Chapter 20
I slept restlessly. Either I was wake, feeling the twinge of the mate bond or the feeling of being alone or dreaming of her. Dreaming of reaching out to her as she left out my door but she was always just out of reach. Bryan and Hector took turns watching me. When I woke up from the last time, both of them were dressed up.
"Alpha, we can go without you if it would be easier."
I shook my head and sat up. Rubbing my eyes, I stood up. Went to bathroom and splashed water on my face. I looked like shit. Getting dressed, I took a deep breath. Weakness had crept into me and I felt as if I had aged twenty years, feeling as though my arms carried 50 extra pounds as I lifted them to button the cuffs of my shirt.
We pulled up to the club just after 9pm. We were a little late this time. The bouncer in front wasn't leaning against the podium but was standing holding the list. His eyebrow raised up he watched the three of us walk up.
"Any change tonight?" Bryan stepped forward.
He flipped through his list. As he looked, my heart dropped further and further. This was the third night. I was at my wits end.
"Got it. Head on in."
I let out the breath that I had been holding in that whole time, shocked. All three of us looked at each other as he unlinked the rope and we walked through. Bryan opened up the double doors and we walked into the club.
I think all three of us was surprised just how big of a place it was. It opened up just past where we walked in but there was another hostess standing at a desk, looking over papers at her station. There was a second large rope that blocked off the main club area.
"Hello. May I have your name and the number in your party?" She looked up at us and I saw Hector shift next to me. She was definitely a vampire. “The name on the list should be Bryan or maybe Beta Bryan? Or Alpha Logan? Does she know your last name?" Bryan looked over at me and I wanted to punch him. I was already stressing and he was making matters worse.
Her eyes flicked between the two of us. "Give me just a moment."
She pulled out a little phone from the wall she was next to and started to speak. I was trying to listen to the words on the other end but a voice filtered through my ears. I walked to the furtherest side of the hallway along the rope and looked into the room. It was dark and lights were low. There was a single red spotlight on the stage that rose up from the floor.
The voice that I knew but had a smoothness that was like rain washing over me. Auri was on stage, in a beautiful albeit tight black dress. She looked incredible and she swayed to the music, her voice carrying through the mic. My knees were going weak and I looked over at Bryan, pleading. Confused he walked over with Hector and looked at what I was watching.
“She looks good.” Bryan muttered as he watched as well.
"Is that our Luna? The one on stage?" Hector asked, looking from Bryan to me.
I nodded, my voice being swept away in her voice.
"Good evening, gentleman."
I looked at the man who had walked up to us as we gawked at my mate. He was dressed to the nine, all black except for a blood red tie and handkerchief. He was young and looked like he stepped out of a model magazine. The man commanded the room and his eyes bore into your soul. Bryan coughed. "Morgan Russo, lovely to meet a legend. I'm Beta Bryan Steele and this is Alpha Logan Everfell. Also our Gamma Hector Mendez." | looked from Bryan to the man as Bryan shook hands with, the man that commanded so much fear in the supernatural community. I was proud as hell. I stuck my hand out and Morgan also shook my hand but squeezed longer and harder than Bryan. He eyed me up and down. "So you're my daughters mate." I heard him tsk before he let go. I thought I saw a flash of disappointment in his face and I nearly shook. I thought I would never have issues meeting my mates father. I was an Alpha. But this man...this man scared the fuck out of me.
"Come this way. She has set you up in one of the lounges."
The woman at the desk unhooked the second rope and all of us walked into club. We followed Morgan up the stairs behind the bar to a second level. I looked at my mate, my Auri. She looked beautiful as she sang, the movement of her hips with a dip to the side made me want to melt. The dress she wore was making Cato howl. Lust and longing gripped me. The black material clung to her but it moved as she moved. I was so close and yet so far. I still couldn't touch her, kiss her. My heart hammered in my chest.
With my eyes elsewhere, I ran into Hector who had stopped behind Bryan. Morgan was showing us into the lounge section which was a booth with a table. There was drink menu and it was fairly quiet outside of the music.
“There is a touch screen in the table. Order whatever you would like, your drinks are being covered by 'our princess' this evening. Enjoy."
"When can we talk to her?" Finally managed to find my words but they sounded small.
He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "When she wants to talk to you pup. No sooner." With that, he turned in a flourish and walked away. "Oh boy, he hates you." Hector chuckled.
"I'm hating myself right now." I put my head in my hands.
Bryan had leaned over the table and was scrolling through the drinks "Might as well order some drinks."
The boys ordered their drinks but I just sipped on a water. The previous alcohol leaving a burning feeling in my stomach that made me nauseous just at the thought. We watched the stage, watched my mate as she shone in the red light. She wasn't afraid here and not once did Kai come forward. Auri sang and moved, moving the whole room with her. She smiled when the song made her smile and sometimes a smirk played on her lips. I swallowed hard.
'Kai is reaching out to me.' Cato whined, the first time he had spoken up in hours.
'Well, fucking talk to her. You've been sulking and you can't say no to our mate.'
