Wren

My head whips to the side from the impact, and I clutch my face. That's when the tears fall. They stream down my face in uncontrollable waves.

I sink my hand into the cake and throw a fistful at him, immediately regretting it when I see the unimpressed look in his eyes.

Redness crawls up his neck to his face, his fists clench at his side.

His large hands fall on my shoulders. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?" He hisses, shaking me violently, fingers digging into my skin.

"Let me go!" I grab and kick him, struggling beneath his grip.

"I told you to leave minutes ago, but you didn't," he says. "Now, I'm going to make you leave."

He throws me to the ground. I land with an 'oof', the breath leaving my lungs.

"Oh my god! Someone call security!" Someone screams, and just like that, people rush to my aid.

They manage to tug Tristan from me before he gets another hit in. I'm roughly surrounded, lying beneath a sea of heels, shoes, and sequins while I pray that I'm not trampled upon.

I curl into a ball, the crowd dispersing slowly, and I sob. My lungs squeeze tight, and the memories of my sweet Tristan cross my mind. It makes me wonder where he went.

Or if this cruel Tristan was there all along, but I was too blind to see it.

"Get up, ma'am." I'm yanked from the floor by two security guards.

My eyes find Tristan immediately. He sits at the far end, covered in cake, while his bride and others fuss over him.

He glares at me, and if looks could kill... I'd be six feet under.

As I'm dragged out of the garden and the hotel, the only question in my mind is "why?".

"Wren, oh my goodness." Judi runs to me. "I came as soon as I could."

"Do you know her?" One of the security men asks her.

She nods. "Of course, she's my friend. I'll take her from here."

They deposit me into Judi's arms and I crumble, almost taking both of us down. Judi grapples for me and we manage to get to her car in one piece.

She pulls out of the hotel.

"W-why?" My voice cracks, tears stinging the mark on my cheek. "I d-don't understand."

She reaches over to squeeze my hand. "He's a horrible person, Wren. He made you look like a fool, hit you, and humiliated you."

"W-was that in the media?" I ask, horrified.

The face she gives me has me bawling all over again. I scramble for my phone and there it is...the whole footage.

"I'm a... meme?" I gawk.

Judi hums. "Don't look at the comments."

The comment section blurs from my tears, making my dyslexia feel much worse, and so I shut down the phone.

The car crawls to a stop at my driveway, and I stay put, head on the window.

"I just..ju-" I wipe my tears harshly, sniffling, "I just don't understand, Judi. We spoke last night."

"I don't understand either, but I mean... he hit you, Wren," she tells me. "I'd say good riddance."

At the reminder, I touch my cheek. It still feels sensitive, still hurting. "It's bad, isn't it?"

I'm sure there's a red fingerprint. I don't even have to check. Judi doesn't respond. Instead, she digs around in her bag and hands me an ointment.

"I love him, Judi." A tear falls.

She pulls me into a hug over the console. "I know. I know you do, and I know this hurts. I'm so sorry."

I clutch her tighter, sobbing in the crook of her neck.

Where do I even start? I had it all together. I had the perfect life, the perfect fiancé... I was going to be a wife!

And now, I'm back to square one. My perfect life has been shattered right before my eyes.

"Come on." Judi breaks away from the hug. "Let's go in and attend to your bruises."

***

Tristan did this to me. My fiancé-ex fiancé-did this to me. I stand in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection.

The pain in my cheek has reduced, but the redness is still glaring. My lip is split, my wrist hurts, and little band aids decorate my arm and the back of my hands.

Judi patched me up before leaving some minutes ago.

With a sigh, I leave the bathroom and shrug on some comfy pajamas, settling into my pillows.

My heart hurts, my body hurts... Everything hurts.

I swipe through pictures of Tristan and me on my phone, wondering what went wrong. Our conversation from last night plays in my mind.

"I love you, Wren. So much!" He had said last night.

"Can't wait to get married to you." That's what he told me.

