Tooth and Claw (Kootenai Pack Book 1) Page 2

  Duke was bundled up for the season in his large white cable knit sweater under his Carhartt coat. He had three young male tourists listening to him with rapt attention. I set the tray down and set the ale in front of Duke and passed the pints of Guinness to the young men. Duke insisted any guests at his table drank a proper beer, while he remained on the light stuff. Duke momentarily smiled at me with a quick thank you before turning back to his story. I twisted my wrist to hold my order pad. Duke would next insist the young men order Evan’s special burger and chili fries, while only having a cheeseburger himself. I tucked my tray under my arm and wrote up the ticket. I walked back toward the bar stopping at tables of families taking orders on the way. I put the tickets in the kitchen window and turned my attention to the drink orders.

  “Maybe you can help me-” his voice was deeper than I expected it to be. It sent chills down my spine. Without turning around I knew it was the wolf.

  “You ready to order doll?” I asked setting my tray on the empty table before turning to face him pulling my order pad from my apron and my pen from my hair.

  The shifter appraised me, confusion on his brow. I saw his nose twitch. He brushed his shaggy blond hair back with his hand giving me a super dose of his smell. He was wolf alright, but he wasn’t a weak one. My wolf longed to know the beast beneath the surface.

  I looked at him expectantly with my pen poised over the order pad. He had no power over me here. We were in a human bar, my human bar. I felt the pull of longing from my wolf. She wanted to see him, to stare into his golden eyes and finally be whole, but Kendrick wasn’t here and maybe this wolf would suffice. He didn’t say anything, so I put my pad away, “Just let me know when you’re ready then.”

  I took my filled tray of drink orders and brought them out to the patrons. I smiled and gave idle chit chat. They were almost all locals this time of year. The lake was frozen, and no ships would leave the yard until May. I continued to move through the floor of my small but full pub, picking up empties and promising to return with what they needed. I made my way back to the bar. The wolf was following me. I dumped the bottles in the recycling and collected more beers. I hung the ticket on the window and rang the bell.

  I filled the tray and my human barmaid, Sarah picked it up, “Earl’s table,” I told her. She’d know exactly what I meant even though Earl died Years Earlier. That’s the way these dive bars worked. The table where Earl had held court would always be Earl’s table. Men like Earl never died, they just turned into legends.

  I needed to focus my attention anywhere except for the massive werewolf following me around my pub. I pushed through the tavern doors into the kitchen.

  I took a deep breath and adjusted my clothes, so I didn’t look as disheveled as I felt. Evan handed me a tray with the burgers and his special chili fries on it, “Duke’s table,” he told me. Evan must have smelled Duke come in long before I got the order to the window.

  I walked out as confidently as I could manage and set the burger and fries before Duke and his entourage, “Easterling burger specials for you three and Cheeseburger and Chili Fries for the Duke,” I told the gentlemen sitting in Duke’s booth. Duke smiled up at me, like Louie, his face was marred with the deep lines that only working outside and smoking could provide.

  “Lee, I haven’t even ordered yet,” he said with a semi toothless smile, “What if I wanted to try something new?”

  “Then the devil had better buy a parka,” I told him with a laugh, “I’ll be right out with your 7 and 7.” He liked to sip a 7 and 7 after he ate the chili fries, he always said more beer after the chili fries gave him too much heartburn.

  “You’re the best!” he hollered after me as I made my way back to the bar. I felt the stranger’s eyes on me the entire time I worked. He’d taken a seat at the bar now, following me around the pub hadn’t worked to catch my attention, he was trying a new tactic. I focused my attention on anywhere but the shifter. I went behind the bar and made Duke’s drink. Taking a few orders from the patrons at the bar as I went. A bottle of beer here, a capt’n and coke, there. Sarah came back with another order for Earl’s table, those guys were hitting it hard tonight. I’d have to have Evan keep an eye on them.

