Page 1 of Her Bossy Wolf Protector

Chapter 1

Jade

“Another round of shots,” Alyssa yells at the cute bartender who’s been flirting with her all night.

“No… no. I’ve got an early morning,” I slur and realize that I should have left before the cocktails turned into tequila shots two rounds ago.

The pub is packed for a Sunday evening. The loud chatter drowns the pitchy pop music playing in the background. This is not how I envisioned spending the eve of my first day at work.

I was going to have a quiet night at home, but Alyssa can be persuasive. In a couple of hours, she managed to get us drunk. Next, she’ll be dragging me to the club.

“But we have to celebrate your new job. This is a big deal, Jade,” she pouts as the bartender places tequila shots in front of us.

“I’m sorry, Alyssa. I have to go.”

I reach for my purse before she uses her persuasion superpower on me. Tomorrow is my first day at Night Corp. Showing up drunk or hungover is not an option for a new marketing consultant in such a reputable company.

“Such a party pooper,” she rolls her eyes dramatically as she prepares to leave. “Bye,” she blows a kiss to the bartender, who winks at her.

“No, stay and have fun.” I gesture suggestively to the bartender, who has his back turned to us.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

The alcohol goes straight to my knees when I get up. I didn’t realize that I was that drunk. I lose my footing and almost fall on another drunk man walking behind me.

Alyssa and I giggle at my drunkenness.

“Okay, call me when you get home,” she says and calls the bartender over and starts to persuade him to take the shot with her.

“Should I call you an Uber?” The cute bartender asks when I stagger again.

“No, I live three blocks away. I’ll be okay.”

I manage to get to the door without bumping into anyone. The cool night air sobers me slightly, and I decide to walk the rest of the alcohol off.

The streets are empty, save for a few drunk people staggering down the sidewalk. I wrap my arms around my chest as I quicken my pace. Alyssa was right; this new job is a big deal, considering how I’ve had the devil’s luck hanging over my head all my life.

Finally, the universe is rewarding me for all those years of suffering.

A pained moan coming from the alley draws me out of my thoughts. I peer into the darkness and make out a faint figure.

“Hello?”

The moan grows louder. I look around to the empty street and back at the alley. A loud shriek compels me to go into the darkness.

“Hello? Are you okay?”

Silence greets me as my eyes adjust to the darkness. The figure suddenly disappears, and a cold draft of wind blows behind me.

I turn to leave and come face to face with glowing amber eyes. The alcohol in my system chooses that moment to remind me that I’m still drunk. My knees give out, and I fall to the ground. A brief moment of clarity makes me realize that I’m being robbed.

“Take it, everything’s in there.” I hold up my purse in front of me.

A low, animalistic growl makes me drop my purse. The creature, some kind of rabid coyote but ten times bigger, looks at me and studies me with a murderous glare. It foams at the mouth with its teeth bared at me.

This can’t be happening to me. I can’t die this way.

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