I shove him, making him grin as he stumbles back a step.
He turns to Ayo and his friend and SimComs, ‘Bryn, this is Zaiden, my alpha’s younger brother, and Ayo, his best friend.’
Both men wave hello and use my sign name that Harley shows them, with Ayo giving no hint that we’ve met before. I wave hello as well, then they move away to a table.
‘Why were you being weird about introducing me to them? Embarrassed to be seen with me?’ I’m mostly joking because I know that won’t be the reason, but it’s not like Harley to be awkward.
He squares his shoulders as he switches back to BSL. ‘Because that’s Ayo Muroyi, and he’s a member of the task force. Wasn’t sure how you’d feel about drinking in the same pub as an officer of the law. We can go somewhere else if you want.’
I barely manage to stifle a laugh. ‘I’m good here if you are. I’m not planning on doing anything illegal any time soon.’
‘Thank fuck. I didn’t want this to go to waste.’ His shoulders relax and he takes a deep drink of his pint. ‘What do you want?’He attracts the bartender’s attention from where she’s scrolling on her phone.
‘It’s fine, I’ll get it.’ I point at the beer I want that’s on tap.
Once I’ve paid, we sit down at a table on the opposite side of the room from Ayo and Zaiden. I lean back in my chair. ‘First time in a pub since I got out.’
‘Well, cheers then.’ Harley clinks his glass to mine. ‘I lasted a week before Dante dragged me to The Winking Wolf. He tried to pay for my drinks, but I was too fucking proud to let him. Ended up blowing all the money I’d saved working in that shitty prison workshop.’
I snort, because I understand that kind of pride. When I found out Milo had transferred my prison wages to my new bank account instead of using the money to pay for some of the stuff he’d bought for me, I transferred it all straight back to him. I’m still keeping track of what I owe, but now that the task force are paying me a consultancy fee I can at least afford to do small things like go to the pub and buy my own drinks.
Doesn’t mean I can’t take the piss out of Harley, though. ‘That was stupid.’
He shrugs. ‘Worth it, though. It was a great fucking night. Hooked up with Zaiden and felt a billion times better afterwards. Dry spells are the worst.’
I smirk. ‘Dante probably wasn’t expecting you to sleep with his brother when he invited you, mate.’
‘Ha, no, definitely not.’
‘So are you and Zaiden…?’
He immediately shakes his head. ‘Nah, he’s great, but it was just a one-time thing. What about you and Dhiren? How long are you going to keep making that mistake?’
I throw one of the beer mats at him. ‘Give it a rest; Dhiren’s not a mistake.’
His shoulders are suddenly tense as he takes a long drink of his beer.
I sit forward, frowning. ‘Seriously, what’s your problem with him? I get that your pack have that whole feud thing going on with the Alejo Prowl, but Dhiren isn’t even from Birchester, and I swear you glare at him more than any of the other cats at work.’
For a long minute I think he’s not going to answer, or maybe make another joke about how bad cats smell, but then he sits forward, mirroring my pose. ‘He’s using you.’
I tense. ‘What?’
He scowls, his hand movements big and angry. ‘He’s just trying on a bad boy for size, giving himself extra street cred because he’s crossed that invisible line between us and them.’
My chest gets tight, my hands stiff. ‘That’s not true.’
‘It fucking is, mate. You deserve better than some tiger who doesn’t understand what we’ve been through, who comes between you and your friends, who has no real feelings for you.’
I take deep breaths, resisting the urge to just get up and walk out. He doesn’t get it. He has no idea how badass Raj really is, that my tiger has plenty of better options and is still choosing me. I don’t know how deep Raj’s feelings for me are yet, but I’m never going to deny how much he means to me.
‘You know what?’ I sign angrily. ‘Dhiren deserves better than your judgement and shitty attitude. I’m playing for keeps, so you need to stop being such a tosser and get over it.’
‘I’m just fucking trying to prevent you from getting hurt, you big turnip. But if that’s how you feel, fine. I’ll back off.’ He sits back and takes a large gulp of his beer before setting the glass down again. ‘So did I tell you my old fire station manager contacted me? They have an opening and he wants me to apply for my old job. It’s fucking crazy talk, but I still haven’t figured out what to do instead, and I’m running out of time to get something lined up. Dante offered me a labouring job if I need it, but that feels like charity, you know?’
I let him change the subject, my stomach tense and my dragon vibrating at the knowledge that yet another person is trying toprotect us. Maybe I should follow Harley’s example and prioritise my career, because I have to find a way to prove to everyone that I’m more than my past mistakes. That I’m capable of far more than hauling boxes, and don’t have to be fucking taken care of, even if it’s just financially. Because if even my former cellmate feels protective of me?
Something needs to change.
