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But I’d come here to die, and he was telling me to leave? Did he have a prior appointment or were there other rule-breakers in front of me? Maybe I was supposed to take a number and await my turn.
“Boss?” Emilio knew as much as I did.
“Leave us, Emilio.”
“Yes, boss.”
I closed my eyes, awaiting a kick in the ribs or worse. But a whispered word reached me before the pain in my body, combined with the tension, shut my eyes.
“Mate!”
Huh? Now he wanted to be friends? I raised my head, one eye swollen shut, the other blinking rapidly. He towered over me, a finger resting on his lips. The snake tattoo was now visible as it curled around his wrist. I gulped, hoping he wasn’t going to put me out of my misery by introducing me to his pet python or rattlesnake.
“I don’t tolerate snooping.” Despite my looming death, his voice billowed over me, similar to a warm breeze.
“Sorry, boss.” There was nothing else I could offer.
“I’m curious.” He stood in front of me, and I inspected his shoes. Not a scratch on them. “What were you looking for?”
I had to come up with a story pronto. “I thought the other bartenders got paid more than me, and I was looking for a salary spreadsheet.” In my dazed state resulting from my injuries andwhat I guessed was the boss’s enticing cologne, it sounded like a reasonable excuse.
“I can’t let you get away with that. ”
Before I took my last breath, I should ask if his father or grandfather had murdered my biological alpha father. That was why I’d taken this job. What did I have to lose?
“You have to be punished!”
4
FLINT
His scent was clogging my nostrils, and my wolf was ignoring my orders to stand down.
Do not take your fur. But my nails on one hand elongated until they were no longer fingernails but my beast’s claws. Thank gods the guy was on the floor and couldn’t see, so I shoved that hand in my pocket.
I had to get out of here before his scent made me do something stupid.
Mating?
No!I knew the rules. They’d been forged by my grandfather, a man with a craggy face, his rules as rough and rigid as his expression.
What about the human?my wolf asked.
He’ll come with me. Leaving him here for Emilio to handle would not end well for the guy. But being surrounded by that tantalizing scent would push me close to the edge.
When I grabbed the phone from the sofa, I fumbled it, the sweat on my palms sliding over the metal. I texted my security detail,Take the rest of the night off. Being close to my mateclouded my judgment, but I’d take my chances that nobody would “off” me on the way home.
There were a few seconds between my message and their replies.Thanks, boss.
I’d made their night. Unlike Emilio who was probably pacing his office, wondering what had gotten into me and what he’d done to anger me. Sure, I’d snapped at him on occasion, but nothing like the searing force of my roar telling him to leave. In our business, pissing off the boss didn’t result in a loss of pay, doing overtime, or getting fired, but rather losing an ear, finger, or their life.
Like me, Emilio was a wolf shifter and finding a mate should be a celebration, especially for the pack Alpha. An Alpha Omega would play a significant role in not only the pack but also the pack business, of which the club was a stellar performer.
But I was faced with two choices. The first was loyalty to my pack. That was paramount. Or second, leave everything my family had worked for to be with my one and only, my mate. Added to that, I’d be thrown out of the pack, a loner with no one to protect me. Not a predicament I’d wish on my worst enemy. And I had a few.
Deep down I knew my dad, my brothers who worked with me and my great-uncle would follow if I chose option 2. Knowing they loved me and had my back had given me confidence growing up and in the early days as Alpha when mafia pack wars raged.
“Don’t move.”
