Chapter 237

Aaron 1- Clubs and curiosity Ryann Aaron has been acting strange lately. It took me a while to be sure of it since he doesn’t emote much.

But he seems… tired. Less engaged with things than he usually is. He’s good at hiding it. But I’m sure I’ve caught him yawning more than once recently. I tried pointing it out but he just gave an apologetic shrug and waved it off. Is he working too much? Or is it something else, something in his personal life?

I don’t know much about what he does when he’s now following me around. It’s not like he talks about himself all that much. No one I ask seems to know anything either. He’s a very private person, but surely he doesn’t just sit at home all the time. Okay, this is my new mission. I want to know what Aaron does for fun. I’m not just being nosy, It’s for the sake of his health. I’m concerned, that’s all.

Aaron Escorting Alpha Ryann around is generally a pretty simple task. She’s friendly and not demanding at all. I think she forgets that she’s in charge sometimes. Despite the fact that she isn’t a Shifter, she’s also very popular and dominant when she wants to be, so it’s not like she gets attacked very often. I always stay alert, but there are no current threats against her and she is with Alpha Kane more often than not. I’m just dropping her home now and then I will be free for the rest of the evening. I don’t regret taking this job. It’s an important role and I like all the people I work with. Still, outside of work my life is pretty dull. I spend most of free time in feline form going out running or just napping. I shift into a very I always keep to the land owned by the compound. Most people tend to panic when they run into me and turning back to my two legged self rarely helps. I’m a large man and I have not. been blessed with the ability to reassure people with my words. I know I tend to make people uncomfortable. It’s actually why I requested the task of protecting Ryann, even before she was officially the female Alpha. She’s never seemed uncomfortable around me and while she likes to tease me and try to trick me into speaking to her, she’s never been offended by my silence.

large Tiger As is quickly becoming my routine, I take Alpha Ryann home, make sure she is safe and that I’m not needed for the rest of the evening then I shift and I run. Since I finished work so early, I have a little more time than usual so I make it all the way to the edge of our land. I start running along the edge of the borders of the compound and I run until I’m exhausted. I stop with every intention of taking a nap when I hear something. I strain my ears but all I can make out is a vaguely pleasant tune. Curious, I follow the sound right up to the edge of Aaron 1- Clubs and curiosity the property. I can tell that it’s music, and it seems like a woman singing. I want to know more so I cautiously leave and enter the city. It’s dark so I keep to the shadows and do my best to avoid drawing any attention. I would shift back but I didn’t plan to go anywhere so I didn’t bring clothes and walking around n*ked brings its own host of problems. I usually prefer to be in my feline form as no one expects me to talk to them. There’s less pressure. I’m not far from the border when I find what looks like a bar or club. The music is coming from inside and it really is lovely. I don’t recognise the song though which frustrates me because I would like to listen to it more. Eventually the music changes to more generic songs and I start to lose interest. It’s frustrating that I didn’t get any answers, but it’s getting late so I begin the long run home.

I spend most of the day Saturday while I’m working thinking about the music I heard the night before. I want to hear it again, and more than that, I want to know who was singing. Was it a recording or was it live? That place seemed like the type of place to have live music. I finish work at my regular time and once again I shift and go for a run. I don’t even think about it but I make a beeline straight for the club from the night before. Once again, I can hear the singing and I’m convinced that it has to be live. I stalk around the building hoping to see some kind of poster or advertisement for who is performing so that I can go look them. up, but no such luck. I hover around outside until the singer finishes and then I head home, with no more information than I had the night before. I can’t sleep for the rest of the night.

I’m too busy thinking about the music and how relaxing it was.

Sunday I finish late. Alpha Ryann insisted that I join them for dinner and while I appreciate the invitation, I really want to get out and go for my run. I excuse myself as soon as I politely can and run to the club. In my hurry, I get careless and I am spotted by the bouncer standing out the front of the club.

A human guy who goes pale at the sight of me but manages to stay impressively calm despite his racing heartbeat.

“H–hello. You’re a Shifter aren’t you? I can’t imagine there are many actual tigers runni around town.

Max mentioned that he thought he saw a big cat creeping around on Friday, I guess that was probably you. Uh… I’m James. You know, if you want to come in you can. We don’t discriminate here. I mean, it would probably be easier if you didn’t come here as a tiger… but if you want you’re still welcome to come in. There is a cover fee of twenty dollars, but I’ll waive it tonight since I doubt you have cash on you.” The human offers kindly. Hmm, I’m not sure why he is being so helpful, but my curiosity wins out and I move away from the shadows and give him a slow nod. He smiles at me weakly and steps aside, holding the door open for me. I head in, although I don’t miss how he pulls a twenty dollar note from his own. pocket and adds it to the cashbox. I resolve to pay him back in the morning. The club is Aaron 1- Clubs and curiosity pretty quiet, not surprising for a Sunday night, and the room is dark. The stage is well lit and I find my eyes are drawn to the woman at the microphone. Tall with white hair spilling over her shoulders in waves going down past her waist. She is stunning but more than that, her voice is mesmerising. The whole room seems to agree because there is not a single word being spoken as she sings and almost no one is able to tear their eyes away from her. They don’t even notice me walking in. I creep around the back of the room and I find a comfortable looking couch pushed into a back corner. I doubt it gets used much, it has a good view of the stage but isn’t great if you want to actually socialise with anyone or order a drink. Still, it’s perfect for me. I climb onto it, careful not to damage it with my claws and relax into the cushions. I close my eyes and relax as I listen to the woman sing and despite the smell of stale beer and too many bodies, I can’t think of a time I have felt more comfortable.

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