Wolf's Huntress

Chapter Four

Ruth's POV:

Ox finally walked back into the club after escorting the three men out. I was still fuming and was struggling to calm down. Turning to my top bartender, Phil, I told him to cover for me for a minute. I returned to the employee break room and used the secret entrance to head down to the heart of my operation. The club was a two-story building with a double-layer basement—a building with two basement levels below it. The first level was the business center with areas for the rescued humans to shower, change, and rest, a potions lab for the witches, a gym, and a few rooms for therapy sessions. The space was massive, to say the least. The area below that was the bunker, built to withstand any attack from those we have pissed off.

I headed straight for the gym area, grabbed a pair of boxing gloves, and started going at the punching bag. Punches, jabs, and even a few kicks all went flying as I imagined that wolf's face right where I was striking. That damn wolf and his two buddies! I knew that a new pack had moved in. I just hoped I had some time before they decided to wander into town.

Spies had to be sent out quickly to gather information. I needed to know their numbers, who their alpha was, and who were his right-hand men. The worst part was that the guy in the middle was the hottest-looking one. Something about guys with natural red hair attracted me, and the tattoos on his arms were a bonus. I hoped to flirt a good tip out of him while enjoying the view. However, he had to go and open his damn mouth.

"Issue there, captain?" Stephon walked up just as I was really letting into the punching bag.

"Werewolves, teach. f*****g werewolves in my club. They walked right in thinking they ran the place!"

"You had Ox deal with them as usual, right? I don't see the problem."

After another punch that stung my knuckles despite wearing the gloves, I finally stopped to look at my former teacher. "One of them claimed that I was his mate." His eyes widened with shock before I returned to take my anger out on the gym equipment. "And, of course, Clover and the others are all out on a rescue, so I can't have them break the bond tonight."

Due to the level of danger we dealt with when going out into the field to save human mates, radio silence was an absolute must. We knew the rescue mission would fail if none returned by a set day. There had been no failed missions in a long time. That didn't mean I knew when they would return, however.

"What is your plan then?"

After working myself out of breath, I finally decided to call it quits on the punching bag. "If I run into him while Clover and the others are still gone, I'll make him reject me. If that fails, do what I always do." Stephon bowed to me before leaving to go back to whatever he was doing before coming to me.

Since he had joined me on this mission of mine, he had gone from trainer to therapist. He seemed to like doing that better, and he played a critical role in the lives of the humans we saved. After putting everything back, I washed my face and hands before returning to the club upstairs. I had to play the bartender and club owner role for the rest of the night.

The hours ticked by, and it was finally the last call. I gave everyone a half hour to finish their food and drinks before the final song played. Once the workers and I were sure everyone was gone, we started to clean up. I helped Phil at the bar before grabbing the register. I counted down the cash and passed out the tips that Phil and all my servers made for the night. I checked the kitchen to make sure that it was clean, everything was off, and that any old food was tossed. The dishes were cleaned, sanitized, and stacked away.

The bathrooms, dance floor, and VIP rooms were the following things to check to make sure that they were all cleaned. After tossing the last of the trash bags into the dumpster, Ox walked me out to my car. I never asked him to do that for me. It was just something he did. I usually protested, but I didn't at that time because I knew of the odds of that man from earlier waiting on me. Ox waited for me to start driving away before waking back to the club. The entire top floor was his apartment, so he was always on the property.

I made it home around six in the morning, and I got a text message from Anita.

"Breakfast?" It made me smile, so I texted a positive reply before walking into the house. I showered, took a hairdryer to my hair, and then went into my bedroom to find some clothes to change into. The first thing I put on was my matching set of black bra and lace panties, my garter belt, and black thigh-high stockings. Grabbing a red tank top, I put on my black shirt with an outline of a skull and roses with the neck opening large enough to hang off one shoulder over that. I then grabbed my red, pleated skirt with black lace trim. I put on my black boots that went over my ankles to finish the look.

I got back into my car and headed towards the diner that Anita and I would always eat at when she asked me out for breakfast. It was a small, mom-and-pop diner with old-fashioned booths and a counter that allowed customers to look into the kitchen. I walked inside, and the waitress pointed to a corner booth where Anita was waiting for me. I sat down before looking around for our parents. "Mom and Dad in the bathroom or something?" Anita shook her head, no, and I finally noticed her hands trembling slightly. "Oh, Tia!" I gently took her hands into mine and smiled happily. "That's a huge step for you! I'm so proud."

"Thanks, Ruth. But I've been so scared since Dad dropped me off a few minutes ago."

"And that's okay. It's fine to be scared with your first attempt at being by yourself. Even little steps of progress can be scary."

My sister took a deep breath to compose herself before giving me a smile that showed she was no longer scared. "So, how was work?"

"Three bachelorette parties, two bachelor parties, a frat party, and then out-of-town travelers for the local concert. I have a feeling that the groom from one party was to marry the bride from one of the other parties. But his party was having fun with one of the other bachelorette parties."

"Oh goodness. Did anything happen?"

"Nothing that we needed to call the cops for," I said with a chuckle. "I honestly don't think they figured it out because everyone was too buzzed to care. However, I can imagine s**t hitting the fan the moment a bridesmaid talks to a groomsman to compare parties." Our waitress walked over to our table to take our order. "Hey, Brittany." Brittany was a twenty-year-old brunette working her way through college. She was our waitress most days, and I always made sure to leave a generous tip.

"The usual ladies? Or are you going to give me a heart attack like last time and change things up?" That made Anita and I both laugh.

"The usual, please, Brittany. Tell Tony I'm sorry again."

"One order of eggs, bacon, and toast, a waffle, a glass of milk, and an orange juice coming right up." Brittany went to the kitchen to put in our orders, and Anita said she was going to the lady's room. That left me all alone in the booth with my new annoyance behind me.

"You say one thing to my sister or me while we are here, and I'll have myself a new werewolf rug," I whispered. No one else could hear me. However, I knew he could.

"Can we talk at some point? Please? I wish to get to know you."

"The only thing I wish to hear from you is "I, your name, reject" and so forth." He let out a whimper after hearing me say that. Gods, he was playing out his act as a loving mate so well.

"Please, Ruth. I wish to understand where this anger is coming from."

"Fine, we'll talk later. Now shut up." Anita was walking around the corner to head back to our booth. The last thing I wanted was for her to realize that she was sitting so close to another werewolf the whole time she was here alone.