Chapter 2
Patrick – “Trick” to his pack and friends and anyone who’d ever tried to get his attention across a crowded bar – liked working the door at The Amber Howl.
It wasn’t glamorous, but it suited him.
He liked knowing who came in, who left, who needed watching so they didn’t overindulge and give Dare more trouble than he needed.
The Amber Howl belonged to their small wolf pack in the town of King Lake.
It had just been the three brothers – Sigh, Trick, and Dare – until Sigh found his truemate in a human named Juliette.
Now, Trick and Dare were hopeful they would be the next to find their mate.
He liked being a bouncer, although he rarely had to bounce anyone. While humans came to the tavern from across the Pine Run River bridge, the shifter vibe of the tavern kept people from getting too out of control. For the most part.
And he was a big guy who growled.
People didn’t usually fuck with him.
Tonight had been easy so far. Wednesdays were like that.
Midweek crowd, the rush on Monday for Sigh’s burger of the week had petered out until the weekend.
This week’s burger was named for him. A smashburger called the Trick Smash.
Juliette had suggested it after their pack had talked one night about whether the burgers were part of fate and would bring mates together, since Juliette had shown up at the tavern for Sigh’s favorite burger, the Blue Monster.
Three days and no mate for Trick, though.
He leaned against the end of the counter, scanning the room while Dare tended the bar and Sigh helped deliver food along with their server, Tara.
As Sigh set burgers and fries at a table, the smile on his face was one that Trick had noticed recently.
His brother was far happier than he’d ever seen him.
Finding his forever-girl had certainly changed his attitude.
Not that Trick was jealous.
Much.
Juliette was sweet and funny, a good balance to Sigh’s general grumpiness before he’d met her. She’d softened the whole place in the two weeks she and Sigh had been together, including making Dare a little less likely to growl at someone who was annoying him while he worked.
Sigh had told him that morning that he hoped Trick found his truemate soon. That he would know the moment she walked into his life that she was his. Like a lightning strike to the heart.
He did believe in truemates, but that didn’t mean he thought he’d find her anytime soon.
Maybe the Trick Smash wasn’t magical in a bring-a-guy-his-mate way so much as a nice homage to his favorite kind of burger.
Believing in truemates and fate was one thing.
But living it, going home to an empty house and emptier bed every night while his wolf waited impatiently for his mate, was an entirely different, lonely thing.
The front door opened.
Trick looked up out of habit.
And suddenly he couldn’t breathe.
She stepped into the tavern like she wasn’t sure she belonged there, one hand still on the door, brown hair loose around her shoulders. Her hazel eyes swept the room like she was looking for someone.
For a heartbeat, Trick didn’t move.
He couldn’t.
Then his lungs were burning and his wolf was howling, and a single word slammed into place in his mind, certain and absolute: mine.
He let out the breath he’d involuntarily held and caught her scent as he inhaled, coffee and cinnamon mixed with honey.
The noise of the tavern faded as he straightened and turned fully toward the curvy female. Everything around him blurred into nothing as her gaze found his.
His wolf let out another howl, this one filled with determination to claim.
He pushed away from the bar and walked toward her, holding himself back from running and tossing her over his shoulder like a caveman.
“Hey,” he said, drawing close to her. “You looking for someone?”
Her gaze flicked over him, her breath catching and her eyes darkening.
That was a good sign. At least he wasn’t the only one affected.
She opened her mouth and a quiet squeak came out. Her cheeks pinked and he was enchanted by the blush. “Juliette,” she said after clearing her throat. “I’m looking for Juliette.”
Her voice made his spine tingle.
Holy hell she was gorgeous.
Everything about her immediately called to him.
Lightning strike to the heart indeed.
He realized Juliette had talked about this female. “Are you Cassidy?”
“That depends.”
He grinned. “She mentioned you. I’m Patrick, but everyone calls me Trick.”
“Trick.” She said his nickname and it made him feel like he was going to come unglued.
“Have a seat at the bar, I’ll get Juliette for you.”
“So, she’s here,” she said, her voice going flat.
He stared at her for a moment, seeing the disappointment in her eyes. “You came here looking for her and didn’t know she’d be here?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Gotcha. Have a seat, I’ll be right back.”
He watched her sit at an empty stool at the bar and caught Dare’s gaze. He gave the male a thumbs up and Dare nodded with a smile. Then Trick strode back to the kitchen. As the door swung shut, he let out a happy sigh.
“Juliette,” he said, finding her seated near the grill while Sigh cooked.
She turned. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Cassidy is here.”
The color leeched from her face. She gasped. “Oh no! It’s Wednesday. Damn it, Sigh, you made me forget what day it is!”
Sigh grinned sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”
“What’s going on?” Trick asked.
“Cass and I meet on Wednesdays for dinner. And,” she looked at her phone, “oh it’s dead! Double damn it. If she came here looking for me, she must be pissed.” She rose to her feet. “Is she pissed?”
“She’s not happy.”
“Oh crap. I have to talk to her. I even picked out the damn place we were supposed to meet! She must want to throttle me.”
