ex

ard my teeth rattled. I grinned, letting the warmth of his praise soak in, even as

the sticky-sweet smell of spilled beer. Half the team was packed in behind us, flushed from the win and already halfway through the first round of drinks. There was chanting my name this time, and for ju

still heavy on my shoulder. For a few hours, I could just be a college guy surrounded by

hen I sm

place in the Rusty Nail, so clean and sharp, that for a moment I thought I was imagining it. But then it hit me full force, threading throu

at

round had tilted under my feet. Milo didn't notice; he was already waving at someone across the room, shouting for a round of shots. My teammates swept me alo

there. I was alrea

lose in the booths, the bartenders hustling behind the counter. My heart

os with a tray balanced on her hip, dodging outstretched hands and spilled drinks with the ease of someone who'd been doing it forever. There

ng, the way she kept her distance, the invisible walls she built around herself. No

the scent

her. Something hard and ugly twisted in my chest, a possessive, furious urge to break his hand rig

s grip and glared, her voice so flat and cold I could almost hear it from across the roo

Relief. Frustration. Admiration. My wolf wanted

dly empty without him, and for a moment, I just stared at the bar, watching her work. She moved like she had too much to do and not

with this crowd, holding her own against the constant tide of idiots a

Your father called," he said. His voice wa

ing?" I barely looked at him, unabl

ed shrug. "So

ck..." My voice was sharp, and this time, I t

a choice," he said, choo

omeone die?" I tried to sound fl

esitated, glancing at the table, th

s, just as the guy from the corner booth reached for her again, except this time, he grabbed her waist, pulling her toward him. I didn't see red. I saw

d then it shattered against the guy's skull, sending glass, beer, and blood spraying onto the table. The bar

yes, and the wolf in me was right there on the surface, daring them

ly, "that's one way t

nding behind the bar, breathing hard, eyes fixed on me l

er hair, about the tired set of her shoulders, and about why she smelled like a miracle. But my

as that I wasn't leaving until I found out her name and found some excuse to see her again, to

I was exactly where I was supposed to be, no ma