Where did everything go south? Tears leak from the corners of my eyes, rolling into my hair. But I don't stop swiping.

As I go down memory lane, an email notification pops up. At the same time, my phone rings.

I sniffle, picking up on the second ring, not bothering to read through the twisted letters and numbers on my screen.

"Hello." My voice is small and thick with emotion.

"Hey, chirp."

I freeze, breath hitching. I sit up abruptly, hands trembling.

That nickname, that voice.

"Ray?" I whisper brokenly, eyes tearing up again.

I've not heard from my big brother in years. Ever since I moved to Seattle, he has only called on my birthdays.

Today is not my birthday, but I'm guessing he saw the whole ruckus on social media.

"You need to come home, Chirp," he says.

"What? Why?" I sputter. "I don't think what happened is enough to drag me back to New Orleans, Ray-"

"Dad is...dead, Wren."

My breath ceases. "W-what?"

"Yeah. Last night. Found him this morning."

I squeeze my eyes shut. "How? Why? Who?"

"I don't know yet, but Chirp, listen close," he says. "I sent the flight ticket to your email, so don't sweat reading through all that. Here's what matters: your flight leaves Seattle Airport tomorrow morning at eleven o'clock. Got it?"

I nod, heart pounding in my chest. "Y-yeah, eleven a.m, got it."

Everything is happening so fast, I can barely catch up.

"It's Alaska Airlines, flight 219. Just remember that number: two-one-nine. Say it back to me."

"Two-one-nine, Alaska Airlines. Eleven a.m."

"Good, be there by nine at the latest. You don't gotta worry about anything else. Just show the ticket on your phone to the lady at the counter, and they'll point you where to go," he says. "I'll be waiting for you at the New Orleans airport when you land. You won't miss me."

I sigh. "Yeah, unless the letters scramble and I end up in Nebraska."

He chuckles. "Relax, Chirp. You'll be fine. Just keep your phone charged and answer if I call, alright?"

"Okay," I reply shakily. "Alright."

"See you soon."

Before I can reply, he hangs up.

I blink at the wall. I should feel sad, hurt, but I don't.

Shock, surprise, they hit me all at once.

My father is...dead?

Wren

The moment I step out into the lobby, a call comes in from my brother, I assume.

"Ray, hi." I pick up, dragging my luggage while my eyes bounce along faces, searching for him. "I'm at the lobby."

"Little bird." The voice comes in.

Not my brother's voice, but I can recognize that deep baritone even in my sleep. My blood runs cold.

I rip the phone from my ears, staring at the jumble of numbers on my screen.

"Ezra," I deadpan. "What do you want?"

"Your brother asked me to pick you up," he replies, sounding smug as ever.

My jaw tightens. "You're kidding."

"Nah," he chuckles, the sound infuriating. "I see you. Look to your left."

Instinctively, I do. My eyes find him immediately, his long legs striding towards me.

Ezra Jax, my brother's best friend and right-hand man. I clench my jaw as he approaches, towering over me.

"Birdie." His lips tilt upward into his famous smirk.

I scowl. "Thought I was getting Raymond."

"Raymond had business. You get me." His voice dips, familiar gray eyes raking down my body. "Can't say it's good to see you."

He's changed, I observe. More tattoos have been added to his body, crawling up his arms and neck. Plus, he has filled out too, his arms more bulky than they used to be.

But the worst part is... he's even more attractive than the last time I saw him.

And he's in his MC kutte, the leather vest still has his "VP" tag. Guess some things haven't changed.

"Likewise," I reply with an eyeroll.

His lips twitch, and he helps me with my luggage. "Did you have a good flight?"

"I arrived safely, didn't I?"

"Damn," he whistles. "The bird has grown some claws. Maybe I should change your nickname to kitten."

Because of my name, Wren, which is a type of bird, my brother and Ezra decided that giving me "bird" nicknames is the way to go.

How original.

"I'd rather you just call me Wren."

"That wouldn't be fun now, would it?"

