AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, what a small world,” Elaine said. “Well, his dad, Dario, is a big shot in town, very tight with Bishop.”
I frowned. “That’s… interesting.”
Elaine leaned inward. “Yeah, those two are trouble together, if you ask me, but I’m just a lowly bear shifter. No one asks me.” She smiled at me. She didn’t seem to be too bothered about her position on the food chain. It was bizarre to me that I was in the presence of a bear shifter, never mind one that wasn’t all-powerful. I always imagined bear shifters to be crazy powerful, able to hold their own because they were loners at heart.
“So, are you dating?” Elaine asked. “Long distance has to be a bitch.”
“I’m not,” I said. “It made the move easier, for sure.”
“Oh, and that means you get to check out the local talent.” She winked at me. “We have a couple of hot guys around here. Maybe you can have a bit of fun.”
I smiled, a blush creeping onto my cheeks as I glanced around the bar. The shifters here weren’t exactly unattractive, but they all melted into a sea of faces. If I ever fell for someone, I wanted it to be someone who would rock me to my core, who would make the world stand still, and nothing else would matter.
The waiter returned with Elaine’s non-alcoholic drink and my beer.
“To new beginnings,” Elaine said and lifted her glass. I clinked mine against hers, and we each took a sip.
“What about you?” I asked. “Are you dating?”
“I was, until recently, but I broke it off. It wasn’t working. With our careers, and the way he was too selfish, I—”
Her sentence was cut short when the door to one of the top rooms that overlooked the bar crashed open, and a man stepped out onto the steel walkway.
The chatter in the bar stopped, and everyone turned to look up at him. He walked down the steps, and I couldn’t help but stare. Dark hair, piercing blue eyes, a chiseled face. He had an upright stature, carrying himself with a confidence that bordered on arrogance, and there was no doubt that this man was in charge.
It wasn’t just the way he carried himself. His magic preceded him, spilling into the bar area and pushing into the corners of the room. Despite the heat of the magic that pushed up against my skin, I broke out in shivers, and my wolf squirmed.
“That’s Bishop,” Elaine breathed.
I’d had no doubt that was the city’s alpha.
I watched him walk to the bar. The patrons parted for him like water. He moved with fluid grace, a pure predator. He was a wolf shifter—I knew that from what Colter had told me when he’d prepped me for coming here—but by the way Bishop carried himself, I would have thought he was a cat shifter of some kind.
Interesting.
He glanced around the bar, and his eyes fell on me. His gaze locked on mine, and a shiver ran down my spine.
When he came toward us, Elaine squirmed.
“Just be yourself; it’s good enough,” she said almost in a whimper.
“Thanks for that,” I said sarcastically.
When Bishop closed in, I stood. Not out of respect, although that was what it looked like, but because I wasn’t going to let this man corner me in a booth where I was at a disadvantage to run if I needed to.
“Who’s your friend, Elaine?” Bishop asked when he stopped in front of me.
Holy shit, up close, he was even more incredible. His power pushed up against me like a giant hand, and my magic rose to meet it.
Bishop’s wolf slid behind his eyes, and something sparked between us, but I squashed it.
Of all the shifters in this city, Bishop was the verylastshifter I would be attracted to.
It irritated me that he addressed Elaine about me, rather than talking to me.
“You can ask me directly,” I snapped. “I’m right here.”
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes studied my face.
