Fated From the Start

Money Can't Buy Love

Harlow POV

The night seemed to drag on and yet fly by. Every encounter with the table of God's was awkward, but left me craving more. I had learned that mister tall, dark, and handsome with the storm blue eyes was Ash and that they were there celebrating his best friend Brice's upcoming marriage to his highschool sweetheart. Ash hadn't spoken much during my encounters with the table, mostly just stared at me intensely, but it somehow wasn't off putting. His friends on the other hand were bubbly and friendly and oozing charisma. From what I'd gathered, the 5 of them had grown up together and were basically like brothers, this was a closeness I understood because my bestfriend and I were as close to sisters as we could be without the same blood pumping in our veins. 

The group was really throwing them back, but I wasn't complaining because it gave me more reasons to visit their table. Each encounter with them left me with this unexplainable bubbly feeling and, though my heart still hammered in my chest everytime I laid eyes on Ash, it was getting less flustering to be around him. He seemed to be lightening up a bit too as time went by.

Ash POV

Harlow had been at our table more times than I could count. As werewolves we could really handle our liquor so we were drinking like fish, but also tossing back water cause hangovers were still a thing. That meant that every few minutes she was at our table refilling one or the other. I had no complaints though. My wolf was coming to terms with the fact we'd need to take things slow and the amount of alcohol in my system was taking a lot of the edge off the Intense pull I felt towards her. I could finally start interacting with her like a normal f*****g person instead of some creep in the corner. 

She was standing in front of us yet again and I couldn't help but drink in her beauty. She was adorably short, to the point that perched atop her sky high heels she would still only come up to my shoulder if I stood next to her, granted I was a towering 6'5". Her skin was a glistening Caramel tan and her every feature was breathtakingly perfect. With each encounter I kept finding myself lost in the pools of golden honey that were her eyes. Her lips were full and I dreamed of the day I would get to kiss them. Her very revealing outfit clung to her every delicious curve. This girl didn't know it yet but I was going to make her my entire world, I was going to worship her and her body. 

I was starting to join in more with the small talk the guys were so effortlessly making with her and I hoped a window would open where I could ask her out without seeming like a weirdo. It was a good thing a lot of human movies got played in the pack house, cause dating and taking it slow wasn't really a thing werewolves did and I was way out of my element. 

Callan and Cypress were sharing some anecdotal tale about the 5 of us growing up together with Harlow and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to spin the conversation to learn more about her. 

"So Harlow, these knuckleheads have been talking your ear off for hours. Tell us a little about yourself to make it fair" I piped up, flashing her a playful smirk.

She returned my smile and my heart fluttered, playing it cool with this woman was going to be hell. 

"Well me and my friend Will just moved into a loft downtown a few months ago. We grew up in the country a few hours from here and I always dreamed of moving to the city just for the experience. It hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies" she gestured vaguely at our current setting "but we're really enjoying this new adventure together and figuring out who we are."

I wanted to know so much more, but all I could focus on at this moment was this "friend Will". She didn't have on a ring, but that didn't mean she didn't have a boyfriend. My heart squeezed at the idea of her already being happy with someone else. I needed her to be mine, I couldn't live without her, but I also wouldn't destroy a life she had already built herself. My wolf growled in my head at the thought of letting our mate be with someone else. I had to figure out if Will really was a "friend" or something more. 

I was about to ask her to tell us more when a greasy, overweight, wretched man stormed up and grabbed Harlow aggressively by the arm. He spun her around to face him. 

"You've been spending entirely too much time tonight chatting up these schmucks, I don't pay you to make small talk. I pay you to strut that tight ass of yours around from table to table making me more money and you've been seriously neglecting your responsibilities because you're too busy trying to w***e yourself out. If you want to spend this much time at a single table at least shake the goods and charge them for it" He sneered at her. He was using a quiet enough tone that I shouldn't have been able to hear him, but wolves had insanely sensitive hearing and I caught every word. I could feel the rage bubbling inside of me at the atrocious way he was speaking to her. 

"Wrap it up here and go push shots at your other tables then clean the Champagne room and if you still want to w***e around with someone come find your good pal Sal" he added with a wink and I couldn't help the low growl that ripped through my chest. 

Brice immediately grabbed my arm hard enough to leave a bruise, he'd heard every word of Harlow and Sal's exchange as well and knew all too well what my wolf was trying to get me to do. If we didn't have the risk of exposure to worry about I'm certain the five of us would have ripped Sal limb from limb for speaking to our future Luna that way. Not to mention, propositioning the Alpha's mate was a crime punishable by death at the Alpha's hand under wolf law. This asshole was real f*****g lucky he was a sleazeball human on human territory and I had no power here. 

When I was able to simmer the rage down some, it actually found it being replaced with immense pride. This petite little spitfire didn't waiver in the least at Sal's outburst, instead she yanked her arm from his grasp and scoffed "bite me Sal" as she rolled her eyes and strolled away from him back towards our table, a little extra sassy sway in her strut. 

"Could I interest you gentlemen in a round of shots? It's apparently the price of my continued company this evening" she beamed, tossing a glare over her shoulder in Sal's direction with the last retort. 

"You're walking a fine line Harlow" Sal grumbled low.

Here was my moment to seize. "I'll take a round of your most expensive shot for your entire section Harlow" I exclaimed loudly, met with cheers from the tables surrounding us, and then I turned to face Sal, "under the stipulation that you leave this poor server the hell alone for the remainder of the night to run her section how she sees fit, and I'll pay whatever your hourly rate is for the Champagne Room for the remainder of the evening as well so she no longer needs to clean that disgusting f*****g thing" 

Sal huffed as he stormed off, I'm sure to immediately charge my card before I could change my mind. The guys all cheered and Harlow just stared at me wide eyed with her jaw on the floor. 

"I could've handled him fine on my own" she finally snapped after a few seconds of silent gawking. 

"I think you mean thank you" I quipped back with a smirk.

She huffed and strutted away. I think I played this one wrong…