Chapter Two

Rain Pov:

Who the fuck was that girl? 

My wolf was howling inside me from the moment I saw her. Need her now. 

No. We fucking don’t I spat back at my wolf, what we need is to get serious about the family business. Remember these boys follow you but no one else wants us as the leader of the pack.

As I say this my wolf starts to calm down but, if I get just a whiff of her scent I’m gonna be fighting to keep control.

As we entered the strip club I barely noticed the loud music or the dancers wanting to give me a good time. I shrug it all off and go toward the back like Max  is leading us. I wonder why he lets that human girl read tarot cards in front of the club?

As on cue Max who can always read my mind I have a love/ hate relationship with this, goes:                        “She’s actually really good for business”. 

She’s doubling the clients and the girl looks like she's always down on her luck so I’m happy to help her out too. Anyone she reads for she always suggests they come to the bar to relax afterwards. 

 As we are sitting, Darin my second pipes up “With those tits I’m suck em.” with a devilish smirk coming off his face. I want to rip his fucking throat out I feel my wolf come alive inside me again. But, I hold back unsure of all these feelings the silly tarot card reader is giving me. A hand from Erin who is the quiet one of our bunch comes slamming down on my shoulder. Eyebrows knitted together he whispers, “You okay boss?” 

I swallow the thumb forming in my throat and just nod a yes in return. Erin is like the father of the group of us. Always checking in.  All six of us grew up together. Me, Erin, Darin, Phoenix, Jack, and Max. Max was the only one of us who lived outside of the pack house but still came to regular pack house meetings every friday night. He also still ran with the pack on full moon nights no matter what. He never missed one. He said it helped keep his demons away. While I went off to jail Max had been in service overseas, he came back mysteriously with a lot of cash to invest in his strip club idea and never looked back from his days in the military. 

No one questioned it, Max was a god damned warrior and we weren’t going to ask him about his somewhat questionable activities across the pond. Instead we took turns helping him turn this shit pile into a better shit pile. Max was always there for us, for me, and we weren’t gonna turn our backs on the bond. 

Alright, uneasy I lean into the circular table we are all sitting in at the back of the club. Really there is no need for that because everyone here has a heightened sense of hearing, but I’m fucking nervous. The boys know I am too. I didn’t choose the roll of alpha but here I fucking am. 

There has been a brash attack on humans lately, and particularly witches or humans who are rumored to have witch-like powers, The Omega pack is pointing fingers at us and shit is about to get nasty quick. 

Erin, who is the tallest out of all of us, with his clean cut looks unlike the rest of us misfits, is the first to speak after a long pause. “Why would The Omega pack want to start shit now?” “We’ve had years of peace between them and the witches haven’t bothered with us in decades.” Darin is the next to say, “Because Rain took the Alpha spot, and we are the only ones who believe he didn’t hurt that Omega wolf girl all those years ago.” 

I look around and see the nervousness in all my boys. The ones who voted for me at the council meeting after the first Omega attack once I had gotten out of jail. Their votes for me as Alpha are what saved my ass. It doesn’t matter why they are attacking, the source phoenix spoke to said, we need to get ready and that means we need to meet with the witches, offer some protection before The Omega pack goes after them or makes them think we are behind this. 

Max, before I can even ask, says, “Whatever you need I’ll be at the pack house, just say the word alpha. That last part “alpha” sounds weird to me, but I nod and thank him anyway. 

Our pack is too small to fight a war from all sides right now, all the boys nod their heads in agreement and we make our way to leave the bar. 

As we are heading out before we have even reached the door I smell her, that scent like roses and honey, brings me home, makes my wolf come up to the surface and I feel my eyes go from blue, green to cobalt blue instantly, scanning for her. I can’t help it, my wolf is in need. It’s a whisper, but I hear him say the words, I didn’t think I’d ever hear, “Mate! Our mate is gone. Find mate”!

What the fuck. Ugh. It hits me like a thousand bolts of lighting striking me at once, the big tits and tarot cards is MY MATE?! I NEED HER NOW. BUT I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS. We are about to be in a war. 

I look around outside the bar frantically, needing her again, and she’s gone. I swing around to where Max is  and lunge, picking him up with one hand and slamming him against the wall, “Where IS SHE?”  Through gritted teeth. I hate that she has made me feel this way already but if anyone knows where she might live it’s Max. His eyes widen as my assault takes place. “Whoa fucker what got your panty’s in a twist?” “I usually don’t like rough play on the first date.” With that I drop him and he winks at me. Knowing full well what has just happened to me. 

“Look, I think she lives somewhere outside the valley, we have a cash only relationship, meaning she keeps her cash and she pays for the space of her table in cash. I don’t ask any questions and neither does she. Elle is a sweet girl, but she has no idea what I am, what WE are. So, be careful putting all this on her dude if this is where you are going. “I can help track her if you like?”

I look at him and realize the full weight of what I have just done. “No, thanks.” I tell all the boys to go back to the pack house and I apologize to Max. Max looks at me sympathetic “ Fuck man I don’t wish to be in your shoes right now. Find out your mate is a  Human and we’re about to go to war.” I’d be just as crazy as you are right now. 

“What are you going to do?”

I take a deep breath, all of this is so fucking much, my therapist from the jail  would tell me I need to take some time to process this. But, I can’t if she's my mate. I have to make her understand as I toss my hair back with my hand, looking around and making my choice. 

“Tonight, I’m gonna find her and take things slowly, if she is a human who knows nothing of our kind this could get ugly real quick and has just made me more vulnerable than I ever was. 

Max, with one of his fucking grins with the devil planted on his face ends our meeting with this, “When you say “you’re gonna take things slow” does that mean you’re gonna watch her like a fucking stalker for a while?” Winking at me because he knows my wolf so well. Some humans find that behavior creepy, but in packs we just want to know if our mates are okay, it’s not frowned upon in our society to check in with them. Wolves can’t stand to be away from their mates for too long, it’s physically too painful. He knows I must know if she’s safe but from a distance. 

That is what I’m going to do as I rub the pain in my chest away, track her down and just watch I tell myself, from a distance.