Ezra and I are... enemies. We strongly dislike each other, we always have. But sometimes it's hard to really hate someone who's always around.

We step out of the airport, and the guttural rumble of engines is the first thing I hear before I see them.

My mouth drops open.

Half a dozen bikes surround the sleek black Camaro, riders in leather with the familiar Raven Reapers patch on the back of their kuttes, similar to Ezra's.

"You couldn't just come alone like a normal person?" I mutter, cheeks reddening at the stares I'm getting.

He grins, mocking. "Welcome back to New Orleans, little bird. You forgot, we don't do normal here."

Of course, how presumptuous of me to assume.

He opens the passenger door for me. "After you."

As soon as I slide in, the door shuts, and the bikes fall into formation, flanking the car as Ezra pulls out of the airport.

The ride is silent until Ezra breaks it.

"Saw you on the internet," he says, eyes dipping to the ring still on my finger.

I roll it between my thumb and index finger. "Yea... I don't think I want to talk about that."

"Are you sad about it?"

"Not at all, Ezra. I'm leaping for joy," I retort.

His lips purse, and I continue. "My life was ripped apart in seconds, all my plans thwarted. So no, Ezra, I'm not sad at all."

"For what it's worth, he doesn't deserve you. He's a-"

"Please stop," I say. "Everyone keeps trying to placate me, and that's not what I need."

"What do you need, then?"

I sigh, irritated. "What I don't need is you bugging me, Ezra."

"I'm only looking out for you, as Ray's little sister."

"Exactly. You don't give a damn. You're only offering the courtesy because my brother is your best friend-"

"That's not true, Wren." He looks over at me, eyes hard. "And you know that."

"Whatever." I shrug. "Everything happened so fast, then Ray called me back home so I haven't had the time to sit with it. I guess that's just what I need...to process."

He hums. "I guess."

"Yea..." I trail off. "By the way, do you know what happened to my dad?"

His hands tighten briefly on the steering wheel. "Ray says it looked like he was roughed up and then shot."

I grimace as the image forms in my mind. "Who would do such a thing, and why?"

"I don't know." He shrugs. "But your dad owed a lot of people, I guess one of them was done being patient."

My dad was a chronic debtor, an alcoholic, and a gambling addict. He wasn't the best dad in the world, and it's sad that he had to die like that.

But it is relieving to an extent. Like the weight has suddenly been lifted. At least the people he owed didn't come for my brother or me. It's one of the reasons I left New Orleans.

"It's quite... unfortunate," I say.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ezra sympathizes.

I don't reply, and the rest of the ride goes smoothly. And quietly.

***

The bass hits me before the doors even open, muffled rock music vibrating through the clubhouse. Ezra pushes it open, and we step inside.

Every head turns to me, the music doesn't stop, but conversations do. Familiar and unfamiliar faces meet me.

The smell of whiskey, oil and smoke fills the air. My lungs expand, while my eyes take in the familiar space, and a feeling of nostalgia washes over me.

"Chirp!"

I spot my brother at the bottom of the stairs, arms wide open. An excited gasp leaves my lips, and I run to him.

"Ray!" We collide together, my arms wrapping tight around him, squeezing. "Oh my god, I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." He pushes back, holding me away from him. "Look at you, goodness. Where's my baby sister?"

His eyes scan the room exaggeratedly.

"You too," I laugh. "You're much bigger now, Ray. Wow."

I go in for another hug. He rocks me in his arms and plants kisses on the top of my head.

We finally pull away, large smiles on our faces.

"Everyone!" He calls. The music stops, all eyes on us, well... him. "This is Chirp-"

I smack him on the chest.

"Wren!" He corrects. "This is Wren, my little sister, for those of you who don't know her. Wren, this is... everyone."

Laughter spills from my lips, and I manage a wave. "Hi, everyone."

"Hi, Wren," they chorus.

"EJ," my brother calls to Ezra, who has his tongue down the throat of a familiar redhead. When she turns, my jaw clenches.

