Chapter 5 Romeo

“What a jackass way to win her over, huh?” Soren, my wolf, grumbles inside me.

I flash a grin at his tone and head down the stairs to the bar. We’re opening soon, and I need to keep an eye on how Vanessa handles the crowd. She’s still an enigma to me. I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that she’s actually a siren and I’ve got her tail.

“Chill, Soren. We got the siren, exactly what we needed, right?” I shoot back with a smirk, trying to drown out his voice in my head. “Besides, I’m not trying to win her over. I just want this damn curse to end.”

“Oh, sure, you’re right…” Soren replies, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “We’ve been alive for over two hundred years, and here I am, the fool, forgetting that to make someone fall for us, all we gotta do is order them to! Brilliant strategy, genius!” His acidity claws at my thoughts.

I roll my eyes and step behind the counter.

“Where’s Vanessa? Is she okay?” Violet asks when she sees me, her voice laced with a concern that doesn’t match her usual confident swagger. Her eyes search mine, like she’s expecting me to hide some tragedy.

“She’ll be down soon. Just getting used to things,” I reply with a friendly tone.

Beta Rael approaches with my omega, Vincent, an eighteen-year-old pup still learning to control his shifts and follow orders. Rael’s dreads are tied forward, giving him a fiercer, more intimidating look. Next to him, Vincent looks even smaller.

“Where were you this morning, Vincent?” I ask sternly. “I caught Violet taking out the trash alone! That’s your job!”

Vincent’s gaze drops instantly. His shoulders slump, submission pouring off him like cold sweat. He’s scrawny, too skinny, and needs time and training to become anything resembling a real wolf. But inside that number-crunching, algorithm-obsessed head lies a genius. The kid could hack an entire banking system with a toaster if I asked, but he can’t remember trash goes out Mondays and Thursdays.

“Sorry, Alpha Romeo, I lost track of time…” Vincent mumbles, his voice heavy with regret and that subtle fear only my presence can spark. His eyes stay glued to the floor, like meeting my gaze would be a death sentence.

“That’s the second time this week, Vincent,” I warn. “One more slip-up, and I’m cutting half your pay.”

“Yes, Alpha Romeo. It won’t happen again,” he whispers, barely audible.

“You’re on dish duty tonight,” I order firmly. “Go, before I change my mind.”

Vincent flashes a small, relieved smile and slips through the kitchen door like a shadow. Rael leans against the bar, eyeing me with curiosity.

“So, Alpha Romeo… what is she, exactly?” Rael asks, and I know he’s talking about Vanessa.

I smirk smugly, grab two glasses, and pour us each a shot of whiskey.

“She’s the finest golden fish I could’ve been gifted,” I say proudly, downing the shot. The liquid burns down my throat, but the taste is divine. “I’ll explain more later.”

Rael raises an eyebrow but doesn’t press. He takes his shot and nods.

“You know you need to keep Vanessa a secret, right?” Soren pipes up in my mind, with that half-paternal, half-annoyed tone that’s been with me for over two centuries.

“No, no. I’m gonna announce to all of Miravento that I’ve got a siren in my bar, and anyone who wants to see her has to pay six hundred bucks!” I retort sarcastically. “We’ve been alive for two hundred and fifty years, give me some damn credit!”

“Yeah, but sometimes I think you’re still that reckless twenty-year-old who got us into this mess!” Soren snaps back, like he’s been waiting for the perfect moment to jab me.

“I was in love. People do dumb shit when they’re in love,” I reply with amusement. “I’ve been pretty damn cautious since then.”

“Gotta give you props for that!” Soren says, but I can hear the mockery oozing from his tone.

Before I can fire back, her scent hits me. That delicious ocean smell—wet, clean, with a sweet, slightly wild undertone, like the sea decided to craft a fragrance just to mess with my sanity. Then I hear her footsteps coming down the stairs. I turn to face her. She descends like someone caught between two worlds. She doesn’t belong here yet, and every step screams it.

Vanessa’s beauty is unsettling, provocative, the kind that draws eyes even when she tries to hide. It’s an ethereal, almost cruel beauty, like it doesn’t belong in this dirty, flawed, worn-out reality. She’s out of place, but not in a laughable way. It’s the kind of out-of-place that makes everything around her a little less beautiful, a little less interesting. I can still see her as she was this morning—completely bare, freshly transformed, wet, vulnerable, and beautiful in a way few beings in this world dare to be. Her eyes, dark as the ocean at night, treacherous and silent. Even now, in mundane, dull clothes, Vanessa is breathtaking.

I watch her come down the stairs, and she nearly trips on the last step, catching herself on the wall with wide, startled eyes. It’s almost comical.

“Oh, honey, you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” Violet asks, rushing to her side.

“Your golden fish is a bit clumsy and pretty damn weird, gotta say,” Rael whispers beside me, with that mocking but never cruel humor only he can pull off.

I laugh at the comment. It’s true. Vanessa’s awkward, like a newborn deer trying to run. But that’s what makes her so fascinating. I’m betting this is her first time on the surface, and it makes me wonder how many other firsts she’s got ahead of her.

“What’d she call us again?” I ask, trying to pull that odd word from my memory.

“Land-dwellers,” Soren answers.

“That’s it! Funny little name to give us, don’t you think?” I say with a chuckle.

My eyes meet hers for a moment, but she quickly shuts down, looking away with an almost aggressive speed. She’s pissed at me. No surprise there. She’s mine now, at least for the time being, and that reality’s eating her up inside. I know it. I can feel it. And I don’t blame her. I’d hate being at the mercy of someone like me too.

“I’ve lived with you for two hundred and thirty-two years, and sometimes I can’t stand you,” Soren says with a laugh.

“Feeling’s mutual, my friend.”

I watch Vanessa sit in the farthest corner of the bar, arms crossed, staring everywhere but at me, like she’s refusing to acknowledge her own cage.

“My golden fish starts working here tomorrow,” I tell Rael.

My beta looks surprised, popping a toothpick in his mouth before stepping away from the counter.

“Why do I get the feeling this is insanely dangerous, not just for our bar but for our whole pack?” Rael asks warily.

I just flash an ironic grin in response.

“Let’s get to work. We’ve got a lot of werewolves to get drunk tonight!”