(Alcide POV)

The almost empty pint glass cracked under his unyielding grasp. Jason's hand clasped his shoulder and shook in an attempt to regain the ware's focus. One minute they were griping about the terrible day they had both had. Alcide snarled, and narrowing his golden eyes. Jason followed his friend's glare and rolled his eyes before rubbing his chin out of habit. Tucked in a booth in the corner, Sookie sat fully enveloped in conversation with Rene. The smile playing at her full lips told Alcide that she was flirting, if her hand on Rene's arm and her gentle lean that revealed her creamy cleavage weren't enough.

"Back down, Alcide. She's a free agent," Jason warned.

This caught the ware's attention. His eyes were a stoic façade that Jason knew all too well. To anyone else, Alcide appeared collected and sober. Beneath the well-practiced mask, Jason knew that his friend was completely livid. Between the day that they had had and seeing Sookie flirt with someone else. Alcide would be insufferable by the end of the night.

"I'm supposed to watch this then?" Alcide growled incredulously.

"She's single. She can flirt with who she wants" Jason said.

"Not with him," Alcide retorted.

Jason had no idea what to say. He sympathized with his Ware friend, but also knew that Sookie was doing nothing wrong. Her finger traced down Rene's arm. Rene was grinning from ear to ear in her effort to seduce him.

"You can't do anything about it, Alcide," Jason continued.

"Want to bet?" Alcide asked seriously, his eyebrow arching.

"I really didn't want to be the one to say this, but I guess I have to. If you're going to keep acting like this, you're going to have to claim her."

"Says who?"

"It isn't fair otherwise."

"I think you've been hanging out with Tara too much."

"Maybe, but she's right. I'm not sure why the hell you two can't stay the hell away from each other."

With that said, Alcide finished the rest of his Beer, thankful that the glass hadn't been completely ruined, and made his way towards the booth where Sookie was occupied seducing the dishwasher. Her intentions were clear by the way that she dressed. The cotton, strapless, black dress, accentuating her curves and revealing more leg than Alcide was comfortable with her showing. Her sandy blonde

hair fell loose around her face, teasing the side of her exposed neck. Alcide knew that everything Jason said was true. He didn't have any right to barge in on Sookie, but he couldn't help but relinquish logic to the wolf inside him who was desperate for his mate.

Her eyes shifted to the side as he came into her peripheral vision. She continued staring into the handsome face of the young dishwasher. Alcide would not ruin her night or her chance at finding love. He had already made it clear that they could only be friends and she would be damned if she allowed him to control her.

"Can you excuse us?" Alcide asked, standing near Sookie, but never taking his eyes of the man. Alcide silenced Rene's protests with a subtle warning growl. The dishwasher obviously wasn't interested enough in Sookie to put up much of a fight.

"What the hell was that, Alcide?"

"Come with me."

The tone of his voice indicated that there was little room for her to defy him. The sudden display of dominance spiked her arousal before she could cover it. His nostrils flared slightly before a smirk twisted his lips. She bulked at oppression. It made her feel caged and claustrophobic. Alcide's dominance, however, elicited different feelings from her.

"No."

"Sook, I don't want to make a scene."

"Where are you going to take me?"

"Do you really need to ask that?" he wondered, his voice deep and husky.

"Then my answer is still the same: no."

Sookie turned back to her drink, trying to keep her eyes off of him. She hated to admit it, but simply looking at him would make her resolve crumble. The leather jacket over the flannel button-up shirt, and his dark denim jeans had her mouthwatering. When she looked at his attire, simple yet utterly masculine, she always remembered how the articles of clothing still looked better on her floor.

Sookie could do little to hide her current arousal, thus spurring Alcide onward. He brushed the back of his fingers down her arm to calm him down. Relief resided in touching her and he clung to it before she could steal away from him. Caressing back up her arm, his hand made its way to her neck. Her eyes flashed up at his, her pupils dilated. The gesture served not only as method to arouse her, but also as a warning: when she went home with him, it would be a rough night. A gentle groan rumbled in her throat as she licked her lips, thinking about what could happen fifteen minutes from now.

"That's my girl," he murmured, releasing his hold on her.

Alcide was glad she ignored his slip. As much as he wanted to howl out his adoration for her and claim her as his mate, it was too dangerous. He couldn't afford to get involved, with the glares from Sam, like heat lamps on the back of his neck.

"Let's get out of here."

A frown wrinkled her brow momentarily as she moved to collect her jacket. He was losing her.

"Alcide, we shouldn't do this."

The calm that had settled over him had begun to slip. Jealously flared in his chest once more as he flashbacked to the memory of her flirting, and touching the Dishwasher Rene.

"Because you would rather go home with him?" He nodded to Rene, Who lingered out of earshot, but close enough that if Alcide let, he could move in again. "Do I need to make it clear that you are not up for grabs?"

"Do I have any say in this at all?" she asked hotly, her temper beginning to flare. " We are not together as you have clearly said, I'm a magnet for trouble."