  “I’m ready to order,” the wolf finally said. He was sitting on a bar stool right in front of me. He was posturing power. Dominance. I stared at him, this was my territory, he could try to challenge me for it, but my wolf would die before she let him take it. He was not welcome here. I turned my attention to Professor Carlson and his wife sitting at the other end of the bar.

  “What’ll you have hon?” Sarah asked him, seeing I was occupied with my other patrons. She angled herself so her V-neck Tooth and Claw pub shirt would angle down giving the wolf a great view.

  “Aster,” he said gruffly.

  “Sorry, love,” Sarah said sweetly, “I haven’t heard of that drink, what’s in it, I’ll see if I can whip it up for you.”

  Evan dinged the bell, another order up. I turned and filled my tray ready to bring the order over to Chuck’s table.

  5

  10 Years Earlier

  Commencement was bittersweet. The few human friends I’d made didn’t understand why I couldn’t spend one final summer hanging out and enjoying myself before college. I couldn’t explain to them that I was no longer welcome in town. I had three hours after the school superintendent called my name and handed me my diploma to be off pack land for good.

  I spent the final weeks of senior year packing and looking for work close to Easterville College, where I’d been offered a full ride scholarship for school. It was a larger town than I’d grown up in, but still small enough. Most people worked at the Easterville Shipyards, though business had taken a sharp downturn with each new recession. I was excited to live in a new place, though Easterville wasn’t my first choice.

  Easterville had rapidly become my only option when I discovered I would not be getting the customary exile hush money, I wasn’t a wolf, only wolves were given severance funds. I’d be sent away with my car and whatever I managed to fit inside of it. Working at the Bark About It Diner had provided a small savings during school. I started saving hard after I turned 16 and the probability of being a dud loomed over my head. Tips were meager, wolves rarely tipped their lessers, but I saved every penny in case the worst happened, which it had.

  “Aster Lee Fields,” the superintendent called, and I walked across the stage careful to smile at the humans and keep my eyes away from the wolves. I shook his sweaty hand and took my diploma. The clock started. Unfortunately for me, Fields is early in the alphabet and I had to wait. It was rude to leave before it was over, and rudeness wouldn’t go unpunished. The ceremony lasted another hour and half. It wasn’t enough time. I gave my mother a quick goodbye hug and raced for my car. If the Alpha found me on pack land after the clock ran out, he’d punish my mother for sure.

  My generation of wolves were gathered tightly near the exit. I’d have to get through them to reach my car. They wouldn’t move. Kendrick Biel stood in the center of them, “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Please let me pass, I don’t have much time,” I pleaded unable to meet his eyes.

  “Where’re you going Ass-turd?” Kyla Michaels teased. She was the weakest of the wolves and she knew it. As soon as I was gone, she’d be the whipped whelp. I looked at her, with fire in my soul.

  “I’m leaving. Step aside before I make you move,” I felt power rise in my voice. I didn’t know where it came from. Kyla’s eyes blinked and she moved to let me pass. I prowled through the group meeting all of their eyes until they backed down. Only Jackson Lorde and Kendrick Biel stood between me and the door. Kendrick would be alpha one day, no doubt he’d keep Jackson at his side as an enforcer. Kendrick looked down at me his jaw squared, his haunting gold eyes bored into me, I stared straight back. His eyes were still the same gorgeous golden shade from childhood, they were harder now, less honey more metal, “Move.” I ordered him.

&
nbsp; “You can’t make him do anything,” Jackson snarled, his voice so low I doubted anyone besides me could hear it, “he’ll be Alpha one day and you’re nothing.”

  “I’m everything,” I said in a calm voice, I kept my eyes trained on the future alpha, unafraid to look away from Kendrick despite Jackson’s threat, “You may be Alpha one day, but that doesn’t mean anything to me,” I turned to glance at Jackson, “I’m a dud, remember?”

  Jackson grabbed my hair with one hand and held his other fist back, threatening to hit me, “Get out of my sight blood thief.”

  “Fuck you,” the words left my mouth before I could stop them. Jackson’s dark brown eyes widened in surprise and darkened just as fast. His fist whistled through the air striking me, hard before I could duck or flinch.

