Page 31 of Alpha Chase

MyboysandIroll into the Stillwater Tap shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday, the large interior of the building already slammed with patrons and the scent of sweat, booze, and bad decisions hanging heavy in the air. The grey brick exterior of the building is deceptively dull compared to the atmosphere inside- on nights like this, the music is cranked up, the dance floor is packed, and the girls are dressed to the nines like they’re going clubbing in the city. This place is the local watering hole in Stillwater’s territory, and since Serena is Luna of the pack that resides here, her birthday celebration has drawn in quite the crowd tonight.

A scene like this should excite me more than it does. I’m a teenage boy, I should be out on the dance floor drowning in a buffet of tits and ass right now, not slumped in the corner of the bar downing shots of cheap whiskey like it’s my fucking job. The truth is, only one thing has excited me enough lately to tug me from the fog of self-induced numbness that I’ve been in for the past two months, and she’s the one girl who isn’t tripping all over herself for a sliver of my attention.

Figures.

At first, I thought I wanted to feel that crazy, out of control energy that I experienced when I was around Vienna. Now I realize that it only makes me feel other things, too- things that I’ve tried hard to avoid feeling for a while now. So I’ve steered clear of the lodge for the past few days in an effort to shut it all off again, assigning a female squad warrior to babysitting duty instead. I wouldn’t have even come here tonight if it wasn’t for Serena, though with the way I’ve been taking this whiskey down, I doubt I’ll be good company.

Olivia and Jenna are here, all dolled up and looking like a couple of kids in a candy store as they drink in the thrill of their first bar experience. Ordinarily, Serena would flip if her little sister was hanging out at a place like the Stillwater Tap, but since we’re celebrating her birthday tonight, she made an exception. Even so, the bartenders are on strict orders not to serve Liv and Jenna. Of course, that doesn’t stop Levi from trying to stir shit up.

I’ve just asked the bartender for another round of whiskey shots when the two of them approach the corner of the bar where my boys and I are seated, friendly smiles on their faces as they give us a little wave.

“You girls want a shot?” Levi asks smoothly, turning toward them and flashing his signature smile. Liv and Jenna both nod eagerly and Levi swings back around to face me. “Order two more.”

“No,” I say flatly, irritation prickling up my spine at the fact that he’d even offer these girls a drink. We’re supposed to look out for them, not drag them into our delinquency. “You know the rules. Her sister will kill me.”

“Damn right I will!” Serena calls, and I swivel on my stool to see her approaching, long red hair slicked back in a ponytail and a green silk mini-dress clinging to her frame. She’s wearing heavy eye makeup tonight, a notable departure from her usual fresh-faced look, but it looks nice on her. “Glad you made it.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it,” I say, extending an arm to pull her in for a half-hug as Liv and Jenna scamper off. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks!” Serena chirps, pulling back with a big smile on her face. It falls when she turns to Levi, her eyes narrowing. “Trying to corrupt my little sister, huh?”

Levi shrugs casually, pushing his hair back off his face. “Just having a little fun, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Uh huh.” Serena folds her arms over her chest, a smirk on her lips. “When you’re in my territory, you play by my rules. Besides, the bartenders know not to serve Liv here until she’s eighteen, which isn’t for a long time.” She says that last part pointedly, a thinly veiled warning for Levi to back the fuck off.

“Aw, c’mon, I was just teasing anyways,” Levi drawls, turning the charm up to eleven to smooth things over. As luck would have it, the bartender delivers our shots right at that moment and Levi grabs one from the bar, holding it out to Serena. “How about a shot for the birthday girl?” He arches a brow, lips spreading into a smile.

Serena snatches the shot glass from him, bringing it to her lips and tipping her head back to down it. She swallows, wiping her mouth with a wrist as she hands the empty glass back to Levi. “I’ve got my eye on you,” she says, pointing a finger.

“You wouldn’t be the only she-wolf in here tonight that does.” Levi winks.

Serena rolls her eyes, turning back to me and setting a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve got a big table over there,” she says, ticking her head in the opposite direction to indicate. “Come hang for a bit if you want.”

I glance past Serena, spotting her mate Reid and the other alphas gathered around a large high-top table with their girls. Gray and Fallon are sitting side-by-side, his arm slung protectively over her shoulders. Theo and Brooke are beside them, and from the way she rolls her eyes and slaps his chest with the back of her hand, it’s clear he just made some off-color comment like usual. Across from them, Jax and Quinn have their arms wound around one another like they’re conjoined, practically dry-humping to the beat of the music, and little Astrid is perched on Brock’s lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and his chin hooked over her shoulder. Reid’s at the end of the table, his eyes, predictably, locked on his girl standing over here with me.

All of those guys are tight, and I’ve always resented them a little bit for leaving me out of the whole young alphas clique they’ve got going. Now, thanks to Gray, I know that was my father’s doing, so I guess I’ve got somewhere else to direct my resentment.

A fucking grave.

“Yeah, I’ll stop over,” I mumble half-heartedly.

Serena flashes me a hopeful smile, giving my shoulder a little squeeze before turning and strutting away to rejoin her friends. A few months ago, when Serena was the new girl on the scene, the two of us bonded over feeling like outsiders among that group. Since then, she’s accepted her mate bond with Reid and become Luna of their pack, so she’s fully entrenched in it, friendly with all the guys and close with the girls. Now it seems she’s made it her personal mission to pull me in, too.

I turn back to Levi, realizing that his eyes are glued to Serena’s ass as she walks away. “Dude, have a little respect,” I grumble, balling my fist and delivering a sharp jab to his bicep.

He winces, rubbing his arm and flicking his gaze to me. “What?” he laughs. “C’mon, that girl is fucking stacked. Don’t act like you haven’t noticed.”

I shake my head, scowling. “A, she belongs to someone else, and B, it’s not like that with us. Serena’s like a sister.”

“Straight out of a stepsister fantasy.” He smirks, licking his lips.

Levi’s obviously on one tonight.

My second punch to his arm lands in the same spot and Levi winces again, rubbing his arm in offense. “Seriously, bro, shut the fuck up.” I warn. “I don’t want to have to kick your ass tonight.”

Callum leans over from his spot beside Levi, lip curling in a sneer. “You sure you’d be able to, with your head so far up hers?”

I shoot him a glare. “Fuck off, Cal.”

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