Chapter 2 - Rio

I can't believe I let Alex talk me into this.

There my Beta is doing body shots off of two identical looking witches, having the time of his life, and here I am sitting alone, sipping my whiskey neat with an unshakable twitching in my leg.

Alex was curious about this vampire-owned establishment that apparently hosts all sorts of supernatural folks. I thought it beneath me to even attend as soon as I heard 'vampire-owned', but I must admit I was a little curious.

He comes over, his chest drenched and shirt half-open, with an idiotically pleased look on his face. The music in this club is so horribly loud and the strobe lights are so blinding, I almost miss what he's saying.

"Come do shots with us, Rio!" he shouts over the music.

"No." I raise a curt hand to let him know I'm not interested in joining his shenanigans.

The whites of Alex's eyes as he rolls them back appear as though he's been possessed by a drunken god, which he has. I stand up, shake off the twitching in my leg and proceed to walk forward towards the bar and towards the identical witches, who are smiling seductively at me and biting their lips.

"Shots! Shots! Shots!" I hear Alex's incessant chanting following behind me.

But just before the bar, I take a sharp 90 degree turn and continue on.

"Rio!" he shouts after me, but the loud electronic music quickly fades him out.

I enter the dimly lit men's room to splash some water on my face and look back at my reflection from the bathroom mirror. My heterochromic eyes are blue and black and I look deeply into the black eye. This is a trait passed on from Alpha to Alpha in Midnight Shadow, my Lycan pack. The black Alpha eye is said to be the window through which the Moon Goddess gazes at the world. I stare at it, demanding for some peace and tranquillity.

I need to calm down.

There are many a stimulus in this nightclub that could be the cause of my agitation, but none of them are the main cause of my worry. It's not the awful music, nor the stereotypical red-colored décor of an edgy vampire-owned nightclub. It's not all the aroused females who graze their hands on me, nor the witch twins who've been eye-fucking me all night. It's not Alex's annoying party-boy habits, nor his constant hollering.

It's the fact that she, the Moon Goddess herself, did not give me a destined.

The door swings open behind me and I glare at the man's eyes through the mirror.

"Out." I command him.

One look at my mismatched eyes and he knows better than to disobey my order. He retraces his steps.

I douse my face in more water as I sigh heavily. I can blame the Goddess as much as I want, but I can't refuse my mother's wishes. This past year was a difficult one for all of us because we lost our Alpha, Maximus Xenakis, my father.

In the wake of his death, my father left me the responsibility of overseeing all of Mighty Five, which is a heavy implication for one so under-prepared as I. With a large inheritance that leads back to maybe thousands of years ago and the added management of other wolf packs, i feel I haven't had any time to catch my breath.

Then there's my mother, who, in her inconsolable grief and paranoia fearing the loss of our bloodline, insisted that I marry. Lucky for her, the daughter of Silver Bow is just the right age for it, though 21 seems a bit immature to me. She isn't a Lycan, but she will do.

All my life, I had been looking forward to sharing a destiny bond with the one the Goddess had chosen for me. Not just because the children of destined mates are stronger, smarter and healthier than chosen mates, but also because of the look that passes between two lovers meaning they would move the earth for the other. My parents shared that look in every moment, mundane or otherwise exciting.

Sappy for a young man, I know.

I always ranked first in school and in combat training. I never complained when I got disciplined or scolded. I always made sure to be a good example for my younger brothers Kobe and Leon. And I always made sure my people knew that I was the perfect son.

But tonight, I feel the pressure weigh heavily on me more than it ever has before. Having a chosen mate will be the one imperfection I'll always carry with me.

Perhaps, now I'll remember why I let Alex talk me into coming here tonight.

I smoothen my curly black locks, take a deep breath and leave the men's room. The man who had interrupted me before stands waiting there, anxiously pacing around. As soon as he spots me, he bows and utters, "Alpha," and darts into the men's room.

I hold my head higher at that, walking around with the knowledge of the great Lycan Alpha blood that runs through my veins.

I proceed to walk back to my Beta when a large man, as tall as I at 6'4, dressed in all black approaches, a bouncer presumably. He covers the faint stink of death that wreaks from his body with a heavy cologne.

"Good evening, Alpha Xenakis," he bows his head. "Miss Valentina de la Mort, owner of this fine establishment, would like to see you in the VIP lounge. Please," he gestures for me to follow. I suppose it's better than going back to Alex whose drunken cries actually seem to be penetrating the loud club music.

I find myself walking into a dark room, the faint murmurs of secret pleasures resonating between the walls. In the far corner, sitting in a red-hot leather booth is a woman with straight ink black hair and two thick white strands flowing down the sides of her face. She is dressed in a black power suit with strong shoulders, and a feminine lacey top underneath. Her dark burgundy lips pull back into a sweet smile.

"Well, well, well," she says as I approach her. She carries the same stench of death as the bouncer, only covered in a medley of strong floral perfumes. "If it isn't the Lycan Alpha himself come to visit my little club out here in the middle of nowhere."

"Good evening, Ms de la Mort," I greet her politely.

"So, what brings you to Oscura? Business with Silver Bow, perhaps?" Valentina's sweet smile turns into a sly grin.

Yes, it would be quite odd that a Lycan, let alone the Alpha, would be caught in public out in the middle of nowhere, as she put it, if not for business of some sort. But to satisfy the vampiress with an answer would be undignified. Centuries spent in the dark and they believe it is their right to know every secret that falls into the darkness.

"I don't know if you've noticed that loud man out there who can barely keep his shirt on, but that is my Beta and we are here to have some fun. That's it."

"Hmm, but you don't look like you're having fun," Valentina pouts. "Is there something a hostess can do to rectify that?" I feel the distinct touch of the pointy head of her shoe caress my leg under the table. I nudge her off and snarl a little.

"It is beneath a Lycan to bed a vampire," I hiss.

"Oh, bed little ol' me?" she replies irreverently. "Don't be silly, Alpha Xenakis." She tucks the thick strand of white hair behind her ear to reveal her neck. "I meant just a little nibble."

As Lycans are hybrids between vampires and wolves, we can sustain our bodies with both food and blood. We have moved away, in recent years, from the barbaric nature of consuming blood. However, the instant gratifying ecstasy that follows the fast endorphins released with a bite, for both parties, is something well known of Lycans and vampires. We save them, now, only for sex or the mark of the mate.

I scoff and get up. "I wish you well on your future endeavors, Ms de la Mort."

"Oh, come on, it's just a bite," she calls after me as I turn to leave. "Besides, I like women."

I exit the dark VIP lounge and emerge on the other side to the god-awful electronic music of the nightclub. I find the mixture of interspecies scents slightly discomforting and driving me a little crazy. I spot Alex, who is now quiet for the most part, and dancing with the twin witches. Witnessing my Beta grinding on the two women is a scene I wish to scrub from my memories.

I proceed to the bar and order another whiskey neat, so I have something to concentrate on, when suddenly, a mouth watering delectable rosy fragrance wafts my way. My eyes, along with the help of my sharp nose, follow it all the way down to the end of the other side of the bar.

Blessed Goddess!

My mate.