my space, and wolves were customers like everyone else.
“Our pack doesn’t mingle with other species,” Adronus growled. “Remember that, or should the alpha remind you?”
I leaned forward, my arms crossed on the counter. “What are you doing to tell him? That a customer asked my name because I left my name tag today or that I got a large tip? Sure,” I smiled and tilted my head. “Go ahead.”
Samuel and Marisa got up from the table, both staring at me with disgust while exiting the diner and slamming the door. Adronus only continued staring at me, murder in his eyes while drumming his fingers on the counter.
“Don’t miss the pack meeting,” he growled. “It’s going to be interesting tonight.”
He left without paying, and I walked away and placed the hundred dollars in the register to cover their bill. When my claws extended and ripped the bill, I closed the cash register and turned to leave.
“I’m sorry,” Adrian said behind me, and I stopped. “I shouldn’t have encouraged a confrontation. I saw that they had an issue with us talking, but you seem like a nice girl.”
I didn’t say anything and continued walking. I wasn’t angry at Adrian. Frankly, he hadn’t done anything other than flirt with me a little, and the attention hadn’t been so bad. But I was too livid to speak. How bad would it be to become a rogue, I wondered? It couldn’t be worse than this. I’d have control over my life, at least. I’d be free of my pack and able to find people who would see me as a living being and not something to use as a verbal punching bag.
I’d be able to live as I pleased.
I stormed through the kitchen, ignoring the chef’s calls to lock myself in the bathroom. I stared down at my shaking hands and clenched my fists so tight my claws pierced my palm. I needed a minute. I hadn’t shifted in over two weeks, and I was on the verge of doing so.
I didn’t want to shift here, and while feeling this immense amount of anger, I’d destroy the place.
When I opened my fists, I quickly grabbed rolls of tissues to wipe away the blood, and my skin began to heal. But the pain had been nothing compared to the humiliation I’d just faced.
“Goddess,” I prayed. “When will this end?”
I fell into myself with my eyes closed, searching through eleven years of bad memories. There were no moments I could draw on to ease my rage, so I went further back, to a life I’d had so long ago it didn’t feel like it had happened.
Grey eyes appeared in my mind, beautiful and cold, and my eyes flew open. My lips parted, my fangs descended, and my hands stopped shaking, but my jaws clenched.
I ripped my phone from my pocket and dialed a number I knew by heart. With each number I typed, my face twisted with a calm sort of rage, the kind that grew gradually, the type that was strong enough to cloud one’s thoughts.
Placing the phone to my ear, I listened to it ringing, my chest rising and falling rapidly.
When he answered and the voice that plagued my dreams for years echoed over the phone, the world around me stopped as if at his command.
“Hello, this is Alpha Kaleem.”
I didn’t answer, I couldn’t, and my hand covered my mouth to silence my growl.