He opened up the communication and I could feel his fear. Whatever they were talking about, it wasn't good. I figured I would be chewed out later. Either by him or Auri herself. It was torture, watching her sway and move. Unable to touch her, talk to her. One of the songs she sat next the the pianist and he pulled her close, their faces inches apart as she sang. Bryan held me back from getting up out of my seat.
"He's a vampire, dumbass. Chill."
Taking a breath, I repositioned myself back in the seat. Another song later, there was an intermission and three lovely girls came up. I couldn't tell what they was, vampire or maybe fey creature. But they sang together and sounded lovely. It was low and sultry and matched the mood. "Man, I'll take all three of those girls tonight in my bed."
Then I heard it; her laughter. I squirmed as she walked in front of our table. "You would be remiss, Bryan. They like to put their bed mates to sleep before anything happens and take a trophy."
Bryan looked shocked and looked at me for a moment before answering. "So they are Fey?"
She nodded. “All three of them. Though, it's only about a quarter. They aren't really harmful and they sing so damn well." Auri looked over her shoulder at them, wistful.
"Your voice is beautiful in its own way Luna." Hector, surprising both of us, handed out the first compliment.
"Why thank you." She smiled and my heart started hammering in my chest.
"Auri..." I didn't know what to say, didn't how to finish my sentence.
"It's good to see you Alpha Logan." Her curt words made my heart drop into my stomach. She used my full title. My Luna used my title.
I looked at both Bryan and Hector for help but they looked everywhere but me. Shitheads. I would make them do double training when we got back.
"Auri, can we talk?"
"Are we not doing that now?"
This time Bryan let out a snort as he stared at the three woman on the stage, taking a sip of his drink.
"I mean, alone. Just you and I. I need to..."Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
She sighed and adjusted her dress, the already low cut, dipping lower. I lost my train of thought.
"Alpha Logan, we can speak after I'm done. You boys can enjoy the rest of your night." She smiled and I snapped.
"Enjoy? Enjoy what? I've been losing my mind. Worried, angry, hurt. Going overing scenario after scenario that something may have happened to you. Why you would leave me, your MATE. Why you wouldn't come back. And you're here, smiling, small talking, not giving shit about anything else other than you."
Hector had a hand on my shoulder, a hard grip. I looked at her face and realized I had gone too far. Anger flashed on her face and she stood up straighter, less relaxed.
"As if you have done nothing wrong. As if you refused to listen, to understand. Do you even know anything about who I am, Alpha? I'll also need to remind you that you are not in your packs territory anymore and outbursts aren't tolerated here."
I watched as she waved behind her and realized that multiple people had moved forward to protect her. From me.
"It's your pack too. You're my Luna." I looked at her, pleading.
"Yes, where someone threw me out of the house, called me a weak and threatened me." She bite her lip for a moment before it turned into a frown. "I'm well aware of how I look on the outside, Alpha. I understand I'm blind and I'm scarred. I've had to overcome a lot over the years and it sometimes still eats at me. The treatment I receive within the packs is mostly to blame for that."
She leaned in. "So how can I trust or want to help a pack who does nothing to look at me past just my outward appearance? How can I trust you when you can't even do that?"
I heard Hector suck in his breath and covered his mouth with his hands, leaving my shoulder. She smiled and her eyes lit up.
"Good to see you remember me, Hector."
"Holy fuck." He didn't say another word as he looked at my mate.
She laughed and the mood already lightened. Auri turned away from us.
"Enjoy the rest of the night boys. I'll have someone grab you when I'm ready."
I watched my mate walk away. My whole body wanted to go with her. Wanted to wrap my arms around her. Tear off that fucking dress and claim her again. Her lips on mine, her words only for me. It tore me for her being so close and then watching her walk away. At the same time, she felt even further away.
"Alpha." Hector was looking at me, still visibly shook.
"What is up with you, Hector? You've seen Auri before?" Bryan asked for me.
"Do you remember three years ago, you sent me and Godwin and Jude in to check out a pack compound that was trafficking women?"
"Yeah. Vaguely."
"While we were on site, the group..."
Bryan chimed in. "Right! The fucking...fucking black clad group with The Huntress, right? She swept through the entire place and just absolutely decimated it."
Hector swallowed. "So, when it was happening, the three of us moved in to get a better look and we got caught."
"What?" I hissed. The mission came back to me. It was one of the I had done a lot of research on, only for it it be ripped out from under me.
"Look, we were only trying to see if we could get some of the documents from there to help locate other bases and we got caught. The Huntress came and she interrogated us but then let us go. She even gave us a copy of the info we were looking for."
"You didn't fucking tell me you got caught dipshit." I growled.
He waved his hand. "Not the point Alpha."
We looked down at the stage were Aura had walked back onto, people clapping for her and for the three women who got off the stage. She was now wearing a red dress that hung on her every curve. For moment, everything disappeared. It was like the first time I saw her, the light shinning on her. The difference was the confidence she carried, the smile.
Hector shook my shoulder. “Alpha, she's the Huntress. Our Luna is The Huntress.”