Her Monster

WADE

I walked into Bears Bar, the noise almost deafening. It was Friday night, and Aldritch didn’t have too much to offer in the way of entertainment. I spotted my beta, Gabe, sitting at the bar drinking a beer with Wendy, one of the pack’s she-wolves, between his legs. He grinned when he saw me, gesturing to the beer that was already waiting for me.

Gabe loved the ladies, and regularly cycled through them. But to date, neither of us had found our mates.

I made my way through the throng, the crowd parting automatically before me. I grabbed a stool and sat down.

“About time you got here. I was about to drink your beer,” Gabe said in greeting.

“Someone has to do the work,” I replied, nodding a hello to Wendy.

“Please, all you do is delegate. You leave the hard work to me,” Gabe responded cheekily.

He turned to Wendy and whispered something in her ear. She looked at him with exasperation before stalking off.

I raised my eyebrows in question. “What was that all about? I thought she was your flavor of the month.”

“And seeing as it’s a new month, I need a new flavor,” he deadpanned.

“Dude, I feel sorry for your mate once you find her. You’ve managed to sleep with every she-wolf in the pack.”

“My mate will benefit from my extensive experience,” he threw back. “And just so you know, I haven’t slept with every she-wolf in the pack. I would never sleep with your mother.”

I slapped him upside the head, smiling. Only Gabe could get away with a joke like that—insensitive, but admittedly very funny.

“Anyway, I wanted to speak to you. Guess who is back in town?” Gabe said.

“Who?”

“Our little murderess, Erica Baxter.”

My mind instantly pictured her. I vividly remembered her big gray eyes and long blond hair. She was a few years younger than me, and we had played together most days when she stayed with her gran for the summer. I couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like now.

The pack had gossiped about the murder for weeks, following it on the news and talking about it around town. She became the Aldritch celebrity—Cilla’s granddaughter, a murderer.

I cleared my throat. “What is she doing here?” I asked casually, swigging my beer.

“According to our very extensive grapevine, she inherited her gran’s house. She’s already been by the bank, the power company, and the grocery store. By the looks of things, she plans on staying.”

“Oh, I guess we should keep an eye on her.” It had been hard to believe that shy, little Erica killed a fully grown man. There was a story there, for sure.

“Yeah, maybe you should keep two eyes on her. I think I recall that you liked keeping both eyes and hands on her.” Gabe smiled at me innocently, a twinkle in his eye.

“Seriously? We were just kids,” I deflected.

“She isn’t a kid anymore.”

“I’m not interested, Gabe,” I lied.

“Sure,” he quipped.

I finished my beer, and suddenly, I wasn’t in the mood to socialize.

“I’m off,” I told Gabe. “Try to behave yourself.”

“Fuck, Wade. You barely come out with us anymore. You need to kick back and enjoy yourself occasionally.”

“I’m tired of watching you hook up,” I replied. “I need some quiet.”

I walked out, breathing in the fresh air. I could feel my wolf itching to be free. I needed a run.

I walked toward the tree line and stripped, shifting into my wolf. I ran for a good while before I found myself at the edge of the forest near Spruce Street. Who was I kidding? I wanted to see Erica. Just a glimpse would do, but I doubted she would be sitting on the porch waiting for me to pop by.

“You know, Gabe is right. You’ve become boring,” my wolf, Bo, said.

“Shut up, Bo. I’m not in the mood!” I replied.

Bo retreated with a hurt face, making me feel bad. The truth was that I had become distant. My entire life consisted of pack work and keeping the borders safe. I couldn’t seem to relax and enjoy myself. I was never very social, and became even less so since taking over the pack.

“All work and no play…” Bo said.

I ignored him and ran back to where I had stashed my clothes, got in my car, and drove back to the pack house. On the way home, I passed the burned-out alpha residence that had taken my father’s life. Maybe it was time to restore it. I was good with my hands, and I was tired of living in the pack house. The idea brought a smile to my face.