  “Your time is running out, dud,” he said menacingly his hand still firmly gripped in my hair tossed me into the door, “Do you think your mother’s wolf can take another whipping?”

  I spared one last glance at Kendrick before I pushed through the door and ran out of the building. The wolves cackling laughter echoed as I ran. Ran out of town. Out of the pack life forever.

  6

  Present day

  “I’m looking for a girl- woman named Aster,” the wolf explained to Sarah. His voice was dripping with power that my wolf yearned to obey. He was like her and she’d craved a pack since she first arrived. More than pack she wanted Kendrick. My wolf didn’t care what he’d done to us, the moon goddess had decided he was hers and she was his and she craved her mate like I craved water.

  “Well there’s no Aster here, sweetie,” Sarah laughed, “It’s a small town, I know all the locals. Maybe check the college. Is there anything I can get you?”

  The wolf ordered a burger and beer and turned his attention to his phone. I tried to focus my attention anywhere but this wolf, but I heard the shutter of the phone camera. What had he taken a picture of?

  I loaded up another tray of drinks to bring around the pub. I felt him draw closer to me. Sarah was coming to pick up the tray, “Mind the bar, will you?” I asked her, twisting my wrist to hold the tray. Sarah nodded. She was a human college student working primarily for tips. She got much better tips working the bar than she did running tables.

  I maneuvered around the tables setting down fresh drinks and picking up empties. Finally, I set another vodka and water in front of Louie. I could tell he was going to have a tough night. Sparing a glance around the bar my eyes met the wolf’s blue eyes he was staring at me. Sarah put the plate of food in front of him, but he didn’t acknowledge her. He was watching me like a hunter watches his prey. I spun around before my wolf got what she wanted, and I went to him. The pull was strong. My knees buckled and I slid into the booth across from Louie, refocusing my eyes anywhere but the bar.

  “That guy giving you trouble?” Louie asked. His eyes were starting to glass over as he took a sip of the drink. He reopened his eyes and stared at the bar, “He keeps looking over here.”

  I ran my left hand through my long black hair, “He’s a blast from the past I’d rather have stayed there,” I told him wishing I had my own drink to guzzle down.

  “Was he pre or post-accident?” Louie asked seriously. Like most humans in town, he’d been told that I’d lost my right arm just below the elbow in a hunting accident. From the rumors spread by HIPPA-violation nurses, it was widely assumed that the “hunting accident” involved me being left in the woods alone for several days and that’s why I didn’t like to talk about it.

  “I don’t know,” I sighed unable to invent a lie. I knew Louie wouldn’t press it. He had his own demon battles to fight without dredging up the demons in others.

  Louie reached across the table and held my bionic hand. I’m sure if it had nerve endings, I would have felt the warm calloused hands and found it comforting, “I think your arm needs a charge,” he said with a wink. Despite his level of intoxication, he found the off switch for the hand.

  I smirked at him, and winked back, “Why, I do believe it does. I should take care of that now.”

  My bionic arm was as good as useless when off. There were some models that functioned like my basic prosthesis after their batteries died, but those ones didn’t have the weight tolerances I required carrying full drink trays. I awkwardly slid the empty bottle laden tray onto my left arm and carefully maneuvered back to the bar.

  “Battery died,” I told Sarah before ducking back into the kitchen and putting my arm on the charging station for the second time tonight.

  Evan raised an eyebrow at me, watching me rub the stump again, “Do you need to take the night off?” I shook my head, “You going old school?”

  “Looks like it,” I told him, “It just shut off on me,” Evan could smell a lie, like most shifters, but this was the fine line of ‘technical truth.’

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with the wolf, who, by the way, has been sitting at the bar staring daggers at me since you got back here,” Evan told me, “If he doesn’t eat and leave, I’m going to throw him out.”

  “He keeps asking Sarah for an ‘Aster,’” I told him, “Poor girl has no idea what kind of drink that is.”

