☪ We Are The Moon
We Are The Hunters
We Are The Night .
We Are The Hunters
We Are The Night .
The night crowd didn’t trickle in. It poured.
The team Darien had working for him were some of the very best. They knew the art of seduction and manipulation. Every night they were able to lull people in and keep them spending money at the bar. Flirting and pure skills as a bartender were crucial. There were professional dancers that worked the dance floor. The dj was one of the best in the city, and he only played at Club Ravenous. There was a code that the people that worked with Darien lived by. They were all loyal to each other. Everyone knew who the big players were; Darien, the alpha, Sebas & Els were considered seconds, next in line, in their wildly diverse pack.
Darien did a walk about thirty minutes before the club open. Inspections had to take place before the doors open. Everything had to look perfect. The club itself was amazing. The dance floor was the lower section. Three steps bordered the laminated dance floor. On the landing, there were various sectionals for individuals to sit in lounge chairs. The ottomans that were scattered around collected half empty glasses and hot sweaty bodies. The second story could be reached by a sweeping staircase that was made wide enough for the heavy traffic. A staircase could be located at two different ends of the club. The second floor was dedicated to smaller private groups. Small tall tables were paired with two tall chairs to match. Further away from the balcony to the back were small blocked sectionals that could remain open, but they also had curtains that would close the area off for those private moments. The biggest bar in the club was found on the landing above the dance floor. It was always crowded. That was where most of the performances by bartenders were watched. Only the best bartenders worked that bar, and the most sexually appealing. At the other bars, were the tenders that worked better by themselves, or that haven’t really perfected their skills yet. They may have been good bartenders, but they were missing that sex appeal. That natural allure that made people stay and order drinks just for company. Just for the possibility of sex.
Ravenous was a success. It gave people just what they needed; safety and the freedom from loneliness. The club was filled with possibilities. Everyone needed possibilities humans and lycan alike.
Darien spent most of his night on the second floor. There was a small v.i.p. area that he always visited at least once a night. These were his most loyal patrons. They paid him a fair amount of money to see to their needs. And, Darien was always able to provide. Many people said he was the person to go to if you needed anything, especially sexually. Then what would you expect. There were a lot of young, power hungry women and men that needed a man to see to their needs. And, when they learned Darien wasn’t one to squander…they pleaded to go on his list. Once you made that list, well you would be recommended to those that sat in the v.i.p. section.
Tonight suggestions and requests were made of him as they always were. Darien made mental notes before he left the small group. He left the club scene and headed to a narrow door that was hidden and protected by the body of a large lycan, Darien wasn’t sure what type of lycan the man was. He didn’t prod. If there was one thing he understood it was personal space. The man had proved his loyalty. That was the only thing that was important to him.
Slipping behind the door, Darien made his way to the security room. This was where all the action was. This room was his eyes around the club. It was how they prevented problems from occurring in the club.
Sebas was watching a particular group of were leopards. These guys had been stewing for weeks with a rival group. Darien made arrangements for them each to stay on their own side of the club. And, between them were various packs that would step in to stop the conflict if any arose. Everyone in the club had some form of a pack with Darien. Some of them even feared his power. Darien was not only a man with connections in the lycan world but, he also had humans at his disposal. Not just any human but the influential humans that could decide to clean out any particular area Darien requested. Many of the leaders of the packs were looking for a moment with Darien. They wanted him to hear their proposal introduce them to the people they needed to talk to. Land. The main topic of these conversations was always land. Packs needed more of it. More land meant more status and more places for the groups to live. It was a sanctuary for family.
He should not have been distracted. His main focus should have been watching between the two were leopard groups. It had been until she walked through the door.
The woman was unassuming. Perhaps, you could even say she was unaware of the impact of her beauty. At least, that was how he remembered her. This woman that walked into his club could be entirely different from the woman he remembered.
Darien watched her movement on the cameras. The woman she came with was still on the dance floor enjoying the feel of muscles against her chest and her back. One man was the mattress and the other the sheet. They both plastered themselves around her. He wondered if she had enough room to escape them if she desire. The woman didn’t seem interested in leaving. In fact, she seemed thrilled by the contact. Darien didn’t bother to watch the woman. She’d cometo Ravenous for fun, for sex. And, if she continued on her current path she would be ensured an electrifying night.
The blonde couldn’t hold his attention. Every cell in his body called out for her. The brunette. His mate. The one that discarded him. He wondered what she was doing here in his club. Darien had succeeded in blocking her from his mind for many years. There were warm females that were more than willing to fill his bed. He’d long ago perfected the art of love making. It was a distraction from the empty space in his bed. A space that would never be filled. Darien lived by a particular code of loyalty. It did not matter that the one that should be his mate did not feel the same. He would not dishonor her role in his life. Even, if he despised the fact that she never fought for the position that was rightfully hers. She never fought for the mate that was hers.
“ You need to calm down.”
“What?”
“ I don’t know what you saw on the cameras. But, you need to calm down. You’re growling and it’s putting everyone on edge. Pack mentality. If you’re in defense mode. We all are.”
“ I’ll be back.”
“You sure you wanna….,”Sebas shook his head. “ Damn wolf always forgets we’re a family now.” Those whispered words were quickly pushed aside by the others that followed, “ Cameron…watch my cameras. Keep the leopards under close watch. And, make sure everyone on the floor is alert.”
Darien wasn’t aware his behavior was so closely monitored. He truly did have a lone wolf mentality. Ever since finding his sister, he’d been working on thinking as a member of a pack. Old habits were hard to break. Especially when you weren’t really trying.
He moved through the crowd with ease. He got to the bar just as the man was about to make another move on the brunette woman that definitely didn’t want his attention. In fact, the woman seemed to go into combat mode.
Darien’s touch was firm as he touched her shoulder. He stood behind her, stepping close so that his chest touched her back. Darien bent his head to kiss her cheek, “ Having a bit of trouble?” Darien lifted his head and gazed at the man. The look in his eyes were deadly. There was something in the gaze that dared the man to say one word. Darien dared the man to let his breathe mingle with their own.
Seeing his own death in the man’s eyes, the guy that had been trying his best to pick up the brunette, he backed away. He bumped into a few people that shoved him as he turned and fled into the crowd.
Darien didn’t move, buthe did relax his hold on Ember’s shoulder. There would be no escape for her. Darien took her wrist and lead her through the club. He didn’t stop until they were tucked in a dark corner. Darien turned her until her back was pressed against the wall. His hands slapped the wall on both sides of her, containing her.
“ What are you doing here Ember?”
