Chapter Three Dylan #2
As we strolled along the pavement, we scanned our surroundings.
It was a cool town that provided a great escape for students with restaurants, shops, and even a place that looked like a nightclub.
As the sun set, the sky transitioned from blue to a vibrant mix of orange, yellow, and red, almost like a bleeding rainbow .
Despite searching every street, we could not locate Lupe.
I focused on Lupe's scent as we walked so I could hone in if I smelled it. Nothing.
"Well, this was a waste. What if she noticed us following her and changed course?" Sera questioned with her hands on her hips.
"I wouldn't put it past her to say one thing and then change it once she knew we couldn't hear her. She's a sneaky bitch," I answered.
"Now what?"
A smile touched my lips as my eyes fell upon the nightclub. I had avoided parties after Silas’s rejection. Now, I thought it could be fun. My night would only be ruined if I discovered another mate who rejected me.
I swear, Great Moon, if you do that to me again, we are going to have words when I get up there!
My wolf chuckled but said nothing.
"Want to blow off some steam before we go back to the school?" I said and motioned to the club with my thumb.
Sera's smile reached her ears. "Hell yeah!"
Sera took my hand and ran towards the club.
The sudden dash caused Hunter and Jackson to snarl, which amused me.
There was no line, but there was still a bouncer to check ID.
After entering, Sera promptly pulled me onto the dance floor.
Hunter and Jackson found a place to lean against the railing surrounding the dance floor.
The area featured tables and chairs, a walkway, and then the bar.
Both of them had their arms over their chest, looking sexily broody as they watched us move along the dance floor.
It had been a while, but I fell into a groove with Sera.
The girl could move and did some street dance with her arms and hip movements blending with the beat.
My laughter accompanied her efforts to keep up.
The music shifted, and Sera began whooping and yelling, moving to a different beat that I had to observe before joining in.
When Sera saw me attempting the same thing, she quickly moved over and began grinding against me. I laughed again and matched her energy.
"What's this for?" I yelled over the music.
"To make your mates watch!"
As expected, I noticed the guys focusing only on me, ignoring everyone else.
During his training, Hunter would monitor people to avoid surprise attacks, while Jackson, as Beta, scanned his surroundings to protect his pack.
Their ingrained behaviors vanished, replaced by a focus solely on the woman they loved.
Sera intentionally held onto my hips as I leaned forward to push my ass towards Sera.
More laughter erupted as we lost our footing, but we caught ourselves so we could continue dancing without hitting into others.
The guys were by our sides. Jackson grabbed onto me first and whirled me around the dance floor.
I saw Hunter dancing with Sera, but noticed his eyes were on me.
With a smile and a wink, I moved to grind against Jackson.
He took hold of my face and adjusted it to kiss me from a different angle.
An overwhelming lust surged between us as we intertwined.
The thought of Jackson’s passionate kiss and grinding against me while Hunter watched reignited the heat in my lower belly.
I could feel Hunter urging us on through the bond as Jackson twisted me around so I would face him without breaking the kiss.
He broke the kiss to allow us to dance for a few moments before reclaiming my mouth.
I noticed that any time a guy glanced our way, his mouth was against mine.
I'd yell, but I am having too much fun.
When Jackson had thoroughly showed off that I was his to the room, he twirled me around, and I was in Hunter's arms.
"My turn," Hunter growled before claiming my mouth.
The way Hunter kissed me, it was like he was fearful I would leave him and never come back.
Like this was the last time he would kiss me.
We were still dancing with his hands roaming everywhere, leading me across the dancefloor along with the rhythm.
He would break the kiss just to twirl me, allow me to dance with Sera before grabbing me to start all over again.
Drenched with sweat after only a few songs, I motioned to an empty table so I could catch my breath and get a drink. Sera looked just as flushed as me when we plopped down in seats, the boys refusing to sit so they could stand guard for a moment.
"What would you ladies like to drink?" Hunter asked them after he assessed his surroundings.
"Something fruity and strong." I told him and tried to cool myself down by fanning myself with my hands.
"Oh, same here!"
Hunter shook his head. "What is it with females and fruity drinks?"
Giving him a devilish grin, I replied, "Because then the drinks are good, and we get drunk faster!"
Jackson and Hunter looked at each other, and it looked like a bulb went off. They raced toward the bar.
"This is so much fun!" Sera yelled out so I could hear her. "We should come here more often to dance and blow off some steam."
"That sounds like a good idea. I could use a break like this now and then."
Sera shook her head. "You can use it more than that. I know you are an Alpha, but that doesn't mean you have to take care of everyone to the point you don't take care of yourself."
I looked at my friend. Her radiant smile revealed she knew she had hit deep into my soul with one statement.
It was the curse of being an alpha, and she knew it.
Alphas take care of the pack. Some take their role too seriously and rarely take care of themselves.
Unless they have a mate to step in and force them to do things like eat and sleep, many fall into the trap of becoming obsessive with fixing everything, whether or not it is in their control.
