Page 23 of Forbidden Virgin Mate

My wolf rages within me, and suddenly, I don't care about making it to the cabin or my clothes. "I need to run now," I say before the shift begins, destroying my clothes. Leaving them by the road, I'm careful not to turn back to town, knowing I can't trust myself near the likes of Todd.

I feel Diego shift behind me, ruining his own clothes. He follows me along the trail heading into the mountains.

Chapter 11 - Tanya

I've never been more relieved to hear the classroom door shut. Dropping the book I was holding on my desk, I sink into my chair, shutting my eyes and the whole world out.

I really don't know how I got through today. Every single bone in my body seems to ache from tension. My neck is so stiff that when I rub my shoulders, trying to get them to relax, they simply won't.

I've been feeling like this since I dragged myself out of bed this morning after an awful night's sleep. Most of last night, I replayed that evening's events on repeat.

I should be angry. I've always been good at fueling my indignation to fight back. Through sheer determination, I built an entire online empire to hit back at a life that treated me unfairly. I thought I was better than this. Stronger.

But last night was different. There was no hiding behind a screen. I thought I was over the worst of the whispers, nasty comments, and openly hostile stares that had plagued me ever since returning to Silverstar. I've been here nearly three months now, and things were settling down. One would think my teaching the packs’ kids would garner some respect.

But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Yesterday, Billie and her friends Gina and McKenna insisted I join them at the Roadhouse Bar for drinks. Deep down, I suspected it wasn't a good idea. My first instinct was to say no, but when I bumped into Billie coming out of the library, it was too damn hard to say no to her face. She and her friends have been so welcoming to me. I find it difficult not to put walls up with everyone, but they've made it pretty difficult.

I was so nervous walking into the bar, but my fears melted away as soon as I saw the women waving and beckoning me over to their table. They already had a pitcher of drinks and poured me a glass before I even sat down.

The evening turned out to be far funnier and livelier than I could have imagined. I was genuinely having a good time, even if I had to deflect lots of gossip about being seen out with Zack.

I think that's what made what happened next even more upsetting.

The pitcher was empty, so I took it up to the bar to get a refill. A couple of people were already waiting for drinks, so I waited my turn. But I noticed others in line behind me getting served before I did.

The first time, I thought it was an honest mistake. The second and third, I began to suspect the truth. The bartender was older, likely a wolf from my parents’ time. The more I tried to catch his eye, the more obvious it was that he was pointedly ignoring me.

My mind raced with ways to get out of the situation. I was about to head back to the table, give the women some money for the drinks, and fake a sudden migraine when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see McKenna, looking confused.

"Hey," she says. "How have you not been served yet?"

I fake a laugh and shrug. "You know—"

I'm about to say my excuse when she waves her hand. "Hey, Rick! Can we get some drinks? What's the holdup?"

The man flicks his towel, clearly agitated. He reluctantly heads down the bar toward us, holding his hands up. "Now, McKenna, you know I've no trouble with you fine women. I'll get you whatever you want. But I ain't serving her."

I feel McKenna bristle next to me. I turn to talk to her, but she puts her hand on my shoulder. "What the hell, Rick? This is ridiculous."

"Please, it's okay," I say, suddenly self-conscious of the wolves around us, listening intently. "I'm just going to go."

"You can't just go, sweetie,” McKenna insists. “We're getting this straightened out right now."

I look at Rick, who is glaring at me. Billie and Gina join us, and McKenna explains to them what's going on.

Billie approaches the bar. "Mateo won't stand for this, Rick. It's not how we do things here. Tanya is a teacher and a valued member of our pack."

Rick straightens. "Mateo can say all he wants, but this is my bar, and I'm not serving anyone from her thieving family. It's just not happening. End of story."

The women continued arguing with Rick. Though I appreciated their support, I didn't wait to hear the rest.

I turned and fled the bar with what felt like a million eyes on me. I'd only had two small drinks, so I headed straight to my truck. The women caught up, trying to get me to stay or go with them somewhere else, but I just wanted to get out of there. I insisted I was fine as Billie told me she was going to speak to Mateo and have him put a stop to this kind of persecution.

But how can Mateo police people's minds?

I groan as I remember how I managed to hold it together until I walked into my house, shut the door, and proceeded to cry all night.

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