Bar fights

Kaiden's POV

I badly needed to get some fresh air. The past activities within the pack had been nothing but overwhelming.


And so I stepped out of the pack.The night air was cool against my skin as I made my way through the narrow streets, the cloak I wore shrouded my figure in the darkness of the night.



I kept my head down and I pulled the hood lower to conceal my face.


It was rare for an Alpha to venture out without the protection of his pack, but tonight, I needed to escape.


I desperately needed to breathe. Everything—my parents’ deaths, the pressure of leading, Lilian—had become unbearable.


The tavern up ahead promised me the anonymity I so much craved, a place where I could drown my thoughts in strong drink without anyone recognizing me.



I pushed open the creaking door and stepped into the place. The smell of ale and sweat hit me immediately, it mingled with the low murmur of voices.



A few eyes glanced in my direction, but no one paid me any mind. Perfect, I thought. I had successfully concealed myself from recognition.



I moved towards the bar and took a seat at the far end where the shadows were deepest.


“What’ll it be?” the bartender asked. I looked at him and saw that he was a burly man with a thick beard and tired eyes.


“Whiskey,” I replied, my voice was low and gruff. I needed something strong, something that would burn away the thoughts that circled my mind.


The bartender nodded his head and poured the amber liquid into a glass. He then slid it across the counter to me.


I took it in one swift motion. I could feel the fire of it scorch its way down my throat. It wasn’t enough. I signaled for another, and then another.


The burn dulled the edges of my thoughts, made them blur, but they still gnawed at the back of my mind, haunting me.



“Another round for the table!” someone shouted from across the room, laughter followed his words. My eyes flicked towards the sound, and I saw a group of werewolves, their presence unmistakable.


They were rowdy, loud, and their energy filled the room. I couldn't recognize them so I knew they weren't members of the Blue Moon pack.



“Oi, you hear about the Blue Moon pack?” one of them slurred and raised his mug in a mock toast.


Speaking about the devil.....
My interest piqued, I listened, though I kept my head down. What could they possibly have to say about my pack?


“The Luna, they say she’s involved in all sorts of nasty business. Heard she’s got something to do with the old Alpha and Luna’s deaths.” He said and I pft.



The words sliced through the fog in my mind like a blade.


My grip tightened around my glass, my knuckles turned white.

What was he freaking saying?
Lilian? Involved in my parents’ deaths?

The idea was ludicrous. Of course it was a twisted lie, but the anger it stirred in me was real. How dare they speak of her like that?


“You better watch your mouth,” I growled, not caring if my voice carried too much authority for my disguise.


The werewolf who had spoken looked up, his eyes narrowed to slits as he tried to place me.


“Who the hell are you?” he sneered with a slur.


“Just someone who doesn’t like hearing bullshit,” I replied and got up from my stool. The alcohol coursed through my veins.

It made my movements loose, my thoughts were becoming reckless.


The werewolf stood too, he stumbled slightly before steadying himself.


“What’s it to you, anyway? Just a bit of fun. Everyone knows the Blue Moon pack’s got skeletons in their closets.” he slurred further.



“You don’t know a damn thing,” I hissed and stepped closer to him, I was getting riled up. “Take it back.” I demanded.



“Or what?” he taunted, a smirk on his face. “You gonna fight me over some Alpha’s whore?” he asked carelessly.


Well that Alpha's whore was my mate.
The insult was the final straw. Before I could think, my fist connected with his jaw, and sent him stumbling back into the table behind him.



The tavern immediately erupted into chaos. Chairs clattered to the floor, drinks spilled, and voices shouted as the patrons quickly moved out of the way.


The werewolf recovered quickly, a snarl curling his lips as he lunged at me. The force of his body collided with mine, and we crashed to the floor, fists flying.



“Stop! Stop!” the bartender shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the sounds of our struggle.


I barely registered the blows raining down on me. My focus was singular—shut this fool up, make him pay for his words, and probably kill him if I needed to.


But I was drunk, and my movements were sluggish. He got more hits than I did, but I didn’t care. The anger, the hurt, the frustration—it all poured out of me in a frenzy.

This was in fact what I needed to vent out.

The drinks be damned. I didn’t feel the pain, only the burning need to defend Lilian’s honor, to prove that she was innocent, that she had nothing to do with the deaths of my parents.


“Enough!” someone shouted, and suddenly, strong hands were pulling us apart. I struggled against the hold, wanting to go back, to finish what I started, but I was yanked away, my vision was swimming from the alcohol and the fight.

I could feel my heart beating faster than I could contain it.


“You’ll get yourself killed, you idiot,” a voice hissed in my ear, and it took me a moment to recognize it as the bartender’s. “You’re too drunk to realize what you’re doing. Get out of here before someone recognizes who you are.” he said to me.



The words cut through the haze of my mind, and reality slammed back into me.

The cloak had slipped during the fight, revealing more of my face than I had intended.


If anyone here recognized me as the Alpha of the Blue Moon pack..… I just couldn’t risk it.


I shoved the bartender off and staggered to my feet. The werewolf I had fought was being held back by his friends, blood trickled down his nose, his eyes still burned with anger.


“This ain’t over,” he spat, and I knew he meant it.


Ignoring the stares of the other patrons, I grabbed my cloak and pulled the hood back over my head, doing my best to conceal my face.


The room seemed to spin around me, the alcohol’s effects making it hard to focus, but I forced myself to walk straight, to leave the tavern with whatever dignity I had left.


Once outside, I almost fell to the floor, and so I leaned against the wall and took deep, shaky breaths.


My hands trembled as I wiped the blood from my lip, my head pounded from the alcohol and the adrenaline. I had almost made a mess of everything. All because of a few careless words.


But those words… they echoed in my mind, no matter how much I tried to push them away. Lilian, involved in my parents’ deaths? It was absurd. She would never… she couldn’t have.

But the seed of doubt had been planted, and it twisted in my gut like a thorn.

No. I wouldn’t believe it. I couldn’t.
I was not going to.