“You could—”
A hand suddenly grabs the dude by his shirt and punches him, making him stumble back. “She said she isn’t interested,” Lionel says with a growl.
“No means no,” Nox hisses.
The guy Lionel punched rubs his nose. I can see blood dripping out of it. “Shit,” he curses. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
“You should leave,” Nox says with finality in his voice. “Silverlake’s princess is here too. If she sees you again, she will tell our Alpha.”
“Fuck you assholes,” the guy spits.
His friend tugs him along. “Come,” he mutters. “Don’t stir any more trouble.” He throws me a glare though, one full of venom.
I sigh in relief when they are finally gone, shivering slightly. No, please don’t cry now, no crying. The evening was so much fun, don’t ruin it for everyone. Try as I might, I can’t help it though; tears are burning in my eyes. To my surprise, Lionel comes to my rescue again.
“Now, don’t cry,” he grins. “No crying today. You have a bunch of hot bodyguards around you.”
Looking up at Lionel and Nox, I start to laugh a bit. “That’s better,” Nox nods in approval. “Let’s head back to the others.”
“Jazz is going crazy because you disappeared on us,” Lionel explains.
Arriving back to the others, I feel the tension leaving me again.
“Some guys hit on her,” Nox explains. Good thing they didn’t encounter the whole pathetic scene. “They went overboard though and wouldn’t let her leave.”
“I’m alright now,” I smile and grab Jazz’s arm. “I had two bodyguards save me.”
Lionel grins. “Only the best for my girls.”
Tori rolls her eyes.
Aurelia remains quiet for a while. “Where are those guys now?”
“I told them to leave,” Nox explains.
She frowns. “Do you know the pack they are from? Have you seen them before, Val?”
I shake my head. “No, but they were really drunk.”
“Are you worried?” Marilou asks, looking at Aurelia.
“Something doesn’t feel right,” she explains. “You guys continue to party. I’m going to look around for a bit.”
“It’s my fault,” Nox says. “I told them to leave without getting any information.”
“No,” she shakes her head. “You and Lionel reacted the best way you could. Everyone is always smarter afterward.”
“Don’t go alone,” Lionel points out.
“I can come with you,” Nox offers.
She nods. “You stay with the girls, Lion. Nox and I will check out the area for a while.”
When I try to argue that she shouldn’t go to such lengths for me, she takes my hands and smiles. “That’s my job, Val. You are my friend, and this here is my pack. I’m the alpha’s daughter; I need to make sure there are no potential threats. We have so many young people from allied packs here today. I really don’t need a bunch of assholes acting out.”
Jazz and Marilou nod their agreement and take my hands, leading me over to a few benches. “Let’s have something to eat.” Marilou smiles.
“I’ll fetch you something,” Terry promises.