I have just walked in from training at the pack. I yelled “Alice! Matthew learned a new word today. Maybe you can help me unteach it to him? Damn four year olds have an unbelievable vocabulary that they seem to want to teach ev-er-ybody!” She laughs and says “What word?” I smirk and try to say it low enough so he doesn’t repeat it.. again… since he sang it allll the way home! Whispering “fucker” was apparently loud enough for him to start his little ditty again “fuckerfuckerfuckerfucker… me like fuckerfuckerfuc..” You get the picture. She scoops him up and rushes him to take a bath telling him Sucker is another word for lollipop! And I thank the Goddess for her again!

I shower and throw on black dress pants with a silver lame’ halter top and matching black blazer. Toss my hair up in a messy bun pulling tendrils loose to frame my face.. doing my makeup and slip into my heels.

Heading out the door, I kiss my little family and race out the door. Mike’s cooking tonight and I’m front of the house , tending bar! I love working the bar! Everyone thinks you’re their own personal psychotherapist!

Parking my jeep, I notice we are slammed! Praying our servers aren’t in the weeds, I rush inside to find things running fairly well.. so I step into the back and give Mike a hug.. asking how Margie is and he just shakes his head. Being a healer, had I met them a few years earlier, I could have helped her. Unfortunately, it’s too late now.

I clip my bottle opener to my belt loop and tuck a bar towel in my back pocket, looking at the clock. Fifteen minutes to showtime! The bar reopens at 7.. after happy hour is done.. and that’s my shift!

An hour into shift and we are busy! And I’m dealing with a handsy prick who decided my tits are handles to hold himself on a stool. I already cut off his alcohol supply and am waiting for a free minute to toss his ass out. Ten minutes later he grabbed my tit again and I slammed his head on the bar.. grabbing the scruff of his neck I forced him into a bent over position.. walking him to the door, I shoved him out, kicking him in the ass. Strolled back in.. washing my hands. I take a deep breath, paste a smile on my face and ask a man what’s his pleasure before looking up. “I’ll have a limoncello mojito without the bloody nose, maybe?” When my eyes met the forest green ones looking back at me, I cracked up! “Yeah.. not one of my shining moments,right?” Fucking drunks! Thinking my tits are the way to hold himself up! And I realized.. saying “Sorry… out loud thoughts..”

Blake laughed. “When you catch a break, would you join us at our table? I would like you to formally meet my parents?” I laugh “Whoa buddy! We shared pancakes and a pot of coffee.. I’m not ready to meet the parents yet!” He laughed again “Fuck off! That’s not what I meant and you know it!” I chuckle telling him “Yeah.. but it’s fun seeing you get flustered!”

The dinner rush had waned.. the bar was deserted and I stepped to the back to let Mike know I was asked to join a customer’s table for a bit. Approaching the table, I heard the woman say “Put those disgusting things away. No decent girl would act that way!” And Blake notices me “Ahh.. well.. let’s ask a decent girl.. just be aware, she has no filter and cusses like a sailor!” I smirk “way to hype me up to the folks. Asswipe!” And he says see? He asks me to sit.. then hands me a phone. I glance at it and gasp! “Dude! Why you showing me a pic of your dick deep throating your mate? Ewww!” He laughs “Look closer.. that’s not me.. scroll through and let us know your opinion” I looked back down.. and see it isn’t Blake “Well, be thankful.. this guy looks like he’s a member of the small angler’s club” Looking up, everyone has a puzzled look on their faces “Little worm?” And they laugh.. I scroll through.. counting at least eight different guys. “She knows it’s not a competition, right? Dick sucking isn’t an Olympic sport.. there IS no gold medal! Holy shit! If she had as many sticking out as have stuck in.. she’d look like a porcupine!” Dalton guffawed loudly “Fuck me! I love this girl! Can I keep her?” And I giggled “Oh hey Dalton! How’s Trish? Good as she says she is?” He laughed again.

“So, what was the question?” Blake responds “My mom was curious what kind of girl would do things like that.. knowing she has a mate..” I nod.. “Well.. the pics are date and time stamped.. so she can’t claim these were from before she found you. But in my expert, unbiased opinion I would have to say the type of girl pictures of this nature would require is a slut..a skank…hooker..hussy.. take your pick!” Dalton smirks “I was leaning towards floozy.. but yours are good, too!”

I look at his parents and say “In all seriousness, I can tell you.. as an Alpha And Beta’s daughter.. a woman of her nature is not a good fit for Luna.. she would eventually bring shame and embarrassment to your pack. And while I don’t presume to know the reputation of your pack.. I do know it’s never a good thing to have it tainted with that brush”.. and his mother says “and I suppose you believe you would be a better fit for my son! More suited to Luna?” Blake gasps “MOTHER!” And I shake my head sadly.

“Luna.. I apologize if that is your takeaway from my offering of my opinion. But you may rest assured… being anyone’s Luna is the farthest fucking thing from my aspirations. You couldn’t fucking pay me enough money to even entertain the notion! I was a fated mate to an Alpha and dodged that huge fucking bullet! So.. if you’ll excuse me. I would say it’s been a pleasure.. but masturbating in a phone booth full of bobcats would have been more enjoyable”…

I walk away… hearing Blake and even his father yelling at the woman and for some reason, for the first time in a very long time, I cried. It confused me because I am seldom bothered by others’ opinions. But that one hurt! I walked to the back and told Mike I was going home..and walked out.

Mike’s POV~

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I looked up as she left. Our Jo never cries. Life just doesn’t get her down. It’s not sitting right with me.. and I look out the front. I see a four top.. arguing, and realize that’s where Jo had been. I storm up to the table and say “ I don’t know which one of you made our Jo cry! And I don’t give a fuck! That girl has been through hell! Stuck with a piece of shit mate who wanted to fuck her but not mark her! An alpha who took a chosen the night after he stole Jo’s virginity.. without rejecting his true mate he fucked that whore night after night.. nearly killing that sweet girl! Almost causing her to lose her precious baby! Yet.. she smiles. She laughs. She brings joy to anyone even lucky enough to be in her presence! To be considered a part of her circle feels like being blessed by the Goddess herself! She is the bringer of light in every dark existence! In all the time I have known her.. the only time I saw a tear in her eye was the day her Matthew was born! And they were tears of joy! But that! Those tears I just saw streaming down her face!? That was pain! That was shame! How fucking dare you come into HER restaurant… a place she has worked hard to make her own… and cause her anything of the sort! The shame is yours! I hope you drown in it!