39

DAISY

I was on my third drink when Valerie slid into the bar stool, next to mine. She let out a labored breath and signaled to the bartender for a glass of tequila.

”You're late,“ I said with a smile. It was supposed to come off as a tease, but Valerie was oddly in no mood for jokes.

“Blame it on that perv,” She blurted out, somewhat irritatedly, gulping down her drink. The bartender had dropped it in front of her a second ago.

Okay, this was the last mood I expected her to be in. When she called me up a while ago and asked that we hang out here, she was psyched to visit the biggest clubhouse in the region.

The fact that we just got to California today and I was still jet lagged didn't mean a thing to Valerie. She wanted to party, and she was hellbent on bringing me along.

But then, she went to check out her new apartment and asked me to wait for her here, like right here at this bar spot. Quoting her, she said, ”The bar is the most eye-catching spot in a clubhouse. It'll be easier for me to find you when I arrive at the club”,

I indulged her every silliness and waited here at the bar for over an hour and she was yet to get here. Now she did, but she seems to have lost the vibe for tonight. Great, we might as well go home.

”What perv?“ I twirled slightly, staring straight at her. What have you done this time, Valerie? She's never without troubles and fights and issues. She's the most mischievous, temperamental 23-years old out there. Reckless to a fault and barely rational. Valerie loved breaking the rules. She's never been one to color within lines like I do. She had a lot of vices too. That was the one, ugly thing about her.

Liam and I always have our hands full trying to get her to quit some of her vices. And as a young model, her agency is always on her tail, ready to clean up her messes. But she has a heart of gold if you get to know her, and that makes her a gem.

”I met him at my new apartment, just as I stepped out of the elevator,“ She said. She seemed pissed off, but there was this unsure feeling in her eyes. It was hidden, but I could see it.

“Did he attack you?” I asked.

“Nah, I bumped into him…”

Mr. Lawrence had arranged one of his houses for us as we arrived here but Valerie wanted an apartment she could stay alone in. She needed her own space and was determined to get it. Mr. Lawrence gave in to her request and found her an apartment. They both went to check it out.

I listened keenly as Valeria babbled about this mysterious guy and her encounter with him.

“...he was one hell of a hunk, gotta admit. But the way his hands roamed my ass and his eyes were feasting on my boobs made him a real perv. I lost it and I hit his face,“

“You did what?” I gasped in a shriek. But no one noticed, all thanks to the loud music.

I was beyond shocked at her words. Hitting a random guy in the face was gonna land her ass in trouble, especially if that guy happens to be a werewolf. Maybe I should warn her about my kind. But then, can I? It's above me to warn her. I might just get into trouble for ratting my kind out to a human. But what do I do? She can't just go around hitting people's faces.

“I couldn't help it, D. It was the last ounce of my pride. If I let him have that too, then I'm gonna feel trashy all day. He acted the perv, and I gave a reaction any girl would. It's that simple,“ She shrugged nonchalantly, fiddling with her shot glass.

Simple? The hell it was. If she'd hit an irritating werewolf, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. She would have already been ripped into pieces.

“I'm hungry, D,” She said, swirling the stool as her eyes danced around the crowd.

”Let's go grab some snacks…”

“That's not what I meant, silly,“ She chuckled, her red hair dancing to the rhythm of her laughter.

Oh, right. She wants to fuck. Valerie was a damn sex addict. One of her vices. She can't stay a week without getting her pussy pounded. She tries to get me to roll like her, but I do not feel cool fucking a guy I have no emotional attachment with.

The fuck I had with the one-night stand the other night was the first time I was giving it a try. And honestly, It wasn't worth it. So I don't plan on doing that again.

”Uh, Valerie, can we not do that tonight?” I asked.

“Why not? I wanna have a taste of a California dick,” She mused, biting her lower lip lustfully. Her eyes were on the search for the 'lucky' guy she's gonna spend her first night in California with.

How do I tell her that more than half the guys here are werewolves, and no matter how high her sex drive was, she'll tire out before getting a werewolf guy to cum?

Werewolves are more intense during sex, and they use more strength and take longer before they hit their orgasm. For a human, it's impossible to stay that long and not lose every bit of your strength.

Even with my wolf still inactive, I can very well spot a werewolf. I still feel the connection.

Since it was impossible to warn her, I might as well go with the flow. Don't wanna be a killjoy.

“Well, look around and snag up any guy of your choice,” I said, trying to sound as lustful as she was.

But deep down, I prayed she wouldn't wind up with a werewolf, or worse, a rogue. That'll be the death of her.

Thankfully, I had my cell phone in my hand, so I heard it ring. I checked the caller ID, it was Liam. The music was too loud for me to take the call here

“Be right back, Valerie,“ I whispered to her and headed out of the clubhouse. The call was gonna end so I quickly picked it up, “Hello, Liam,“

I was shoving past the thousands of people so I could get outside real fast.

“Where are you, Daisy?” Liam asked.

I opened my mouth to answer but I heard Valerie's shriek. It was so loud you could hear it over the music. I spun around, but I couldn't see her. These dancing bodies were blocking my sight.

”Was that Valerie's voice?” Liam asked again,

”Y-yes, it was,”

”Where the hell are you guys?”

I got to the door and headed out, but I did a quick prayer for Valerie. I hope she isn't in big trouble right now.

******

LOGAN

I raced down the VIP section and shoved my way through the dance floor. It was hard getting past these inebriated humans, but I was determined to get to the female I saw earlier. She looked so much like Daisy, scratch that, it was Daisy.

She was right there at the bar. This was the closest I'd been to her ever since she left. I can't let this opportunity slide. I can't let my doubts get the best of me. If only I hadn't rejected her, if only we still had the mate bond, then maybe, I would have gotten the electrifying feeling any werewolf gets when they're close to their mate. It would have been the validation I needed right now that the girl I saw earlier was Daisy.

“But you broke the bond, fucking idiot,” my Wolf chided me. His name was Flynn.

“Gee, thanks for being so supportive, Flynn. Means a lot,” I gave a sarcastic comeback.

Just like Father, Flynn wasn't ready to let me off the hook for what I did to Daisy years back. He chides me at any chance he gets. I kept him away from his mate and he's never gonna forgive me for that.

He became unbearable and cold, just like Jake, except he was towering over Jake with a few points.

I broke into a sprint as I noticed the female heading towards the exit. She seemed to be in a rush and I would have called out her name if it wasn't for the music.

“Daisy!” I called out, deciding that it was worth a try. With her werewolf-enhanced hearing, she might hear me calling.

“Da–” I got cut off as I collided with a waitress, spilling the drink on her tray. I muttered a quick sorry to her and was gonna run past her, but the shriek that followed brought me to an abrupt stop.

I turned around and my keen gaze was on a female, drenched in the wine that just spilled.