THE BROKEN LUNA: ALPHA'S CURSE MATE

CHAPTER THREE

Kicking Ethan on the nuts was probably a really bad idea but in all the years of abuse, he’d never come at me alone like that. And he’d never put his hand around my throat. I wasn’t sure was snapped to cause him to up the ante, but I wasn’t going to stick around to find out. Maybe it was the thought of losing his favorite victim that was pushing him to the edge. Maybe he didn’t want me to be happy and figure, he’d kill me before I could leave. Worse, what if his shift has unlocked some kind of violent streak? I mean, he’d always be violent, but this was insane. I had no desire to see what he would be like with power. The whole pack was f****d when he took over as alpha.

Whatever the reason Ethan had crossed a line I didn’t even know existed I couldn’t let him get me alone again.

Nola, those boxes aren’t going to unpack themselves; Jude, my manager called. I shook myself out of reflection and got to work pulling cans of beans out and putting on the shelf. I’d manage to avoid Ethan for the rest of the day, but my head was still fizzy and achy from our encounter. I probably did have a concussion. Asshole. At least I hadn’t throw up this time. Maybe I was getting better at hiding my symptoms. Ugh my sucked so hard. There was no way leaving this place was going to make my life worse.

Working my way through the boxes of beans, I moved on to corn and beets. I wrinkled my nose. How did we sell enough beets that we had to restock them every week? Did wolf shifters developed a secret craving for beets? It was the oddest thing. I’d never had them in my life but every week, I had to restock them.

The mindless work was a good distraction. None of the customers made eye contact with me at all. I was the broken wolf and I was used to being treated like I was contagious. I suppose it was better that way. There were absolutely no ties to this place for me to break when I left.

The hours passed quickly as I emptied boxes and stocked shelves. Finally I was caught up and it was time to haul out the recycling. I broke down all the boxes and stacked them up so I could carry them out, the cool spring air had turned cold now that the sun was gone and goosebumps spread across my bare arms. I usually lingered out here for a few minutes to enjoy the open air, especially this time of the year when dumpsters weren’t stinking from heat, but it was a little colder than I expected.

I tossed the boxes into the bin and then wiped my dusty hands on my apron before turning back to the door. A solitary figure was blocking my entry back into the store. There was no light back here and my vision wasn’t any better than a normal human but I could make out the familiar shape.

Ethan six-foot-four frame was difficult to miss. Even in the dim light I could tell it was him. This was a first. He’d never show up to my work before and he certainly had never cornered me in an alley before. Was this payback for the kick in the bathroom? It wasn’t the first time I’d landed a hit in the family jewels, but it had been a while since I’d been desperate or stupid.

After all my escape plans, I had not seen this coming my pulse raced but I wasn’t about to let him know I was scared. Crossing my arms over my chest, I faced him, chin held high. Move out of my way.

I could kill you, you know. Nobody would even miss you. I wonder how many days you’d sit back here with the rest of the trash before they found the body. He took a step away from the door, moving towards me. I held my ground, unwilling to yield to him. This was beyond normal bullying. I didn’t realize you’d move on to stalking. How nice to see you think so highly of me that you had to go out of your way to see me.

You know exactly what this is about, he hissed why don’t you enlighten me? Clearly I wasn’t part of the group text about whatever the f**k this is I said.

You shouldn’t even be here, he said

Yeah, yeah, you tell me that daily; my fear was easing. This wasn’t anything new, this was the same old s**t he always pulled. Maybe he just didn’t get enough today.

I mean it, Nola, he said. You can’t be here.

Well, as I tell you every day, I’m happily out of here as soon as I can. Unlike you, I’m stuck here. I moved my hands to my hips. Hey, I have no idea. Why don’t you leave for a week and when you come back you have to see my face ever again

A low guttural sound came from Ethan. The growl was primal and sent a shiver down my spine. I’d never heard a sound like that. Involuntarily I took a step backward. Ethan moved towards me, his whole body tensed, teeth bared, eyes bright. Too bright. As in he was fighting the change or trying to bring it on.

Calm down, you don’t want to do that here; I backed up again. This was too far even for Ethan. He was a brand new wolf. He’d shifted for the first time a few weeks ago and unless he had ridiculous control, he likely hadn’t shifted again. Most wolf shifters were forced into the shift on the full moons for the first few months or they’d shift if they were threatened or emotional. Once they gained control of their wolves they could shift on command and weren’t beholden to the moon. But Ethan wasn’t an experienced shifter. This shouldn’t be possible. He was letting his emotions run wild.