8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Locke

" I figured you wouldn't have any of these tires but, seriously, two weeks for a shipment? That's insane!"

My mate leaned on the counter next to Hammer. He had biceps as thick as a typical female's leg. He was checking out my mate, who I came to know as Emm when she introduced herself to him.

I couldn't wait to scream it when I finally claimed her, but right now, I was teetering on the edge of leaping from my hiding place and putting my maw around Hammer's neck. He was staring right into her cleavage, which was abundant. She didn't shy away or try to cover up those beautiful hunks of curves and, damn it, I was happy with that.

Her breasts would easily overfill my hand and mouth; fuck I'm a lucky bastard.

"Again, I'm sorry. My supplier usually does cars and bikes. I'm going out on a limb here using another supplier for this type of tire." He kicked the spare she'd brought in.

It was a lie; I could read it by his heartbeat. Either someone told him to keep her here longer, or he's fucking with her to go out on a date. Which I highly recommended to all members that they didn't. No one should go around dating humans unless they believe it is their mate. Too much is at stake—like their damned lives.

If they got caught by their second-chance dating someone else—well, let's say they don't want that drama.

Hammer leaned in, his face inches from my mate who didn't back down. With a swift flick, his pen tapped against the desk. I fixated my gaze on the movement, and my wolf eyes narrowed with intensity. The sound reverberated in the silence, a sharp click that echoed through the room. I could feel the tension building within me, a surge of adrenaline pulsing through my veins. My wolf was dangerously close to the surface, on the edge of seizing control and plunging forward without thought. You better pull back, you bastard.

"I can call the next town over and—" He turns his head, taking a long whiff of her hair.

Hammer backed away suddenly, taking two steps back until he fell into the tire display behind him, knocking over a tool case and sending a cascade of wrenches clattering to the floor. Startled, Emm took a step back, her eyes widening in disbelief as she witnessed Hammer's fall.

I chuckled darkly in my spot behind the overstock tires in the far corner of the room. My claws scratched against the cold cement as I licked my fangs.

Ah, finally he smelled it. My scent.

Emm leaned over the counter, and her breast spilling over her top.

Well. Fuck. Me. Please.

"Dios Mio! Are you alright?"

Hammer looked up, avoided her gaze and cleared his throat. "Uh, ah, yeah! Yeah! I'm fine, fine. Just, uh, slipped there." He got up nervously, wiping away the dirt from his white cut-off and looked everywhere but at her. "Listen, I'll call around to different towns. See if I can find something. You said you needed four, five if you wanted to replace the spare, too?" His pen shook as he took down notes.

Now the fun will really begin. I wondered what he would do now? Was he gonna yell out to the crew that he smelled me? Tell everyone I'm back or hide in fear that he hit on his president's mate?

The possibilities. I licked my maw from the shadows. Endless. I couldn't wait to play this game.

"Yes, five," my mate said, warily.

Hammer kept his distance, not even keeping eye contact with her now. In fact, he was bowing his head, showing submission.

Because he knew she was his Luna.

Pride swelled inside me, my fur bristling at the thought. Yes, my luna, my mate. She would be the key to the club becoming an actual pack. The last stone to help the rogues have a home, and to give them a chance to find their mates; for me to be alpha and to save them all.

A purr resonated through me. The men who were working on bikes and cars slowed their tinkering. They eyed one another but continued their work. Their hearing or smell not as attuned as it should be because of their dormant animal,…hell, they can't smell me either, but their natural instincts know there is something unfamiliar in the room.

"Call me with updates. Or I'll stop by." Emm broke the silence and took a card off the desk with Hammer's number. "I'm going to need to bring my truck in for some maintenance, too."

"Yes, Lu— Emm. Anything you need. On the house. For the wait and all." She eyed him and went to step out the door. "And, uh, do you want us to tow your RV? Keep it here in the shop? Where it's safe?"

Emm paused and I kept the growl from settling in my chest. Do not take up on that offer. I bored my eyes into her, trying to reach some sort of invisible connection. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking nervously around the room.

It would not bode well for my men if she allowed them to retrieve her RV. I would protect her home, I would maim—even kill to keep her in the forest until I had claimed her as mine.

The old ways would allow me to do so.

Emm kept quiet for a time until she tilted her chin up. "No. I'll leave it where it is."

Good girl.

Or, she's worried about the blood that has soaked into her campsite. People would see her as guilty. Anyone could see and smell the blood bath left behind.

