Page 34 of A Love Bite

The people at the table barely look up. “We don’t know anything,” one of them says curtly.

Frustration starts to bubble up inside me, but I try to keep my composure. I approach a couple sitting near the window. “Excuse me, can you help me out? I’m looking into the recent violence around here.”

The woman shakes her head, her eyes avoiding mine. “We really don’t want to get involved.”

Everywhere I turn, I’m met with the same response—cold shoulders, averted eyes, and mumbled excuses. It’s clear that no one wants to talk to me. The friendly atmosphere I once felt here has turned icy, and I feel the sting of rejection.

Eventually, I find myself back at the bar, feeling more frustrated and isolated than ever. I look around one last time, hoping for a friendly face, but it’s clear that I’ve been shut out. The realization hits me hard—someone has made sure that no one here will talk to me. Whether it’s fear or loyalty, the result is the same. I’m getting nowhere.

With a heavy heart, I decide to leave. As I step outside into the cool night air, I feel a wave of discouragement wash over me. I hoped to find answers, but all I found was a wall of silence. The fear and tension in the bar were palpable. This situation is more dangerous than I realized.

As I walk away from Luna’s Moon, I try to regroup. There has to be another way to get the information I need. Maybe I can reach out to sources outside the bar or follow up on other leads. I can’t do this alone. I need to find allies who are willing to help or at least aren’t afraid to speak out.

29

Jake

As I emergefrom the back of the bar after finishing the inventory, I catch a familiar scent in the air. It’s Alex. She was here? Why hadn’t Lila told me?

I catch the other bartender’s eyes. She’s wiping down the counter. She winks at me. “Go ahead, Lover Boy. She just left.”

Without wasting a moment, I hurry outside, following her scent. It leads me down the street, and soon enough, I see her walking away, her shoulders slumped slightly with what looks like frustration.

“Alex!” I call out, jogging to catch up with her. “Alex, wait!”

She turns, her expression a mix of surprise and irritation. “Jake, what are you doing here?”

“I just finished up at the bar,” I say, trying to catch my breath. “I…” I hesitate. I don’t want to say that I smelled her there. “I was working in the back and didn’t realize you were there until someone mentioned you. I wanted to talk to you.”

She narrows her eyes slightly. “Why? So you can tell me to back off again?”

“No, not exactly,” I reply, running a hand through my hair. My wolf is yapping at me, saying if I claimed her, she wouldn’t be so upset with me right now, and I mentally shove him away. “I just… I know you’re frustrated, and I want to help.”

“Help?” she echoes, her tone skeptical. “It didn’t seem like anyone in there wanted to help me.”

I do my best not to make a face. Hearing this doesn’t surprise me at all. She’s a human who keeps returning to a werewolf bar without knowing that we’re werewolves. Worse, we’re werewolves involved in a turf war that she’s poking around.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I murmur.

“You aren’t surprised,” she notes.

Damn, she’s observant. Not a surprise.

“People are scared, Alex.”

It’s not the trust. People are pissed and more than ready to go to war, but since Elias and those werewolves have used poison, we’re forced to be wary, which isn’t sitting well with us.

“They don’t know who to trust,” I add.

She crosses her arms, looking at me intently. “And should I trust you, Jake? Because right now, it feels like you’re hiding something from me.”

I grit my teeth. She has every right to feel this way, but it kills me inside that she distrusts me. All I want is to feel her in my arms again. We made love once, and we had one date, but since… My secret is keeping us apart, and it might ruin us before we have a chance to truly be together.

“Alex, there are things going on that are complicated and dangerous. I’m trying to protect you, but… shutting you out isn’t the answer.”

“Then what is the answer?” she asks, her voice softening slightly. “Because I’m trying to find the truth, and it feels like you’re standing in my way.”

“I don’t want to stand in your way,” I say earnestly. “I want to help you find the truth, but I also need you to understand that this situation is bigger than you know. It involves people who will do anything to protect their secrets.”