Chapter 3
Charlotte had driven all night, returned the rental car at San Francisco Airport, and then taken a taxi into the city.
The motel in Cow Hollow, a trendy and popular neighborhood, was clean and relatively inexpensive.
She’d slept almost the entire day, keeping her cell phone switched off so her parents wouldn’t have a way to track her.
While she’d had no choice but to use her credit card for the car rental, she’d paid the taxi and the motel with cash.
She needed time to think about how to proceed without her parents finding her and dragging her back.
When her stomach growled, she went to a pizza place a block away from the motel and indulged not only in a large pizza but also an equally decadent dessert.
She wasn’t worried about putting on weight.
Her werewolf genes gave her a higher metabolism than that of a human, burning calories efficiently without storing any unnecessary fat.
Any fashion model would be jealous of the effortlessness with which she kept her perfect figure.
Obesity was practically unheard of in the werewolf community.
Not wanting to return to the motel yet, Charlotte entered one of the many bars that lined busy Union Street. It was mid-week, and the place was rather quiet. She decided to sit at the bar and waved at the female bartender.
“A whiskey, please,” she said while pointing to the top shelf. “The good stuff.”
With senses sharper than those of a human and taste buds that didn’t tolerate subpar food or drink, she only drank quality alcohol.
She could hold her liquor, though she didn’t like to drink to excess.
Rather, she enjoyed a good glass of whiskey.
After the first few sips, she felt how her body began to relax for the first time since she’d ditched her parents and hightailed it out of San Bernardino.
It was time to figure out how to make her parents understand that she would never accept a mate that she wasn’t in love with. Clearly, reasoning with them hadn’t worked and only made her father more determined to pawn her off on a man she couldn’t stand the sight of.
She needed help. It wasn’t a coincidence that she’d decided to head north the moment she saw the sign for the freeway.
Instinctively, she’d made her way to see her brothers.
If anybody could change her father’s mind and advocate on her behalf, it was Jude and Austin.
Nevertheless, she’d stopped in San Francisco, less than an hour away from the Gallagher estate, where Jude was now the alpha.
She needed a couple of days to get her head in order so she could make a case for herself before she faced her brothers and asked for their help.
“How about another drink? On me.”
Charlotte looked up. It wasn’t one of the bartenders who’d spoken to her, but a man who’d approached the bar.
He wasn’t alone. Two other men were right behind him.
None of them piqued her interest. They were in their thirties, decent-looking, well-dressed, yet nothing stirred in her.
Besides, she didn’t like men who needed one or even two wingmen to approach a woman.
“No, thanks, I’m good.”
She turned her head back, lifted her almost empty glass, and drank the last sip. She tapped on the rim of the glass while motioning to the bartender. The woman nodded and reached for the whiskey bottle. As she poured the alcohol into her empty glass, the guy next to her huffed.
“So you do want another drink after all,” he said, his voice carrying an annoyed undertone.
She ignored him. She didn’t owe him or anybody else an explanation. Instead, she nodded at the bartender and handed her some cash.
“Let me get you your change,” the woman said.
“Keep it,” she said, then took a large sip from her drink.
“So, I’m not good enough for you?” the man asked.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed him sweep his eyes over her body, while one side of his mouth curled up in a sneer.
“Trust me, you’re not pretty enough to reject me. You’re a five at best. I’m a ten.”
The guy couldn’t shut up. He was starting to get on her nerves.
“I was doing you a favor by offering to buy you a drink.”
She turned slowly on her barstool to face him. “Then let me do you a favor in return.”
His expression changed to one of curiosity. His two friends moved closer, too.
“If you leave me alone, I won’t hurt you.”
Anger washed over the idiot who thought he was God’s gift to women.
“You heard the lady,” the bartender warned. “It’s time for you guys to leave.”
“Bitch!” the man hissed, though it wasn’t clear whether he meant the bartender or her.
It didn’t matter. His jaw clenched, and with another glare at her, he motioned to his friends.
“Let’s go. This place is going downhill.”
The three men left. Charlotte looked at the bartender.
“Regulars?”
“No. Boss wouldn’t tolerate guys like those on a regular basis. But we do get people like that in here from time to time.” She shrugged. “They had quite a bit to drink.”
“Guess that explains why that guy thought he was a ten.”
The bartender leaned in. “I think you’re the ten.”
There was a moment of silence between them, while the pretty blonde locked eyes with her. Charlotte’s breath hitched. This woman was coming on to her. She didn’t want to upset her. After all, she’d backed her up rejecting unwanted attention.
“Shame you’re not batting for my team,” the bartender finally said. “It’s okay. Just thought I’d give it a try.”
Charlotte smiled back. “I’m flattered. But, you’re right, I’m not into women.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “But I’m not into guys like that either.”
“Guys like that are the reason I’m glad I’m a lesbian.”
Another customer waved at her.
“Excuse me.”
As the bartender served the new customer, Charlotte took another swig from her glass.
She hadn’t met many gays or lesbians in her life.
Homosexuality was a subject that wasn’t discussed much within the werewolf society.
In fact, she’d never knowingly met a homosexual werewolf.
She only knew of rumors that werewolves who came out as gay or lesbian were shunned by their pack.
In fact, the rulebook of the Werewolf Alliance stated that homosexual werewolves could not be affiliated with the organization and would be expelled.
She found this edict outdated and unfair, but then, she wasn’t the one making the rules.
And right now, she wasn’t particularly happy having to live by them.
Because, despite this being the 21st century, women within a werewolf pack were still ruled by the men around them: first their fathers, then their husbands. So much for independence.
