The Russian's Defiant Wolf

Anna

“Anna,” the sound of my name being spoken drew me back to the present.

“Hmm?” I turned in the direction of the voice to find Casey, my best friend, staring at me, a concerned yet amused expression upon her face. When had she gotten there?

“Are you okay?” she questioned, her brow wrinkling with concern.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I forced a smile.

“Well, you’ve been drying the same glass and staring at the bar top for the past ten minutes. You haven’t heard a single word I’ve said, have you?” She chuckled.

I dropped my gaze to my hands to find she was correct. The memories were so strong this time that I hadn’t heard Casey or even realized what I’d been doing.

“Oh,” I set the glass on the bar top and hung the cloth onto its designated hanger beneath.

“Sorry, my mind was somewhere else.” The bar in which I worked had been closed for an hour, and along with the rest of the bar staff, we were going about the nightly cleaning routine, readying the bar for the next day.

As usual every Friday night, it had been a long and busy night. The entire pack had been present, along with outsiders, humans who knew of our kind.

“How are you anyway?” Casey said again, reminding me I was yet to give her attention. Get out of your head, Anna! “We’ve barely spoken since…” Casey trailed off, and I looked away from her aqua-blue eyes.

“Case,” I sighed. “I’m fine. You can talk about it. It’s been twenty years.”

“Twenty years since your parents’ death, yes. But the hunters were only caught a month ago.”

“I know.” I closed my eyes at the fresh hurt. The empty pit inside me aching anew.

“I’m sad that it took twenty years to find the hunters.” I reopened my eyes to find hers on me again.

A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. It was the first time in a whole month that it was genuine. Small steps.

“I’m glad the hunters are dead. Now my parents can have their revenge in the afterlife, right?”

Casey shook her head, her long, mousy-blond locks swaying at her shoulders. “No, they can’t. Hunters most definitely go to hell, my friend.

“Where they suffer unimaginable pain for all eternity, for all the pain they have caused us.” At that, my smile grew. But then she continued, “At least now you can move on.”

“I guess.” I sighed again. For twenty years, all I’d dreamed about, all I’d wanted out of life, was to have revenge for my parents.

Then finally, a month ago, I’d heard news that trackers had found the monsters responsible.

At the time, I’d been prepared to tear them limb from limb, but my grandfather, who was the spitting image of my father and our pack’s reigning alpha, had forbidden me from carrying out any torture.

He allowed me to see them only once and at a distance while they were still breathing.

That’s not to say I didn’t try, but one female, even with enhanced strength and speed, was no match against four males.

Or a reinforced steel door when I’d been locked up for, as my grandfather put it, “my own good.”

The next time I’d seen the hunters, they were dead and about to be burned. From the brief glimpse I got of the bodies, they’d clearly been tortured, but not nearly enough for my liking.

And they’d been killed too quickly. If it had been my decision, I’d have made them suffer for months. After all, they’d made me suffer for twenty years.

Much to the alpha’s annoyance, I still wasn’t speaking to him or my aunt, Nina, who had taken my grandfather’s side.

As angry as I was, Casey was right. It was time to move on. But what now? By Casey’s growing smirk, I knew she had an answer, and I already knew I’d hate it.

“I have just the thing to help you move on.” Here we go. “You know the Christmas party is coming up soon?” I inwardly cringed but refrained from rolling my eyes.

Every year, the pack held a party two weeks before Christmas, and every year, Casey played matchmaker with all the single females within the pack. Especially with me.

Casey was sweet, but the pack was small, and there were only so many available males left, half of which were cubs.

“You know, Case? As much as I love you, my dear sweet friend, I’m afraid you have already set me up with most of the pack. At least twice. My mate isn’t here.” Thankfully that was true.

I wasn’t ready to meet him anytime soon.

Casey rolled her eyes and chuckled, like she did every time I spoke of mates. Casey had never been a one-man kind of woman, and I couldn’t recall her ever spending the night with the same male twice.

Casey reached over the bar and grabbed my shoulder, giving me a shake.

“I’m not talking about you getting mated yet. You’re twenty-six. I’m talking about you, Anna Banana.” I sneered at the nickname.

“I’m talking about you getting out there and getting the best fuck of your life. Or in your case, your first fuck.

“You’re a twenty-six-year-old virgin werewolf, for Christ’s sake!” A blush stained my cheeks.

Sure, it was no secret that I didn’t sleep around, but somehow Casey always managed to make me embarrassed about my lack of promiscuity.

“Besides,” she continued. “This is the twenty-first century. Gone are the days where we mate for life. We are a dying breed.

“If we all mated for life with our own kind, then some of us would be getting a little too close for comfort with those that we shouldn’t.

“Our pack is sixty strong, but I’m related to ten who live in this town.” Her nose scrunched with distaste at the thoughts running through her mind.

She shook her head to clear them, then once again continued. “Odds are, your mate is human. Why don’t you come into the city with us this weekend? You’ve never been to a nightclub.”

“I work in a bar,” I protested. She dropped her arms from my shoulders.

“Exactly!” Casey’s voice rose in pitch, and she stomped her foot in a childish manner—Casey could throw a tantrum to make any child envious. “You work, you always work.

“You’re never the one on the dance floor, grinding your hips against someone. Trust me, if you pick the right human male, they have just as much stamina in the bedroom as our males.

“Humans at the minute are obsessed with working out and competing with their friends over who has the biggest muscles.” She waggled her eyebrows.

I snorted with amusement; she was incorrigible. “I think I’ll pass. Besides, you know I hate this time of year.” I couldn’t help the way my shoulders drooped. Christmas was all about family.

Especially within a small pack. Casey had a large family; Aunt Nina had her mate. All I had was my grandfather, who I had no intention of speaking to anytime soon.

“Ah, ah.” Casey put a finger to my lips. “We’re making new memories this year, and I have a surprise. We’re being joined by another pack for Christmas.”

“What?” I said when she dropped her hand to the bar top. This was news to me. How the hell had Casey found out this before me? Probably because every time your grandfather enters a room, you exit.

“Who?”

“The Oborot pack.” She stated this as if I should know the pack. I didn’t, but the name sounded familiar.

“They’re Russian?” I asked.

“Yes, they’ve been in America for over twenty years. Word is, they were chased out of Russia by hunters.” I didn’t have time to mask the hurt. It must have shown on my face, so Casey moved on quickly.

“Anyway, their pack is joining us for the Christmas celebrations, and they’re staying through to the new year. How good does that sound? Having naked hot Russian guys running around?

“It’s going to be the best Christmas ever!” she exclaimed, smiling like the Cheshire Cat, all the while clapping her hands together in giddy excitement.

“Come on, you’ve finished your barmaid duties.” She clasped my hands with hers. “We have planning to do. This year I’m going to make sure that Anna gets herself a Russian meaty banana or two.”

“Do you know how disgusting you are, Case?” I couldn’t help but smile as I sputtered out the insult. Especially when she shot me her most innocent “who me?” look.