Filed To Story: Chasing the Rejected Luna's Heart (Clara & Liam) Book PDF Free
They were used to me. A lone she-wolf wasn’t a threat even if she was an anomaly, but a male wolf…
I could see why Sam had been so annoyed by his earlier appearance. You would think Clint Eastwood had walked into the place or something from the way everyone was reacting. The chatter went dead silent, and I could hear people whispering.
I gripped the bar, my nails digging into the plastic as he approached. There was part of me that wanted to duck into the kitchen and abandon ship, but I couldn’t just leave the place unattended. Instead, I was forced to stand there battered by the combination of old feelings stirred up by his appearance and blinding rage.
At least it wasn’t a full moon anymore. I didn’t trust myself around him at all. It was a toss-up as to whether I would punch him or make a fool of myself. Either way, not a risk I could take.
While I was still formulating a response, he closed the distance between us and came to stand on the other side of the bar. “Lavinia.” His voice was soft and intimate, full of familiarity that played my nostalgia and longing like a fiddle. That alone infuriated me.”What the hell do you want?” I demanded. “I thought I told you never to show up here again.”
He frowned slightly, as if he was expecting a different reaction. To be fair, I guess he thought he was dealing with the old Lavinia, and she would’ve been shamefully happy to see him. Even now, there was part of her that still existed within me, but a mental two-by-four to the face was enough to shut her up for the moment.”We need to talk,” he said, as if that was a suitable reason.
I clenched my jaw. “I made it pretty clear on the phone I have no interest in talking to you. Or hearing what you have to say.””Well, you need to hear it all the same,” he countered. His eyes narrowed. “Where is your vampire friend?”
I cocked an eyebrow. “You seriously want to go there? Because we can, but it’s not going to go the way you think.”
Stubborn frustration showed in his eyes, but he masked it. “Fine. We’ll talk about the mark, then.””The mark,” I scoffed, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “If you could even call it that.””I know you felt it,” he pressed, leaning in. “We were fools to think it could just overridden. Like I told you on the phone, I’ve been doing research and there’s more to this than that. There are consequences to an incomplete mark. I know you started to feel it already.”
I kept my expression blank and shrugged. “So what does it matter to you?”
He frowned, as if the question actually bothered him. “I care about you, Lavinia. I understand why you wouldn’t believe that’s true, but it is.” He looked around like he was well aware we were the center of attention. A few of the people who’d been staring had the shame to look away, but not all of them. “There’s a lot going on back home, and it affects you whether you think it does or not.””Does it?” I asked boredly, trying to hide the spark of interest I couldn’t help but feel. I mean, it was still my pack, even if the most important people in my life had turned their backs on me. And the pack itself probably didn’t even notice I was gone, but I had been raised to lead it one day at my mates’ sides, so it was difficult to just stop caring like flipping off a light switch.
Liam glanced around again and asked, “Is there somewhere else we could go to talk about this?””Nope,” I answered, folding my arms. “I’m the only one working tonight, and I can’t leave the bar.”
He clenched his jaw and seemed like he wanted to say something else when the kitchen doors swung open. My first thought was that Sam had come back, and I was relieved to say the least, but then I realized it was Cole. The other shifter stood there, taking in the situation with a cold, appraising glance. At first, I thought he was going to scold me for being rude to a customer, but he looked past me and something about the way his gaze landed on Liam was menacing. Threatening, even. It made me wonder how much he had heard, or if he knew who Liam was already. Maybe he had been at the bar when he came by the first time, but that seemed unlikely. Cole showing up on a busy night was as rare as lightning striking the same place twice.”Who’s this?” Cole asked in a frigid tone that matched his gaze. “One of your friends from your old pack?””He was just leaving,” I muttered, hugging myself a little tighter. Caught between the two men I dreaded most, albeit for very different reasons, I felt like I was trapped between a rock and a hard place.”Not until you give me a chance to explain,” Liam said firmly, coming around the other side of the counter. He usually wasn’t a domineering asshole like the others, but it seemed he had gotten some practice while I was away.
When he reached out to grab my wrist, I prepared to shirk away, but before I had the chance, Cole’s hand shot out and caught Liam’s. He tightened his grip, his face blank and his eyes glowering as he stared down the other male.”I don’t think she’s going to be doing that,” Cole said, his voice smooth and calm, but there was something about it that made me shudder. Even Liam seemed to be caught off-guard by the sudden shift in his demeanor. “And if you ever come in here and touch one of my employees again, you and I are going to have a problem.”
Liam bared his fangs, and for a moment, they just stared at each other, unblinking. I was sure there was going to be a fight between them, but instead, Liam jerked his hand away and took a step back from behind the bar. He looked between us like he was still torn about what to do, but then his gaze finally settled on me in resignation.”I don’t know why you’re fine right now, but that’s going to change come the next full moon,” he said, his usual calm self once more. “When it does, you know how to reach me.”
With that, he turned and stalked out of the bar.
My head was still spinning, trying to process everything that had just happened when I looked up at Cole. He was still watching the door, a dark glint in his eyes I had never seen there before. And I’d thought he was intimidating enough already. Even if he was on my side for once.”Thanks,” I said, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. “I’m sorry about that. It won’t happen again.””No, it won’t,” he said simply. So much was loaded into those three short words. He looked me over in disapproval. “There are customers waiting and a sink full of dishes. Get to it.”
With that, he walked back into the kitchen to disappear wherever the hell it was he went off to when he was here. It certainly wasn’t to work.”Son of a bitch,” I muttered under my breath, shaking my head and shrugging it off so I could focus on serving the next table.
That no-males shifter island was sounding better by the day.
* * *
I was at the gym sparring with one of the other shifters I had gotten on friendly terms with, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened at work the other night. Liam hadn’t tried to contact me again, but something told me that wasn’t going to be the end of it. I still couldn’t believe he and my boss had almost gotten into a fight.