Page 10 of Spike

My inner wolf stirred, recognizing the imposing force before me. Grizzly, it whispered.

As if he sensed my scrutiny, the black-haired man turned, his dark blue gaze locking onto mine. A sudden lump formed in my throat, and I involuntarily swallowed.

Time seemed to slow as our eyes met. A jolt buzzed through my entire body. My heart raced erratically in my chest, caught between the conflicting currents of fear and excitement.

It was a strange sensation. I couldn’t tell if I was scared of him or attracted to him.

SPIKE

"There you are," a familiar voice said.

I grunted as Nitro took the empty seat next to me at the bar. Glancing at the beer bottles in front of me, I wondered if I was close to getting drunk.

Shifters naturally filtered out any poison entering their bodies, so it would take much more beer to dull my senses.

I was probably just out of it after visiting Austin's grave, so I didn't even notice Nitro entering the bar.

Nitro's concerned gaze bore into mine. "You haven’t been answering any of my texts, Spike,” Nitro pointed out.

I shrugged, attempting nonchalance.

“What are you, my babysitter?” I asked with a scoff. This was Nitro, I reminded myself. My best friend didn’t deserve a harsh brush-off.

“Sometimes, a guy just needs to be alone,” I grumbled.

His expression softened, understanding in his eyes.

"Austin's anniversary, huh? Still hits you hard every year,” Nitro said.

I nodded, taking a swig from the bottle. The bitter taste barely registered.

"Yeah. Some wounds never really heal,” I muttered.

Nitro ordered his own beer, saying nothing. Eventually, I caved and told him about my visit to Haven Brook.

Nitro sighed, his voice low. "You shouldn't have to face it alone, man."

Maybe he was right, but some demons were best wrestled in solitude. Another immediate thought then came to me.

"Wait, how did you even track me here?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes as Nitro gave me a guilty look.

"Well?" I asked after he remained silent.

"Fine," he grumbled, "I turned on the track-your-location function on your phone and linked it to mine."

"You what?" I would've punched him if he didn't look like a kicked puppy right now. "Did Tommy put you up for this?"

"Nah, Tommy told me not to, but I did it anyway," Nitro admitted.

"Of course," I said dryly.

His mate, Tommy, had more sense than him. I always wondered what Tommy saw in Nitro. I guess that would always be a mystery to me.

Nitro shifted uncomfortably on his stool.

"Look, I was just worried about you, Spike, especially with what happened last year,” he said.”

I huffed, taking another swig from my beer.

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