a Primal Pursuit

fifty five

I don't recall how I ended up in this situation. But the cushions of the booth did not smell as nice as you'd think. Plus, Mya's ass was surprisingly heavy as she forced me to eat polyester.

I was an omnivore for crying out loud. I liked normal food.

"Mya..." My voice was muffled as I tried to push myself upright.

Her answer was a resounding harrumph as she forced her hand into my shoulders.

In the words of every great movie I have watched, which is little in the past few months... You are probably wondering how I got here.

Who knew six drinks of various fruity alcoholic drinks could lead to such measures? I was simply talking to Jo, asking him questions about his past, about his memories, and he happily gave them. Mya was getting me another fancy drink and sneaking hand caresses with Mel.

Next thing I knew, Jo's arm was around my shoulders, his fingers tickling my hair until it fell from my neck. Then his eyes dropped to Asra's branding on my throat and his eyes widened.

"You're one of them!" He spat.

In a drunken haze, I wasn't sure what he was implying at first. His arm around my shoulders turned stiff as he stared at my neck. I frowned, unsure why it was such a bad thing, until I realised I was in the presence of humans.

"I'm not!" I shook my head, my eyes widening.

The others around the table all spoke at once, loud, drunken and angered questions being thrown our way. I was confused, my eyebrows furrowed as all the voices all blurred into one enormous mass of noise.

Dean's voice carried the most. The deep baritone vibrating my skull.

"Show us!"

I rose to my feet, glaring at them. Jo's jaw tightened, and he stood to his full height, Dean right behind him. The women at the table all stared at me with harsh glares, Frankie the only one who may pass as neutral despite the downturn of her lips.

"You're one of them." Jo glared.

I shook my head, crossing my arms. "I am not a wolf!"

He took a threatening step closer. "Are you a spy?"

"No!"

"How does Mia know you? What have you done to her?"

"Nothing!" I snapped.

"Then explain the mark." Jo sneered.

Before my drunken ass could realise, he had taken one broad step closer, grasping my shoulder and spinning me to face the booth. I gasped when he grabbed me by the hair, forcing my head to bend painfully backward as he stood behind me. Pain radiated across my scalp, and I reached up to claw at the back of his hand, struggling to find ground as he jostled me until my knees shook. Fingers poked my mark, checking for its authenticity, and I flinched when it sent a startling pain down my spine.

"Hey!" I complained.

Jo's fingers left my mark, but his grip tightened on my hair. He arched my head until we were staring eye to eye, his dark eyes narrowed with warning.

"What are you doing here?"

"Drinking." I spluttered, and his grip tightened. "Let me go!"

My mark felt like it was burning too.

Alcohol was weird, man... Woman. Woah-man.

There was a clatter before Mya's voice echoed from across the bar. "Ailia!"

Jo's fingers slackened, and his eyes seemed to widen. Confusion flittered across his face, but his lips barely parted before he disappeared entirely. I hardly had time to register what was going on before something forced me into an alternate universe.