ELLE POV

“Stay still; if I mess up this eyeliner, I have to redo your entire face,” Emma barks at me like a general commanding her troops. Slightly terrified of having to be stuck in this chair any longer, I make sure that I don’t move a muscle, just praying to the Goddess that she will be done soon.

“Hurry up, Emma,” Taylor whines, and I can tell she is growing impatient with Emma’s need for perfection.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, Taylor,” Emma mutters as she studies my face looking for imperfections in her work; when she doesn’t find any, she smiles in victory before thrusting some shoes in my face signaling me to put them on.

Grabbing the gold heels Emma instructed me to wear, I sit at the edge of the bed, put them on my feet, and wrap the gold straps up my calves. Once both are tightly tied around my knees, I admire the entire outfit in the mirror. I barely recognize the red-haired vixen staring back at me with her smokey eyes and full burgundy lips.

“Damn, Emma,” Taylor whistles as she stands behind me, “You outdid yourself. Too bad Damon won’t be here to see you dressed like this; he’d carry you off and never let anyone near you.”

“Oh my god,” Charity exclaims as she comes out of the bathroom, “you are going to have men dropping to their knees in the club!”

A subtle knock on the door lets us know the guys are here to meet us before heading out for the night.

“You girls look like dynamite!” Nick says as Brian, Theo, and Victor make their way into the room. “We will be beating men away with sticks.” His gaze lingers on me a little longer than necessary, making me feel uncomfortable, like I am cheating on Damon.

“Yeah,” Victor agrees as he twirls Emma in his arms, “babe, did you have to look so good? I don’t want any man to see you looking this sexy.” Emma doesn’t say anything to him, just giggles before placing a soft k**s on his lips.

“Alright,” Charity says while we are all arranging ourselves for the group pictures, “everyone keeps their mind links open tonight, and no one lets Elle out of sight for a second. We got a forty-old creep to be aware of.”

“I don’t think I have to tell you what Alpha Damon will do if something happens to Elle,” Taylor jumps in to warn the crowd.

“If we get attacked, get Elle away from the fight, and don’t let her engage,” Theo explains while I silently stand by like some damsel in distress.

“Question,” Brian asks while raising his hand tentatively as if we are in a classroom, “Elle could easily kick our asses; why isn’t she fighting?”

“Because this guy wants me,” I finally add to the conversation, “He shouldn’t know what I am capable of if things go wrong. It gives me the element of surprise.” That simple realization is the only reason I agreed to this stupid plan in the first place. “Everyone understands?”

Once everyone agrees, we continue taking pictures while the men start pouring shots and passing them around. As soon as we all have a shot, Taylor raises hers in the air, “Alright bitches and bastards, let’s celebrate this glorious person we call a friend! Happy birthday, Elle!”

****************************

ALPHA JONAH POV

‘Can’t this limo go any faster?’ Thor grumbles from the forefront of my mind as my leg shakes nervously, desperately wanting to get to our destination.

‘It’s going as fast as it can, Thor,’ I say, but I feel the same anxiousness crawling over my skin, making my hair stand on end.

‘We could have run here faster,’ he reminds me, angry that he is stuck in this human city, but before I can agree, the limo bumps into a sudden stop outside the busy club. I didn’t even wait for the driver to let us out before flinging the door open and stepping out into the crowd.

‘I can smell her,’ Thor purrs, relaxing for the first time in days. ‘Easy, Thor, we need to get Elle inside first, and then we can find her.’

‘I don’t give a damn about Elle,’ He growls as he surges forward, trying to hunt down the sweet lavender and honeysuckle scent that had been haunting our every waking moment for months. ‘I know, but we must follow through with our end of the bargain, or you know what he might do.’ I remind him of the deal we struck months ago to have what is rightfully ours.

‘Fine, but as soon as that bitches a*s is in her section, we are leaving.’ He snaps at me before retreating to the furthest corner of my mind. Keeping close to the limo door, I wait patiently as each girl climbs out, careful that we don’t touch them so their scent doesn’t have the chance to linger.

Once the last person was out of the limo, I hurried towards the bouncer, who nodded before letting us pass the grumpy humans waiting for the chance to get in. Once over the threshold, every sense is overwhelmed by the blaring pop music, strobe lights, and the smell of sweat so strong it’s almost nauseating.

Pushing through the endless bodies, I arrive at a roped-off table with balloons and a “Happy Birthday” banner strung along the back wall. ‘Hurry, human I want to find her,’ Thor rumbles as he pushes forward to speed up this whole thing.

“I hope you like the location,” I say, startling the entire group as it’s the first thing I’ve said all night, “that it’s close enough to the action for you and your friends.”

“It’s great Alpha,” Elle says, smiling, but her eyes hold skepticism as she watches me fidget. “Are you okay?”

No. “Yes, I just need to go to the restroom,” I lie, quickly, my feet demanding that I go in search of more important things. “I’ll be back soon.” Before another word could be said, I disappeared back through the group of humans chasing honeysuckle.

***********************************

DAMON POV

‘She is here,’ Slade purrs in my mind while I watch the humans in the club gyrate to the song being played by the DJ. ‘Where?’ I ask as my eyes frantically search near the front door looking for Elle’s unforgettable red hair but coming up empty. ‘I don’t see her, Slade.’

‘Outside,’ and as soon as he said it, I see Jonah’s large frame pass through the doorway. Behind him stands a gaggle of wolves from our pack, with Elle dead in the center, like she is being shielded from the view of the men in the crowd. I can feel Slade’s pride that his pack members have the common sense not to let any males near her. I don’t think I’d be able to stay hidden if another male touched her tonight.

As Elle is engulfed in a stream of light from a strobe, I nearly buckle over at the sight before me. Dressed in a green, low-cut satin dress with gladiator wrap sandals, she looks like the club version of Poison Ivy. Is she trying to get other males’ attention dressed like that?

“Where do you think he is going?” Matt asks as he shakes my arm and points into the crowd at a retreating Alpha Jonah weaving his way through the humans once more.

“I don’t know,” I say as I watch him make his way towards an exit door on the other side of the room, “but follow him and find out. Don’t engage unless necessary, and keep the link open.” As soon as the instructions leave my mouth, I return my focus to Elle, afraid to take my eyes off of her even for a second as the Alpha energy radiating off of her is almost palpable to those paying attention.

“Have you seen the old guy?” I ask Andrew as my eyes scan the crowd looking for him or any of the men I remember seeing with him the night before, but the number of people and the flashing lights make it nearly impossible to see clearly.

“Not yet,” Andrew answers as his eyes scan the crowd in search of the man, “But I get the feeling he is hiding here somewhere.”

But I don’t need to look any further because across from us and one floor up is a shadowy man whose sole attention is on Elle as she sits in the VIP section. I can’t see the man’s face, but I don’t need to because I know it’s him, and so does Slade.

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