Page 6 of My Blind Date is a Werewolf

The jerk had been calling me nonstop since I’d gotten home about thirty minutes previously, and that was after he had two dozen apology roses sent to Jumpin’ Beans an hour after his little fit. Those had promptly gone into the dumpster behind the cafe. Switching on the TV for some background noise, I pulled the tray table over my lap, switched my laptop on, and stuffed my mouth with a huge slice of Hawaiian pizza. I know, I know, pineapple on pizza. But, hey, I quite liked the juxtaposing tastes. The bite of sweet fruitiness mingled with the cheesy goodness and the saltiness of the bacon. Better yet, it went down really well with the chilled glass of red wine that I’d poured for myself. The bottle was on the table and I planned to drain it all despite it being a Wednesday evening and having to wake up before the sun was even up the next day. I deserved to let loose after the day I’d had, and the booze helped quiet the nagging voice that kept reminding me of the five weeks’ worth of laundry waiting to be done and the lawn that needed to be mowed and the flowerbeds that needed weeding.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. The house needed a fresh coat of paint, and for the longest time, I’d been meaning to contact a contractor to remodel my kitchen and set up a home office.

I’d been living in the house for close to two years, and each year I pushed all the work that had to be done onto the next. I was settled in the neighborhood, but not completely. I felt like a tree that still had its roots exposed, on the verge of being felled over by the next gust of wind blowing my way.

I was born in Mystic Cove and had lived there for most of my life except when I went to culinary school and the six years I was married to Sean. But why did I still feel like a stranger in my own town?

Stop being an idiot, Liv. The sooner you get this done, the sooner you get started on your laundry. I was down to my last pair of pants, unless I wanted to go to work wearing a pair of ratty sweats and a faded fleece hoodie that used to belong to my ex. And before you judge, that sweater was comfortable as all heck. It felt like wearing a warm hug. Sean’s scent had long faded, leaving only the smell of lavender fabric softener and warm yeast.

Between eating and guzzling down the wine like it was water, I drafted a help wanted ad for an extra set of hands in the kitchen. I was planning on advertising for two vacant positions: a chef who could prepare proper lunch and dinner meals and a dishwasher who could double up as a waiter. After posting the ad on the cafe’s social media accounts and emailing it to the local paper, I got started on something that I really loved—planning out this year’s Halloween theme and ordering decorations. I was thinking of going for an Alice in Wonderland theme this year and already had my eye on a Queen of Hearts costume.

My love for Halloween eclipsed that of any other holiday, and I always went all out for it. It was only out of pure laziness that my house was still bare of decorations even though we were ten days into October. And the best part about living in a town rife with the supernatural? No one celebrated Halloween better than Mystic Cove. Every establishment around town would soon start getting decked out in their finest—and creepiest—decorations and paraphernalia and duking it out for the best Halloween display. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was the reigning champion from last year after beating out my neighbor, The Book Coven, owned by one of the witches, Beverley Barnes.

Last year, I’d gone for a Steampunk horror theme, dressing up as Van Helsing: Monster Hunter. Most people found it hilarious considering the melting pot of races that called Mystic Cove home. Beverly already had a head start this year, but my Alice in Wonderland theme was going to blow her House of Horrors out of the water.

I didn’t realize I was smirking to myself until my phone buzzed again. The number had been set to private, making me think it might be Dustin calling from a different number, so I ignored it, finished my dinner, grabbed the wine bottle, and went down to the basement to load the washing machine and do a little bit of cleaning.

CHAPTER 4

ADRIAN

“Heads up,” Carter warned me, flicking his head in the direction of The Drinking Hole’s exit. Three men walked in and headed straight for the pool tables: Logan Holland and his cousins West and Will. The three of them didn’t immediately spot us, and for that I was thankful. I had no beef with Logan. In fact, I’d been to his place the previous weekend to help him fix a problem with his leaking roof, but his cousins had had it in for me since Rod stepped down as Alpha and handed me the reins.

As if I had any choice in the matter.

Alphas were born, not chosen by the pack, and yet, for whatever reason, West and Will had gotten it into their heads that Logan would take over once his father stepped down. It had been clear since Logan and I were both young pups that the one born with the mark of Alpha was me, and not our former Alpha’s son. Sure, in most instances, leadership of the pack was hereditary, but there were cases like mine where the mark of the Alpha was passed on to someone not within the current Alpha’s bloodline. I grew up knowing that the MC Pack would one be mine to rule over, and so did everyone else in the pack. I just never expected the responsibility to fall to me so soon. At only seventy-nine, Rod Holland was still pretty spry and had some life in him yet, but he’d stepped down, insisting he and his mate wanted to roam the world for the next couple of years and just enjoy life.