It suddenly got busier in the bar with a whole crowd of people arriving at the same time. With a wave to the bartender, she got up and headed for the door. She’d had enough to drink for one night.
The night air was damp and cool. It was mid-March, and California had been getting warmer, but apparently, San Francisco hadn’t gotten the memo.
Wisps of fog rolled over the streets and the sidewalk; headlights from the cars cut through them and parted the fog.
It looked as if somebody was pushing the fog against the buildings, where it seemed to disperse.
Ignoring the cars and the fog, she turned in the direction of her motel—and froze instantly.
Three men came toward her. She recognized them: the man who wanted to buy her a drink and his two wingmen.
Judging by their leader’s grim expression, they wouldn’t heed her warning.
And why should they? They had no idea that she was a werewolf and therefore infinitely stronger than the three of them combined.
Annoyance charged through her. Fighting them would mean she’d get dirty, her clothes would get stained with not only the grime of the street but also their blood. And she hadn’t packed many clothes since she was supposed to be gone for only two nights.
“Really?” She gave one slow shake of her head. “If you get my clothes dirty, I’m gonna get really, really pissed. And you don’t want to see me pissed.”
“You uppity bitch,” the ringleader said. “We’ll show you what happens to women who don’t show me the respect I’m due.”
“You’ll regret this,” she replied and readied herself, glad that she was wearing boots, not heels.
“I won’t, but you will,” he said before motioning to his two friends.
The two men moved toward her from their respective flanks, clearly attempting to cut off her escape routes, while the jerk who couldn’t take no for an answer went for her head-on.
Before he could reach her, she kicked her right leg out, landing it in his midsection, catapulting him down the sidewalk.
The other two now rushed her, attacking from the sides, each of them attempting to grab her arms. She managed to push one of them against a wall, disabling him for a brief moment, but the third asshole yanked her in the other direction with such force that she lost her balance and would have fallen on her ass if somebody behind her hadn’t caught her.
“You jerks should fight against somebody your own size,” the stranger behind her growled.
For some reason, the sound of his voice went through her, infusing her cells with something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was pleasant, despite the situation she found herself in. And despite the danger, the man who’d just injected himself into this uneven fight was in.
“Run, save yourself,” she ordered the stranger, keeping her eyes on her assailants, before he put her firmly back on her feet and finally entered her field of vision.
It took her less than a second to recognize what he was: not a human, but a werewolf in his humanoid form.
His aura was unmistakable, though invisible to anybody but a preternatural creature.
She didn’t get more than a glimpse at him before her three assailants were charging against both of them now.
She almost felt sorry for the three humans now: they had no idea what they were dealing with.
They came toward her and her fellow werewolf, still thinking they had a chance.
One of them pulled a knife from his pocket.
As if he could do much harm with a little switchblade.
She went straight for the jerk with the knife, gripping his wrist and twisting it so hard that he let out a pained scream, and the knife clattered to the ground.
Before he could land even one blow, she kneed him in the nuts, making him double over, crying out in pain, though this time the cry was muffled, indicating that all air had rushed out of his lungs.
She gave him another shove and tossed him against a wall.
When his body made a loud thud accompanied by a moan, she pivoted.
The stranger was fighting the two humans, alternately kicking and punching them.
Occasionally, the humans managed to land a blow or a kick, but the handsome werewolf didn’t even break a sweat, nor did he moan or show any sign that the hits caused him any pain.
He was a sight to behold: dark hair that was longer than was the fashion, a stubble beard, and a body with muscles in all the right places, without an ounce of fat on him.
A body that she wanted to touch, not to punch or kick, but to caress.
“You planning on leaving some for me?” she asked as she sidled up to him.
“Up to you. I can take them both if you want to sit this one out.”
It wasn’t a boast. She could see that he could knock out the two humans easily.
“And deprive me of the fun of pummeling these idiots? Not a chance!”
She punched one of the humans in the throat, making him choke and tumble backwards.
“Okay, I guess we’re done with them,” the werewolf replied and punched his opponent just as hard, making him stagger and eventually fall to the ground, moaning in pain.
When the idiot tried to get up, her knight in shining armor gave him a playful kick. “I’d stay down, if I were you,” he said calmly. “’Cause as soon as you get up, I feel obligated to knock you down again. And I’m not sure you can take any more. Am I right?”
A grunt was the answer.
“That’s what I thought.” Then he looked at her. “Unless you had any last wishes?”
Charlotte couldn’t help but smirk at his words. “I’m good.”
“Perfect. Then how about you buy me a drink to thank me for helping you?”
She met his gaze and held it. His eyes were deep brown, but there was a shimmer in them as if they contained flecks of gold. His scent now drifted to her, and it felt as if she was being wrapped in a cocoon. Her body responded. She knew now what she wanted.
“I’ve had enough to drink for tonight.”
As the words rolled over her lips, she noticed a disappointed frown appear on his face.
“Well, that’s a shame.”
He shrugged as if trying to show her that it didn’t matter that she’d rejected his suggestion. She took a slow step toward him, her gaze drifting from his lips to his neck, where his carotid artery pulsed.
“Fighting always makes me horny.”
A slow smile played around his lips, and the golden flecks in his irises seemed to multiply.
“I can help you out with that.”
His voice was pure velvet, promising exactly what she needed.
“I appreciate your help. I’ll make sure you’ll be richly rewarded for helping me out.”
He lifted his hand and brushed one finger over her lower lip. “And what would that reward encompass?”
Charlotte parted her lips and licked his finger, meeting his intense gaze, letting her action speak for itself.
He swallowed visibly. “My flat is two blocks away.”
“Then let’s hope I can hold out for that long…”