Brittany, my ex-best friend. I don't even want to go down that memory lane.

"Yeah?" Ezra jogs toward us, Brittany following behind him like a leech.

"Wren will stay in my former room, please get her situated," Ray says.

"Alright-"

"Wait," I interrupt. "Your former room... isn't that the wing Ezra stays in?"

Ray nods. "Yes, you'll both be the only ones on that wing."

"Hell no, Ray." I hiss.

He ruffles my hair. "I know you and EJ have very strong opinions about each other, but he's the only one I trust around you. He'll keep you safe."

"Who's gonna keep him safe?" I ask.

Ezra frowns. "From what?"

"From me," I reply.

They both break into laughter, but I don't crack a smile.

Ray lifts his wristwatch to his face. "I've got to go, Chirp. I'll see you soon." He gives me another hug and takes off with some bikers.

"Come on, birdie," Ezra says. "Don't worry, I don't bite..." he raises a brow, "-unless you want me to."

"That's disgusting," I force a gag. "Is that how you pick up women like Brit?"

Brittany glares at me, and I glare back. Glad to see we're both still on the same page.

"Nah," he responds, "only women with the name Wren."

Ezra

"You're not gonna say thanks?" I ask.

She blinks at me. "For what?"

"For dragging your luggage up these stairs, for helping you, Wren," I reply with a scoff, baffled.

"I'm sure you get plenty of thanks around here, Ezra," she replies. "If I don't give you one, you're not gonna die."

Wren slams the door shut in my face, and my lips twitch.

Well... fuck my life.

Gone is the blushing twenty-one-year-old with bangs, and in its place is a twenty-four-year-old feisty vixen.

Now that Wren's back, and obviously very mouthy, I'm in for one hell of a ride.

Wren has always disliked me, and I have no idea why. Or maybe I do. It wasn't always like this, though. I like to think we were friends back in the day.

And all of a sudden, she just... switched. Like a fucking light bulb. At the time, she would just ignore me and then avoid me until she left for Seattle.

Now, she's hell-bent on giving me hell, isn't she?

I give the door one last look, chuckling to myself before heading back downstairs to the bar.

Lizzy slides a glass of whiskey to me, and I tip it in appreciation.

"VP!" Torch sidles up to me, planting himself in the barstool beside me. "I didn't know Prez had a sister."

Raymond is the President of our motorcycle club, Raven Reapers. Everyone calls him Prez or Ray. And since I'm his Vice President, they call me VP or EJ, short for Ezra Jax.

"Well, not many people know." I shrug. "Only those who were here from the beginning know about Wren."

"Was she always here?"

"In the clubhouse?"

He nods. "Yeah."

"Quite. She was younger then, so Ray didn't let her spend so much time here. She alternated between here and their home, but their dad..." I leave him to fill in the blank.

It's no news that Tony Carlisle, Ray's dad, was a... case, for lack of a better word.

Torch whistles. "Where did she travel to?"

"Hold up." My brows dip. "Why are you being so inquisitive about Ray's sister?"

"Come on, EJ-" he nudges me. "She's a fucking stunner."

I pause.

"Excuse me?" I say through gritted teeth.

"Her legs, man, she's got legs for days," he practically groans. "And her eyes... nah man, if she wasn't Prez's little sister, I'd have tapped that ass."

What. The. Fuck?

The thought of someone else touching Wren like that has me seeing red.

My fist shoots out, punching him square in the nose. He tilts back on the stool, tipping over and falling to the ground.

"Fucking hell, EJ!" He clutches his nose, while I tower over him. "What the fuck did you do that for?"

Everyone stops to stare, and a hush falls.

"Are you fucking cussing at me?" I lean forward, his eyes widen, blood seeping from between his fingers.

"No!" He shouts, scrambling away on the ground. "I'm sorry, but fu-you just punched me in the nose, man. What for?"

"I dare you to repeat what you said to me, to Ray," I spat. "I fucking dare you."

