Jaded Anchor: The Wolf

Chapter Two Rowen

Rowen was sitting at the bar of the Jaded Anchor with a drink in his hand. His other hand was resting on the small of some blonde’s back. Amber, Ember. Something that ended in ‘er' he thought. She had her head leaned in and was trying to talk to him over the loud music coming from the band. He loved this bar. Most of the time he was there. The Blakesley family owned it but Rowen had been the manager for the past two years. He liked booze and women, two things that his bar, in particular, had plenty of. Honestly, it was a good way to show his dad he was responsible while still being able to drink and pick up girls. Best of both worlds.

The bar was a local fixture of the town of Silverport. Everyone loved the atmosphere of the Jaded Anchor. It was always the spot to be, and Rowen would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the attention. Running the bar had been his goal since he was a little boy. He liked to think he was born for this job. His father on the other hand would point out he was born for a far more important job, becoming the Alpha of the WestBeach Pack.

He oversaw all aspects of the bar, from the payroll to the ordering. He liked to bartend also from time to time. Running the bar gave him the chance to get to know his customers. It gave him the information he needed when deciding who he would take home. No one who was too drunk, no one who was wearing a ring, no one who seemed clingy, and most importantly no one who expected anything more than s*x. It wasn’t hard to find the right girl to have a little fun with. Usually, girls looking for a good rebound f**k were his favorites. No better way to get over someone than to get under someone else. At least that’s what he liked to believe. In reality, he knew it wasn’t true. It didn’t matter how many people he got under he still only thought about one girl. The image of Alexandra was burned into his psyche. Each woman he slept with was just a placeholder for his first love.

It was for the best anyways, he didn’t have time for relationships. He found it easier to just f**k around anyway. No strings. No commitments. No expectations. Just fun. He had enough responsibilities looming over him from his pack. His dad wanted him to be Alpha, but Rowen wasn’t sure he wanted that.

His eyes continued to scan the room, the blonde was slurring her words and had just shifted herself onto his “Do not f**k” list. Maybe tonight would be one of his dry nights. It happened from time to time, even a player like Rowen had standards. He wouldn’t just sleep with anyone.

The scent of another wolf caught his attention. Mostly because all the wolves in the bar belonged to his pack. This scent was different but still somewhat familiar. Rowen jerked his eyes towards the entrance of the bar and his heart stopped. What the f**k is Alexandra Shaw doing in my bar? He thought to himself while his gaze followed the redhead through the crowd of people.  

“Rowen Blakesley…” Alexandra said after she came to a stop in front of him. He noticed Alexandra eyeing the blonde, whose name he still couldn’t remember. The girl had moved closer to him, pressing her body next to his at the arrival of Alexandra.

“Yes?” Rowen said trying to seem indifferent to seeing his old girlfriend again. She looked so familiar but so different at the same time. She wasn’t a teenager anymore. Her hair still flowed down her back in dark auburn curls and she was still short maybe 5’2, but her body had filled out well. Her jeans were just tight enough to show off the fullness of her ass. Her shirt, although covering more than most of the women in the bar, still flattered her breasts. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. No, Alexandra Shaw was a gorgeous full-grown woman. He let his eyes travel down her body quickly before he brought his eyes back to her face. Her ocean green eyes seemed to sparkle beneath the lights of the bar. He noticed her cheeks held a little more color now, he supposed she had noticed him checking her out. He didn’t care. She was drop dead gorgeous and he knew he wasn’t the only male in the bar who noticed it.

“Yes? Yes? That’s all you have to say to the girl who you used to love?” Alexandra said in what he picked up as her teasing voice, although she seemed to put an extra emphasis on the word love. She wasn’t wrong. He had been in love with her from the first time she kissed him on her fifteenth birthday. He was putty in her tiny hands back then. He noticed her eyes had roamed over his body too, the fact caused his lips to pull at the edges into a little grin.

“Hello, Little Siren.” He hadn’t seen Alexandra Shaw in six years. They had been sixteen when she left. They were twenty-two now, and he couldn’t get over how all f*****g grown up she looked. “You’re back?” His words held a question that she seemed to pick up on.

