The Wolf in Sheep's Skin

Chapter 6

“Hey! We’ve been looking all over for you.” Maeve said. She walked up with Quinn behind her.

“Ah, we were just talking about your store.” The bookstore owners smiled at them.

“I’m Maeve, this is Quinn. Nice to meet you.” Maeve flashed them a smile.

“You all run it together?” The couple glanced at me.

“I make the dresses; Maeve is the brains behind the operation, and Quinn is our counter person.”

“Give yourself more credit than that.” Maeve laughed and waved her hand at me. She flashed them a smile and put on her charm.

A group of more wolves come out of the hallway, followed by the handsome man from earlier. He stopped at a far corner of the room, away from the majority of the crowd. Opening a cabinet, he grabbed out a whiskey bottle and poured himself a drink. Our eyes met as he swigged his drink, and his brows furrowed.

I looked away, back towards the couple. Maeve and Quinn chatted with them, but my mind couldn’t focus on what they said. I watched the man from the corner of my eye. He glared at his glass, a deep frown on his face.

His hair was smoother than before, like he’d cleaned himself up. He looks good, clean, professional. Certainly knows how to buy a suit, not that it matters. He was crass before, but he was a bit drunk.

Not too drunk, though. He handled himself well; was in control when he startled Henry. And the way he handled the fight was impressive. I mentally checked off boxes on my list while chewing my bottom lip. He could be a candidate.

He has to be dominant, though. Would a submissive wolf approach him? I frowned and bit my bottom lip. But he was interested in me. Couldn’t a submissive wolf approach someone who showed an interest in them?

I nodded to myself, sure of my decision.

“I’ll be back in a moment.” I whispered to Maeve, who nodded her head and continued talking to the bookstore owners.

I walked over to the man, keeping my head down and my hands clasped in front of me. I stopped at the counter where he was. He froze mid drink and looked me up and down with his lips pursed.

“What do you want?” His tone was harsh, and I blinked at him, struggling to find words.

“Well, I, uh…” I stumbled over my words like an i***t. “I wanted to thank you for earlier.” I said meekly, staring at anything but his eyes. He didn’t have to be so rude! I frowned at the marble counter in front of me.

He stared at me; his face twisted in confusion.

“With Henry. What you did. He’s been struggling to listen.” I blabbed before snapping my mouth shut.

“You’re thanking me for scaring a child?” He tilted his head to the side and glared at me with his intense green eyes. His tone suggested he thought I was dull, making me squeeze my hands together.

“Henry seems to think whatever someone in the family says is a lie. He doesn’t believe anything we say. I’m hoping that since you’re outside the family, he’ll take what you said seriously.” I shrugged, knots forming in my stomach. I’m rambling. Shut up, Gwen.

But he stood there watching me, and tension built in the air. I squirmed under his gaze, shifting my weight from side to side. Say something, anything! Don’t just stand there and watch me! After what felt like an eternity, he sighed and poured himself another glass.

“Want one?” He lifted the bottle of whiskey.

“No thank you.” I searched my mind for something to say, anything at all, but I kept coming up blank. Why did I come over here? Just walk away! But I was too close; it would be too awkward; I was trapped at the counter with him. Say something, d*mn it!

“Are you the Alpha?” I blurted out and cringed at myself. He froze and stared me in the eye. Why would you ask that? What’s wrong with me? I wished I could fold in on myself, or magically disappear. All I could do was wait in awkward silence.

A wide grin crossed his face; he threw back his head and roared with laughter. The sound was startling yet pleasant, and my heart raced. His chest rumbled with laughter, and he put his hand on his belly, bending over.

“F*ck no! What the h*ll made you think that?” He coughed and wiped tears from his eyes as he stopped laughing. I balled up my fists at my sides and scowled at him.

“I don’t know! I didn’t meet the Alpha today; how was I supposed to know?” I spat at him and puffed up my chest. “Who are you then? You never told me your name.” I stared up at him, meeting his green eyes.

His face softened, and he gave me a coy smile.

“Jackson, James, Jason, I go by a lot of names.” He glanced down at my lips; his eyes had a hint of copper in them. “But you can call me Jay.” His voice was smooth as gave me a mischievous smile, making his eyes light up. My cheeks warmed and my heart fluttered.

What a pompous *ss! He isn’t a respectable man at all!

“Jay what?” I crossed my arms and held my chin up.

“Just Jay. And you?” He motioned to me with his glass.

“Gwen. Just Gwen.”

“Is that an Irish lit I hear? Let me guess, Gwen is short for Gwendolyn?” He raised a brow, and I ground my teeth together.

“I go by Gwen.” I hissed at him. And he’s a know it all! He chuckled and took a sip from his glass.

