Chapter 1 ~ Prologue
It’s been two years.. and I breathe in a deep sigh as I pull the rental U-Haul into the compound.. backing my car dolly against the side of the garage..
I hop out of the truck.. to whistles and catcalls.. Spinning around, I growled “Knock it off, fuckers! You fucking know me!”
I walked around the truck and unbuckled Molly from her carseat.. standing her on the ground.. Carburetor came out of the garage and whispered “Angel? Is that you?” I nodded, as he hugged me tight.. and I didn’t cringe.
I turned and walked across the compound, with Molly on my hip.. Kicked the door open and yelled “I’m back, Bitches!” Stepping up to the bar, I ordered a beer and threw ten dollars down.
I watched Ace run for Leo’s office and I surveyed the room.. Spotting Viper.. staring at me.. his face full of anger.. and I smirked at him.
Leo came running out “Angel? You’re back? It’s so good to see you.” He reached to hug me and I held my hand up.. stopping him “Where’s the old man?”Leo told me he was at the pack house, handling some issues with the warriors.
We sat down at the VIP table and Leo said lowly “Angel.. you won’t cause any trouble for Viper and Dove, will you?” I busted out laughing “Oh Goddess! Her road name is Dove? Priceless.. But.. no.. brother.. I’m not about to cause trouble for Douche and Skankalicious! I am content to simply hate them from afar. Besides, I won’t even be staying here. I have my own house.. remember?”
He gasped “You can’t stay in Gram’s house.. It’s falling down.. there’s so much that needs done.. It isn’t safe for you.. or the kid.”
Anger washed over me… and Spirit rose to the surface.. “My daughter’s name is Molly, Never call her anything but that! MY house has undergone renovations in the last three months.. so it is perfectly livable..How have you not noticed?! Don’t tell me you hadn’t noticed the privacy fence?”
He sighed “Why is everything so hard with you? You know why we said what we did.. Why we did what we did.. Are you still angry?”
I laughed “No.. Leo. I don’t know why you never searched for me.. Or why you couldn’t even take me to a hospital for my injuries.. Why you and your father decided to try and have Doc abort Molly.. Why you said I had to choose.. The club.. or my bastard child.. Knowing damned full well that Spirit had already bonded with her pup.. Regardless of the scumbag who sired her. How is Psycho, by the way? Still abducting and raping young girls and getting away with it.?”
I stood up with Molly in my arms “I’m back.. because of Mom.. but don’t cross me.. I worked through my shit in therapy.. but anger wasn’t an emotion I could ever quite master.”
I get Molly back in her seat and pull out onto the road. Gram’s house is only five minutes away from the clubhouse.. technically still in club territory.. even though I own the house and the twenty acres surrounding it.
I get the baby inside.. trapping her in her portable play yard.. and start unloading the truck.. Unhitching my ‘71 Charger and driving it around back to the garage.. muttering ‘Sexy beast’ as I run my hand over her sleek midnight purple metallic coat..
Opening the trailer, I back my bike out and put her in the garage.. then I start unloading boxes.. putting them in the rooms they are supposed to be in..
I had stopped to take a break and give Molly a snack, when I heard a bike coming up my drive.. I grinned.. seeing who it was. She pulled her helmet off her fiery red hair and Molly starts screaming “Tanta.. Tanta” and that’s how a two year old combined Aunt and Tanya..
Tanya left with me two years ago.. just told her parents I needed her more.. and stuck by me.. every step of my journey. She held me when the flashbacks were so bad I was afraid to sleep.. She wiped my brow and held my hand.. yelling ‘Push’ over and over, until Molly came kicking and screaming into the world.
I held her when she found her true mate and was rejected on the spot.. True mates are so rare now.. many of us have stopped hoping for ours. So many have stepped away from the Goddess’s teachings. Me.. Well.. I still believe there are mates.. but I believe it’s a needle in the haystack kind of search.
Okay by me, though.. My only experience with a man was brutal. If I never meet my true mate.. fine by me.. he will probably reject me, anyway.. Just like Nick.. well.. Viper did.. as soon as he finds out my past.
That’s okay, too. I know my worth. I know my capabilities. Hell will freeze over before another man puts hands on me without my permission!
