Chapter 6

Roman

My eyes pinged open and I looked around the bedroom that wasn’t mine. The room looked like it belonged to a teenage boy, with clothes haphazardly tumbling out of semi open drawers and more piles on the floor-drobe. The walls were covered in car and music posters and an electric guitar was sitting on a stand in the corner. The owner of the room seemed like a teenage boy, but he was definitely older than that, I would never sleep with a teenage boy.

I heard the shower turn off and rolled off the bed and started to dress myself quickly. I tugged on my black panties and scrub pants and had managed to clasp my bra before the bedroom door opened and in walked Murdoch, my saviour in my time of need, “Morning Rome.”

“Hey,” I muttered, pulling my camisole over my head and looking around for my scrub top.

“You want breakfast?” I froze. We didn’t usually do breakfast. We both knew what this was and canoodling over oatmeal was not part of the agreement. I schooled my face into a mundane expression and spun to look at him.

“Why?”

“No reason. Just thought you might need someone to talk to. About yesterday.”

“You have already helped me with that.”

“Oh I know I did. I would just like to understand how you suddenly lost control of Rue. It’s been a long time since I have received a phone call like that.”

“Thank you for coming to my aid,” I said, trying to ignore the gentle prying.

I couldn’t tell him that Vinny was back even though I knew I should. If I told him Vinny was back, he would partially understand why Rue reacted the way she did. He knew about the bad blood between us and was witness to what happened to my sister. But there were other things I was determined to keep private, and there was a small chance that Murdoch would unravel the truth. If the truth came out, where would my odd friendship with Murdoch be?

I had never told Murdoch that the moon had fated Vinny and I to be together. I didn’t tell anyone that Vinny and I were fated. The backlash of my pack would have been justifiable and even tolerable but the pity after the collective anger had worn off, would have been unfathomable.

Murdoch was a year behind me in school and was a part of what you would call the popular crowd. His best friend, Sean, was son of the Alpha and naturally Murdoch was the Beta’s son. He was incredibly sporty, a talented musician and reasonably wealthy. He would often be caught flashing his money around whenever he could. All this shit should have made him an asshole, but he was actually a decent guy… once you got to know him.

When Vinny came to town an instant rivalry commenced between the two. Vinny seemed to want to get into fights with anyone. He didn’t even try to make friends. He had some issues, all stemming from losing his mother and not being told he was a werewolf until it was practically too late. But even after he was told, he was a still a loose cannon. An adrenaline junky with no moral compass. He was often caught shop lifting, or running illegal gambling rings, even repeated grand theft auto. Sean, Murdoch and my sister Indiana all got swept up in it. My distrust towards Vinny grew and he started to grate on my nerves, especially when he would flash his crooked smile and flick his stupid blond hair out of his piercing green eyes, like he was gods gift to women.

He was dangerous and it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt. And as Murdoch witnessed it was my sister who was the first casualty. There was no remorse, no apology, just the pure arrogance of Vincent Stevens. My intolerable distrust and animosity had finally merged and solidified into unyielding loathing. And then fate thought it would be hilarious and make us mates. 

“Is Indiana okay?” Murdoch asked cautiously. My stomach turned. “Is that what set off Rue?”

“She is fine.” My voice was abrupt. He released a relieved breath. I appraised him and found myself wondering if he used to have a thing for my sister. I had wondered that a few times but never had the courage to ask him. Maybe that was the reason he tried to help me so much? Because he couldn’t help her? For whatever reason he had for helping me, I was grateful. Just not grateful enough to have breakfast with him or be truly honest with him.

I just needed to use him to keep Rue in check. Eventually he would work out that Vinny was back. But I was hoping as Murdoch lived in a condo in Kempthorne that it would be a few days before he did, and when he did, I was hoping that he would be smart enough not to ask any questions. I was also hoping Vinny would leave again soon. I don’t care that it was selfish, Vinny being back disrupted my life.

***

I drove through the borders of Blackfern Valley, feeling the gentle tingle against my skin as if small water droplets were dancing across it. I smiled as the scents of my hometown infused the air. There was the tangy smell of wet forest and the underlying scent of canine.