  Evan groaned, “I swear these college kids are just getting dumber and dumber.”

  I patted Evan’s shoulder with my stump, “I’ll holler if I need you.”

  I pushed through the tavern door and went right back to work. Blondie did not leave his barstool and I did not make eye contact with him again. I worked the rest of my shift as I had when I first started at the Tooth and Claw. It was just as challenging as I remembered. My residual joint was going to be raw from opening twist top bottles with it.

  I felt his eyes on me the entire night and I carefully ducked his gaze. I wanted him to get uncomfortable and leave. I needed for him to see what he came here for. I was damaged, I was broken, I was a survivor. I wanted him to see me struggle to do things Sarah could do easily. I needed him to see me as weak, so he’d underestimate me if the time came to fight.

  The clock was ticking down to 10. A weeknight in Easterville, 10 was closing. At quarter to, the replica ships whistle above the bar sounded. Last call.

  “Louie requested you bring him his next drink,” Sarah told me, “Said you’d know what he wanted.”

  I nodded. Last call meant that Louie had been drinking for nearly seven hours. I started brewing a carafe of coffee letting Sarah announce last call for the non-regulars who may not know what the whistle meant. She made the rounds getting the final drink orders. Being a Tuesday night, there were only 6 patrons left. Duke and his tourists, Louie, and the wolf.

  I heard Sarah pointedly ask the wolf what he wanted several times during the night, each time he only said, “Aster.”

  When she called last call, she went up to him again, “You’ve been taking up precious real estate on my bar all night. Order something or get out.”

  “I’m here to talk to Aster,” he said in a low menacing tone.

  “There’s no Aster here bucko, now get gone before I call Evan out here,” Sarah snarled back. She may be young, short, and human, but she didn’t take shit from anyone.

  The coffee maker beeped, and I pulled out three mugs and poured. Setting the full cups on my tray I carefully slid it onto my left hand and walked it over to Louie’s table.

  “Evan coming out too?” Louie asked hopefully, I nodded. Louie relaxed and took a sip of his coffee.

  Duke herded his boys out giving a shout to Sarah, Evan, and I that we’d see him tomorrow. I waved back. Evan came out from the kitchen, he’d long since cleaned it and was ready for our nightly ritual of coffee with Louie.

  “Looks like that past of yours is about to get thrown out,” Louie slurred excitedly, “Serves him right.”

  I smirked taking a careful sip of my own mug. I’d slid as far into the booth as I could get. Evan would sit next to me after he locked up.

  “You need to leave,” Evan said, obviously to the wolf, though I was not wat
ching the altercation.

  “I need to talk to Aster,” the wolf repeated, “I’m not leaving until I do.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on that. Sarah, you can go home early tonight,” Evan told her, “Lee and I will handle closing up.”

  “You sure?” she asked, I could hear the eagerness in her voice.

  “Yea, go home kid,” Evan told her, “Make sure you text us that you made it home safe or we’ll have to hunt you down.”

  “I won’t forget!” she called. I could tell she was already grabbing her purse in the back room. She’d be home real quick. I heard her old ford pickup truck rumble to life and make it down several blocks before Evan started to speak again.

  “Are you going to leave? Or are we going to have problems?” Evan asked, more menacing this time.

  Louie was watching the entire event with wide eyes.

  “She’s one of mine, bear,” the wolf snarled. Louie’s eyes narrowed he was straining to hear what was being said, good. He didn’t need to hear this.

  “That’s not what she says,” Evan replied, his voice just as low. Louie was leaning forward, even with his hearing aids, he wouldn’t be able to hear, “what kind of man can live with himself after forcing a female to chew her own arm off?”

  The wolf growled again, louder this time. I could feel his wolf was near to the surface, I had to get Louie out of here before it came out.

  I got out of the booth and pulled Louie out using more strength than I should have had, “Come on Louie, time to go.”

  “But I don’t want to miss-” he whined looking back toward the bar. I used my stump to turn his head back to the door and brought him outside.