Once Rejected Then Desired

Seliene

The bottle shattered against the wall, spraying glass inches from my head.

I didn’t flinch. I never did.

“If you throw another bottle, I’m banning your pack for a month.”

The werewolf across the bar bared his teeth at me, amber eyes flashing in the dim light. Ugh. Drunk Alphas.

“You can’t do that,” he slurred.

I slammed both palms on the counter, leaning forward until my dark curls shadowed my glare.

“Watch me, Derek. This isn’t your territory. It’s mine. And in my bar, you follow my rules.”

The crowd hushed. Even the rowdy fae in the corner paused their poker game to watch.

Derek’s beta, Jax, tugged him back with an apologetic grimace. “She’s right, man. Let’s just go.”

I tossed a rag over my shoulder and watched them slink out, the door swinging shut behind them. The tension evaporated, and the usual hum of laughter and clinking glasses returned.

“Remind me never to piss you off,” murmured Ellie, my human bartender, as she slid a whiskey to a waiting vampire.

I smirked. “Smart girl.”

The Moonlight Veil was mine. A neutral ground for Others and the few humans brave or foolish enough to linger.

No pack commands. No blood feuds. No mate bonds. Just good liquor and the kind of peace earned the hard way.

And I had bled to keep it that way.

I ducked into the backroom to grab more water. When I returned, Ellie was chatting with a selkie in his human form, pouring tequila like a pro. I let her handle the front for a minute and retreated to the far end of the bar to count receipts and give myself a moment to breathe.

Running this place had not been the life I imagined back then. Back before I clawed my way out of the underground.

But it was mine now. I built it brick by bloody brick.

And nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to drag me back into chains.

Especially not a mate.

My wolf stirred at the thought, restless. I shoved her down like I always did.

I had managed to avoid a bond this long, and I would keep doing it.

No one got to own me again. Ever.

“Hey, Seliene!” Ellie called. “You’ve got a guy eyeing you like he wants to order or propose.”

I glanced up, expecting the usual overly confident shifter.

But the man sitting at the far end of the bar was anything but usual.

He was tall and lean, dressed in fitted grey slacks and a crisp black shirt with the sleeves casually rolled up. His hair was tousled in that too-perfect way that never looked accidental, and even from here, I could see the sharp cut of his jaw.

There was something still about him, like a hunter who knew he didn’t have to chase. Prey came to him.

He wasn’t looking at Ellie.

He was looking straight at me.

Our eyes met for a heartbeat too long. I should have looked away. I usually did. Men didn’t faze me. Flirting barely registered after years of hard stares and rough hands. But this one?

I felt pulled.

No smile. No nod. Just quiet intensity as he watched me with eyes that missed nothing.

I cleared my throat and headed his way, keeping my pace steady.

“Evening,” I said. “What can I get you?”

His lips twitched. Almost a smile. “What do you recommend?”

His voice.

Gods.

It hit me like honeyed smoke. Warm, rich, and deep enough to make my spine hum. My wolf stirred again. Not wildly this time.

Quiet. Curious.

I blinked, momentarily forgetting my mental menu.

“Whiskey. Neat. You look like someone who doesn’t play with mixers.”

He nodded, still watching me. “Good guess.”

As I poured his drink, I felt the weight of his gaze lingering on my hands, my face, my every movement. It wasn’t the sleazy kind of attention I was used to. It was different.

He looked at me like I was a puzzle he didn’t expect. One he suddenly needed to solve.

When I placed the glass in front of him, our fingers brushed.

Barely.

But a jolt sparked up my arm.

I straightened sharply, frowning.

He noticed it too. I saw it in the way his jaw tightened. But he didn’t react otherwise. Just took the drink and leaned back in his seat.

“You always work behind the bar?” he asked casually.

“It’s mine,” I replied. “If someone is going to keep the peace, it might as well be the owner.”

He raised his glass in a slow salute. “To peace, then.”

I nodded, already backing away.

Something about him was too calm. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that made your instincts scream.

Back at the register, Ellie gave me a look.

“You okay?” she whispered.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

But I could still feel the echo of his voice like it had been etched behind my ribs.

My wolf paced just under my skin, tail flicking. Uneasy.

Who was he?

A few more customers came in. The regular rhythm of the bar resumed. Still, I glanced toward the mystery man every few minutes.

He never looked away for long.

Ten minutes later, I was drying a pint glass when the door swung open again.

I expected another pack wolf or a stray vampire.

But the moment the new figure stepped in, my breath hitched.

This one felt different.

The man had broad shoulders, darker hair, and wore a faded hoodie and jeans like he didn’t want attention. But I felt him before I saw him. A strange ripple in the air.

My wolf lifted her head.

And not in curiosity this time.

In recognition.

But I didn’t know him.

My hands froze on the glass. The bar noise faded.

For a second, all I could hear was my heartbeat and the sound of boots on wood.

The man walked past the booths, scanning the room, and then—

He stopped.

Looked straight at me.

A flicker of confusion crossed his face. A mirror of the one twisting in my chest.

Something passed between us.

Not fire.

Not lightning.

More like a rope wrapping around my ribs, invisible and sudden.

My wolf stepped forward.

What was this?

I didn’t move. Neither did he.

It wasn’t attraction. It wasn’t instinct.

It was something older.

Something I didn’t have a name for yet.

From the far end of the bar, the first man, the one in grey slacks finally turned his head.

And his eyes narrowed.