(MIRA)
Three years later
It was the third ti in an hour that Jasper 's hands accidentally brushed across my ass.
There was no point in glaring at him or pushing his hand away. He'd just give a sleazy grin and mouth sorry. It was just a show for the custors, or at least those custors who didn't know who I was.
When we were alone, he didn't even bother with the fake apology. He didn't have to apologize to . I didn't deserve it.
So I ignored him as I pulled the wine out of the cooler beneath the bar and smiled at the custor in front of . "Our chicken caprese sliders would go great with this wine," I said as I pulled the cork.
After pouring his glass, I nudge the nu in front of him.
"Caprese, huh," he grunted as he eyed , the gleam of his wolf front and centre.
I didn't need my own wolf to tell that he was more powerful than . Everyone was more powerful than , but he wouldn't touch . This wasn't his territory, and he had no idea who I was. Shifter politics aside, he was a custor, and I was his bartender.
"This used to be a simple cheeseburger joint."
"Yup. That was also when we just served beer." I tapped one manicured red nail against the wine glass. "But here you are, enjoying our expanded nu. Our new cook can do so amazing things with chicken." Although he was also a complete and utter asshole. "If you're worried that the al is a little too fancy, we can always add a basket of our amazingly greasy fries."
Snorting, he nodded. "Alright. Sounds good, sweetheart. I don't think I've seen you here before. What's your na?"
"Mira." I moved to the computer to ring in his order. "I've been here for three years."
"Three years, huh? I guess it's been a while since I've swung back by here. You one of Shiloh's.......?"
My hand slipped, and I hit the wrong key. Cursing under my breath, I fixed it and took a deep breath. "I sure am."
Shiloh Wade. Owner of The Ironroot bar. Alpha of the Amber Wound wolf shifters. Alpha of .
Most wolves were loyal to their alphas. Submissive. Protective. Proud.
Amber Woundwas no different. They acted like Shiloh was a god. The males wanted to be his right-hand man. The females wanted to fuck him. Scratch that. If rumours were to be believed, most of the females had fucked him. They wanted to mate with him. Too freaking bad for them.
Shiloh Wade already had a mate. .
Much to both of our dismays. "Hard to believe he'd hide a pretty little thing like you in this little corner of his world," the custor continued. "I don't sll a wolf on you."
It was all I could do to not roll my eyes. He was just another idiot who thought a female was only good for taking cock. "I like my little corner of the world," I lied and shifted to avoid Jasper 's wandering hands.
Truth be told, the bar wasn't so bad. It sure beat the hell I'd been living with most of my life. Problem was that the bar had been run by a decent man. When Phineas Auden was manager, he'd done the least decent thing a male wolf could do around a girl like . He'd kept his hands off and made sure everyone else had done the sa.
Unfortunately, Phineas was dead. Two weeks now. I hadn't even had ti to mourn him properly. I was too busy fighting off Jasper and the other assholes in the restaurant.
Instead of letting go, Jasper moved with toward the beer taps and snaked a hand around my waist to pull up against him. "She's Atlas Blake's daughter," Jasper said.
Cold slithered through at the sound of my father's na. The custor's eyes widened, and he leaned forward, fascinated. "Is she now?"
Ah, even three years later, my father still held onto his reputation as the monster of Ashen Grove Mountains. Kidnapping and murdering his way through his own pack. Failure after failure. Until he took three children. And kidnapped the wrong female.
Everyone still hated him. Everyone still hated .
Of course, most knew why he hadn't killed . I was his mate. The wolf his wolf had chosen to be faithful and loyal to. Bullshit, if you ask .
Shiloh let live because he liked having as a prisoner. He'd set up here. At the ti, it had been a dirty hole in the wall where even shit-faced drunks didn't sit down without sliming sanitizer all over their hands. The night Shiloh had all but thrown into the bar, Phineas t him out front. He was an old and grizzled man even then. Shiloh said a few words to Phineas and walked away without a second glance back.
I figured he was giving to Phineas. Like, literally. Instead, Phineas set up in the small apartnt above the bar and left alone. After about six months of not knowing what the hell I was supposed to do, I figured I'd focus on the bar.
A year later, I'd really turned the place around. It beca a hub for shifters passing through, whether they were Amber Woundwolves or not. We even started getting so of our own as regulars, although most ca to enjoy the good food and harass .
"I'd heard that Shiloh let her live. You working off your father's cris, little girl?"
My wolf threatened to surface, but I shoved her down. When he reached for , I snagged the knife next to him and embedded it into the wood, right next to his pinky finger. With a gasp, he jerked his hand back.
"First of all," I said calmly. "I'm no little girl. If that's your fantasy, you let know, and I'll show you just how much of my father I have in . Secondly, there is nothing that would make spread my legs for you. Do you understand?"
"Mira," Jasper growled and pulled away. "Is that any way to treat the custors?" His hand curved over my hip, and I turned and slamd the palm of his hand against his nose. Blood spurted out, and his growl turned feral. When he turned to , his eyes glowed gold. "On your knees," he howled. "Now."
I couldn't control her anymore. I'd gone too far, and now my wolf, always prickling just below my skin, rushed forward. Her fear overwheld , and I hit my knees and exposed my neck.
Luckily, I didn't let her out. I never let her out. She was just as trapped as I was.
"Bitch. Beg for my rcy."
I tried to will the wolf away, to ignore her submissive behaviour, but tears pricked my eyes. "Forgive . Please," I whimpered. Jasper was my superior when it counted the most, and like everyone else, he could order my wolf. When she was this close, there was nothing that I could do to stop it. Atlas had broken her to the point that she couldn't stand up to anyone, and I was at her rcy.
The front door opened, and Jasper looked up. I couldn't see over the counter, but I knew exactly who had walked in. Not because Jasper and the custor both bowed their heads in reverence. Not because I recognized his scent or the sound of his voice. But because of the way my wolf shivered inside of , keened with want and desire.
It was all I could do to keep myself from launching over the counter and wrapping my body around him. Can't stand a man's touch but his, and the man hated with every bone in his body. Really, my life was the stuff of dreams.
Sitting at the bar, Shiloh plucked the knife out of the wood and rubbed his finger over the gash. "Hello, Mira. I see you've settled right in."
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