I may have had mates, but we just found each other.
We haven't hit that rhythm yet where we take care of each other.
"Thank you," Dylan said to her with a smile.
"Any time."
Hunter and Jackson arrived with drinks. Jackson handed me a clear cup with pink liquid and a strawberry on the rim.
Sera's was yellow and had a pineapple on the rim.
We exchanged glances, sipped their drinks, then traded them.
It tasted like eating a black cherry and had some fizziness to it.
The drink wasn't strong at all, from what I tasted, but that meant nothing.
It tasted like I was drinking a cherry soda.
When tasting Sera's, I could taste the pineapple juice and a hint of orange with it.
Then a layer of coconut followed. We exchanged glances, then switched beverages again.
"What the fuck was that about?" Jackson asked through a laugh.
Confusion went across my face as I looked at him. "Girls try each other's drinks, sometimes, especially if we never tried it before. It helps us figure out which one tastes better to us."
They did not look amused. "We are your mates, Dylan. We know what you like. And you two are glued to the hip, so we've learned what she likes, too." Hunter explained.
A laugh bubbled out of my throat. He wasn't wrong. They've gotten to know Sera just as much as I have from how close we've become.
"Let's not forget we've been Betas our entire lives, which is the role of learning everything about the pack. We're the ones who inform the Alpha of things they may not know."
Without realizing it, I had drunk through my entire glass already. Thankfully, Sera cut in saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You are outstanding Betas and exceptional mates. Imma need me another one of these."
I lifted my hand to signal that I wanted another one, too.
The guys left chuckling while they chugged their beers to get the next round.
I felt the heat from the alcohol spread through my system.
The weight of finding Lupe dropped off my shoulders, and I couldn't stop smiling.
The guys brought the next round to the table, the same drinks for Sera and me, and a fresh beer for them.
Sera pulled out money to give to them, but Jackson slapped her hand away.
"You may not be mine, but you are her friend. You're my friend. Your money isn't good or wanted here."
Sera pouted at him. " GUYS! I'm not yours to spoil or take care of."
They stared at her. Dylan giggled. I already knew how this would play out. For once, it wasn't me telling them they didn't need to spoil me. It would be fun to see how they reacted to Sera saying the same things I always tell them.
" Take my money, damnit!” Sera yelled and tried to shove the money in his hand. It was hilarious to watch Jackson step out of her reach when she tried. Sera growled and shoved it back in her pocket. " Stupid, dominant men," Sera mumbled just loud enough for them to hear it.
"Dylan, who is ours to spoil, loves you like a sister. If she could, she'd take you home to her pack so she wouldn't have to say goodbye after the term ended. So, because of that, we consider you pack already and our friend. Pack takes care of pack," Hunter told her.
Sera looked over at me with her eyes wide. After the second drink, down to its last drops, I was far too relaxed. I could usually keep my trap shut during such topics. Not today.
"If I could kidnap you, I would. I thought about fighting your Alpha for you, but the guys told me no.
" My voice sounded like a child who was told no and not a twenty-year-old.
Did I care? No. I would love to bring Sera back home with me.
She deserved to be in a pack who would love and cherish her.
A pack with her ex-mate who would refuse to fight for her?
That is not something I will allow my friend to go through.
Sera laughed. “Seriously? You want me to be part of your pack?"
My eyes narrowed to a squint. Did she just ask me that? "Of course I want to bring you home! My best friend found her mates and probably went off with them. I'm going to be lonely... and my pack can get on my nerves. You don't. It would bring me so much joy to bring you to my pack."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Gods, I would love that. Do you think my alpha would consider a transfer?"
I scoffed in response. "Depends on how much they care about us being Shadowborns."
"I don't think mine cares! I don't remember ever hearing the topic of Shadowborns even come up in my pack. Well, outside of learning about your kind, but that's about it."
This excited me. I wasn't sure how to bring up this topic to Sera. More importantly, I wasn't sure how she would react if I asked her to come home with me. "I'll send the transfer papers when we get home!"
"I'M SO EXCITED!"
Sera screamed before jumping to her feet and pulling me off mine and into a hug. I squeezed Sera close to me, sighing in contentment. This felt nicer than I expected it would. Hunter had described how I viewed Sera—I loved her more like a sister than a friend.
And I want my sister in my pack.
The DJ stopped playing when a scream outside caught everyone's attention, drawing their focus to the open door at the back of the club.
I ran toward the door, with the others following close behind.
A body lay face down in the alley, blood pooling from its neck.
Considering the sun was down, it could have been a vampire attack.
Everything inside me hoped it was a vampire attack compared to what else it could be.
I walked up to the body and noticed it looked like someone whose name I hadn't learned in my classes. Their hair was long enough to cover the back of their neck. I crouched down and moved the hair to get a glimpse of where I knew to look. A large neck wound mirrored those found on academy victims.
Lupe had been here.