I pulled into the parking lot of Lupus’ Bar and Grill and grinned as the scent of beer and poutine joined the aromas in the air. The bar hadn’t changed much since I was a pup. It was your typical small-town bar with a stag head peering out from over the bar, pool tables in the back corner, boothed leather seats under the windows and basic wooden tables and chairs in the dining room. French patio doors led to a gorgeous outside seating area covered in fairy-lights and an outdoor fireplace for when it started to get cold. And even though it wasn’t the only bar in town, it was the towns favourite. It was my happy place in Blackfern Valley.

I bounded up the porch steps and into the building, smiling at my friend behind the bar. “You made it!” Her unruly auburn hair was knotted on top of her head, and you could see black inked flames licking her neck subtly from under her work shirt. Not many shifters had tattoos due to the effort it took in getting them, but my bestie Olivia wasn’t your standard she-wolf.

“Of course!” She poured me a pint of beer as I shuffled up onto a bar stool. She gently sniffed the air and grinned at me.

“Now I know why you are late. A little afternoon delight, eh?” Damn. I sniffed myself and rolled my eyes. I smelt fine. Did I have other evidence of my rendezvous on me? I scanned myself quickly. Not a thread out of place. Damn she was just too good.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“That you and Murdoch are back at it?”

“That implies we stopped.” I grinned at her cheekily. “What goss did I miss?”

“Not much. Alpha has got us trackers working on something.” She tapped her nose twice indicating that she couldn’t talk about it— or that she couldn’t talk about it around so many with super-hearing in the room. “My sister is being… my sister… oh and…” Her voice took on a curious tone. “Vincent is back.” My heart stuttered and I froze lifting my beer glass to my mouth. I took a painful gulp which I hoped was convincingly nonchalant.

“What is Cassie up to now?” I tried to redirect the subject.

“Really?” she asked. “That is what you want to talk about?” Her rust-coloured eyebrows shot so far up her forehead that I was afraid they would get stuck.

“I know he is back, I have already seen him.”

“And how did that reunion go?”

“Frosty,” I replied honestly.

“How does he look?” I glared at her. “Oh, that good,” she surmised.

“It doesn’t matter how good he looks. He is still an asshole.”

“Are you doing okay?”

“I will be fine, Liv.” She looked me over and gave a single nod, although I knew she would be watching me even closer now. I knew she suspected there was more to my nemesis than met the eye, but I never confided in her about our status. I let her believe that this was pure hate birthed from his personality and from what happened to my sister.  

I was just about to ask what happened with Cassie again when the air suddenly changed and became frigid. If someone was to drop a pin, it would vibrate and echo around the bar. I did not need to turn to know who had come through the door— the aroma of peppermint made itself known. Coldness seeped into every cell and my heart stammered in my chest. Liv looked over at the door and her blue eyes were wide and alert. She flicked her eyes towards me again, watching, observing my reaction.  

Ever so slowly I flicked my gaze over my left shoulder. The green eyes bore into mine as if they were seeking me out like a short-range missile. Even though there was pure heat in his eyes, it could not ward off the deepening chill I felt. He looked away as quickly as he looked at me and stomped over to the booth in the corner. I let my eyes trace his movements as he sat down and pulled out a menu, blatantly ignoring me. I could not look away. It was as if I was possessed. I once again found myself checking out his rigid posture and admiring the smooth curves of his biceps. The tendons in his arms were taut and at attention. His fingers were gripping the menu with such ferocity I was amazed his claws hadn’t punctured a hole in it.

I gave myself a few moments to absorb him. I gave myself time to pull myself together before turning back to face Liv’s expression. Sean and Ryan came in and there was a loud booming of laughter as bro-hugs and back slaps were exchanged with my arch-nemesis. Vinny’s face had lit up with so much boyish charm that my stalled heart suddenly revved back to life.

I turned back to Liv and tried to give her a convincing smile as I attempted to slow my galloping heartbeat. I went to take a mouthful of beer and noticed that my nails had minutely sharpened to a subtle point and were scraping against the glass.

Fine. Everything was going to be fine