He pales. "Okay, okay, fine. I understand my mistake, I'm sorry. Shit."

We stare at each other for seconds, my jaw clenching and unclenching. A deep breath expels from my lungs, and I stretch a hand to Torch.

"Come on," I say.

He grabs me, and I pull him up, patting him on the back.

"Mrs Dee?" I call. She appears to be a short-haired old lady married to one of the older bikers. She's like our mother hen here at the clubhouse. "Please be a dear and wipe him up?"

"Anything for you, VP." She winks, blowing me a kiss. I return it with a laugh. "Come on, Torch. Your mouth will always put you in trouble..."

Her words trail off as she drags him away, and everyone goes back to what they were doing.

A slow clap sounds from the stairs and I'm not surprised to find Wren there. She's changed out of her clothes into tiny denim shorts, a crop top and knee-length boots.

Torch is right, Wren is a fucking stunner.

Her hips have filled out, milky thighs on display. Her long hair, a mixture of blonde and brown, is up in a high bun, her pretty face on display.

All the blood rushes to my cock, and my head swims, mouth drying up.

Don't go there, Ezra, I tell myself. Ray will kill me... literally.

But fuck, she's beautiful. She's a woman.

And I'm just... a man.

The clap follows her as she makes her way towards me, and settles on the stool Torch just left.

Her scent invades my nostrils, and I knock back my glass of whiskey, welcoming the burn that distracts me from everything Wren.

"Mr VP," she taunts. "Beating up innocent bikers. What an abuse of power."

"That's why I'm the VP, and you're not," I retort.

She rolls her eyes, and my jaw ticks. "If that role has me beating up innocent people as a show of power, I'm not interested."

"Exactly, birdie," I reply. "Don't concern yourself with matters of the sort, then."

"A Coke, please, Lizzy," she says, flat out ignoring me.

I press my lips together, hands tightening on the whiskey glass.

"Coke?" I scoff. "This is a clubhouse, not a little girl's birthday party."

"You wouldn't know a little girl's party if it hit you in the face, Ezra."

Both of us know that's a lame comeback, but if I were a decent person, I wouldn't point it out.

Guess what? I'm not.

"That was lame." I laugh. "And when did you get so mouthy?"

Lizzy slides a bottle of Coke to her.

"Thank you," Wren says. Then, she gives me her back, tuning me out. "You haven't aged a bit, Liz."

Lizzy gives me a look, lips pursed in silent laughter. I stretch my whiskey glass to her, and she fills it again.

Wren's gonna turn me into a fucking drunk.

"You look gorgeous, Wren. I still remember your bangs," Lizzy says, then sighs. "I heard about the fiancé fiasco. I'm so sorry."

"I really wish I could forget all of that," Wren replies.

"That bastard really hit you."

Wren's shoulders lift and drop. "He never hit me before then, though. He was probably really upset, plus the injuries were just minor scrapes."

My jaw flexes at her statement.

What does she even mean by that? Was he probably upset?

Wren has gotten on my nerves since the moment I picked her up from the airport, but she doesn't see me hitting her... or any woman, for that matter.

"There's no justification for him raising even a finger on you, birdie," I cut in.

She glares at me. "I don't recall talking to you, Ezra."

"You don't have to talk to me for me to make an input."

"I didn't ask for one."

"Well, you should," I reply. "I do have a bucket load of wisdom for youngsters that desperately need it, like yourself."

"That's it!" She slams her Coke down on the counter. "The only thing I desperately need is to scratch your eyes out."

"Easy there, little bird," I say. "With what claws?"

She shoots up from her seat. "I'm going to kill you, Ezra fucking Jax."

And now, she cusses?

My lips pull up into a Cheshire grin. "Come on, then. Do it."

She lunges forward. Lizzy wraps a hand around Wren's waist, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Cut it out, Wren." Ray's voice cuts in, booming. "EJ, stop taunting her. My office! Now! Both of you."

Hell. I didn't even know he got back.

Wren's gonna be the fucking death of me.