Lilith
Kael left early this morning, and I already miss him, though I would never admit it to anyone.
The safe house feels too quiet and empty without him here.
I have been pacing the floor, trying to find something to do, but since I finished my last manuscript, I have nothing to fill my time.
Suddenly, my phone rings and I leap towards it, looking for any distraction that will take my mind off of him.
My editor, Yvonne’s face flashes on the screen, and she is already talking as soon as I accept the call.
“The last chapter was phenomenal.
No notes.”
”Do you really think so?
It is so different from what I have written before.”
”It is perfect,” she shouts through the speaker.
“So perfect, that we need to get together and celebrate.”
I bite down on my bottom lip.
Kael specifically told me not to leave the house without calling Ethan first.
“I don’t know.
I am still hiding from my father.”
”Hush,” she replies, and I can almost feel her eyes rolling.
“I know the perfect place.
Get ready, and meet me at the address I just texted you.”
She hangs up the call before I can argue, and I am left with no choice but to get ready to meet her at some seedy dive bar on the edge of Moonclaw territory.
When I step into the bar, I am pleasantly surprised.
The inside is much nicer than the outside would suggest.
My eyes scan the bar for Yvonne’s beautiful black head of hair, but she is small, and this place is crowded.
I am making my way to the bar when I hear her scream.
“Lily!
Over here!”
She is sitting at a table surrounded by hot guys.
Some of them are werewolves, some are human, but they are all gorgeous.
She flicks her hair over her shoulder and smiles flirtatiously with one of them.
“I thought this was a girl’s night,” I yell over the noise of the crowd.
“It is,” she laughs.
I point to all the guys at the table.
“These are not girls.”
She shoos them away with a flick of her hand, and the men scatter, but not before each one places a kiss on her cheek.
I roll my eyes and sit down beside her. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“You are impossible.”
She nudges me with an elbow.
“We can’t all be shacking up with the future Alpha King.”
”Shhh,” I hiss.
Her eyes narrow, and she takes a long swing of her drink.
“I don’t trust him, you know.
Alpha Kael.
The rumors that follow him are scary.”
I grab her drink and sniff it before I take a sip.
“You don’t know him the way I do.”
Her face changes from the carefree best friend to one of concern.
“Stay with me, Lily.
It would be safer.”
I down the rest of her drink.
“I know what I am doing.”
”If you say so.
I am going to get us more drinks.”
I watch as she disappears through the crowd, and I try to relax, but I get the feeling that someone is watching me.
I spin around and see Zachary leaning against the bar.
He saunters over with a bottle of liquor in his hands and takes the seat across from me.
“Well, well, well,” he laughs.
“Look who came crawling back to the Moonclaw Pack.”
”Go away, Zach.
I’m trying to have a nice evening.”
He pretends to be wounded.
“Is that any way to treat one of your oldest friends?”
”We are not friends.”
He pushes the bottle across the table to me.
“We used to be.”
I push the bottle back to him.
“That was a long time ago.”
”Drink.”
It isn’t a request.
It is a command.
“You first,” I reply, but that only makes Zach more aggressive.
“You didn’t use to be such a bitch.
Serene was right to drive you out of the pack.”
I don’t know what comes over me, but I reach for the bottle.
Instead of taking a drink, I rear back my hand and slam him across the face with it.
Luckily, the bottle doesn’t break, but the strike gains the attention of the rest of the bar.
Suddenly, I am surrounded by wolves that I recognize as Zach’s friends.
Slowly, I get to my feet and smile at the circle of guys.
“Six against one.
It doesn’t seem very fair.”
Then a bottle slams against the head of one of the guys.
He crumples to the group, and I see Yvonne smiling behind him.
“Whoops.”
The bar erupts into chaos.
Growls and the sound of glass breaking fill the air.
I swing on Zach again, punching him in the nose.
Blood runs down his face, and he screams in pain.
Before I have time to think, one of his friends is lunging at me.
I dodge his sloppy attack, and he faceplants onto the ground.
He rolls on his back, moaning loudly.
Placing a foot on his chest, I grab another bottle from the table.
“Open up.”
He gasps for air, and when he does, I pour liquor into his mouth.
He sputters and coughs, but doesn’t have the energy to fight back.
He is already too drunk.
Yvonne takes out another one and does the same, pouring alcohol down his throat.
Zach tries to stop her, but I kick him to the ground.
Straddling his chest, I force his mouth open.
“Drink.”
He tries to fight me off, but a few other customers hold him down while I dip the contents of the bottle into his mouth.
Yvonne snickers, and I see her taking pictures of the drunken group.
They are bruised and bloody with stains dripping down the fronts of their shirts.
“Hey,” the bartender yells.
“You two.
Out.”
Yvonne grabs my hand and yanks me from the bar.
We burst through the bar doors, holding our sides from laughter.
“Send those pictures to me.
I know just what to do with them.”
I forward the pictures to Zachary’s cousin, Mia, with the caption, “Your cousin tried to get me drunk and take advantage of me.”
Three dots appear on the screen before Mia’s response comes through.
“I will handle him.”