I was happy for him and did not begrudge him the need to spend quality time with his mate without having to mediate in pack and council matters, but I just wish he would have talked to his nephews before setting off. In the weeks since I’d taken over, West and Will had been like burrs stuck to my fur and between my paws, questioning everything I did. I was this close to challenging them to a duel—which I would win with ease and would give me just cause to exile them. But I respected their parents, not to mention Logan and Rod, too much to do that. So, for now, I’d put up with their surliness and work on consolidating my place.

“Pay them no mind and finish up your drink. We’ll leave as soon as we’re done here,” I told my younger brother. Carter scowled at me, his eyes flashing amber before flicking back to their natural forest-green color.

“If we leave now, it will look like you’re running away from them. You’re Alpha, Adrian. If anyone should be running away with their tails tucked between their legs, it’s them.” He growled and chugged back his beer.

I smiled at his indignation on my behalf. People made the mistake of thinking I was the one closest to my wolf even in human form just because Carter was so quiet and composed most of the time. They missed the fact that his wolf prowled closer to the skin than most. Carter was always ready to claw someone bloody if they so much as looked at him funny or, worse, made unnecessary criticisms of his architectural designs.

“We’re not running away. We have an early meeting with the Council to present our bid and showcase the design specs you’ve drawn up for the school, remember? The last thing I want is for both of us to show up hungover and bleary-eyed for what could be our biggest contract to date.”

Carter rolled his eyes at my dodgy answer. We’d both had two beers each, nowhere near enough to get us drunk, not with our wolf metabolism. “Sometimes I think you should have been born a sheep shifter, as pacifist are you are,” he grumbled.

“Do those even exist?” I laughed out loud, drawing some attention our way, quite a lot of it of the female variety. Not even a blind man could miss the invitation swimming in their eyes, and I knew they didn’t care who took them up on it. Carter and I would both do just fine. Too bad those days of picking up faceless women in the bar were behind me. But my mind seemed to fixate on one woman whose stare always looked right through me.

Today, she’d sat down and talked with me. Granted, it was only after I’d saved her from that walking red flag of an ex, but it was more words than I’d gotten out of her in a long, long while. It still made my blood boil when I thought of how that worm shoved her against the wall and dared to raise his voice to her. He was lucky Olivia stopped me from calling the cops, but if he dared lay his hands on her again, I would eviscerate him.

“Heck if I know. There are deer shifters in Colorado, and I’ve heard rumors of snake shifters, so why can’t there be sheep shifters? I need something to go with this beer. You mind if I order chips and salsa or are you ready to book it?” If anyone else gave me the exact same condescending attitude and lip my little brother gave me, I would have planted my boot in his mouth.

“As long as you’re paying, I have no problem with that. We might as well go over our pitch for the witches’ academy anyway.”

“I still think it’s ridiculous they’re making us bid for the project against outsiders. Hawthorne and the mayor know that Cooper Construction is up for the job. Not only that, but they don’t have to hide anything from CC since you sit on the Council with them and you know what the school is for. All this posturing is for what?” He sneered, raising his hand to catch the attention of a waitress who passed by. I waited for him to place our order before responding to his statement.

“It’s precisely because I’m on the Council that they are going through this entire bidding process in the first place. The mayor doesn’t want to be accused of favoritism or anything like that. But I’m ninety percent sure that we got this in the bag. Once they see your blueprints and models tomorrow, we’ll cinch the remaining ten percent.” I clinked the mouth of my beer bottle against his.

Carter was an artist, and one of the major factors in why Cooper Construction was so successful outside of Mystic Cove. Ever since he relented and left his lofty job at an architect firm in Berlin, we’d seen a ten percent increase in profit margin at the company simply because he was that good at what he did. And now with an academy for witches and warlocks slated to be established in Mystic Cove, this might very well be the project that would give us the capital to expand the company even further.

We talked a little bit more about our presentation for tomorrow, ignoring the heated gazes coming from across the bar. West and Will were keeping to themselves, I suspected because Logan was with them, but their animosity had my fur standing on edge.

“I heard there was a situation at Jumpin’ Beans today and you stepped in to save the ravishing Olivia Michael.” There was a teasing glint in Carter’s eyes as he smirked at me over the rim of his bottle.

I felt my cheeks and ears burn up. One of the perks of being a ginger: everyone knew when you were feeling bashful or embarrassed. One of the reasons why I grew my Santa beard, as my sister Talia liked to call it. It gave me something to hide behind without looking shy.

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