Chapter 101 - Fusion

**Hopes pov**

Maya really went all in when she, as she put it, had me to herself for a whole day. In addition to manicures, there were also facials and hair wraps, and when we finally stepped into Fusion, a lot of eyes were turned. I wanted to ask Luna to stay in the background for the simple reason that tonight I wanted to be a normal girl out at the club with her best friend, but I didn’t have to ask, if she realized it herself or just chose to tone down her aura and stay in the background I don’t know but I felt the warmth of her Luna hug before she pulled back. It was like a *“Have fun now, you’ve earned it!”* The smells that hit us as we stepped inside were a mix of fruity drinks and sweaty bodies, not in a bad way but more like happy pheromones from hot dancing people. We made our way to the bar and were soon standing with a colorful drink each. Maya took a small turquoise umbrella from her glass and twirled it between her fingers.
“One more drink after this one, then I want to see you on the dancefloor” She winked and emptied her glass in one go.
It felt so good, letting go to the music. The dj was great and the mix perfect but Avicii and Guetta was dominant for sure and I didn’t mind, it made it easy to let loose.
When the music slowed down Maya dragged me back to the bar for another drink.
After gulping down two glasses of water, we found a table and took our new drinks there.
“What is this called?” I looked at my purple drink which seemed to sparkle three dimensionally.
“Galaxy. Luna is still keeping the alcohol away from the baby right?”
“Sure, why? What’s in it?
“Wolf Vodka...” Maya looks as mischievous as only she can.
“Wolf Vodka? What is that?”
“Oh, it’s to wolves what regular vodka is to humans. Reece told me about it, we should probably just take one though, it’s supposed to be very strong, and I have plans other than sleep tonight.” She winked and clinked her glass against mine and laughingly we tasted the galaxies in our hands. It was an explosion of flavors that found their way to our nerve endings. It wasn’t one fruit or one berry, it was all of them! And not just them, it was the water that made them grow, the sun that nourished them to ripen and the night that preserved them under the stars. Stunned, we looked at each other as the first sip ebbed away.
“That explains the price...” Maya giggled.
“Hey girls, can we sit with you?” We looked up at three guys standing at our table.
“Preferably not, we’re waiting for our mates” Maya replied before turning to me again.
“Until they come then? The club is full and there are no free tables, we won’t be a bother, promise.” The man who seemed to be speaking for the trio was normally built, not big and muscular like many werewolves but quite slim, when I looked more closely it probably applied to all three. *“Luna..can you sense any hostility?”* When she came to the surface, I knew at once that these were rogues. They had no pack scent. But they didn’t seem hostile either so Luna retreated again.
“Sure, you can sit.” I smiled a polite smile, careful and not inviting. Maya rolled her eyes and moved slightly to the side to make room.
“Thanks! My name is Greg, this is Theo and One Fang.”
“One Fang? What kind of name is that?” Maya asked and we all looked at the man. He let out a deep sigh and then let his fangs grow out..or rather one of them...he only had one!
“What...What happened?...If it’s okay for me to ask?” I didn’t even know we could loose our teeth.
“Hunters happened…I participated in an experiment a few years ago, the time before the elixir we hear it whispers about. What they did back then, was try to remove the wolf from a werewolf by removing the physical parts, teeth, claws, tail. Before you judge me, I really needed the money, but as soon as it became clear what they wanted to do, I got out of there. My wolf has never forgiven me though.” After that, there was silence around the table for a while. I looked at the man for a moment, damn it, this should be a relaxed normal evening but of course we are meeting someone who has been in direct contact with the scientists at the Sons of the Sun.
“So, can we get you girls something to drink? Where are you from?” Greg spoke again and what looked like trying to charm Maya with a smile.
“Thanks, but we just got a refill and we’re from Great Falls. Heard about them?” A smile played at the corner of Maya’s mouth, she knows full well that everyone has heard of Great Falls.
“Wow...Great Falls, an impressive pack! So you’ve met the True Luna? Is it true? Is she as cool as they say?”
“I don’t know what’s being said, but yeah, she’s pretty cool.” Maya giggled a little and winked at me over the edge of her glass and I just wanted to sink through the ground. The guys kept on asking questions, they wanted to know everything. How big was she? How strong? Was it true that she could link all wolves?even rogues? We told them that they were welcome to visit and meet her themselves if they were so interested. We were not here to get to know others, and I began to feel that my anonymity was threatened, but after a while they gave up and started talking about other things with each other instead and I relaxed. It was nice to just be Hope tonight and I wanted it to stay that way, at least until Callum came, then everyone would understand who I was anyway.
Suddenly the music stopped and voices went from questioning to upset to scared.
“What’s happening?” One of the men, Theo, the one who had been silent until now left the table but quickly returned. I tried to look around, but a mist spread in the room, making it harder to see.
“Hunters! Hurry up, they are using knock out gas, here, hold these over your face and keep your heads down!” He tore cloths from the nearest tables and gave them to us to cover our faces. I could see people falling to the floor, the gas worked quickly. *“Luna, protect the baby, whatever you do, protect the baby first!”* We followed the three rogues and let them guide us. We sat far into the room so we had to get across the dance floor, which was now an open area.

“Callum…can you hear me? Something’s going on at the Fusion, I think hunters are here, hurry up and try to get some of the warriors here.”
“We’re on our way, please hide if you have to, no heroics Hope , I can’t handle losing you again.”
“I’ll be okay, just hurry up!” I closed the link, I needed to focus on what was happening around me.

I felt One Fang take my hand and pull me along, I held Maya with my other and tried to hold my breath as much as I could. Finally we got past the dance floor and was almost at the bar closest to the entrance but here people were going crazy and I was pushed hard in the side and lost hold of both my guide and Maya. I tried to swallow the panic to manage to make out all the bodies running and falling around me.
“Hey! Great Falls! Over here!” I heard Greg yell and could see them crouching under the front edge of the bar. One Fang held onto Maya and on all fours I crawled as fast as I could in their direction and together we pushed forward and through the front doors.
Maya looked really weak when we got outside so I helped her sit down. Several others came out after us and collapsed either coughing or unconscious on the ground.
“Cough Maya, try to cough out the gas!” I felt the effect myself but Luna did a good job of countering it. Maya started coughing, her wolf is strong and I could feel her working feverishly to get the gas out of her system.
I stood up and was about to thank Greg and the others when I see them slowly backing away from us.
“Greg ?..What’s going on?”
“Sorry Luna...we had a debt to pay, you were the only acceptable price.” He smiled cockily before looking at something behind me.
“I assume we’re even now?” he shouted and when I turned around I saw who or rather whom he was talking to.
Luna was at the surface in a split second. Behind me I heard Greg and his friends fall to the ground in submission as they were hit by her aura. *"Good girl, keep them there."* In front of me, perhaps fifty feet away, stood a number of men, twenty, maybe thirty, many of them with weapons pointed at us. Luna growled in my head, the image was all too familiar.