As she moved past him, Trick said, “Don’t piss her off too much. She’s my mate.”
Juliette froze and then pressed her hands to her mouth. “Oh! I’m so happy!”
“I guess my burgers are magic,” Sigh said, pointing his spatula at Trick with a smile.
“To be fair, she didn’t come here for the smashburger, she came here because your talented tongue made me forget what day it is,” Juliette said.
“That’s way more than I needed to know,” Trick said, making a face.
Sigh grinned and clicked his tongue. “Go make amends. I’ll make her the special.”
“That would be helpful,” Juliette said. She looked at Trick. “I’ll smooth things over with her, but if you could distract her from me being a shitty friend, I’d appreciate it.”
“I’ll do my best.”
He followed Juliette out into the main area and took up his post by the door, listening as Juliette apologized for getting caught up in moving into Sigh’s house.
“I was worried, then I was mad,” Cassidy said. “Now I feel like a loon because I walked in here to make you feel bad for ghosting me for a guy you’ve known for two weeks, but I’m the one who feels like I’m intruding.” She pushed off the stool. “I should go.”
Trick opened his mouth to tell her to stay, when Juliette said, “Stay, please. Sigh is making you the special. I’m a terrible friend, and I owe you a hundred apologies.”
“To start.” She pressed her lips together, then said softly, “I’m happy for you and Sigh, I just wasn’t ready for things to change so fast.”
“I know. I really am sorry.”
“You forgot me tonight,” Cassidy said.
“I did, and I hate that I did.”
Cassidy looked away, blinking fast, and Trick saw the emotion in her eyes. She was genuinely hurt by Juliette, and it made his wolf restless. It wasn’t his situation to fix, but he wanted to all the same.
“I promise I’ll do better.”
There was a beat of silence, and he thought Cassidy might try to leave. Instead, she glanced at Trick, and he saw something soften in her. Then she hugged Juliette. “I forgive you.”
Juliette grinned. “I’ll go get your burger. Then I’ll sit with you while you eat. You’ll love the Trick Smash, it’s a great burger.”
She walked back into the kitchen, and Cass swiveled on the stool and looked at Trick. “Is that burger named after you?”
“Yep.”
She hummed. “Juliette had one named after her too, the Juliette Melt.”
“It’s a new thing with Sigh, naming the burgers after the pack members.”
A few people came in and he greeted them, holding the door as they walked through. When he looked back to Cassidy, a human male who’d been drinking for the last hour had moved to sit next to her.
“Hey, you new around here?” the male asked. He wasn’t drunk, but he was definitely getting close to that point.
Everything in Trick narrowed down to the way Cassidy’s whole body tensed and she leaned away from him.
Before the male could get another word out, Trick moved between them, looming over the male. “She’s good,” Trick said.
“I was just talking,” the male said.
“And now you’re done.”
The male opened his mouth like he was going to argue, when Trick let out a low growl, just enough to trigger the part of the male’s brain that registered he was talking to a lethal predator.
“I’ll just go back to my friends,” he said, slipping off the stool.
“Smart.”
The male muttered under his breath as he moved back to a table with several other males. Trick stared at them until they avoided his glare, and then he turned to Cassidy.
“Do you do that a lot?” she asked.
“Move half-drunk guys away from beautiful females?”
Her eyes widened. “I mean act like a wall between a girl and unwanted attention.”
“It’s part of my job, but also I could tell you didn’t want him near you.”
Her mouth quirked up. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And thanks for getting Juliette for me.”
“Well, you came here for her.”
Something in the air changed between them. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t think I did.”
He went still.
He moved subtly closer, inhaling her sweet scent. “Cassidy,” he said, his voice rough with his wolf.
She didn’t lean away like she had with the human. In fact, she leaned in a little closer. His control started to unravel, his wolf reacting to her being so close.
He brushed his fingers over her cheek, tucking a lock of silky hair behind her ear.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispered, leaning in a little closer.
“I don’t want to.”
The second their mouths met, heat tore through him, his wolf howling in his head.
Cass made a small sound in the back of her throat and fisted his shirt, holding him close.
He slipped his hand to the back of her neck and drew her closer, until every soft inch of her was pressed against him and the only word on his mind was one: mine.
As their tongues danced together, and his heart pounded out a staccato beat, he heard a cleared throat behind him and reality crashed in far too fast.
Cassidy looked a little drunk when she opened her eyes, swooning from the kiss.
He could relate.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Juliette said behind him.
Cassidy smiled. “It’s okay.” She met his gaze. “When I’m done hanging out with Juliette, maybe we can talk?”
“I’ll be here.”
She nodded and he brushed his thumb along her jaw and she shivered.
Stepping away, he went back to his post at the door, keeping one eye on the patrons and one eye on his truemate.
Dare met his gaze and gave him a thumbs up.
Trick grinned. The week a burger was named after him, his truemate showed up at The Howl. Cassidy might not be there for the burger, but he was beginning to believe that Sigh’s burgers were really magic.
Dare was definitely going to want the next burger.