Chapter 9

Toklo

How long could I stay in the men’s room? And how long before that guy or one of the others who’d been ogling me tried to follow me in here. Or someone wanted in because everyone in the place was guzzling beer, and they weren’t all going outside to find a tree. In fact, most places preferred you didn’t do that at all.

I’d try go out the smallish window facing the back of the building, but where would that put me? I still wouldn’t have a way home and had already been in trouble for shifting and running alone. I had a feeling walking in human form alongside the highway for a couple of hours might be an issue, too.

But it must have been close to an hour before three sharp raps on the door pulled me from my miserable leaning against the wall, trying to decide what to do. Trying to fit in wasn’t going well at all. The couple of beers soured in my belly as I reached for the knob. I had my lips parted to ask who it was—as if that would matter since I didn’t even know the oglers name—when a warm scent hit my nose and I heard, “It’s just me…Sheppard.”

Holy hells. The alpha. What was he doing here?

I leaned my back against the door and eyed the window again. It looked smaller than ever, and the image of me stuck halfway out held very little appeal. No. I was probably already in trouble by association with the other guys who were if not outright damaging the furniture at least were spilling beer and knocking things over. I’d spotted a puddle on one of the pool tables, one of the cardinal bar sins.

Determined to face the music, I turned again and opened the door. “Hello, alpha. I apologize for the whole mess.”

He arched one brow, and while he was trying to seem severe, his eyes held a twinkle that confused the hell out of me. “You do, huh? And what exactly whole mess are you responsible for, omega?”

I shouldn’t get a chill at being called that. It was a generic term and not a sign of claiming me. “I-we all came here and made a mess, created a disturbance, bothered the other patrons, and probably ruined a pool table.”

With a short shake of his head, he beckoned me to follow him to the bar where Jagger stood, looking way too interested. “Toklo, have a seat and let’s discuss this with Jagger. See what he wants you to do to make up for all the things you did.”

Jagger placed glasses of soda water in front of each of us and stood back, arms crossed. “Your boys were really on it tonight, Sheppard.”

“Yeah, so I understand. That’s why I sent them home before talking with you.”

Home? I looked around and noticed that, while there were still a number of patrons enjoying their drinks and playing pool, even on the table that had the stain, the guys I came with had left. “Wait. You mean they ditched me?”

Jagger and Sheppard cracked up laughing, drawing more unwanted, by me at least, attention from the others in the bar. “It would seem so,” the bar owner said. “But I think Gary over there would be glad to give you a ride.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the guy who’d been hitting on me nursing a whiskey at a table in the corner. He lifted the glass to me and tossed back his drink. Looking from me to the alpha, he shrugged, stood, and tossed a few bucks on the table then disappeared into the night.

Relieved, I let out a long breath.

“No, looks like he ditched you, too.” Jagger was having way too much fun with this humiliating situation.

“All right, you’ve had your fun.” Sheppard pulled out his wallet. “I’m assuming my pack paid for their drinks and not their damages?”

“That’s about right.”

“So, what do we owe you?” There was no humor in the alpha’s voice. “I’ll pay it now and take it out of their hides at home.”

My hide itched at the thought.

“Hmm.” Jagger filled a half dozen steins while he considered. “Other than the pool table needing to be recovered, I think it’s just some mopping and wiping up. How about I have the pool table repair bill sent to you directly and we’ll call it good?”

“Fair enough.” Sheppard laid a twenty on the bar. “That should cover our waters. No change. I think I’ll have to take this omega with me, since his new friends ditched him.

“Thanks.” Jagger tucked the money away and cleared our glasses, which we’d barely touched. “I hated to call you, but we were heading toward trouble. You know how they get when they overdo.”

“I appreciated the notice. And I hate to take the business away from you, but those little bears are grounded for a week or so.”

He shrugged. “I can use the peace and quiet, although we are glad for the business of the pack. When they don’t act like out-of-control teenagers on a bender.”

“Understood. Sheppard waved and started for the door. “Come on, omega. Let’s get you tucked in.”

I shouldn’t have been so turned-on by the idea.

When we were seated in the truck and headed down the road, he asked, “Did you do any of that damage? Cause a ruckus?”

“I…” How did I say it wasn’t me without throwing the others under the bus? “Not too much.”

“Or not any?” He glanced in my direction, eyes piercing the darkness. “Toklo, Jagger said you were in the bathroom, avoiding that asshole Gary while the carousing went on. Did he lie?”

So I was supposed to either tattle or call the alpha’s friend a liar? “He didn’t lie.” Seemed the lesser of evils.

“All right, but I am going to include you in the dressing down in the morning before breakfast because if I don’t, they will hold it against you.”

“Thank you, alpha.”

“It means you can’t come back to the roadhouse for a week either.”

“Not a problem. I don’t drink a lot. Although I do like pool.”

He chuckled, turning off the main road and onto the long drive toward the pack lands. “Then you can come up to the house and play on my table sometime.”

Pool! He meant pool. Why did everything sound dirty to me when it came from his lips? Nobody should be that hot.