The issues started around midnight. When a guy started hitting on Abi. I’d seen him chatting her up over the course of the night, but hadn’t thought anything of it. At least not until I saw her face. I could see she was getting frustrated that the dude wouldn’t leave her alone. For her part, Abi was handling things as professionally as she could. I could hear some of the things he was saying, and I was starting to get pissed.
Finally, Abi had had enough. I heard her even over the din of the bar. “Listen, dude. Not interested. Take a hint and get lost.”
“Hey,” the guy said, looking upset. “You don’t get to talk to me like that. The customer is always right, remember? Besides, let’s not be like that. You don’t know how good I can make you feel.”
I slowly made my way across the bar, hoping Abi would diffuse the situation before I got there. Abi had shaken her head. “Dude, if I wanted to fuck a tiny dick, I’d go buy a bag of baby carrots and have a full on gang bang. Even then, they’d probably be bigger than whatever you’re packing.”
Well, shit. I moved faster, gently trying to move people aside. I looked up and saw that Felipe was watching the interaction from the far end of the bar. At least I’d have back-up if necessary.
The drunk guy was getting belligerent. “Fuckin’ whore. Who do you think you are? Maybe I’ll make you suck my dick. Show you how a good girl should act.”
He reached a hand out to grab Abi, but I got there just before his fingers could close around her arm.
I tugged at his shirt, hard, and he spun around to look at me. His eyes were burning pits of rage. He stared down at me. “Oh, you want some, too? That’s fine. I’ve got enough cock to go around. Maybe I’ll ram her pussy”—he nodded toward Abi—“then I’ll fuck your little booty hole. How’d that be, sweetie?”
I gritted my teeth. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
He leaned down and got within an inch of my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Felipe starting to move across the room. I could smell the beer on his breath as he talked. “Fuck…you…bitch.”
“Listen, you piece of shit. Get out or I’m calling the cops,” I said. My vision was going red. I was so angry. Beyond pissed off. My entire body was shaking. I could hear growling deep in my mind. The growling of a wolf.
“You know what?” the guy said. “This is what uppity cunts like you need.”
Without another word, he reared back, cocking a fist and slamming it straight toward my face. The entire world seemed to slow down. I waited for Felipe to jump between the guy and me. To stop his fist from crushing my nose and breaking my teeth.He’d slam the guy to the ground and call Nico to come whisk me away.
That’s what I thought would happen. It was not what everyone witnessed.
The fist, like a rocket, shot straight toward me, so fast that it was a blur. Behind those knuckles was two-hundred pounds of muscle. As fast and strong as he was, one punch would probably send me to the hospital. Abi was screaming, the bartenders were yelling. Felipe was shouting and shoving through the crowd. And then my own hand shot up and snatched his fist out of the air.
The entire bar seemed to freeze. Everyone, even Felipe, stopped and stared as I caught the guy’s fist in mid-air. It was like he’d punched a wall. I looked at my own hand in surprise. It vibrated as the guy tried to push through me to slam his knuckles into my face.
“What the fuck are you?” he grunted as he tried to pull his hand out of mine.
I remembered the names he’d called me, the way he’d treated Abi and me. Then I remembered that less than ten seconds ago, he’d been trying to turn my face into jelly. A wolfish growl escaped my lips, and I gripped his hand and twisted. He yelped in pain and spun as I twisted his arm, desperate for his arm not to break. I grabbed the back of his jacket, and using his own body weight, slammed his face into the brass tube that ran the length of the bar. Blood burst out of his nose and the cracking sound of his nose echoed through the room.
The entire crowd jumped back. He slid to the floor, clutching his face and crying. I let go of him and stepped back.
I looked down at my hands in shock. What had I just done? Felipe was there, hauling the guy up to his feet. “Buddy, we’re gonna call this a wash. You tried to assault a woman, she defended herself. Now, I’m gonna toss your ass out and you’re not ever coming back. Got it? No need for the cops.”
The guy’s voice was thick after having his nose broken. “Is she a fucking shifter? What the fuck just happened?”
Felipe dragged the guy toward the door, but not before shooting me a wide-eyed glance. I bolted, running through the kitchen and into my office. I locked the door behind me and sat at my desk. I couldn’t even understand what had just happened. I’d taken some basic self-defense classes back in college, but what I’d just done? That had been more instinct than skill. I’d felt so strong. So powerful. Like my arm wasn’t even my own. A satisfied little growl echoed up through my brain, and I knew my wolf must have had a part to play in the display out there.
I sat in my office, stewing over what had happened. Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on my door, and Nico let himself in with the key I’d given him. He didn’t say anything. He came in, closed the door behind him, and watched me closely.
I glared at him. “Would you stop fucking looking at me like that?!”
Nico raised an eyebrow, and I winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to talk to you like that.”
He walked around my desk and sat on the edge, looking down at me. He didn’t seem upset at my tone of voice. Instead, he looked totally unperturbed. I could sense myself spiraling. It was like I was weightless, and the wind was blowing me along, and I had no say in where. Everything was so scary. I groaned and tugged at his shirt, pulling Nico to me. He came and wrapped me in a hug.
“Felipe told me what happened,” Nico finally said as he stroked my hair.
Tears slipped across my face, but my voice was steady. “Nico, I didn’t even know what I was doing. It happened so fast. I’ve never moved that fast in my life.”
“Wolves have fast reflexes,” Nico explained. “I think your supernatural senses will start to develop soon. Everything isawakening since you’re going through puberty. I have no idea how strong you’ll be, but from what I’ve seen, I think you’ll be as strong as a fully shifted adult wolf, especially since you’re an alpha. It’s gonna be part of the process. We’ll have to take it as it comes. It’ll get weird, but like I’ve said, I’ll be here for you.”
He was right about that. Things got very weird over the next week. On Friday, I’d been sitting in the living room reading a book when a disgusting smell wafted into my nose. The sour sweet smell of rotting plants. I’d gone all over the house searching for the smell, even going outside to see if some plant in the landscaping had died. Finally, I’d found an old bag of salad in a drawer of the fridge. It was still sealed, but I’d been able to smell it. Through the plastic, the door, and across the room. I threw it out in disgust.
