Page 1 of Alpha's Runaway Mate

Chapter One — Lyra’s POV

“Table five wants another round.”

Gemma informed me of this when I came back to the counter to fix a customer’s order that I had messed up. My head was always in the game, but tonight, the pub was packed wall to wall.

The constant hum of deep voices, the clink of glasses, and the raucous laughter of men knocking back drinks like it was their last wasn’t doing much to help me concentrate.

I glanced over my shoulder toward table five, and cringed inwardly when I saw the occupants: Rogers, Matt, and a bunch of other mannerless men who were just like the first two I had identified. They were regulars at the pub, all of them known for harassing the female staff.

Gemma could affirm this, and so could Anita, who worked on another shift. Unfortunately, I was no exception.

As much as I tried to avoid serving their table, there were some nights when Gemma had her hands full with something else, and I had to swallow my anger, irritation, and disgust, and attend to their orders, fully aware of what was to come.

“Two bottles of beer for table five,” I said with a forced smile as I lowered the bottles to their table. And with that same fake grin plastered on my face, I asked, “Anything else I can get you?”

“Yes. You.” That was Rogers, with a smirk on his face. “My car is just around the corner if you can take a quick break, if you know what I mean.”

He winked, and Matt and the other guys egged him on, as if the garbage spewing from his mouth was anything to be proud of.

As per the policy in the bar, the smile couldn’t leave my face. My boss always wanted us to give his customersanythingthey wanted because he knew the kind of regulars he had.

If it was heard that I had called out Rogers for harassing me, I could be facing one of two consequences: a deduction from my weekly salary, or worse, the loss of my job. And as frustrating as it was to deal with regulars like Rogers and Matt, I couldn’t afford to lose this job.

Not only was this the first stable job I had been able to find since I moved into town, it paid me a reasonable wage that was enough to care for Leo, which was all that really mattered to me.

So, I hid my growing irritation and laughed off the nonsense the man had just said. “As you can see, Mr. Rogers, the pub’s full. I can’t afford to take aquickbreak.”

“How about I wait till you finish your shift here? Then we can go to my place. I would very much prefer to fuck you all night long rather than have a quickie in the back of my truck.”

“No can do. Gotta go home to my kid.”

“You have a kid?” Matt asked, somehow annoyed with that fact.

“He’s five.”

“Well, can’t he stay the night alone? When I was five, my parents used to leave me all by myself every Friday night.”

No wonder he turned out this way.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Rogers, but I’ve got to get back to work.”

I didn’t wait for them to add another asshole comment to the conversation, which was surely going to come if I lingered for even a moment. I turned around, certain they were watching my ass, and headed back to the counter. Gemma, who had noticed the entire exchange, shook her head, looking at me in pity.

“I don’t think they’re ever going to stop trying to get you into the back of their trucks,” she said. “Can’t blame them, though. You look like you fell from heaven.”

That was a compliment, but it didn’t feel like one, given the situation.

“And you attract a lot of attention because of your hair, Lyra. Maybe if you dyed it, their eyes will stop following you as you move around the pub.”

This was the millionth time Gemma had suggested that I dye my long, whitish-blonde hair, and for the millionth time, I was going to refuse.

“I’m not changing my appearance because of lowlifes like Matt and Rogers, who never have the moral compunction to even tip the staff. Now, can we stop talking about them? I can feel the nausea building.”

Gemma shrugged before nodding once and going back to washing the mugs and cups that were piled up behind the bar. I pulled out my notebook and went through it to ensure that I had ticked off all my customer’s requests, as well as to track the tips I had received.

With the number of customers we had tonight, I had hoped that my tips would add up enough for me to get Leo that toy he had always ogled whenever we passed by the toy store.

Unfortunately, my tips were actually short of yesterday’s, and yesterday was one of the worst days I had had when it came to tips. My salary could cover the cost of the toy, but it was already reserved for other expenses like food, babysitter fees, rent, and a bunch of other necessities.