Get him away from our mate, his leopard demanded.
A sharp pain caused Ridge to suck in a breath.
“You alright?” Lux asked.
“Yeah.”
Ridge’s leopard was fighting him for control. The cat hated that he was being forced to leave his mate. It didn’t want the woman out of its sight.
Fucking stop! Ridge roared. His leopard slunk down.
Taking a deep breath, he turned away from Andi and followed Lux into the Chapel. As the doors closed signifying it was time for church, he took his seat at the scarred up wooden table as all the other officers gathered around; and then they got down to business. The sooner he was done here, the sooner he could go back out there.
10
Andi
Her heart was pounding, and her ass stung.
Andi knew she shouldn’t have taken the job. Why had she listened to Emily? she thought as she set the two cases of beer on the bar top so she could refill the trough.
Mate, her panther whispered.
Seriously? Andi asked her panther. No way. Not happening.
“Girlie, you are brave,” one of the bikers laughed.
More like stupid!
No. Our mate is good. He’ll be good for us.
No, he will not! Andi completely disagreed.
“It was good to see Ridge stunned speechless for once, don’t you think?” another said.
Everyone sitting at the bar continued to laugh, but not Andi. She didn’t find the interaction with the club VP funny, at all. And now that her panther had chosen him as a mate, fear crawled through her gut, gripping her insides painfully until she felt like she couldn’t breathe.
There was no way a shifter would be good for her. Not that she had anything against shifters, she was one. But she’d also been abandoned by one, or two actually – her parents.
Not all shifters are the same, her panther argued. Mates never leave.
Yeah, and parents aren’t supposed to either and we saw how that turned out.
Andi mentally put up a block to shut her animal out. She wouldn’t discuss her future while standing in a house full of bikers. Later, when she was alone at home, she would open it up for debate, but not now.
“Girlie.” Slim smiled. “You are a spitfire. I think I’m gonna enjoy having you around here.”
Andi shook her head.
She knew her mouth was going to get her in trouble. It was like it had a mind of its own. Truly, Andi had been born without a filter. Which, looking back, it was probably partly to blame for her constant bouncing from one foster home to the next. The other part was because she was different than the other kids. It wasn’t until she hit puberty that Andi realized just how different she really was. That was the day her life had changed forever.
For a moment, she stood there lost in memories of days gone by and the hurt that followed. She remembered her first change and how she had thought it was so cool. She’d told another girl in the foster home about it, and the next thing Andi knew – she was being shipped off somewhere else. After the same thing happened at her next home, Andi learned to keep her mouth shut and her secret to herself.
At least, until she’d met Emily. The two had met while they were in the park. Emily had been in animal form and Andi had stumbled across her mid-change. She’d stood there in awe watching the other girl. Andi had finally found someone like her. That day had changed her life even more. Emily had spent hours telling Andi all about the shifter world. From that moment, their bond and friendship had been forged in stone.
So, when Emily had come to her about the job at the clubhouse, Andi had agreed to take it. Not only did she want to help her friend, but she also felt like she was being led there. Like it was meant to be.
Because our mate is here, her panther’s voice slipped through.
Andi ignored her.
Standing in the old industrial building full of bikers, Andi wasn’t so sure about her destiny anymore. These bikers weren’t like normal bikers, not that she knew a lot about them. But these guys were different. Bigger. Louder. And could drink more alcohol than humanly possible. These bikers were shifters.
We belong.
Do we? Andi asked her panther.
Our mate is here. So, yes.
He’s not our mate!
Yes, he is! her panther roared.
Andi could feel the animal’s anger at her denial. It was a new sensation for her. While she and her panther sometimes had different opinions, it was extremely odd that her cat was being so forceful. For a moment, Andi stood there, silent. She didn’t know what to say.
She’d come here because she had needed an escape. After her life seemed to crash down around her because of a man, the last thing Andi needed was another one to wreck her world.
A couple of weeks back, Andi had ended an almost year-long relationship. It had been a painful lesson, but she’d learned it, nonetheless. Bruce had been a lying, cheating, piece of shit. And when his web started to unravel, he’d refused to leave her alone. Even though his wife had threatened to cut off his balls if he came anywhere near Andi again, it hadn’t stopped him from stalking her. In her defense, Andi hadn’t known about the wife. None of Bruce’s friends had even mentioned her, either. But looking back, Andi knew that was because brothers stick by brothers. It was like a biker’s rule or something. Even knowing that it didn’t take away the sting of being lied to by people she thought of as friends. It wasn’t until his wife had shown up at Andi’s job and caused a scene, that she’d finally found out the truth. After that, things had all gone downhill quickly, and it had ended badly – for Andi.
The cops had gotten involved, her boss had been pissed, and it had turned into a mega shitshow.
Later that night,
