Chapter Seventeen
The building he was given directions to looked worn down.
It looked like nobody had been in it in nearly twenty years. There were loads of cars outside, though, so he decided he was at the right place.
The inside of the building was a different story.
It was polished and well maintained. Obviously still a working bar, as almost everyone there had a glass in their hand. As he walked in, a few of the patrons gave him a look. He could see them pausing to breathe him in. So, he breathed them in as well.
The place stunk of shifters.
If anyone was ever looking to get shifters or find them, this place would have been heaven.
There were at least a hundred when he arrived, and with each minute, more and more of them were filling in, crowding seats and tables. Most eyes were on him. He sat next to a surly, tall one at the bar who didn't even glance at him. Perfect – the less eyes on him, the better.
“Carter, I see you've met the fresh blood,” James had arrived and was patting the back of the man who Anthony sat beside.
“Who is he?” he asked.
“Sad story. He has no pack, just looking for a home,” James explained.
“Hmm,” Carter replied, then went back to nursing his drink.
“Hey, Anthony, what do you think of the bar?” James asked, motioning around.
“It's nice. I like how the outside is disguised,” he admitted, dying for a drink.
“Thank you. My father actually came up with that,” James said proudly. “You picked a good seat, actually. Usually, the Alpha stands over here to give announcements, so you'll be front and center,” he explained.
It felt like it was supposed to be a compliment, but all it did was make Anthony nervous about how many eyes were going to be on him.
The last time he'd been surrounded by this many shifters, they were dead.
Having to be in surroundings like that again was making him uneasy.
Another twenty minutes passed. Anthony was given a beer, but most people didn't talk to him or bother with him.
Suddenly, the crowd grew quiet, and he could smell why.
There was an Alpha in the surroundings.
Anthony set his beer on the bar and turned around to look.
He really was a child.
Anthony was only twenty-six, just a couple years older than the Alpha, but the boy looked like he was sixteen. He was gangly, short, and had a nervous air about him that immediately smelled weak. He was an Alpha, though, so he was to be respected. If he hadn't been born with the damn star on the back of his neck, he wouldn't have even made a middle ranking in the pack.
It was how things were, though, and how they always would be.
Beside him, James seemed tense for a moment, and then relaxed, grabbing Anthony by the arm.
“Alex, this is Anthony,” he introduced. “He's the stray who's looking for a spot in the pack,” James explained.
“Ah, hello,” Alex reached out his hand, and Anthony shook it. It was almost laughable that this kid was supposed to be the pack leader. James was acting more like a leader than he was.
“Go ahead and introduce yourself to the pack. Tell us what you can offer,” James said, stepping back. All eyes in the room were on him now.
“Hey, I'm Anthony,” he introduced, raising his voice over the quiet of the bar. “I'm from the West Coast, my pack is gone, and I'm looking for a new home,” he explained. When Anthony mentioned his pack was gone, a murmur broke out among the crowd. “I'm a general mechanic, specializing in cars, so I can fix up anything the pack needs. I can also help with bartending if needed,” he joked. “I don't need any help getting a place. I'll be able to rent or buy a house no problem. I just want to be given a chance in the pack,” he went on.
The crowd was quiet, no responses.
“We'll let you know within a week. For now, feel free to enjoy the bar with us,” James said, and immediately the crowd got back to talking.
“I don't know if saying your pack is dead was the best way to lead the introduction,” James admitted, getting a beer for himself from behind the bar.
“I want to be honest with people,” Anthony said flatly, relaxing onto one of the stools.
Nobody approached him as he nursed his beer, so he started trying to strike up conversation with others. He failed three times and ended up just giving up and drinking. Carter was good, quiet company, and he was thankful for that much. Nobody seemed to be too friendly with Carter either, besides James, but he didn't put too much thought into it.
All packs were different and strange when compared. He wasn't going to act like he understood any of their dynamics from just meeting them all once.
A couple people started to file out, and Anthony started to get ready to tell James he'd leave too, and then he heard a commotion.
A couple of people were arguing, not wanting to let someone in, and when he turned to see what was happening, his stomach dropped, making the beers he'd had gurgle.
He was nowhere close to drunk. He'd had his drinks slowly, but his head spun all the same.
Ivy was trying to make her way in, bickering with everyone.
“Let her through,” Alex said over the noise. Everyone quieted immediately, and Ivy was allowed to walk to the bar to Anthony. “What do you want?” Alex asked, looking her over.
“That man, Anthony, is a pack killer,” she said, glaring at him. “He killed his pack at a meeting, the pack that included my brother and his sister and mother, and he fled town the second he got the chance,” she said angrily. She was almost shaking in fury.
He hated how convinced she was that he'd done it.
He didn't.
He wasn't even in town.
The night swept back at him, images of everyone he’d known and loved in that town haunting him as loudly as they had been every time he slept in the last couple months. His stomach dropped, and he had to struggle to stay on his feet.
“I was proven innocent. I wasn't anywhere near the meeting,” Anthony said, correcting her. It didn't do much. There was already heavy murmuring among the crowd. It was hot gossip that didn’t affect them; of course they bit at it immediately.
“Now I've looked into the case. He was hours out of town when it happened. He didn't do it,” James corrected them, sounding cross. “If we're going to listen to every stranger who wanders in, we're never going to know the truth,” his voice was stern. Anthony was touched by how strongly James was standing up for him. He seemed to be the unspoken leader of the pack, like the actual Alpha, instead of the kid a few feet away that looked like he hadn’t worked an actual job in his entire life.
The crowd murmured more, though, and Ivy spoke up again.
“He's dating a non-shifter, by the way,” she added.
Anthony's world froze.
His heart felt like it had stopped in his chest, and all warmth left him.
“I have photo evidence of them kissing this afternoon. I don't know what kind of pack you lead, but don't most packs see this as diluting the bloodline?” she asked, obviously knowing the answer. Growing up, she'd dated non-shifters, too, everyone in their pack had. It helped her cause, though, if she made him out to be the bad guy.
James turned to him, his face fallen in shock and disappointment.
“Is this true?” he asked him.
“Yeah, I have no defense to this,” Anthony admitted, bowing his head. He wasn't going to lie about dating Sierra. He would have happily left it out, but he'd never deny his feelings for her. They were too real, too honest, and he didn't want to muddy them with his pride. The murmuring had turned into shouting, and someone threw a beer bottle at him.
“It's best if you leave,” James said, taking the beer from Anthony's hands.
Anthony pushed through the crowd to get out. Someone landed a hard punch on his shoulder, but he kept going. He wanted to blame Ivy for this, to say that her pushing his truths into the light is what made him lose the pack, but he knew that wasn't the truth.
Not all of it was his choice. He hadn't purposefully shifted in front of Sierra, but a lot of it was his fault.
He chose to date Sierra.
He chose to sleep with her.
He loved her, and that was his own fault. He couldn't hate Ivy for this one, as much as he was hurt that her anger at him had gone so deep that she'd been stalking him.
The drive back to the hotel was quiet and long.
He wasn't completely lost now. He could try to appeal to them, try to explain the situation and the bond they shared. He'd swear that Sierra was his fated mate if he didn't know that those only existed between shifters. He wanted to stay in this town that made her as fantastic as it did. He wanted to help look after her mother. He wanted to live a life with her.
It all depended on the next three days.
If the pack completely turned on him, he'd have to leave town and never look back. If they didn't, he had a chance to make it up to them, to build a life where he could, and finally grow roots.
He could only wait and see.