As my mate exited the shop, the bell above the door chimed, filling the air with a tinkling sound. The sight of her enticing, round behind, set my desire aflame and caused my mouth to water. I let out a deep, longing groan and rose on all fours, emerging from the shadows cast by the spare tires at the back of the shop.

A wrench fell, making a clang and the mechanic room went eerily silent.

As I emerged from the shadows, my presence froze everyone into place. I could feel my aura overwhelming Hammer as his eyes widened in fear, unable to move. The scent of my mate lingered, driving my wolf's instincts wild with desire and possessiveness.

Without breaking eye contact with Hammer, I let out a low growl that reverberated through the room, causing tools to rattle on their shelves. The other men in the shop exchanged wary glances, sensing the primal energy that surrounded me.

I took a step forward, my muscles coiled with tension as I approached Hammer. He stumbled backward, knocking into a workbench and sending more tools clattering to the ground. Fear radiated off him in waves as he realized the danger he was in.

"Locke...Pres,—" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry. I didn't—"

I bared my teeth in a silent warning, that his pleas would not sway me. My focus remained solely on him, my primal instincts driving me to assert dominance in this territory, where my mate had set foot.

As Hammer cowered before me, I could see the realization dawn in his eyes. He knew the significance of my physical presence, the message it conveyed to him and the others in the room.

I held his gaze for a moment longer, imprinting the memory of this encounter on his mind before finally shifting my attention away.

With a flick of my tail, I turned and made my way towards the entrance, the bell above the door jingling softly as I passed through. The men in the shop remained frozen in place, their gazes following me until I no longer felt them, as I disappeared from view.

Instead of just the witness of my scent, the entire shop knew I was there. Along with Hammer's testimony that Emm held my scent, it would soon spread like wildfire that she was their luna.

If some of the club believed it or not, that remained to be seen. The mechanics were… a different breed.

Would the club treat her differently? Most likely, yes, but I believed they had already begun to do so long before they had seen my weary body. She'd smelled like the Iron Fang when she returned home last night, mostly like Journey. I guessed Journey already had a plan in her head, and I was sure she'd spoken to Tajah to make sure the club didn't run her out of town.

Tajah could be one scary fucker when she senses someone new has evil intentions.

I smiled to myself as these puzzle pieces came into place. I had more things working for me than I cared to admit. I thought I was over and done for, that there would be no redemption, but here we were, a mere month and a half later, and my mate came striding into my life when I'd hit rock bottom.

Oh, that Goddess could be a heartless bitch, just as Grim always said. She was toying with me, pushing me down to my lowest, so I could pay for my sins of my past. Hell, the things I did were the way things were always done long ago. I followed Ares' law, and I should not be responsible.

Or, perhaps I was being punished for putting my fellow rogues out of their misery too soon.

My heart ached for those that my brothers and I had to put down, who had already gone rabid too early, but there was no way I could know. I still stood by my orders and I would not falter when brought up amongst our club. But, deep down, I thought I'd always resent myself.

I stayed among the shadows as I followed my mate-no, stalked her-through the streets of the town. She was memorizing, not the street names or the shops, but rather the alleyways and the obscure. She dipped inside the dark corners, and her hands trailed up the bricks and walls. Her hands tugged at fire escape ladders, feeling their ability to move up and down on the platforms.

I ducked lower into the shadows as more humans walked by. She acted oblivious to the fact that someone was watching her, but every so often she would nonchalantly observe her surroundings.

She was good, I'll give her that. Hunting her would be a challenge in the town. In the forest? Mmm, I could find her scent easily. The sweet tang of her scent was a tantalizing lure, The delicate blend of coconut and citrus swirled around her, only adding to her mysterious appeal.

Who was this exotic woman and how did she come to the upper northwest of the country, where the sun hid in the clouds, and her sun-kissed skin now must hide on cold, rainy days?

She wasn't so hidden when she was skinny dipping.

Last night I tried to get inside her home. I had to speed up the bond, to have it heal me so I could become human. Killing the intruder was justified. It was only fair that as an animal, a shifter, she should shelter me and let me sleep next to her in her nest. I even saved a trophy of his hand. Any female from the old ways would be enthralled with such a gift being won from their enemies.

My endeavors, however, were just met with a pat on the head and an old sub sandwich.

My mate was human. I had to remind myself of that. Just like the other rogues, I would need to be patient. But, an alpha's patience only goes so far, and I was sick of not being in my human body. I had not only my mate to conquer, but a club to run.

There were other ways to gain her attention, and I was to find out soon enough how to win her over besides an intruder's hand.