“I had an interview today in town. It got pushed back until tomorrow. I hadn’t planned on staying overnight so I didn’t book a room before I came. I honestly forgot how hard it was to find a place to stay in town during spring break.” He listened to Alexandra as she spoke forcing himself to keep his eyes on hers and not her body. Normally Silverport wasn’t very crowded, but at certain times of the year the hotels filled up quickly with tourists visiting the beach.

“I can’t believe I actually ran into you. I assumed you were still in town but to actually run into you like this is crazy. I haven’t seen you in forever. Not since the day I had to leave town. I still remember that day. You are the only boy who has ever broken my heart.” From the look on her face, Rowen gathered he was the only one who had ever gotten the chance to. Seemed she had walls built up high guarding that pretty little heart of hers now. Skyscraper height walls, he was sure.

Rowen remembered that day too. He had met her at the beach. They weren’t supposed to be hanging out. His father hated hers, in fact, it had been his father’s pack who had killed her parents. Rowen didn’t discover that until after Alexandra had been forced to leave town.

On the day she left he had told her he would miss her but that the two of them should end things. She begged him not to. She swore she would move back when she turned eighteen. He was young and didn’t really understand the meaning of a long-distance relationship. He knew it wouldn’t work. He kissed her one last time before he walked away and left her crying on the beach. He had been an asshole to leave her like that crying, but he thought it was for the best. He didn’t think he would ever see her again, even though she had promised she would be back.

“We were so young. I am sure your heart wasn’t really broken. I bet you were over me before the sun rose the next morning.” Rowen looked over at her, trying to determine whether she was serious. Had he really broken her heart? It had broken his leaving her on the beach like that. The two of them had a short romance but they had been best friends long before that. They hadn’t done anything serious. A little bit of kissing and a whole lot of teasing. They always stopped before they went all the way. Deciding he didn’t really want to know if he indeed broke her heart, he quickly tried to shift the conversation in a different direction.

“Where are you looking for a job at? Are you planning on moving back to Silverport? Where did you end up moving to?” Rowen rambled question after question in hopes of shifting the subject.

“Not quite that soon. But I did manage to get over it eventually... Six years is a long time, plenty of time to mend a broken heart.” He watched her as she spoke, still unsure if she was really there or if he had a few too many shots. He never thought he would see the only girl he ever loved again. He also noticed that his attempt to change the subject hadn’t worked. Typical, Lexie.

 “I can’t believe Jules never told you. I mean I know I made her swear, but I figured she’d slip up at least once. I moved to Tuscaloosa. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Alabama, Roll Tide, so I am interviewing for a job at the hospital.” Alexandra said the ‘roll tide’ without thinking, he could tell by the way she slipped it into the sentence. It was as if the words were integrated into the sentence as if they belonged there. In Alabama, it was like a staple of life. You either yelled Roll Tide or War Eagle.

“My goal has always been to move back to Silverport, you know this. This is home, even if my pack is gone. And even if the boy I loved broke my heart.” She teased before leaning against the bar. Rowen smiled watching her. He couldn't help but let his eyes drop to her lips. He heard her sigh and his eyes snapped back to hers.

“What’s the matter?” He questioned his hand no longer on the blonde's back. He had all but forgotten what’s her name was even there.

“It looks like I may be sleeping in my car if I can’t find a vacancy. It’s too far to drive back to Tuscaloosa for the night, especially since I have to be at the hospital at nine in the morning for my interview.”

The blonde who had been talking with Rowen walked away with a huff after being ignored for so long. He turned his body, so he was standing in front of her. Close enough to see the small freckles that lined her nose.

“You can stay at my place… if you want.” Rowen reached out, his thumb tracing over the back of her arm innocently, just as it would have six years ago.

“I would hate for you to sleep in your car. It’s the least I can do. I did, as you say, break your heart. It’s only right for me to try to make it up to you.” He watched her, his eyes never leaving hers almost as if his mind were etching her into his memories. He couldn’t turn away. He wasn’t convinced she wouldn’t evaporate like she was an illusion from his dreams.

“I should try to call Jules again. I couldn’t reach her before.” Alexandra whispered as if she were trying to convince herself he wasn’t her only option.

“Jules is out of town. I know that for a fact. She had official pack business to deal with.” Juliet was a member of the WestBeach Pack. He knew she had remained in contact with Alexandra, despite his father’s orders not to. He never questioned Juliet about Alexandra though. He never thought he deserved to know.

“Stay with me tonight.” He urged her once more.