“There’s no need to get mad. Alpha was a good guess.”

“Well, you’re not the Beta, so what are you?” I said in a sharp tone.

“I handle the pack’s problems.” He shrugged. “You know, someone steps out of line, I handle it.”

What the f*ck does that mean? I pictured him hefting the man over his shoulder, and my stomach tightened. Stop that right now, Gwen! I tried to forget how I’d felt earlier, but I couldn’t push the thoughts from my head.

“So, that’s your title? A problem solver?” That isn’t even a real title! The Alpha and Beta do that!

“Something like that.” He chuckled and shrugged like he was in on some secret joke that I was too dull to understand.

“Something funny about that?” I hissed out. I stood rigid, my back straight, and refused to look away. He leaned against the counter and fumbled with the whiskey bottle, picking at its label.

“I don’t think you’ll find it amusing.” He clicked his tongue and sighed.

“You think I’m too stupid to understand?”

“I don’t know you well enough to say if you're stupid or not.” He raised his brows at me, his eyes glimmering like an animal playing with their prey.

I glared at him, narrowing my eyes. I’m not prey.

“You really want to hear what I was going to say?”

I pursed my lips at him and huffed, but it came out more like a low growl. He grinned, showing off his dangerously handsome smile.

“I was going to ask if you’re a problem, because I wouldn’t mind handling you.” His green eyes turned copper as they went over me, lingering on my chest. I sucked in a deep breath, and he smirked, leaning on the counter.

“How vulgar! You-you rude, insolent man! How dare you!” I spat out, struggling to say anything else. Something stirred in my core, and Lilith purred in the back of my mind.

“That’s why I didn’t say it. I thought you might find it offensive, but you insisted I speak my thoughts, which I’m apparently not allowed to keep to myself, Gwendolyn.” He scowled, his jaw tensing. My fists were balled up so tight my nails dug into my palms like they might puncture skin. “Unless, of course, you’re interested?” He tilted his head to the side.

My eyes betrayed me, glancing at his stubble, and I couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel against my skin. The top button of his shirt was undone, and my mind conjured images of him topless, with rippling muscles, before I could stop myself. I stared back up at his face, and opened my mouth to tell him I was not interested, yet all I could think about was how pullable his hair was.

My mouth flailed open and closed, my face burned like it was roasting over an open flame. I couldn’t say it. My words would give me away. Even if he was a pompous, vulgar *ss, I couldn’t tell him I wasn’t interested.

Because it would be a lie. At least a partial lie. And old wolves could smell lies, no matter how small they were.

He stood up straight, his eyes widened, and he raised his brows. Copper eyes stared at me while I flailed for words.

“You are interested?” He whispered. His look darkened, and he peered into my soul. I was pinned on the spot; all I could manage was a low growl through bared teeth. His mouth opened and my hand left my side before I could think.

A loud smack echoed through the room as my hand made contact with his cheek. His head swung from the force. My hand burned from the power of the impact. A large bright red impression of my hand appeared on his cheek, and I cringed at the sight.

What the f*ck did I just do?

Everyone in the room went quiet. The silence was deafening; my heart pounded against my rib cage.

He cracked his neck and growled. It was deep, low, and threatening. My feet were stuck to the ground even though everything in my told me to run.

He opened his eyes and snarled at me, baring his teeth. The muscles in his neck stuck out, well defined, as he clenched his jaw. I prepared myself for a fight, tensing all the muscles in my body, waiting for him to do something, hit me, shout, anything.

He didn’t move. He stood there, watching me with his intense copper eyes. I glanced around the room, looking for a way out.

Everyone was watching us. A room full of people; their eyes burned into my skin, they leaned away from us, their fear filled my nose.

My feet moved before I could think. I raced away from him; my heels clacking against the marble floor. The wide-open sliding doors were inviting; people scrambled to get out of my way.

Large pines were in the distance, leading into the woods. I ran for them; cold breath hurt my gums as I pushed myself forward.

My heart raced; my stomach was in tangled knots. I wanted to hurl, but I couldn’t stop running. My skin itched as Lilith clawed to escape. She was pleased with what I’d done, that I’d made a fool out of myself.

I struggled to keep her locked inside, but as I made it to the trees, it was too much; she was too excited. I stopped and chucked off my shoes, pulling at my dress to get it off.

It irritated my skin, like steel wool scrapping against my flesh. I pulled the dress over my head and flung it onto the ground. My feet took off again. Pine needles dug into the bottom of my feet; the pain was relieving.

My skin crawled and itched; my bones cracked and shifted. Within moments, I was on four feet, running into the forest, away from everything.