Tabby

Have you ever wondered how your life can turn from 100 to 0 in minutes? Yeah, I asked myself that all the time when my parents died in a car accident when I was seventeen. That was a fun visit from the local police department when they knocked on my front door.

Miss, we're sorry to inform you your parents were in a car accident. There were no survivors. A building falls on you and crushes your heart into a billion pieces.

Since I didn't know any of my family, my mother's long-term friend, Shirley, helped me with the funeral arrangements. Strangers arrived to pay their respects while I had to say goodbye to my lifelines or tethers. It was like these invisible lines snapped when I lost them.

After the funeral, it was even better; since I was only seventeen, no one wanted an almost eighteen-year-old to raise. Why? Beats the hell out of me. You would think people would like a practically grown child with little responsibility. Nope, they didn't.

So Shirley offered me a place to stay with a part-time job while I finished high school. I had a few more months left of school. Then, I would figure out my life.

The months at school I had passed by in a blur. I didn't attend prom or graduation. Why bother? It's not like I had anyone cheering for me in the stands. Shirley offered, but she wasn't my parents.

Once I turned eighteen, I continued to work in the coffeehouse while figuring out my life. I decided to take a few community college courses in business. I could work and earn my degree before opening a business. I like the restaurant business. It had so many endless possibilities.

I studied for my classes while waiting for customers.

Shirley glanced at the textbook I had open on the counter. "Tabby, all you do is work and study. When are you going to go out and have some fun?"

"Shirley, I can't rely on you to support me for the rest of my life. I need to support myself. If my parents were alive..."

"Your parents would want you to enjoy your life. It's the main reason they walked away from their families. Your mother's family disapproved of your father since he wasn't rich. But your mother loved your father."

"Neither family visited us. So it wasn't just my mother's family that caused problems."

"No, it wasn't." Shirley patted my shoulder and smiled reassuringly before shuffling into the kitchen.

My dad and mom's family disapproved of my parent's relationship. Dad's family was working class, while Mom's family had money. The social classes were a big issue between them. It shocked the hell out of me when they showed up to the funeral. I figured they wouldn't bother. I wish they hadn't come since they couldn't shut their mouths.

I lost my parents, and their families were throwing digs at each other. It made my loss much more bearable.

The bell chimed to alert us of customers. I lifted my gaze to a guy dressed in a leather jacket, blue jeans, and black boots with a beard and short hair. Why is a guy like him in a coffeehouse? He doesn't strike me as a coffee drinker.

The guy approached the counter and glanced at the selection of coffee on the sign behind me. "Give me a black coffee. No sugar or milk."

"So, you want a regular coffee."

"Isn't that what no sugar or milk means?" He arched his brow but didn't smile.

"I suppose. What size?"

"Large."

"Anything else?"

"Just the coffee."

I glanced at the guy before retrieving his coffee without sugar and cream. I placed a lid on it and set it on the counter. "Three bucks."

The guy tossed cash on the counter, grabbed his coffee, and left the coffeehouse. I picked up the bill and raised my brows in surprise. The guy left twenty dollars for a $3 coffee. What the frick?

Shirley came out from the back and noticed the twenty I held in my hand. "You seem confused."

"I am. This guy dressed in a leather coat ordered a $3 coffee and left twenty behind. He didn't even wait for his change."

"You must have met Cress."

"Who's Cress?"

"Cress Heart is the president of a motorcycle club in Stanwood. He usually stops by for his coffee and leaves a hefty tip."

"He drinks coffee? I thought bikers drank beer."

"Not every biker drinks beer. Cress likes his coffee." Shirley shrugged.

"How come I've never met him?"

"You're usually not here when he comes."

I looked at Shirley before shaking my head. The whole situation was odd.

********
Cress

Whenever I stopped by Shirley's place to grab my coffee, I got hit with this amazing smell of Jasmine. It was faint, but it was there. My wolf was going apeshit in my head, trying to find who the scent belonged to. It caused me to shift more frequently than I wanted to.

That meant only one thing. My mate was here.

It wasn't until I was late getting my coffee fix that I met her. The scent of Jasmine flooded my nostrils as my wolf growled mate. She was beyond gorgeous, with light brown hair and curves in all the right places. I wanted to lick every inch of those curves.

Chaos wanted to mate and mark her. I had to chain his ass before he did. My beast was massive and wouldn't hesitate to claim his mate. But another smell hit me when I got closer. She was a human. What the actual fuck?

Humans and werewolves don't mix. Our wolves can't mate with humans. They need to have a wolf. But Chaos, that asshole, didn't care if our mate was a human. He wanted her. Of course, he would. He enjoys chaos to the extreme, which is why his name was Chaos. It was also my road name.

I tossed a twenty on the counter, grabbed my coffee, and left before Chaos got free. This asshole argued with me once I left the coffeehouse. If he weren't a part of me, I would shoot his ass.

Now, to stay away from the beauty.

******
Tabby

After that evening, when Cress bought his $3 with a $17 tip, he returned without saying much. He would order a coffee, toss a twenty on the counter, and leave. I didn't understand his logic.

Finally, I ran after him before he could boogie to give him his change. I grabbed his arm as he stopped and stared at my small hand on his massive arm. I removed my hand quickly and held out the change to him. "You forgot your change."

Cress glanced at the bills in my hand before looking at me. "Keep it."

"I can't keep a $17 tip. Here." I thrust the change at him.

"I don't want it."

"It's too much."

"So?"

"So, a $1 tip is fine." I kept shoving the money at him.

Cress kept pushing my hand away. "I said to keep it."

"And I said no."

He raised his brow without smiling. Doesn't this guy ever smile?

"I'll do you one better." I shoved the cash into his pocket and walked away before he could refuse it.

"I don't want the fucking change!"

I glanced back at Cress. "Too bad! Next time, don't leave so much behind!"

Cress grumbled while I disappeared into the coffeehouse and locked the door. Now, he couldn't return the money to me.

******
Cress

This woman would be the death of me. I had to keep the asshole happy so he didn't go on a rampage and visit my mate. My visits satisfied the idiot until she had to touch us. Even through my leather, I could feel the sparks which shot straight to my dick.

Now I had two problems—appeasing the asshole and my steel rod dick. My life has turned into a shit show because of my mate. If I didn't visit her, I couldn't run my club because of Chaos. My dick wanted to bury itself inside that sweet pussy.

I tried to appease both. It didn't work. They both wanted our mate. I even tried to find a female to curb my issue. Chaos went apeshit while my dick failed to cooperate. It was wreaking havoc on my pack.

My VP had to step in and help me while I dealt with this issue. It wouldn't be until my mate found herself in a precarious situation that my life would take an unexpected turn.