Chapter 13

***Alpha Ethan***

The woman, who is sitting at the bar, turns abruptly to look directly at me, and I feel like someone has just sucker-punched me!
My body actually freezes for a moment, completely still.
Despite the distance between us, I can clearly observe her pale face turning red right after the moment our eyes met. Although it feels like an eternity has passed, it was actually a fleeting five seconds before she quickly averts her gaze forward.
My eyes have been simply unable to look away from her ever since she stepped into my nightclub, with a look of both awe and fear adorning her face.
Most of my patrons are werewolves, not humans. However, that wasn’t what caught my attention about her.
The brightness of the aura around the woman’s head is so striking that it’s almost impossible not to be aware of it. Of course, I can only see that because I’m an Alpha. Only Alphas have this unique power to see people’s auras through momentary changes in their eyes. This remarkable skill serves as a mechanism for us Alphas to sense danger, ascertain the truth, and understand the needs of others. However, even if we don’t change our eyes, we can still feel the aura from others.
The aura emanating from this woman is unlike anything I have ever witnessed. Even with the dazzling lights surrounding us, her presence remains distinct, shining brighter than anyone else’s.
‘Who is she?’ Kral asks me all admiringly as if I’m supposed to have the answer. That’s odd. He’s never spoken about anyone in that way before.
The brighter the person’s aura, the purer and truer their heart is.
That’s why rogues are super easy to spot with their gray auras and foul smell.
I find myself asking Kral, ‘She’s human. Why is her aura so strong?’
‘It’s rare, but some humans have this predisposition,’ Kral replies with deep thoughtfulness as we watch her take a sip from the margarita Shawn prepared for her.
She responds to something Shawn asks, and my hands instinctively ball into tight fists for some reason.
I look away at the people around me. Some are dancing, others are indulging in drinks, and couples are engaging in more than kisses, while a few others are partaking in both simultaneously. Bodies twirl in sync with the pulsating music on the dance floor, laughter, and clinking glasses.
‘It doesn’t matter. That doesn’t mean anything.’ I finally comment but Kral chooses not to respond back. Both of us know that this is the unmistakable aura of a Luna.
Once again, my stubborn gaze uncontrollably drifts towards her figure, watching her every move.
She delicately lifts her glass to her full, inviting lips and wince as she swallows the drink.
It makes me nearly crack a smile on the corners of my mouth. She’s clearly not used to drinking, adding to the intrigue that surrounds her presence here. I get the sense she looks like a lost little sheep surrounded by wolves.
Who is this woman, and what is she doing here? I’m surprised she’s here by herself.
Why am I so curious about her?
Fuck! I drink my whiskey. I am on my third glass, and even though this whiskey is crafted specifically for werewolves because the ones humans drink are too weak, I still don’t feel the effect hit me.
Maybe it’s time for me to head back to my pack. I’ve been here for almost two weeks now, and frankly, I don’t know why I’ve stayed this long. Every night has been repetitive and uneventful.
But there was a nagging feeling in Kral’s instinct that made us hesitate, suggesting to stay here; maybe it was for a potential new lead on the old witch. I ponder this thoughtfully as I take another sip of my whiskey, never once averting my eyes from the woman in the red dress at the bar.
Human.
Yet, she is the most interesting thing I’ve seen around here in days.
I can tell she must be feeling my gaze on her because she has been blushing ever since our eyes met.
Her margarita glass is left almost half full when she rises from her seat. She says something to Shawn and I think she asked him to keep an eye on her drink because then she heads to the bathroom. But not before she leaves some cash on the bar to pay for her drink. Wow! She is a hell of a tipper.
I nearly go after her, but I force myself to remain in my booth.
Kral almost whimpers. He loves a good hunt.
But then he is almost euphoric when she comes back not long after.
This time, I check her out without being discreet.
She is short and slim but has some small curves in all the right places. A tiny waist and fucking gorgeous breasts.
Fake? I guess they probably are, but it doesn’t seem like she hasn’t gone overboard with them.
She is wearing a tight red dress with a side split. My gaze hovers over the woman’s legs, which are prominently shown as she sits at the bar.
The stark contrast between her black, straight hair and her too-pale skin makes me wonder if she eats properly. Still, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Hands-down!
There is just something about her that draws me in, that makes me want to get close to her, to touch her, to see her smile.
It must be her bright aura.
Shawn says something to her once more that I suppose was funny because, even though I couldn’t hear any of it, the woman laughs, causing me to grip my whiskey glass tightly.
Shawn is a werewolf from a nearby pack, but he lives here in Summerville. Vi hired him because he is a skilled bartender. Suddenly, I find myself thinking, why not just fire him?
She pulls her phone out of her handbag and acts like she’s scrolling through something.
Maybe she’s *avoiding* the guy sitting on the next stool so he can’t try to strike up a conversation with her. Or maybe Shawn?
She spends some time with her head down looking at her phone screen but doesn’t seem to be doing anything until the screen locks, and she only notices it a couple of seconds later.
Her face gets even redder, and she turns towards me, but abruptly, she looks away again and picks up her drink, which is still mostly full.
I catch myself thinking about how her voice sounds—hoarse, sweet, raspy?
I bet it’s sweet.
Grabbing my whiskey, I stay in the shadows, inching my way over toward the empty bar stool across from my booth next to her, and sit in.
I don’t know why, but my hands are burning with the urge to pull her closer to me. It isn’t because she is human—I’ve already had sex with several humans in this very nightclub, and still, it’d done nothing to me.
Everything about her calls to my baser instincts. In a way that arouses Kral’s predatory side.
I wonder if it’s because she has such a bright aura because I’ve never felt anything near the unquenchable thirst that I’m feeling right now for this female.
If I didn’t know better, I’d assume she was my fated mate.
But the fact that I’m cursed and I still haven’t broken the curse invalidated that thought.
The first scent I detect from her is a delightful combination of honey, peach, and an unidentified fragrance, something I can’t quite make out.
I’m not sure what it is, but it feels like an aphrodisiac that leaves me wanting to find out what is right on her skin.
I rest my whiskey glass on the bar counter and I catch her giving me a subtle glance out of the corner of her eye as she takes another sip of her not-so-cold-anymore margarita.
I discreetly study the tiny woman beside me some more.
She’s small, even by human standards. Maybe it’s just weird for me because I’m used to werewolves being much taller. Even when Vi was a pre-teen, she wasn’t as short as this woman.
I shamelessly glance at her breasts one more time before I pick up my drink and chug it all down. I gesture to Shawn to pour me another drink, and he promptly refills my glass.
As she reaches for her phone, which is casually placed on the bar, she leans forward, and I get a good look at her small round ass, but it’s enough for a satisfying handful—my mind goes into overdrive, imagining what it would be like to sink my teeth into her bare ass hard enough to make her scream. Or what it would be like to sink my teeth where her tempting neck meets her shoulder.
I widen my eyes and immediately drink all the new whiskey in my glass in one big gulp. What the hell am I thinking?