Page 2 of Rebel's Fairytale

Rebel

Sitting on his bike outside the clubhouse, Rebel was rocked by the reality of what had happened that day. It was hard to wrap his head around it all. On top of him killing his uncle in front of the man’s children, his club family had literally had to fight for their lives. The war that had been brewing between them and the Hell’s Dogs MC had finally come to fruition.

In a field outside of town, hundreds of bikers and their allies fought to the death. When members of your family are killed or kidnapped and your businesses are blown up, you have little choice than to face the enemy and end things.

The Howlers and the Tiger’s Claw MCs weren’t the type to call the police when faced with adversaries. They were the type to handle their business and protect their family. Unfortunately, they failed too many people that day.

More than anyone else, the loss of Georgia, the beloved sister of the Howlers MC president’s mate, would reverberate for years. She was the best of them. Her kind soul, gentle manner, and love for life made it impossible not to love her.

After hearing how Emerson reacted to the loss of his mate, Rebel’s heart broke. How could it not? The thought of Emerson having to watch Georgia get blown up was inconceivable. He wasn’t a Howler, but he was part of the HTC family. They weren’t sure Emerson would ever recover.

They also lost Darlin’ and Dragon’s dad. He was killed while saving his son. While they all knew it was the way Griff would have wanted to go, it didn’t make the loss easier to take. Rebel was glad Dragon and Darlin’ both had their mates, Kisy and Trip, along with the rest of the club members and family, to help them through.

And Rock…Fuck.He and Lace may have been divorced for years, but they didn’t end things because Rock didn’t love the woman. Once upon a time, Rock was head over heels in love with the girl. He jumped into their relationship with both feet, married the girl as soon as she’d let him, and knocked her up. He thrived in fatherhood. Motherhood didn’t have the same effect on Lace. She fell into addiction, and the situation deteriorated until Rock had no choice but to end things with her and take full custody of their two children. He never stopped loving Lace, but he was a father first. She was shot before the major battle, and the drugs and alcohol in her system didn’t allow her shifter genes to heal her like they normally would. He had to say goodbye, and Rebel knew that brought Rock to his knees.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg for the injuries and deaths they experienced. The Tiger’s Claw MC, the ally female club to the Howlers, had lost three members. With the losses of others who had fought alongside the Howlers and the Claws, that brought the number of dead to eight and the injured to double digits. The effect would linger. The enemy was gone, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still hurting.

Starting his bike, Rebel took a deep breath. The situation at the library alone was enough to stress him the hell out. He was almost positive he scared Ruby off. Frankly, after what she had seen, he couldn’t blame her if she ran from him. Seeing him murder someone after turning into a predatory animal wasn’t something a person usually considered a turn-on. At the same time, he didn’t really regret it. His uncle was a piece of shit who deserved what he got.

Life was fucking complicated.

Breathing out slowly, he pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home. As much as he would have liked to track down Ruby and explain everything, it was more important for him to check on his cousins and make sure they were okay after watching him tear their father to pieces. Even though his cousins were grown, he had made a commitment to them, and he planned to honor that. It would take a lot to make up for killing their father.

He knew one thing for sure. He’d never qualify for cousin of the fucking year.

Chapter two

The Next Day… Bri

Sittingdownatthedining table in her high school best friend’s kitchen, Bri took a sip of the spicy mango margarita Liz had just handed her. More than a decade of friendship had Liz recognizing Bri’s need to talk as soon as she stepped through the door.

Liz had told her to get comfortable and went to make the margaritas. Bri knew she was curious about what was on her mind, but they were waiting for Allie to arrive.

Allie was Bri’s friend from her pole dancing classes, which she decided to take for exercise but also to feel sexy and show off the side of herself she was forced to tame for her career. Outside of her workday, there was no reason she couldn’t embrace her sensual side. They had sparked a friendship after class when a group of them went to have lunch and had spent the lunch talking and laughing. The friendship just came easily to them.

After a particularly bad day, Bri had needed a download day. She invited Liz to come to town for the night. While they were having drinks and airing out all the crap they had been dealing with, Allie showed up at Bri’s townhouse with the stuff for margaritas. Since then, the three of them made it a point to meet up once a month and have a margarita download day.

This time, it was being held at Liz’s cute, little, light blue house about an hour from Warden’s Pass, in Bri’s hometown. The outside was whimsical, without being over the top. She decorated her house and yard with various stone and glass structures. The light from the sun, or even the porch light, filtered through the glass and sparkled, creating a magical world where you fully expected a fairy to open the front door.

After her third sip of her margarita, Liz’s front door swung open, and Allie stormed into the room. Allie was a force of nature who stormed into every room, demanding the room’s attention, and radiating love, light, and did so with absolutely no filter. She could be sweet and supportive but could also throw hands and cut you with her words if you deserved it. That dynamite personality mixed with her dark brown hair and eyes, beautiful smile, and curves made her the center of attention at all times, whether or not she wanted to be.

Liz was quieter, but she also had a way with words that would make you regret crossing her. Her effect on the room was softer, but no less potent. She was the more levelheaded of Bri’s friends, but she was also the queen of pushing Bri to step outside of her box,andthe reason Bri even gave pole dancing a shot.

“Okay. Okay. I’m here!” Allie plopped down in the chair across the table from Bri and smiled. “Girl… we have some shit to tell her.”

Liz set a margarita in front of Allie before she took a seat and a sip of her own drink. Pulling her blond hair back and securing it with a clip, Liz’s blue-green gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them. “I can see in Bri’s eyes that she is shooketh. I noticed it when she walked in. So, spill, both of you.”

Bri didn’t even know where to start, so she started at the beginning. “Well… like a week ago I was at the library, reading that book you insisted I read.” Looking over at Liz, Bri noticed the smile grow on her pretty face. “Yeah, you were right. I loved it. Anyway, I was reading and heard the cat, Bleu, that keeps getting into the library make a noise. Then I looked up, and there was a man reaching up to pet her. When I tell you he was hot, I mean he washot. My brain instantly put him in a pink hand towel, and I choked on a gummi bear. Because he’sperfect,he saved me. Then, a couple days later… I still can’t work it out in my head. He brought me coffee, tea, and gummi bears and asked me out.”

Allie and Liz were staring at her with goofy grins on their faces.

“He’s tall, has longer blond hair, golden green eyes, and a full beard. He’s a member of a motorcycle club. He loves to read and is so damn sweet.”

That’s when Allie started laughing. “A Howler? You’re dating a Howler?”

“What’s a Howler?” Liz asked.

“I’m not dating him… Okay, yes, we’re supposed to go on a date, but—“