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A few catcalls and whistles sounded in my wake but they weren’t for me. I moved aside and Owen walked past me, fully naked, toward the door.
“Looking good, man,” someone called.
“You forgot your pants,” another added.
“I’m available if she’s not going to keep her claws in you,” a female voice added.
“He’s all yours,” I said.
Laughter filled the small space.
Owen growled and his body rippled as he doubled over. His transition was impressive. Graceful and fluid. The kind of shifting abilities that any shifter would kill to possess. I’d only shifted a few times, but it was always painful and forced. As if my body was rebelling against the action.
Gods damn show off.
More whistles and a few cheers. Someone opened the door and the huge gray wolf bolted out of the dingy bar.
My shoulders sagged in relief. I shouldn’t have caved when he countered my break-up, but it was officially over now. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been with the unresolved issue of our relationship. I really needed to stick to myno dating shifterspolicy.
Not that there was much of a choice here. Aside from our pack of wolf shifters, there was a nearby witch coven. The nearest major city was hours away and mostly occupied by humans and I wasn’tthatdesperate to get away. As much as I sometimes hated it here, Copper Springs was home.
The patrons were back to their drinks and Jasmine was working fast to keep everyone topped off. As long as their drinks were full, they weren’t going to even remember any of this. I wish I could say it was unusual, but there was always something going on here. Typically, it was a brawl, but it wasn’t even the first couple I had to throw out of the bathroom. With only one bathroom, if anyone was in there too long I heard about it.
I ducked behind the bar and checked on the status of the bottles of booze and the kegs. We probably had enough for the rest of the night.
“That was interesting,” Jasmine said as she pushed through the swinging door separating the bar from the patrons.
“I’m only mad at myself for not breaking it off sooner. All the red flags were there,” I said.
“Don’t blame yourself. We all know what he looks like naked. I’m guilty of making those mistakes too. I mean, sometimes you just need to work off some shit in the bedroom, right?” She rimmed a glass with a lime then set it in the plate of salt.
“He wasn’t even that good in bed,” I admitted.
She turned the glass over and scooped ice into it. “Sorry to hear that, girl. But at least he was pretty.”
I shrugged, trying to give myself at least that. He really was, and I’d been completely blinded by it. There was no way I’d make that mistake again. “Yeah, he was.”
“You good out here?” I asked. “I’m going to try to get the bathroom cleaned up.”
“I’ll happily keep pouring drinks if it keeps me from cleaning out the bathroom,” she said.
“I guess this is why they pay me the big bucks,” I teased.
She laughed as she filled the glass with a generous pour of tequila. “I’m not sure this dump is worth it.”
“It’s absolutely not worth it,” I agreed. “But it’s home.”
She finished making the margarita and lifted it in a salute as she sidestepped me to leave. “To home.”
I had to smile at that. This bar was run down and probably a public health hazard. I kept the glasses clean and used decent booze, but the floors squeaked, the walls were soft in places, and it was a miracle the roof hadn’t caved in on us.
Sandwiched between a laundromat and a liquor store, I was limited on what I could do with the space, but I did my best. More than once I’d been offered a decent sum to sell it to one of the shops on either side, but I always declined.
This bar was all I had left of my mom. It was my only inheritance, and it kept me from being dependent on my father. If not for the tiny apartments upstairs, I might not bother with the work it took to keep it running. But in a pack where unmarried females were supposed to remain under their father’s care, the independence of this place was worth more than all the money in the world. Besides, I was able to offer assistance to Jasmine as well. I couldn’t help everyone who was down on their luck, but Stella’s Bar kept the two of us from a much worse fate.
Growing up in the alpha’s house wasn’t easy. Things got worse after my mom died. But my dad was all about appearances. Having a daughter who ran a successful business made him look good. Even if he was disappointed that I hadn’t settled down, he could tell people it was because I was waiting for my mate. He’d proudly crow about how I had such high standards that I’d rather die alone than settle. As if it was some kind of measure of his worth. Imagine how it would change if my mate showed up and was a complete loser.
Little did he know, I’d never have to find my mate. Thanks to the potion Jasmine made me every two weeks, I didn’t shift, which meant I didn’t go into heat and give off the scent that would attract my mate. After watching my dad abuse my mom, his mate, her whole life, I refused to follow in her footsteps.
