Page 50 of Unforgivable

Ezra

I step into the Watering Hole with Ted Song right on my heels. The laughter and noise cut off almost completely. I just stride right in, anyway. It's not like I'm not used to being gossiped about. MateLess wolves aren't common. I've been a source of gossip for these wolves since I first shifted.

My wolf went berserk. He didn't have a mate. No one was fated to be with us. We were scorned by the goddess to be alone. I tore up the brand-new pansies planted outside the community center and pissed on Alpha Jax's lawn. It's not the rampage that powerful MateLess males go on. It's still a little embarrassing.

Then I moved out to Genom and had to hear the ribbing by a certain few about my new 'lifestyle' with two other adult males. Ironic, considering that one of the most vocal assholes, Garth, ended up being mated to a male. He may be taking a dick up his ass now, but at least he's happy and mated.

The goddess is a bitch that way.

Hell, I'd take anyone and anything, but no one was ever interested in me, and I wasn't interested in anyone else.

Until Lyri.

My breath whooshes out, and I try to douse my immediate arousal. Shit, her father is right behind me. If that doesn't kill the mood, I don't know what would.

We sit at the bar. Empty chairs at one of the tables are just an invite to be bothered by other wolves. I know that Ted doesn't want to answer questions about his daughter from the gossiping busybodies.

Nothing's open today because of the snow, so the bar is packed, even this early in the evening. I could go home and be with Lyri, but Ted asked me to come out, and I'm not stupid enough to turn down Lyri's dad. At least the noise level in the bar resumes so that our conversation can be pretty private.

Inuit stayed with Penny and Tabitha, playing video games. I guess they know each other from school. Ted is using that as an excuse to get out of the house. His wolf settled enough to know that his females aren't being left alone, even if Inuit is only twelve.

"So, how are things?" I offer the lame opener. Things are great, Ez. Dumbass.

"Better," Ted says quietly. "In some ways. Worse, in others. Lot of wolves are shunning us. Some are pretty open in supporting our family. A couple have come to our den." He slips up when he says, 'den.'

I look closely at his eyes. His wolf is restless. It's not a good sign. I know what an unhinged wolf feels like inside you. There's a thin line between an angry, protective father wolf and a feral beast.

"I just...," he shifts on the barstool, eyes starting to turn faintly yellow survey the room. "I need to know who was there that night, Ez. I've heard rumors, but no one seems to know for sure."

I ease back against the bar. Shit. "Ted," I say slowly, "you aren't looking for revenge, are you?"

His gaze shoots to me, "wouldn't you?"

"The alpha sanctioned it," I remind him. My stomach twists a little. Lyri's Shaming may have been sanctioned, but, fuck, if Ted had seen what she went through... He can only imagine what it was like.

Eyes narrow on me. I swallow. Ted's a big guy. Honestly, he could probably take me out. And I was there. I'm one of those males his wolf is salivating over.

"Not every move an alpha makes is the right one," he says hoarsely. "She's my pup, Ezra."

"I know," I say.

We're both quiet for a time. Owen, the bartender, walks over and gives us both a round of lager without speaking to either of us. I notice he walks to the other end of the bar, either giving us space or avoiding us.

"I need to know, Ezra, because I need to know who I can trust. I want to know if any male who looks me in the eye and pretends to be my friend is a fucking piece of shit who hurt my pup, understand?"

I fidget. I'm one of those males, and I know that Ted hasn't forgotten it. "Let me talk to Rhet," I finally say. It's a cop-out, big time, but I'm throwing this in my brother's lap.

Ted nods. His grip on the beer is so tight that I think the thick glass will crack. He swills the drink in one motion. It's kind of impressive. "Talk to your brother. Tell him I want to know."

Ted stands, and I follow. Owen takes his empty glass and my half-full one and places them in the sink. I take out a twenty and lay it on the bar. Standing, Ted and I start to put our coats back on.

"Ezra," Owen says. I turn to look at him. With one finger, he slides the twenty back across the bar top to me. "Have a good night."

He steps away before it registers. Slowly, I pick up the twenty and slide it back into my pocket. Owen doesn't make eye contact again. "'Night," I reply, belatedly.

We walk out into the clear, crisp air. The sun is dangling low in the sky. I look at it, the deep purple slowly taking over the sky.

"When you shifted, everyone in the pack thought you would go crazy within a decade, tops," Ted says casually as we walk on the recently-cleared sidewalks back to his neighborhood.

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